IFATCA - The Controller - May 1977

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JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATIONS

In this Issue: CONVEX 76 - Aircraft Noise Problems ATC Training in Singapore

FRANKFURT AM MAIN

M AY1 9 77

V 0 L UM E 16

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IFATCA

JOURNAL

OF

AIR

TRAFFIC

CONTROL

THE CONTROLLER Volume 16 • No. 2

Frankfurt am Main, May 1977

Publisher: International Federation of Air Traffic Con· trollers' Associations, P. 0. B. 196, CH-1215 Geneva 15 Airport, Switzerland. OHlcers ol IFATCA: J-D. Monin, President, 0. H. J6ns· son, Vice-President (Technical), H. H. Henschler, Vice-President (Professional), E. Bradshaw, VicePresident (Administration}, H. Wenger, Treasurer, T . H. Harrison, Executive Secretary. Editor: Sqn. Ldr. Brian C. Jones Zeppelinstrasse 18 D-4830 Gutersloh Telefon (0 52 41) 19 21 Ext. 313 Contributing Editor: V. D. Hopkin (Human Factors) Managing Editor: Horst Guddat POB 309 D-6000 Frankfurt am Main-60 Telefon (06 11) 6 903163 Publlahlng Company, Production, Subscription Service and Advertising Salee Office : Verlag W. Kramer & Co .. Bornhelmer Landwehr 57 a, 6 Franklurt am Main 60, Phone 43 43 25 and 49 21 69, Frankfuner Ban I<, No. 3·03333-9. Rate Card Nr. 6. Printed by: W. Kramer & Co., Bornhelmer Landw ehr 57 a, 6 Frankfurt am Main 60 (Federal Republic of Germany).

Frankfurt Airport, Germany How about sending a photo of your Airport or Tower to the Editor for publication here?

Subscription Rate : OM 6.- per annum for members of IFATCA ; OM 10,- per annum for non-members (Postage wi 11 be charged extra). Contributors are expressing their personal points of view and opinions, which may not necessarily coincide with those of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA).

CONTENTS

IFATCA does not assume responsibility for statements made and opinions expressed, It does only accept re· sponsibility lor publishing these contributions.

CONVEX 76 -

Legal and Social Aspects of the Aircraft Noise Problem

12

Contributions ar e welcome as are comments and criticism. No payment can be made for manuscripts sub· milled for publication in "The Controller" . The Editor reserves the right to make any editorial changes In manuscripts, which he believes w ill Improve the material without altering the intended meaning.

Pie in the Sky

14

Written permission by the Editor Is necessary for reprinting any part of this Journal.

Cartoons: Helmut Elsner. Fotos: Archiv, BPSL, W. Endlich, Flughafen Frank· furt AG , ITPC, MITRE METREK, Philips, Sikorsky Hell· copters. Advertisers in this Iss ue: Stansaab (inside cover), Cyprus Airways (page 4), Hollandse Signaalapparaten (page 6). Loftleidir-lcelandic Airlines (page 7), Plessey Radar (pages 8/9), Gulf Air (page 10). Ferr anti Digital Systems (pages 20/21) , T·VT (page 37), Selenia Radars (inside back cover), Racal-Thermionic (back cover).

An Outline .

.

11

ATC Training in Singapore .

17

The MITRE METREK ATC Simulation Laboratory

22

International Law (Part XII) .

26

Publications Review

28

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The Aircraft Corner - Sikorsky S-76

29

Spotlight on a Corporation Member {ITPC)

30

Automation of the Low Density Terminal .

31

Job Satisfaction

34

News from Corporation Members

35

Universal News .

38

What Others Think .

40


Larnaca

Benghazi

/T•'' ''

Cairo

It's been the same old story .... Since time immemorial Cyprus has been called "the crossroads of the Mediterranean"such were the comings and goings. So its hardly suprising that an International airline had root here . And grew. Today, CYPRUS AIRWAYS is pleased to announce, there are more comings and goings than ever. To more places than ever... 15 major cities in Europe, Middle East and the Gulf States-and in splendid comfort, with f ast comfortable jet liners .

Cyprus Airways THE AIRLINE OF CYPRUS

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A Message From The President In the past few months a number of cases has occurred in different countries, where actions have been taken against controllers because their refusal to operate an unreliable and unsafe air traffic control system was regarded simply as a disobedience of authority. In each case that has been brought to the knowledge of IFATCA, the Executive Board has immediately approached the Government con. cerned with a view to assisting in the restoration of a safe ATC system and hence maintaining the highest level of reliability in that system. Too often the role and the responsibility of the controllers are undermined deliberately for the sake of the State. Such an attitude cannot be condoned by IFATCA and it must be made clearly understood that dissatisfaction among controllers is in itself a direct threat to the safety of aviation. Air Traffic Controllers, because they are professionals, are the only ones able to explain to the flying public what part ATC plays with regard to their safety and it is our conviction that those who fly must know about the burden that is put on those individuals on the ground whose decision, if erroneous, can lead to catastrophe. Now, this is what IFATCA is all about and from time to time it may be necessary to repeat the aims of the Federation as laid down in the Constitution: a) To operate as a non-profit-making and non-political federation of air traffic controllers' associations; b) to promote safety, efficiency, and regularity in International Air Navigation; c) To assist and advise in the development of safe and orderly systems of Air Traffic Control; d) To promote and uphold a high standard of knowledge and professional efficiency among Air Traffic Controllers; e) To protect and safeguard the interests of the Air Traffic Control profession; f) To make mutual benefit affiliations with other international professional organisations; g) To strive for a world-wide Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations. It is within those terms that the Executive Board is making efforts to: strengthen the overall organization of the Federation; increase contacts with all Member Associations; provide more assistance to Member Associations; expand relationships with other international bodies; generate more information to the entire Aviation community; strive to increase knowledge and achieve the maximum recognition of the ATC profession by all mankind. It is obvious that the success of the efforts made by IFATCA towards a genuine recognition of the ATC profession on a world-wide basis will only be possible through the active participation of all controllers throughout the world. The Executive Board is also looking forward to getting full support and understanding by all those concerned in the SAFETY of international Air Navigation. There may be neither quibbling nor savings when human life is at stake.

