Role of Human Factors in the FAA

In the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA), Human Factors is defined as a“multidisciplinary effort to generate and compile information about human capabilities and limitations and apply that information to equipment, systems,facilities, procedures, jobs, environments, training, staffing, and personnel management for safe,comfortable, and effective human performance” (FAA Order 9550.8A). FAA human factors researchers seek to understand the physical, behavioral, cognitive, and social characteristics of aviation professionals—such as pilots, air traffic controllers,technical operations specialists, and aircraft maintenance technicians—and the systems that they use.