The SESAR 3 FCA research project has reached one of its main milestones – the first of two real-time simulation campaigns. Throughout a total of ten days, two groups of Ukrainian air traffic controllers thoroughly tested the concept in simulated airspace above Flight Level 275, using DLR’s in-house simulation platform TrafficSim. The controllers underwent three days of intensive training to ensure optimal performance. This included familiarization with the simulator, the new tiled HMI design, and tools for managing normal and abnormal scenarios such as thunderstorms and degraded systems. A total of 15 training runs were conducted to prepare the controllers for five days of validation scenarios.
During the validation phase, the controllers engaged in 16 simulation runs featuring seven scenarios. These included normal operations, thunderstorms, degraded modes, and system failures such as communication and conflict resolution tool outages. Workload assessments were conducted using the Instantaneous Self-Assessment tool, supplemented by questionnaires and debriefings with human performance experts. Key findings showed that the controllers successfully managed the challenges, even under increased workload in failure scenarios.
This intensive validation exercise marks a critical step towards achieving TRL6 for Flight Centric ATC, paving the way for safer and more efficient air traffic management systems.