Editorship of THE CONTROLLER In the February issue the now past Editor of the Journal informed the readers of his resignation from the post of Editor of the Federation. The Executive Board regretted Mr. de Boer's decision to discontinue to serve the Federation. Everyone remembers that Mr. de Boer was appointed Editor of the Federation at Reykjavik Conference in 1973 and how in a very efficient manner he revived within a few months our nearly dying journal. During three years and under somewhat difficult circumstances, Ge de Boer has worked hard to raise the quality and at the same time make THE CONTROLLER more attractive, and he succeeded beyond expectations. IFATCA is much indebted to Ge de Boer for his excellent work and his dedication to the Federation and the Air Traffic Controller profession in general. Continuity of editorship is assured as Brian C. Jones (B. C.), an Assistant to the Court of the U. K. Guild, who has attended. several IFATCA Conferences, has accepted to fill the gap. The Executive Board hopes that all those who have supported the journal of the Federation in the past will continue to do so with the new Editor and that new supporters will also accept to assist B. C. in his task to ensure the continued success of our IFATCA publication. In leaving Brian the privilege of presenting himself, I wish to extend to him our sincere thanks and best wishes for success. 3


Then take a good look at this new 23" DAYLIGHT DISPLAY It's easier to see, to read and to use than any raw video or mixed display you've seen. It takes your air traffic control out of the dark, Into the daylight. Extra brightness and clarity Is only one of Its advantages. It presents a wide variety of computer-supplied synthetic Information on a randomaccess basis. Display Is very quick and very accurate. It gives the operator as many formats and presentation modes as he likes. Synthetic presentation cuts out all unnecessary detail. The bullt-ln display processor Is a general purpose type with micro-program control techniques.

Still in the dark with ATC displays?

It's also very easy to talk to. Alphanumeric data are Input through the keyboard. If you want to update Information In the computer system extract data from It or communicate with other operators through It, you use the llghtpen, with Its associated micro-m iniaturised processing electronics. It's quick and sensitive Automatic 'tell-back' quarantees • accurate positioning. Already part of the SARP (Slgnaat Automatic Radar Processing) System, the 23" Daylight Display can be Interfaced with other systems as well. It's modern answer to high data loads. Ready to c ome out of the dark In ATC? Let us help you. Contact us now, at this address:

Partner in Philips-in-Aviation ... t otal capabili ty from the ground up

Hollandse Slgnaalapparaten B.V. Zuldelljke Havenweg 40, Telephone: (05400) 88111 Postbus 42, Hengelo (Ov.) The Netherlands

HOLLANDSESIGNAALAPPARATEN 725¡2

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Editorial Brian C. Jones, ne wly appointed Editor of THE CONTROLLER

Whether presenting oneself is a privilege or a penalty I'm not sure, but here goes. To follow the previous Editors is a considerable challenge. Both Walter and Ge have been complimented widely for their effort and achievement in producing an outstanding Profess!onal Journal. I will try and uphold their standards. Hard work by the Managing Editor Horst Guddat has been a majo r factor in the success of THE CON1-ROLLER and I am fortunate to be working with him. I am also fortunate to have the support of a President without equal. My aim is to communicate the latest information on people, procedures, equipment and - anything that is in our mutual interest. ff changes are needed they will evolve as a result of YOUR input - write in! Briefly, I am a military controller with (hopefully) none of the prej udices that that description might evoke. ATC experience from 1953, military and civil, assistant and controller. Civil airline traffic experience. Some flying. Some Public Relations work. Now SATCO busy fighter/transport base. UK Guild member from 1965, involved in CONVEX 72/74. UK Guild delegate to IFATCA Conferences in Reykjavik, Melbourne and Lyon . Sometimes short on verbs. Homme du Monde. Now I ask myself - is this job a dream come true, or a nightmare in which man is always running but getting nowhere? Perhaps that is too dramatic a presentation of the question I have been asking myself since the honour of Editorship was in prospect. But the question remains. The dream is the opportunity to assist, in some way, the aspirations of the world's controllers in their quest for international recognition of our unique profession. ft is unique, for several reasons. Ours is the ultimate in service - if we do our job efficiently the majority of our customers will not be aware w e exist. No ATC delays, no violent avoiding action, no headlines - - no one need know we ex ist, let alone know what our problems are. The flying public should know, but often don't. The pilots should know, but many need rem inding. The authorities should know, but may need informing . THE CONTROLLER can help by showing that not only do we exist, we also work hard towards our efficiency. Unique is the only description of the cooperation that exists between the world's controllers. Politics, nationalism, colour, language, all pale into insignificance in the minds of men faced daily with instant decisions involving the safety of human life. The cooperation that is a vital part of a single control room spreads to other sectors, other centres, other nations. Come to an IFATCA Conference and see heated discussions but no animosity. Unique can be the only way to describe the load of unpaid work undertaken by the Officers of IFATCA - not only the Board of Officers, but all those members whose spare time is consumed by activities directed towards th e betterment of t he profession and flight safety. I say this because in the past few months I have been privileged to see some of the immense volume of c orrespondence dealt w ith by our Executive Secretary - letters from all parts of the world packed with information and requiring action. 5


