ABSTRACT
Matching of human and machine should be viewed in the broader context of air traffic control objectives, resources and management. The range of potential and actual mismatches between the human and some aspect of the air traffic control system is broader than is commonly supposed. In principle the initial remedy is the same for all gross mismatches between human capabilities and task demands for it relies on changes in staffing levels. Some technological advances can produce system components that seem to possess human-like attributes. Full matching of the human and the system implies recognition of the whole array of human attributes with no system equivalents, and of their contributions. Successful human–machine matching requires the adaptive system to notify the controller of the reasons why the action is invalid. Matching human and system when the human must override an adapting system is a difficult but inescapable problem for which acceptable solutions must be devised.
