FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-65/31

Title and Subtitle: Development and evaluation of a radar air traffic control research task.

Report Date: December 1965

Authors: Pearson RG, Hunter CE, Neal GL.

Abstract: A system is described in which various elements of the radar air traffic controller's task can be presented repeatedly, reliably, and concurrently to each of six experimental subjects seated at separate task consoles. Programming of display conditions designed to test such operator skills as vigilance, problem solving, monitoring, and reaction time, and the electronic scoring of subject responses are accomplished automatically.

Results from initial experimentation involving enroute ATC, terminal, and flight service station personnel support the design rationale for the experimental task. Approximately 8 hr of practice are required for subjects to integrate effectively all subtasks and to achieve a stable level of proficiency. Suggestions are made for use of the system in human factors research on ATC operator problems and for modification as a training device. Technical appendixes include description of a complete problem script and of the electrical-engineering design characteristics of the programming-data-acquisition system.

Key Words: human factors engineering, radar equipment, air traffic control systems, air traffic controllers, training devices, systems engineering.

No. of Pages: 32