Which brings me to the nightmare bit. A lot of these letters, telegrams, cables or just hurried notes, tell of trouble and cry for help. The right to form an association, to ask for suitable equipment, to evolve safe procedures, to request training facilities, to expect legal protection, are a few of the problems facing many controllers in 1977. If you have none of these problems - aren't you lucky? Think about helping those who are placed in a position where they cannot help themselves. Think again about your priorities - how would you compare the desire for personal privileges with the needs of controllers imprisoned for refusing to work unsafe procedures with ill maintained equipment? IFATCA's non-union and impartial status has enabled it to achieve much already. How much more could be achieved with maximum worldwide membership. Think about what you could do to realise that aim! So there is a dream and a nightmare - but life is both. We aim for the dream and try and conquer the nightmare. The problem lies in directing our efforts in correct proportion to the importance of the challenges with which we are faced. THE CONTROLLER, if it is to be the honest voice of the profession, must tell of the problems as well as the achievements. Then controllers, world-wide, will have dependable information upon which to decide the direction of their effort. Our aim is to give you that information.

What's Going On? "What's going on?" is a familiar phrase for controllers, sometimes spoken to oneself when faced with (another) new separation problem, sometimes by your relief in the hope you will resolve a~I problems an.d hand him a t~ouble-free afternoon and sometimes by the Supervisor/Watch Chief when the noise level rises to the point where he can't concentrate on next month's roster. We intend to take this phrase as the. title o.! a reg.ul.~r. feature.- short items of some reprints of significant items m the Bulletin • mformat1on on personalint.ews, t' gs whatever. It will be the last item to go to press, in the hope of · 1es, . pos. m ,· Occasionally we hope to te 11 you someth'mg b ef ore you h ear ·t 1 keeping 1t top1ca 1. • . . . on the grapevine! If you have news - send it m.

Open The Hangar Doors business is about 'planes' as well as people. There are a lot of controlhobby is 'plane spotting', aviation history or aeromodelling. lnforerst.10wn on aircraft performance is always of interest to the controller. In this issue, ma . of .inwe carry a report on the Sikorsky S67, hopef u11 y t h e f'irs t .m a regu Iar series formative articles on aircraft. This item has been shaped by Horst Guddat from the manufacturers brief. If there is a reader who would take on the responsibility of regular contributor on 'planes matters', we would be pleased to let him 'Open the Hangar Doors'. B.C. '

6

0

u~ose


Daily jet flights across the Atlantic You have a wide choice of gateways to Iceland from Europe and the USA When on a trans-Atlantic flight, take advantage of a stop over in Iceland ICELANDAIR

LOFTLEIBIR ICELANDIC 7


··'!..

.,


Down-to-eanh hilhflvers Huge investment in research and development makes sure that every new Plessey Radar installation is as technically advanced as we can make it. Yet we believe that advancing technology is not the most important factor to inf1uence the design of current and future Air Traffic Control radars. Meeting real performance demands is the first requirement. So scientific progress must be harnessed to serve the specific needs of ATC authorities around the world and to ease the pressure on their operators. To Plessey Radar, developing something 'new' means developing something which will be better in service. We are international suppliers of complete radar systems for air traffic control and air defence; naval and maritime systems; meteorological radar systems; upper air systems; instrumentation for hydrology and oceanology; message switching and software systems.

-~!t!!!!!s PLESSEY RADAR

Addlestone Surrey U nited Kingdom KT15 2PW Telephone: Weybridge C0932l 47282

New antennae configurations are a sign of the progress Plessey Radar is making in the field of ATC radar

