Terminal Controller Feedback on an Automated Sequencing and Spacing Tool

Abstract

As part of the technology transfer of the Terminal Sequencing and Spacing (TSAS) prototype from NASA to the FAA, a demonstration of TSAS was conducted in May of 2015. Arrival traffic to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) was simulated and was worked by four terminal controllers who had no prior exposure to the TSAS tools. Participants were asked for their opinions on the usability and impact of the TSAS tool elements. They reported that the tool elements were usable and that they used some elements more than others. Scales measuring trust and workload recorded that participants’ trust in TSAS increased over the course of the demonstration and that their perceived workload remained moderate to low even during disturbance events that had been scripted into scenario runs.

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