Chapter 22 - Commentary on NextGen and Aviation Human Factors

Abstract

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) poses unprecedented changes in the roles and responsibilities traditionally held by pilots and air traffic controllers dating back to the late 1920s when Archie League served as one of the first flagmen at the St. Louis, Missouri, airfield. These changes are being enabled by implementation of new technologies, concepts, and procedures. The goals driving these changes are to improve capacity of the National Airspace System (NAS) and reduce flight delays while maintaining the strong safety record of civil aviation. Human factors has a great opportunity to contribute to and fashion these changes to ensure that pilots and controllers can perform their tasks within the envelope of effective and efficient human performance in a manner conducive to accruing these benefits intended with NextGen. One of several important human factors challenges is that as a system becomes more tightly coupled to ensure efficiencies, the less time there is available to respond to non-normal situations. NextGen will provide operational improvements changing the jobs of pilots and air traffic controllers. Concepts for the mid- and far-term will introduce changes to the roles and responsibilities between pilots and controllers such as in relation to delegation of separation responsibility as pilots use satellite-based surveillance information shown on a cockpit display of traffic information (CDTI). New technologies will enable changes in the allocation of functions between humans and automation so that controllers can shift toward more strategic handling additional aircraft while pilots are delegated certain tactical responsibilities.