Feasibility Study of Flight Centric Mode of Operations - A Human Performance Approach

Abstract

We investigated the operational feasibility of Flight Centric ATC with a Real-Time Simulation in an area covering Budapest Area Control Centre between FL325 and FL660. This exercise specifically looked into single-person operations, where the ATCOs fulfilled the roles of conventional Planning Controllers and Executive Controllers. From a Human Performance perspective the main goals of the validation exercise were to collect controllers' feedback regarding i) the set-up of responsibilities and tasks allocated to them, ii) the impact of the changes in operating procedures on human performance, including controller's trust, workload and situational awareness and finally, iii) assess the display design for presenting the Flight Centric airspace on the controller working position. The results clearly show that the new concept has significant impact on situational awareness. In order to support controllers, reliable and transparent Flight Centric-specific system support is essential, which has to be further refined. Data also indicate that whilst workload remained at acceptable levels, major contributing factors were coordination needs and management of the new tools. The paper outlines the conclusions and recommendation for the next phase of research.