Review of Air Traffic Controller Selection: An International Perspective

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute1997PDFTech ReportBroach, DanaManning, Carol A.United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation. Civil Aerospace Medical InstituteUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation. Office of Aerospace MedicineUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation. Civil Aerospace Medical InstituteUnited StatesAir traffic controllersPerformancePersonnelTestsValidationHuman resources managementSelection and appointmentTraining programsDOT/FAA/AM-97/15Final ReportThis report provides a review of research on air traffic controller selection in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. The development and validation of the multiple hurdle selection system used by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from 1976 through 1992 is described first. The computer-administered test battery that supplanted the second-stage screening conducted at the FAA Academy is discussed next. Work by Eibfeldt for the German Air Navigation Services at the Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) in Hamburg is reviewed. Job analysis, test battery development, and validation research for the controller occupation in the United Kingdom is presented next, followed by a description of the Swedish \u201cMRU Project\u201d on controller selection. The report closes with a discussion of issues surrounding controller job performance measurement. The advantages and disadvantages of historical criteria, such as training records, are reviewed. Alternative approaches to job performance measurement, such as simulations and operational data replay and analysis, are then described. The report closes with suggestions for future directions in controller selection research.119