FAA Air Traffic Control Front Line Manager’s Quick Reference Guide

Abstract

Air Traffic Control Front Line Managers (FLMs) influence the prevention of operational incidents (OIs) and runway incursions (RIs) through practices that enable safe controller performance and mitigate problems related to specific contributing factors, including controller coordination, controller-pilot communication, and controller memory. FLMs’ proximity and frequent interactions with controllers in the operational environment place them in a unique position to impact air traffic safety through managing controller performance and mitigating OIs and RIs resulting from common contributing factors. With this understanding of the FLM role, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) developed the Front Line Managers Quick Reference Guide (QRG). The Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) assisted the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) with the organization and evaluation of these materials. The guide was intended to provide a management best practices format specific to Air Traffic Control to assist FLMs in the performance of their job. To determine the utility of the QRG, CAMI developed and administered a survey of FLMs. The survey also provided the ATO with a basis for additions or deletions to the QRG. The FLM QRG was designed as a best practices guide for use by all field FLMs. Survey results and suggestions and recommendations from survey respondents are presented.