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Controller Strategies for Managing Air Traffic in High Altitude Arrival SectorsSubstantial increases in the volume of air traffic in the National Airspace System (NAS) are forecast for the next decade, with the number of passengers travelling on U.S. airlines expected to increase by as much as 60%. This increased demand on system capacity will be accompanied by increases in traffic complexity as air traffic service providers routinely accommodate user preferred routing requests. Changes to the NAS to meet these new demands are currently underway, including development of new decision support tools to aid controllers in monitoring and managing air traffic, and increased air-to-air and air-to-ground information exchange. Changes in roles and responsibilities of pilots and controllers in flight path management will accompany these changes in traffic patterns and information technology, however the ultimate responsibility for maintaining aircraft separation will remain with the air traffic controller. A thorough understanding of the methods controllers use to manage air traffic will help ensure that changes to the NAS are implemented in a way that maintains the controller's ability to separate aircraft as the system evolves. This presentation describes the strategies controllers use today to manage arrival traffic in its descent from cruise altitude to the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) boundary. Factors that increase the complexity of this task include the presence of overflight traffic, varying aircraft performance characteristics, winds aloft, ground speed variations with altitude, the need to merge arrival traffic into a single stream, and, when arrival traffic exceeds airport runway capacity, the added task of metering flow into the TRACON. Because of the limited information available to controllers to manage arrival traffic, their strategies are often driven by the need to reduce the task's complexity, which can result in de-optimized flight paths for individual aircraft (e.g., sub-optimal descent or speed profiles). Understanding these strategies and the cognitive demands that drive them will support a safe transition to a NAS that relies on enhanced technologies. In addition, it could enable system developers to identify opportunities for new automation-based procedures or information displays that could reduce the controller's workload and increase operational efficiency.
Document ID
20020066704
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Smith, Nancy
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Palmer, Everett
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Prevot, Thomas
(San Jose State Univ. Moffett Field, CA United States)
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1998
Subject Category
Air Transportation And Safety
Meeting Information
Meeting: 10th International Conference on Aviation Psychology
Location: Columbus, OH
Country: United States
Start Date: May 2, 1999
End Date: May 7, 1999
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 588-04-14
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASA Order H-4749-I
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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