Determining job requirements for the next aviator generation

Abstract

The aviation industry is envisioning a tremendous growth of air traffic within the next two decades. New technologies and operational concepts will be the key enablers to accommodate the increasing amount of movements in a safe, efficient and environment friendly manner. Current working concepts reach from improved interoperability of national ATM systems, via satellite based navigation, collaborative decision making, and self separation of aircraft up to fully automated air-ground-space systems. It can be expected that the introduction of such concepts will have a significant impact on the working conditions and job requirements of future air traffic controllers and pilots, who were selected on traditional job profiles reflecting the current and past operational settings. Our paper is presenting elements of a prospective job analysis of future aviators assigned to specific operational tasks within the future air transport system. Results will be based on reviews of available international concept papers, conducted future workshops with present job holders and low fidelity simulation runs of collaborative air traffic control and aircraft separation tasks. Relevant en-route and arrival scenarios will be discussed and presented at the symposium with some preliminary data of the initial tryout studies.