FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
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AVIATION MEDICINE REPORTS

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-92/31

Title and Subtitle: En Route Air Traffic Controllers' Use of Flight Progress Strips: A Graph-Theoretic Analysis

Report Date: November 1992

Authors: Vortac, O.U., Edwards, M.B., Jones, J.P., Manning, C.A., and Rotter, A.J.

Abstract: In the United States, flight data are represented on a paper Flight Progress Strip (FPS). The role of the FPS has recently attracted attention because of plans to automate this aspect of air traffic control. The communication activities and FPS activities of air traffic controllers were categorized while they controlled air traffic of varying complexity. Transition networks were derived from the empirical transitions. These networks indicated that several aspects of air traffic control generalize across complexity, including the centrality of writing-on-the-FPSs to the control of traffic. Complexity was a factor when FPSs were used with high complexity traffic situations, requiring the controller to direct uninterrupted periods of time to the management of the FPSs rather than integrating these board management responsibilities with the responsibilities of separating aircraft.

Key Words: Automation, Air Traffic Control

No. of Pages: 17