W 603P230


GULF AIR history The Company was founded on 24th March 1950. It started its regular services, connecting Bahrain, Doha, Dhahran and Sharjah, using one Anson Mark 1 seven-seat aircraft. During its first year of operation, the Company added two Austers and de Havilland 86 aircraft. In the light of the importance attached to the provision of air transport facilities and to meet increasing development in the Gulf area, a preference-shares Private Company was formed. This emphasised the need for air links between the main points in the Gulf area, the possibility of setting up a flying training school, the need to develop maintenance and repair facilities for all aircraft transiting Bahrain, and the possibility of providing both scheduled and private services for the Oil Companies. As a result of the growth of the Company's operations and the need for more aircraft, BOAC decided to provide the required increase in capital and thus became a major shareholder in 1951. This enabled the Company to purchase four de Havilland Herons and four Douglas DC3 aircraft. In 1957, ASGUL (Aircraft Services Gulf Ltd.) was formed with Gulf Air as a major shareholder, providing Bahrain with a unique capability for handling operations for airlines operating through its airport. As business expanded, especially with the participation of oil companies operating in the Gulf area, the Company purchased its first Fokker Friendship aircraft in 1967, followed by a second in 1968 and a third in 1971. In January 1970, the Company entered the jet age by purchasing BAC One-Eleven aircraft. In April of the same year, services between London, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai were introduced with VC10s leased from BOAC. During the same year, Gulf Helicopters was formed, based in Doha, with Gulf Air as a major shareholder. With the success of these services, Gulf Air purchased four VC10s. These carried a new livery in the colours of the flags of the four Gulf States, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman. As the first of these VC10s flew into London on April 1, 1974, Gulf Air entered the field of international air transport. This was not the only achievement recorded in 1974. In that year, the Governments of the four Gulf States equally acquired all the airline's shares, including those owned by BOAC and other private shareholders. Gulf Air thus became the national carrier for Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman. Since this turning point in its history, the airline has been exerting strenuous efforts to secure equal standing with other major airlines operating in the field of international air transport. For this reason, Gulf Air recently purchased four wide-bodied Lockheed TriStar jets, especially designed to provide maximum luxury and efficiency for passengers. In addition, the airline is presently contracting to add to its fleet five Boeing 737 jet aircraft. The airline's route network has at the same time been extended eastwards to cover Bombay and Karachi, and westwards to include Paris and Amsterdam. In addition to its international air transport activities, Gulf Air is a shareholder in the Bahrain Hotels Company and, under contract to that Company, has management responsibilities for the Gulf Hotels in Doha and Muscat.

~.A~:h6~ ~GULFAIR 10

Head Office: PO Box 138, Bahrain Tel: 51221 Telex: GJ 8255 GULFHO London: Corner of Piccadilly & Berkeley Street, London W1 V 9H F Tel: 01 -409 1951 Telex: 28591 G FRES G Amstordam: Leidseplein 1-3. Amsterdam Tel: (020) 230005/6 Telex: 16065 GFANS NL Paris: 9 Boulevard de la Madeleine, 750001 Paris Tel:261 5316/17 Te/ex:211639 GULFAIR F Also offices of General Sales Agents: British Airways in UK. KLM in Netherlands. and UT A in France.


An Outline by DAVE BEECH (U. K. Guild)

As Helmut Elsner remarked at the end of his address to Convex on the Friday morning "the other morning on the hotel radio I heard a recording of Neil Diamond singing 'What a beautiful noise' - if the noise from aircraft were beautiful we would not be here today". I doubt if there was ever a Guild Convention so well attended, not only by members of the Guild but also by aviation interests from outside the sphere of Air Traffic Control. The theme this year of 'Noise abatement - Safety or Silence' certainly didn't lead to silence from the delegates during question time to the forum which was held at the end of each days proceedings. The Master of the Guild opened the Convex on the Thursday afternoon by introducing the Right Honourable The Chairman of the Greater London Council, The Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede who gave the address of welcome on behalf of the Greater London Council and the borough of Hillingdon. Then followed six papers on various aspects of the theme "Understanding the problem". The first was presented by Mr. N. H. Nail of the Department of Trade who spoke on his paper "The Legal and Social Aspects of the Aircraft Noise Problem". Following this, papers were presented by the Civil Aviation Authority - "The Noise Disamenity - Its quantification, regulation and abatement"; "The Noise Nuisance Case for Amsterdam Airport" by Mr. A. A. Maurits from the Civil Aviation Department of the Dutch Government; "Aircraft Noise Abatement Procedures - the line pilot's point of view" presented by Capt. D. Leonard from BALPA who stood in for the published speaker from BALPA, Capt. S. R. Last who, at the last moment, had been required to attend a conference in the USA. After tea Capt. A. P. Mackenzie, Flight Operations Director of British Caledonian Airways, presented his paper "Pie in the Sky?" which covered the problems of fleet operations with a mixture of aircraft types, the newer quiet engined wide-bodied equipment and the 'older noisier aircraft'. The final paper of that afternoon session was presented by Mr. E. Epson of the Noise Advisory Council of the Department of the Environment whose paper was entitled "The Noise from Air Traffic". During the afternoon the various speakers had been introduced by Paul Holden of the London Lodge, who then acted as Chairman for the afternoon forum which included all those who had presented papers. The questions from the floor were directed at all of the panel, at one point it seemed as if Mr. Maurits was the only person at whom the questions were directed, a few pertinent questions being raised by a Dutch Controller in the audience. At the end of the forum Len Vass offered a summary of the days proceedings in his usual lucid manner. The social side of Thursdays events was a Cocktail Party in the evening given by courtesy of British Airways. As is usual, discussion of the day's papers continued long after the closing of the forum. The theme for the Friday was "The way ahead" and the Chairman for the day's proceedings was Len Vass. The first paper presented was by Helmut Elsner of Lufthansa International Airlines who described the low drag/low power noise abatement approach as evolved by his airline. The second speaker came from Air France and Mr. J. B. Rigaudias described the "Boundaries of Noise Abatement Procedures". Dia Davis, the Chief Test Pilot of the

