Human-In-The-Loop simulation of area navigation visual flight procedures at atlanta international airport

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has committed to implementing Area Navigation (RNAV) procedures at airports throughout the National Airspace System (NAS). Delta Airlines (DAL) and air traffic controllers from the Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) (A80) facility have collaborated to design RNAV Visual Flight Procedures (RVFPs) at Atlanta´s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL). These procedures are comprised of a modified RNAV Standard Terminal Arrival (STAR) runway transition, a Constant Radius to Fix (RF) turn from the downwind to the final approach course, and the existing RNAV Global Positioning System (GPS) approach procedure. The RVFPs are designed to increase efficiency of properly-equipped ATL arrivals in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). Implementing new RNAV procedures requires consideration of current traffic patterns to ensure a more efficient operation while maintaining high levels of operational safety. A80 requested that The MITRE Corporation´s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) conduct a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) simulation to evaluate the operational acceptability of implementing the proposed procedures from the pilot and controller perspectives. The HITL simulation allowed participants to identify design and procedural issues that required change. These changes were implemented during the course of the HITL simulation, yielding a procedure acceptable to both pilots and controllers.