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Free flight represents a major change in the way that aircraft are handled in the National Airspace System. It has the potential to significantly increase airspace utilization and, by doing so, improve aircraft throughput. The degree to which these objectives can be met without compromising aircraft safety will depend on appropriate changes in the air traffic control system. This study provides an objective evaluation of some of the possible effects of free flight on controllers' ability to maintain an accurate and complete picture of the traffic situation. This picture or mental representation is essential for monitoring and separation functions. The study revealed that, using current technology, some aspects of free flight might adversely influence the situation awareness and performance of controllers. The results of this study provided information for better defining how free flight should be implemented and for determining needed design and procedural modifications to support the concept.

This study provides an empirical evaluation of the effects of an enhanced predictive display concept for air traffic control. The predictive display informed the controller of the targeted altitude or heading of aircraft in a transitionary state The information provided simulated that which could be produced by a datalink from the aircraft's flight management system in a future air traffic system operation. The pilots in the simulation operated under self-separation rules and did not request clearances for altered flight plans. Use of the predictive display resulted in improvements in some air traffic control performance and situation awareness measures. Based on the results of the study, we recommend making improvements to the predictive display to better integrate it with the controller's radar display.

Traditional subjective pilot workload measures have stressed postflight questionnaires. An alternative method that is less dependent on memory was evaluated in two experiments. In the first study, pilots and nonpilots made workload evaluations each minute during a critical tracking task. Results indicate that their responses were directly related to the experimentally controlled difficulty level, whereas posltask questionnaire responses were much less accurate. In a second study, the workload assessment device was introduced into the cockpit of a general aviation cockpit simulator, to detennine if pilots could differentiate between three flights in which the level of difficulty varied. It was found that pilot workload judgments and response latencies were related to the experimentally induced difficulty level. As hypothesized, the more difficult flights generated higher mean workload responses and longer latencies.

This panel session addresses the concern that undergraduate education in human factors has not been utilized or marketed effectively. Specifically, the panelists propose that an undergraduate course or program is a means by which to inform people about the human factors area, to prepare undergraduate students for employment with a bachelors degree, and to enhance the working student's skills needed in the workplace. Additionally, the use of undergraduate education as a proactive means to introduce and attract individuals to the field of human factors is presented.