ABSTRACT
Air traffic control is a very complex process that depends to a large degree on the human operator's capabilities and limitations. The design of an advanced and efficient Air Traffic Control (ATC) console for the future requires an understanding of the nature of the interaction between the controller and the four basic available sources of information: (1) aircraft pilot; (2) other controllers; (3) the radar display console; and (4) paper flight progress strip. A task analysis of the current en route ATC system in Japan was conducted by observing a~radar controller/coordinator team over a 4,500 second observation period. Analyses indicated a very high work load for both members of the team as measured by work time and frequency of sub-tasks. The combined time spent on the eleven sub-tasks over the 4,500 second interval was 6,415 seconds for the radar controller and 6,244 seconds for the coordinator, indicating that two or more tasks were being performed simultaneously by team members. This paper also presents additional useful technical data related to both ATC console issues and future air traffic control working environments.
