Human Factors The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society · 2005 · 208 citations · 31 references
EngineeringAerospace EngineeringConflict StudiesAutomationFlight DynamicsFlight MechanicsAircraft ControlAircraft PerformanceAutomation System DesignFlight PerformanceFlight SimulationAviation WorkloadDecision Aid DesignDecision AidsFlight Control SystemsHuman Factors In Flight ControlMental Workload AssessmentSimulated EnvironmentsWorkload
Future air traffic management envisions shared decision‑making between controllers and pilots, requiring automated decision aids, yet their impact on controllers remains poorly understood. The study examined how an aircraft‑to‑aircraft conflict decision aid affects performance and mental workload of experienced controllers in a simulated Free Flight environment. The experiments compared controller performance under a reliable decision aid (Experiment 1) versus an inaccurate aid (Experiment 2) in a simulated Free Flight setting. Reliable automation improved controller performance and lowered mental workload, but when the aid was inaccurate, conflict detection was better manually, suggesting that future air traffic control systems should carefully design automation reliability.
Future air traffic management concepts envisage shared decision-making responsibilities between controllers and pilots, necessitating that controllers be supported by automated decision aids. Even as automation tools are being introduced, however, their impact on the air traffic controller is not well understood. The present experiments examined the effects of an aircraft-to-aircraft conflict decision aid on performance and mental workload of experienced, full-performance level controllers in a simulated Free Flight environment. Performance was examined with both reliable (Experiment 1) and inaccurate automation (Experiment 2). The aid improved controller performance and reduced mental workload when it functioned reliably. However, detection of a particular conflict was better under manual conditions than under automated conditions when the automation was imperfect. Potential or actual applications of the results include the design of automation and procedures for future air traffic control systems.
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