Airworthiness Division of CAA then spoke on his paper "The safety aspects of Noise Abatement Procedures" and proceeded to offer those in the audience a description of Concorde turning at 100ft! The final speaker before coffee was Captain B. 0. Walpole, Flight Superintendent (Technical) of the Concorde Fleet, British Airways whose paper was on the subject "Concorde and its Noise Problems". Then followed Technical Presentations by the Corporate Members of the Guild. Cossor Electronics: Adsel - the Major Development in Air Traffic Control Ferranti Digital Systems Division: Computer Assisted Radar Display Systems International Aeradio Ltd.: Security and the Air Traffic Controller Marconi Radar Systems: The Quiet Touch Plessey Radar: Advances in ATC Display Systems Software Sciences: Safe and Sound and Scientifically Sensible The presentation by Software Sciences ended the morning session and then delegates were offered cocktails by courtesy of British Caledonian. The afternoon session commenced with the final paper of the conference - "Aircraft Noise and Air Traffic Control" presented on behalf of the Guild by Tom Johnston. The Guild's paper covered the way in which the Guild would like to see the problems of Aircraft Operations and Aircraft Noise tackled. Once again a forum took place, this time being chaired by Len Vass and the summary being presented by Paul Holden. As Paul said at the close of his summary, he could do no better than quote from the last paragraph of the Guild's paper. With this summary the Convex theme ended but of course the social side remained. The Friday evening saw the Gala night take place, the guest of Honour being Mrs. Lena Townsend CBE, the deputy Chairman of the Greater London Council. The Conference hall was packed to capacity for the dinner dance, a fashion show, by courtesy of Air Jamaica, a cabaret featuring the "Gaytimers", a draw. thinks - I wonder how the editor of "Transmit" always 11


manages to win a prize! and dancing until the early-hours of Saturday morning. The only problem remaining after Convex 76 is "what do we do next time!" Regrettably, because of space limitations, we are not able to reproduce all the Technical Papers presented to CONVEX 76.

However in this issue we present the introductory paper by the United Kingdom Department of Trade, followed by an airline's viewpoint - British Caledonian. The Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers' paper "Aircraft Noise and Air Traffic Control" will be published in the August edition of THE CONTROLLER.

Legal And Social Aspects Of The Aircraft Noise Problem by N. H. Nail, Department of Trade, U. K. During the course of the proceedings at this symposium we shall of course be mainly concerned with the problem of how a balance can be struck between the technical and navigational aspects of operational noise abatement measures and the constraints put on such measures by the need for safe flying and the technical possibilities of existing aircraft and navigational aids a problem stated in perhaps rather too black and white terms in the title 'Noise Abatement Safety or Silence' but then all slogans oversimplify. My purpose in the short time available to me is to try and set this problem in a wider context. Behind the problems of reconciling safe navigation and operational noise abatement measures lies the basic problem of the conflict between the social desirability of an economically profitable and flourishing air transport industry, and the need to prevent people and communities in places en route or at airports where aircraft must fly under say 8000 feet from being subjected to noise nuisance. Aircraft noise nuisance has, of course, in recent years become caught up with the more general environmental protection movement and it is sometimes held that it is that general movement which gives force to the anti-aircraft noise lobby. It is indeed true that some of the basic considerations which apply to pollution in general can be applied to noise nuisance - like the air pollution a chemical factory may produce, it is a disbenefit coming from an activity which also produces benefits for society and like such pollution it is one which the producer need do nothing about unless he is forced to do so by his conscience or the law and indeed he will be likely to run his enterprise more profitably if he does nothing about it than if he seeks to abate it! I do not however believe that the issue of aircraft noise nuisance has become a live political and social issue because of the general environmental protection movement - UNEP and so on. I think it would have become an issue whether there was a general concern about the environment or not. I would go even further and say I believe it would have become an issue even if there was no general noise abatement movement. I believe this to be the case because of the history of how the problem has arisen. Aircraft, since they began to play an important role in military and civil affairs after the 1914/1918 war, have always made a noise and no doubt individuals have, at some times and some places, found them annoying ever since the 1920s but the problem did not become a serious one affecting considerable numbers day in and day out until the late 1950s early 1960s and this sudden escalation of the problem arises from two causes - the advent of jet transports and the vast growth in numbers of movements in and out of major airports in the last twenty years. The number of movements at Heathrow rose from 146 OOO in 1960 when the last generation of piston engined air transports was beginning to fade out, to 294 OOO in 1974 when the low bypass jets still dominated the scene, and this gives some measure of how the problem arose. I say the problem deliberately because it is substantially a problem, of Heathrow and a dozen or so more airports with 20 OOO or more commercial air transport movements a year. In a country as densely populated as Britain, it can happen that even a small grass runway airport used only for private flying can give 12

