Involving Pilots in AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL.

Though relatively safe, the friendly skies aren't always efficient. Amy Pritchett, an assistant professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Atlanta, hopes the results of her study on an enhanced aircraft cockpit display system will lead to a smoother-running operation.

The system, called Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI), allows pilots to see other aircraft around them and the distances between the planes. There is a reluctance, however, to implement CDTI fully in commercial aircraft. So far, only low-end versions have been installed, primarily to help pilots react more quickly to collision avoidance maneuvers.

"There is a reluctance to implement CDTI because of the procedural changes it would require for both air traffic controllers and pilots," Pritchett indicates. "But CDTI would allow controllers to give higher types of commands and communicate more directly with the pilots. For example, instead of just telling [pilots] what speed to fly, the controller can also tell them what aircraft they will be following into land and how far behind them to be. This can give the pilot more involvement in air traffic management."

Pritchett and graduate student L.J. Yankosky modeled and numerically simulated several different air traffic control procedures that would use CDTI. They also conducted flight simulator experiments with 12 commercial airline pilots examining different CDTI implementations. They determined that pilots must be able to assess speeds of surrounding aircraft easily to respond safely and efficiently to an air traffic controller's higher level commands (e.g., stay 10 miles behind...