United States Department of Transportation
i
Human Factors Evaluation of the Implementation of the Navigation Reference System (NRS), Phase 1
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2010-03-11
[PDF-1.18 MB]
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Edition:Final Report
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Abstract:NRS waypoints have been identified as essential features of RNAV Wind Routes and ATC Playbooks (Flow Evaluation Team, 2009) and the NextGen Air Traffic Management System more generally (Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics [RTCA], 2009). In this study, we examined NRS waypoint human factors issues that exist with regard to their nomenclature or use since their deployment approximately five years ago. The focus of this study has been predominantly on the human factors issues of NRS Waypoints for flight deck operators, although some information about issues that exist for air traffic controllers also have been collected and analyzed. We found that pilots and controllers tend to think of NRS waypoints in the same ways in which they think of traditionally named waypoints when seeing them on a flight plan and pilots do not believe they contribute to any particular CRM issues on the flight deck or require any changes to pilot flying and pilot monitoring roles and responsibilities. Dispatchers, in particular, agreed that NRS waypoints provide greater flexibility in route planning, especially in the western portion of the US where fewer ground based navigation aids exist. The pilots we interviewed indicated that they restrict their usage of NRS waypoints to original flight planning only (i.e., a strategic use). They reported that when using them tactically while enroute, such as for a diversion around weather, their workload could become quite high. Another problem we learned about is that many flight management system (FMS) databases lack the storage capacity to hold all 1600 NRS waypoints in addition to all the other RNAV and named waypoints in the NAS. This creates a need for the flight crew to program waypoint locations using lat/long entries, which is time consuming, difficult, and prone to data entry errors. Controllers we interviewed mentioned that NRS waypoints cannot be displayed on their radar scopes and so visualizing a flight route that includes NRS waypoints is more challenging. Additional information about the NRS is available in FAA Order 7350.9, Chapter 1, Section 6, Paragraph W. (https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/locid_html/chap1_section_6_paragraph_W.html)
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