Technical Paper
TCAS from a Human Factors Point of View
1988-10-01
881547
Pilots' use of the traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS II) was evaluated in simulated air carrier line operations. Sixteen three-person airline flight crews currently flying the Boeing 727 served as subjects. Each crew flew eight flights with or without TCAS as part of the full-mission simulation. Their performance of the avoidance maneuvers and evaluation of the system were measured. The crews were trained on the aircraft differences and the TCAS II. The second day consisted of a 10 hour duty day of normal line operations. All communications, navigation, and cockpit procedures were carried out according to the standards of their particular airline. The crews were under full air traffic control along with the other aircraft in the airspace. All crews were exposed to the same traffic conflicts under the same conditions of high/low traffic densities, high/low workload, high/low visibility. Pilot flying and dusk/night lighting were counterbalanced.