Innovative flight deck function allocation concepts for NextGen

Abstract

Future operations envisioned in the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) involve more complex and precise operations, more available information for the flight crew and air traffic control, more highly automated and complex systems, and increased flight crew tasks and responsibilities. A major issue of the NextGen concept of operations, particularly in a super density terminal area, is the potential brittleness of the system to disruptions and the reduced potential for humans to supply the needed resilience for non-normal and off-nominal operations. To mitigate these potential NextGen issues, it is necessary to identify the functions of a critical element of future aviation systems—aircraft flight decks, and to allocate those functions among the automated and human components of the flight deck. Two competing flight deck design concepts were developed based on different directions that flight deck designs may take in the future because of unpredictable forces and factors. The first design path embodies pilot roles and responsibilities that represent the “pilot as pilot,” and the second design path embodies roles and responsibilities that represent the “pilot as manager.” The two flight deck concepts were developed from an analysis of the anticipated operational requirements of the NextGen environment, emphasizing requirements that are likely to have significant impact on flight deck and flight crew functions and responsibilities. The two design concepts were used to generate high level human factors flight deck design guidelines that apply to both design paths in a future “NextGen” air traffic environment, focusing on those that are new or different from traditional human factors flight deck design guidelines.