rise to some noise nuisance, moreover special problems can arise at airports with regular training flying in circuit as at Hamble and in relation to special types of plane and operation, as with helicopters in built up areas but as a problem of national dimensions, aircraft noise is 75 O/o Heathrow, 20 O/o other airports used by commercial jets and 5 % the rest. Of course there is a simple 100 O/o cure for aircraft nuisance, and that would be to cease to fly. The fact no one has seriously advocated that even among the most militant of amenity and civic society campaigners against aircraft noise, is an indication of how socially complex the problem of its alleviation is. The basic point that everyone concerned with the matter has to face, however, is that all noise abatement measures cost money, in the first place to the airport operators or air traffic controllers, or the air transport operators but in the final analysis, it will appear in the cost of air transport to the users unless it is to be met by subsidies to those from the generality of taxpayers. In the end it boils down to how much we are prepared to pay in our airfares or in our taxes for a little less aircraft noise. This is perhaps best seen in the problem of night restrictions, the more night movements at major airports are restricted in the interests of letting those who live in the noise shadow get a good night's sleep, the more a segment of profitable airline business is cut down and moreover since the charter holiday trade is one of the main users of night departures, it is the cheap package overseas holiday trade which is particularly hit. No one suggests freedom for night movements makes all the difference between profitability and loss for the air transport industry and the tendency at present is strongly In favour of peace and quiet for those in the noise shadow but it does underline that basically noise abatement is an economic problem. It is also of course a technical problem. If the planes are to fly then there is a degree of noise they will make whatever measures to abate it are taken - all current noise abatement measures are palliatives not a radical cure. This is perhaps best illustrated by the current noise restrictions at Heathrow - these say no departing plane must make more than 110 PNdB by day at the monitoring points which are, of course, some way out from the start of roll and from the perimeter fence too. Not long ago 'Which' conducted a survey between the monitoring points and the perimeter fence at one place near the airport and discovered that planes were making well in excess of 110 PNdB in that area and there was an outcry. The fact is, however, that the nearer the start roll the lower the plane will be and the more noise it will make for the observer on the ground, so if noise abatement is geared to 110 PNdB at a monitoring point 3 nm out at 1112 nm the noise will be much greater and technically with most planes now flying, it would be impossible to achieve 110 PNdB so near in. If the monitoring points were moved to the perimeter fence then the maximum permitted would have to be greatly increased. Common sense indicates that there are three possible radical cures for aircraft noise nuisance namely 1) quieten the aircraft; 2) take the aircraft away from the people; or 3) take the people away from the aircraft.


Common observation indicates that none of these solutions is being applied at present and the reasons for this are not far to seek. They lie in the extreme complexity of the problem soc ially, economically and technically. I offer below a few observations which w ill illustrate this. First on the question of quietening the aircraft, it w as realised by the manufacturers of aircraft and aircraft engines from the late 1950s that problems of noise abatement existed and it is a fact that the progress from turbo-jets to turbo-fan jets and from low bypass fan engines to high bypass large fan engines, has resulted in engin es of increasing thrust but decreased noise production so that technology has delivered both more efficient and qui eter engines. While it is arguable that this development would have occurred whether pressures for noise abatement were or were not present, research on engine quietening has benefitted from a considerable amount of Government money in recent years both to industry and to Government research establishments proper and the facilities at Pyestock for example such as the recently built anechoi c chamber for engine noise test experiments are amo ng the most advanced in the world . However, it is, I think, unlikely that future improvements in aircraft engine noise emission will be as dramatic as those that are al ready, as it were in the pipeline, in the sense that by say 1990, we c an env isage wide-bodied types either existing o nes or modifications and developments of the m (ie 747, DC10s, TriStars, and airbuses and their offspring) making up 100 O/o of the subsonic fleets and possibly a larg er seating and dual cycle engine supersonic to succeed Concorde. It is this informed guesstimate about the future which lies behind the shrinkage in the noise shadow of major British airports envisaged in the noise maps in the two consultation documents on future airport strategy issued by the Department of" Trade, Airport Strategy for Great Britain Part I: The London Area issued November 1975 and Part II : The Regional Airports issued in June 1976. There are, however, two problems unresolved in these predic tion s - the speed at which the replacem ent of noisier olde r types will occur and the areas which even on the most favourabl e predi ction , will remain noisy around the perimeter of major airports even in 1990. In recent years, there has been much talk of retrofitting the noisier planes but it is a fact that the reduc tion in no ise of such planes as 707s and Tridents by fitting hush-kits, while measurable on scientifi c instruments, is not of an o rder to make much diffe rence to how peopl e in the main noise shadow of Heathrow and othe r maj or airports would feel abo ut the noise nuisan ce they experien ce, and more recently the talk has moved from hush kitting old planes to the possibility of premature obsol escence of the noi sier pl anes and their replacement, perhaps 5-10 years earlier th an they would on general economic grounds be repl aced, by newer types. There are snags here too , of course, not all existing types have exact quieter replacement eq uivalents and forced replacement of an existing noisy type with a currently avail abl e quiete r type, may prejudi ce replacement in two o r three years with an even quiete r mod ifi cation of that type whi ch is, at present, o nly at the drawi ng board stage. Quite apart from these problems, it w ill not have escaped you that 1990 is 15 years ahead and while it may be in a general way a solace to everyone to say things will get no worse and wi ll slowly get better, the positio n on the ground around Heathrow and other airpo rts is likely to seem pretty much as it does now to most people for a good few years yet. It is t hese two facts I have refe rred to above namely - the very long term problem near in and the lo ng run up to rad ical alleviation further o ut, which make operatio nal noise abatement a very real issue. I do not wi sh to pre-empt wh at others may say about such measures at this symposium, but limitati o n on no ise on take-off, limitatio n o n noise at landing, minimum noise routes. and restric ti ons on th e use of runways whi ch I take to be the main areas of operati o nal noise abatement lie at the very heart of no ise abate ment in relation to these two facts of life in the airc raft no ise field. Well, how about moving the ai rcraft from the peop le ? Thi s is, of course, t he g reenfield sited new airport concept and the pros

Mr. Len Vass, U.K . Guild PRO, chair i ng the p a nel o f experts from Airl i nes and Civ il A viation Author it ies.

