Concept validation experiment for small aircraft transportation system higher-volume operations

A human-in-the-loop simulation experiment was conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center's Air Traffic Operations Laboratory in an effort to comprehensively validate tools and procedures intended to enable the small aircraft transportation system higher-volume-operations concept of operations. These procedures were developed with the goal of increasing the rate of operations at nontowered, nonradar airports in near all-weather conditions. A key element of the new design is the establishment of a volume of airspace around designated airports at which pilots accept responsibility for self-separation. Flights operating at these airports are given approach-sequencing information computed by a ground-based automated system. The validation experiment was conducted to determine if a pilot could safety and proficiently fly an airplane while performing the newly developed procedures. Comparative measures of flight path error, perceived workload, and situation awareness were obtained for two types of simulated scenarios. Baseline scenarios were representative of today's system using procedure separation, in which air traffic control grants one approach or departure clearance at a time. Test scenarios represented the newly developed approach and departure procedures. Results from the experiment indicate that low-time pilots were able to fly the test procedures in a simulation environment and maintain self-separation as safely and proficiently as flying today's procedures.