The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Research Development & Human Factors Laboratory (RDHFL), located at the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is a state-of-the-art research facility designed specifically to support research in aviation human factors. Its mission is to ensure optimum safety, efficiency, and capacity as greater demands are placed upon the National Airspace System (NAS). Dedicated to providing new insights into human performance, the RDHFL is on the leading edge of designing aviation systems that work by bringing people and technology together.The RDHFL is a multipurpose facility with flexible capabilities. It consists of approximately 10,000 square feet of laboratory space , and 6,000 square feet of office space. The laboratory area includes four Experiment Rooms (ER), each with its own Experiment Operator Station (EOS). The EOS is a smaller room and it serves as the central control point for each experiment. Depending on the specific experiment, the ERs can be used separately or together. Links between all four ERs and the Briefing Room (BR) are provided to distribute video, audio, computer and voice communication information. While an experiment is in progress, observers can sit in either the EOS or the BR and unobtrusively monitor an experiment.The RDHFL is equipped with an extensive network capability. Voice communications and data networks exist between the RDHFL and other laboratories within the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center. In addition, links are provided between the RDHFL and other government laboratories including NASA Ames Research Center in California. The What and Why of  Human FactorsAviation Human Factors is a multidisciplinary activity. The end goal of this process is to improve systems performance by designing and operating systems that optimize the strengths of people and machines. As the demands increase on the air space system, the application of human factors research and development is critical for continued safety and efficiency.In 1988, the U.S. Congress mandated that the FAA make a special effort to focus on human factors in civil aviation (the Aviation Safety Research Act of 1988 [Public Law 100-591]). In response to that mandate, the FAA prepared and published the National Plan for Aviation Human Factors in 1991. The RDHFL is a portion of the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center's commitment to human factors research in civil aviation. Human Factors EnvironmentsThe National Plan specified five major environments where concentrated and skilled human factors efforts are needed. The RDHFL will foster and support research in three of these environments:

• The Air Traffic Control Environment
• The Airway Facilities Maintenance Environment
• The Flight Deck/ATC Integration Environment

The RDHFL will make it possible to develop new technologies, examine innovative concepts, and acquire knowledge about the factors that affect human performance in these aviation environments.