and cons have been recently debated at great length in this country. It was called Maplin remember? I do not thi nk I need to go over it all again even in o utline. I w ill simply say that t he Maplin Strategy involved great techn ical p ro bl ems and social costs which it was deci ded could not be faced and a bill in purely financial term s that the country could not afford to pay. This leaves us with the fin al rad ical solu tion of moving people away from the aircraft. As a full blooded compulsory evacuat ion of large areas around major airports, such a cure is obv iously not a starter in a democracy but less drast ic possibilities d o exist such as selective purchase of t he most bad ly affected p roperties by airport authorities or the local authority, or central government. To a great extent how far this is a viable pract ical po li cy depends on the number of s uch properties and t he likely difference between purchase price and resale p rice, assuming t hat purchase merely to steri lize to all 11se would not be the aim but rathe r the policy would be to resell for reuse for the original or some new pu rpose. For reasons of possi ble finan ci al cost and because the difficulties of setting limits to the possible sequel ae of starting o n such purchases. both airport autho rities and lo cal and central government have fought shy of such action to date. It sho uld, however, be noted that property values around a irpo rts tend to rise rather than fall with development of the ai rport and unless p lanning restr ictions prevent red eve lopment, t here should be no difficu lt ies in owners selling at a reaso nabl e p rice, and even fo r present use, t here may be no loss in valu e. Thus it appears that it is only the odd very bad ly affected dwellings aro und Heath row whi ch cannot be resold at a pri ce fully comparable to a simil ar dwelling o utside the noise shadow . Over th e years it may we ll be that given the g reat difference between individu als in their reaction to ai rc raft noise, t hose living in the worst noise shadow may in many cases be a se lf selected group of people who d o not care about the noise nuisance or are prepared to put up with it in return fo r other advantages of the situation (eg nearn ess to thei r wor k). In other wo rd s, the reallocation solut io n may to some extent be in o peration without intervention from the government or airport operator. Th is assumption. however. is only valid if we can assu me a normal property market aro und airports in wh ich values as between noise hat ing and noise insensitive and buyers are the same, so no one gains or loses merely because the property is subject to aircraft noise nuisance. On the whole. we lack enough sophisticated stat ist ics on the matter to be able to be 100 O/o su re thi s is the case. There is a further measure available in co nnect ion with property, namely insulation, altho ugh the limitati on here is of course that on ly in door activities can be affected. There is no way of ins ul ating a garden, or a public park, or the local shopping precinct. Closely connected with the problem of existing development near airports, but more tractable, is that of new development. Here

13


a firm planning policy can prevent the current problem being worsened by refusing consent to new dwellings, schools and other noise sensitive development in noisy areas. Even this fairly straight forward issue not without its problems since the pressure for more housing in an area such as Hounslow is great and hard to satisfy if some considerable area of the borough is within noise shadow areas subject to the sort of planning restriction referred to above, so that a conflict between the requirement to plan in an enlightened way and the requirement to provide for the families on their housing list can arise for a number of local authorities around a major airport. Many problems of considerable importance to individual happiness and liberty are normally solved in an open democratic society by voluntary action, or by the operation of the free market. It is only if and when these means seem to be failing to produce a solution acceptable to important, and usually it must be confessed vocal groups, that other means are brought into play. The other means are either the courts or the direct intervention of government at either local or national level. Where a problem has grown up against a background of law and government regulation in the general area of the problem, a considerable body of law and regulationary activity may exist which affects the problem but often only at the fringes as well as new regulation and law directly aimed at the problem. It is this rather complex situation that exists in relation to aircraft noise. In order to avoid cluttering up this talk

with too much detail, I am circulating a paper setting out in detail the legal basis of control of aircraft noise in Britain and commenting on the steps by which the present position has been reached. It can be seen from this paper that the courts have been to a large extent excluded from considering the aircraft noise position, not only in the area of civil liability for noise nuisance under Sections 40 and 41 of the Civil Aviation Act 1949, but also in the area of criminal penalties, the enforcement of restrictions made under Section 29 of the Civil Aviation Act 1971. Enforcement there rests on the power to deny use of the airfield to offenders rather than an appeal to the criminal courts, and indeed throughout the enforcement of noise abatement measures depends on the ad-¡ ministrative measures taken by airport authorities and by the CAA and the National Air Traffic Authority. At designated airports, the enforcement is on behalf of the Department of Trade but at nondesignated airports it rests on the contractual relations between user and airport operator and when it comes to the CAA and NATS on the application of regulations in the spirit of the injunctions in the Guidance and in the Directions about noise matters. In concluding, I would like to say that my hope is that this rapid review of the aircraft noise abatement situation taken together with the details of the legal position in the paper I have circulated, will provide a useful background to the detailed discussion we are to have on various aspects of operational noise abatement at this symposium.

