ATC Human Factors Involved in RPAS Contingency Management in Non-Segregated Airspace

Abstract

Objectives: The overall approach towards Remotely Piloted Aerial System integration into a non-segregated airspace is that the unmanned vehicles should be able to fit into the current air traffic management system, thus meeting all the technical and regulatory requirements to be treated similar to any other airspace user. Such a requirement implies that unmanned aircraft operations should behave as close as possible to manned aviation or at least generate the most negligible possible negative impact on the system. From the air traffic management point of view, this implies that air traffic controllers should be capable of effectively handling different types of RPAS operating in a nominal state but also when suffering a potential contingency. This paper aims to analyse how air traffic controllers involved in managing unmanned aircraft integration into non-segregated airspace are impacted when an unmanned vehicle suffers a contingency. Participants: Six air traffic controllers were the test subjects, complemented by one RPAS pilot and several pseudo-pilots controlling the simulated manned traffic. The project collected real-time simulation data to develop specific indicators to determine how the controllers’ workload increases while managing complex traffic scenarios, including a single RPAS. Study Method: We conducted exhaustive traffic flight simulations, recreating complex airspace scenarios, including various RPAS types and mission-oriented trajectories. The involved RPAS were subjected to two of the most relevant contingencies: loss of the command-and-control link and engine failure. The experiments were evaluated in different operational scenarios, including using autonomous communication technologies to help air traffic controllers track the RPAS operation. Findings: The results indicate that the air traffic controller’s perception and workload are not affected beyond reason by the introduction of an unmanned aircraft as a new element into the non-segregated airspace, even when that aircraft suffers a contingency. The flight-intent technology increases situational awareness, leading to more efficient and safe airspace management. Additional simulations may need to be performed to evaluate the impact on airspace capacity, safety, and workload when various unmanned vehicles are simultaneously inserted.