NTL Record

Title Development of an Empirically-Based Index of Aircraft Mix
Record ID 39882
Personal Name
Creator
Pfleiderer, Elaine M.
Corporate Creator United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Corporate
Contributor
FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration
Publication Date 20030500
Language English
Abstract The present study is part of an ongoing effort to identify objective predictors of subjective air traffic controller workload. The study begins with a comparison of the salient variables governing en route controllers’ perceptions of the performance capabilities of a sample of aircraft and the actual performance of the aircraft in the en route environment. A group of 24 Certified Professional Controllers (CPCs) from Kansas City (N = 17) and Boston (N = 7) en route centers provided estimates of cruising speed, climb, and descent rates for a sample of 24 aircraft types. A matrix of squared Euclidean distances derived from summary measures (i.e., means of estimated speed, climb, and descent rates) was used to construct a classical multidimensional scaling (CMDS) model representing controllers’ perceptions of the performance capabilities of each aircraft type. A second matrix was derived from means of speed, climb, and descent rates for the same 24 aircraft types computed from a sample of live air traffic data collected from the Kansas City and Boston en route centers. This matrix was used to construct a second CMDS model representing actual aircraft performance. Interpretation of the dimensions of the CMDS model of ATC estimates suggested that Dimension 1 was related to engine type, whereas Dimension 2 was primarily associated with aircraft weight class. In the model of SAR data, both engine type and weight class were predominantly associated with Dimension 1. Results are used to develop a measure of aircraft mix (i.e., the mix of aircraft with different performance characteristics) to be added to a suite of controller activity and taskload measures.
Rosap ID dot:40482
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/40482
TRT Terms Air traffic controllers; Workload; Aviation
General Subjects Aviation; Operations and Traffic Management
Geographical
Coverage
Oklahoma; United States
TRIS Online
Accession No
960031
Report Number DOT/FAA/AM-03/8
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/39000/39800/39882/0308.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository