Controller Perceptions of OpEval 99
Michael MacAnulty (FAA), Richard Ozmore (FAA), Mitchell Grossberg (FAA), and Eric Nadler (USDOT/Volpe Center)
Controller perceptions of OpEval 99 were obtained through workload ratings, questionnaires, and oral debriefings of the three participating controllers. Workload during OpEval was perceived as low to moderate and ATC difficulty was perceived as about the same as normal operations with the same numbers and types of aircraft and similar weather. The controllers thought that the Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) was somewhat helpful, including positive perceived effects on maintaining a safe and efficient traffic flow, and on providing control information. The controllers believed that CDTI improved flight crews' situation awareness so that they could anticipate the traffic they would be asked to follow. It appeared to them that CDTI-equipped planes turned earlier and followed closer when cleared to follow another aircraft while on the downwind leg of the flight pattern. They also thought that pilots' use of the call signs of nearby aircraft, displayed on CDTI, when communicating with ATC, helped controllers to learn when an aircraft had begun to follow the wrong traffic. However, all three controllers were concerned about CDTI leading to additional questions about controller intentions and increased pilot requests for preferred sequencing, thereby increasing controller workload and potentially interfering with their plans for handling the traffic.
