Human-in-the-Loop Simulation of an Integrated Ground Movement Safety System

This document describes a human-in-the-loop simulation evaluating the effectiveness of an integrated ground movement safety system for improved runway safety. The evaluated ground movement safety system contained technologies to enhance pilot awareness as well as warn pilots about runway safety risks and had been proposed by Andrews, Dorfman, Estes, Jones, and Olmos (2005). Strengths and limitations of this integrated system as well as possibilities to address these limitations were determined. Pilots experienced the integrated safety system that enhanced pilot awareness (passive runway awareness technologies) and provided visual warnings about surface traffic to pilots (active warning system). In addition pilots experienced simulation scenarios in a baseline condition. The passive runway awareness system consisted of enhanced airport surface markings, modified lead-on lights, and runway guard lights. The active warning components consisted of airport surface lights including take-off hold lights and runway entrance lights. Two additional warning systems were designed in this simulation to fill runway safety gaps that the proposed solution set did not address. Arrival occupancy lights warned arriving aircraft that it was unsafe to land on a runway. In addition AMASS alerts were directly displayed via auditory channel to pilots in the cockpit. Results indicate that active pilot warning technologies reduced the occurrence of simulation incursions.