Human Factors Flight Testing of an ADS-B Based Traffic Alerting System for General Aviation

Abstract

Mid-air collisions are a concern for general aviation. Current traffic alerting systems have limited usability in the airport environment where a majority of mid-air collisions occur. A Traffic Situation Awareness with Alerting Application (TSAA) has been developed which uses Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B), a Global Positioning System (GPS) based surveillance system, to provide reliable alerts in a condensed environment. TSAA was designed to be compatible with general aviation operations. It was specifically designed to enhance traffic situation awareness and provide traffic alerting. The system does not include guidance or resolution advisories. In addition, the design was consistent with established standards, previous traffic alerting system precedents, as well as air traffic control precedent. Taking into account the potential financial burden associated with installation of a multi-function display (MFD), an audio based TSAA system was also designed to account for constrained cockpit space and the added cost of a MFD.