pilots

Air traffic controller staffing shortages and absences can contribute to safety and operational issues such as aircraft proximity incidents, increased runway incursions, and pilot concerns about controller responses.

Aviation safety monitoring commonly uses indicators such as aircraft proximity events, runway incursions, and pilot reports about controller responses to assess operational risk and determine whether restrictions are necessary.

FAA safety assessments for air traffic operations use metrics such as controller callout rates, aircraft proximity incidents, runway incursions, and pilot reports about controller performance.

Pilots are primarily responsible for maintaining separation from other aircraft on the tarmac and avoiding collisions, with air traffic controllers providing directives but not replacing pilot responsibility for immediate avoidance.

When an airport lacks an operational control tower, pilots use a shared radio frequency to self-coordinate traffic and resolve potential conflicts.

Artificial intelligence systems deployed in air combat are capable of ingesting and processing large amounts of sensor and battlefield data rapidly and making real-time decisions that exceed what a single human pilot can absorb in complex air combat environments.

In controlled airspace, pilots generally require approval from air traffic control before making non-standard maneuvers after takeoff, such as an immediate turn away from the assigned departure heading.