Information requirements for low-visibility taxi operations: What pilots say

Low-visibility conditions present a host of problems for the National Airspace System. While many modern aircraft are equipped with automation that allows them to land under low-visibility conditions, there is no such corresponding technology to aid the pilots in taxiing the aircraft from runway to gate, or vice versa. Consequently, flight throughput and sequencing is severely constrained, especially at the major airports. Current efforts within NASA, the FAA, and the commercial aviation industry are aimed at developing technologies to increase the efficiency and safety of taxi operations under low-visibility conditions. Based on cockpit observations, pilot interviews, and pilot-controller communications, this paper presents an analysis of current problems experienced by pilots during the taxi operations, and presents their views on key issues related to the introduction of electronic taxi map displays in the cockpit. The data were collected by the author while serving as a flight deck observer aboard thirty-five commercial carrier flights. The implications of these data for the justification and design of advanced cockpit displays for taxi operations are discussed, and the importance of including pilot experiences, opinions, and attitudes in the research and design process is stressed