Human Factors Considerations in the Design of an Aircraft Maintenance Hangar

Abstract

Many human factors issues in aircraft maintenance are directly related to the technicians' working environment and can be addressed in the maintenance facility design. The goal of this project was to identify and catalog human factors issues that should be considered from the outset in the design of a new maintenance facility for the Institute of Aviation at the University of Illinois. Towards this end, the structure and functionality of the existing hangar was examined, the technicians were interviewed, and their tasks analyzed. Based on these data as well as results from link- and activity relationship analyses, human factors requirements were listed for each functional area of the proposed facility. A suggested layout for the new facility represents an optimum relative arrangement of the workspaces, positioning of the aircraft in the main hangar, and the flow of tools, materials, and documents within the facility from an explicitly human-centered perspective.