Welcome to William J Hughes Technical Center
FAA Human Factors Branch (ANG-E25)
News & Updates
See below for newest reports added to the website with full text available for free download.
- DOT/FAA/TC-19/23: Validation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Contingency Procedures and Requirements Terminal Human-in-the-Loop Simulation Technical Report
- DOT/FAA/TC-19/25: Validation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Contingency Procedures and Requirements En Route Human-in-the-Loop Simulation Technical Report
- DOT/FAA/TC-19/36: Traffic Flow Management (TFM) Tools: Guidance for Use, Integration, and Training: Part Task Experiment 2
- DOT/FAA/TC-19/29: Human Factors Guidance for the Display of Pilot Reports (PIREPs) on Information Display Systems
- DOT/FAA/TC-19/37: Air Traffic Control Decision Support Tool Design and Implementation Handbook
Mission
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Human Factors Branch (ANG-E25) employs scientific methods and advanced technology in the conduct of research and development to ensure that systems that include human operators and maintainers perform as effectively and safely as possible.
What Makes Us Unique
The members of the Human Factors Branch have a broad range of skills, knowledge, and experience that distinguishes them from other organizations conducting human factors work for the FAA. In addition to having graduate training in human factors, psychology, engineering, and related fields, we have studied air traffic control, NAS maintenance, and flight deck operations by working closely with current controllers, technicians, and pilots. We use the William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC) laboratories that contain all the current and developmental systems in the National Airspace System (NAS), and regularly visit FAA field facilities to observe and collect data about their operations. Our engineering research psychologists speak the users' language while maintaining a scientific, human-centered, system-oriented perspective.
Within the Research, Development, and Human Factors Laboratory (RDHFL), we conduct research to develop
methods of measuring human performance in the aviation environments, to evaluate longer term operational
concepts, and to develop useful databases and design standards. The R&D Labs Group provides outstanding
technical, engineering, and computer science support to these efforts. Together, we have developed high
fidelity rapid prototyping and human-in-the-loop simulation capabilities coupled with specialized human
operator and system performance measures. Finally, we use this information and methods to work with
stakeholder groups to evaluate existing systems and to design nearer term developmental systems and procedures
to ensure that the operators and maintainers can use them safely and effectively to perform their critical jobs.
The collocation and collaboration between the research and acquisition personnel and activities increases the
relevance and quality of our products. The human-centered design processes are intended to make these frequently
complex systems relatively easy to learn and use so as to increase productivity and efficiency while minimizing
the potential for error. Our focus is on designing systems and procedures for the NAS that meet the needs of the
operators and maintainers, and ultimately the FAA customers (pilots, airlines, commercial operations, and the
traveling public) rather than on trying to select, train, and manage people that can use technology-centered systems.
It is FAA policy to ensure the safety and well-being of participants in FAA-sponsored or FAA-conducted scientific research (FAA Order 9500.25A (PDF) and 49 CFR Part 11).