Pie In The Sky by Captain A. P. Mackenzie, Flight Operations Director, British Caledonian Airways

I suppose aircraft noise became an unofficial 'nuisance' and a heat generating problem in the late fifties when jet engined aircraft started in general airline service. The novelty of the first generation jets was of short duration for those people who lived on or around runway extended centrelines, or under the climb and descent paths. From amongst these people the first small antiaircraft noise groups were formed. They soon became well organised and active and their persistent campaigning and incessant protestations made those in authority realise that a war, on an international scale, had been declared. In the democratic societies of the world, 'causes' or 'movements' are standard methods of stimulating action and effecting change. By lobbying in the Government circles, by organised pressure on individual politicians and by a general unified effort the movement has achieved remarkable results quite out of proportion one may think to its size and the number of people affected. Noise is generally defined as an unpleasant or annoying sound and it is accepted that it can induce pathological changes in the human body and/or create physiological and psychological disturbances. It is known that the effects of noise can have a collective dimension and cause social repercussions such as poor results at school, decreased productivity in factories, sleep deprivation and consequential over-consumption of drugs. This refers to any noise, not specifically aircraft noise. To an unfortunate minority, noise - and aircraft noise in particular - is intolerable to a degree which precludes rational consideration of the many benefits which aircraft have brought to mankind, and sometimes provokes extreme action. In fairness to the average environmentalists, they do recognise what has so far been achieved; that there are practical difficulties in reducing noise levels with the current fleets; that there are serious financial penalties already imposed upon airlines; that aircraft powered by the new technology engines are achieving a currently acceptable reduction in PNdBs; that the future is a bit 14

clouded, not by what is going to happen, but when. The radicals are not so understanding and are dedicated to further their cause by whatever means. Since 1968 the requirements of ICAO Annex 16 have been the yardstick for the future, although the speed of implementation has not pleased these radicals and extremists. With the present mix of older slim jets - operating from the same airports as the socalled quiet engined wide bodied equipment, the comparison of noise effect between the generations of aircraft is a constant stimulous for action to expeditiously implement the Annex 16. In my office I have two feet of files on noise covering the past fifteen years. They are a record of one company's involvement on the subject with individuals, committees, airport authorities, regulatory authority, ATC etc. There are original take-off noise abatement procedures, amended and re-amended as the requirements have changed or better procedures have been proven; there are charts showing the distribution of the local population, with minimum noise routings and amended minimum noise routings; calculations of the costs of flying noise abatement procedures and minimum noise routings. There are papers on the first enormously expensive retrofit proposals, together with the estimated loss of performance and disastrous effect on fleet operating economy; there are put-you-out-of-business suggestions of reduced weight take-offs sacrificing tonnes of payload to achieve a reduction in PNdBs not discernible by the human ear. There is a plan of a tower which a local resident proposed to erect in his garden to keep aircraft on short final approach above the prescribed glide slope; and a description of how a fleet of controlled model aeroplanes would be employed to do a similar job. There is correspondence on night jet bans and the ever decreasing number of permitted night jet movements. No airline has operated without, at times, exceeding the area noise limitations but the number of exceedances compared with the number of operations is infinitesimal. Every airline must have a similar


collection of files and records which are, in effect, their individual stories of penalties imposed upon them in the name of noise abatement. We know of the efforts of US aircraft and engine manufacturers and their research into the production of new equipments and procedures to meet the FAR 36. An estimated $ 100 million has been spent by Boeing alone on noise research. Acoustically treated nacelles, jet suppression experiments, ejector/ suppressor nozzles, so-called quiet nacelles, airframe noise suppression all figure in the attempts to reduce the effect produced by the hardware. I am sure that other speakers will deal with the current and possible noise abatement procedures but it is my opinion, shared I know by the majority of international aircrew, that there are only small margins available before safety is eroded. The overall effort by all sections of the aviation industry can only be described as gigantic, particularly since the FAR 36 put the lid on further escalation of aircraft noise and was the catalyst for locally owned American airports and, indeed, airports in a number of other countries, to consider applying their own rules in respect of those aircraft which could not meet the required criteria and additional fees or taxation, or special operating procedures ; night curfews were among the proposals. The restricted use of any major airport can only be to the detriment of the consumer and must affect the operational activity of airlines and air commerce generally. Therefore, one of the main objectives is to establish a balance between providing effective relief from aircraft noise to the important minority affected, and the international aviation industry and those it serves. Unilateral action by an airport authority, or particularly by a state, could have wide knock-on problems. The application of rules preventing the old noisier aircraft (as they are unpopularly known in the US Transport Department) operating internationally and freely to optimum capability is unacceptable and in Europe the response is loud and clear. Whilst the European policy on the fundamental issues of aircraft noise is similarly based on Annex 16 there is a determination that unrealistic unilateral action by the US or any other country shall not be imposed. For practical reasons, as well as economic, there has to be a basic international plan which can be implemented to a time scale which protects both small and large states, rich and poor operators, the national carriers and charter airlines and last and by a long way no means least - gives adequate time to aircraft and engine manufacturers to produce the equipment by which it is confidently expected to rid the world of the nuisance of aircraft noise for ever! Who shall draw up the plan? In Europe a considerable amount of work has been done by the European Civil Aviation Conference. The Association of European Airlines is working alongside ECAC who will establish the European criteria and a possible time scale for discussion with other states. IATA has a declared policy based on Annex 16. The objective of all these bodies is the implementation of the requirements of Annex 16. In harmony, one hopes with the US and other states, the target date for the cessation of the operation of older noisier aircraft will be set. ICAO remains the official machinery. Whatever the date, it will be of tremendous importance to the aviation industry and a date on which, hopefully, the disbandment celebrations of the alleviationists take place. But w ill the airlines be left in peace? I am preparing the pie! At the end of 1975 the IATA member airlines were operating 1206 4-engined turbo jets - of these over 1000 we re of the 'old noisier types' . There were 1200 3-engined turbo jets, of which over 900 were 'ONTs' ; of 1000 2-engined turbo jets only 10 had the new technology engines. Therefore, there were 2900 old noisie r types. By the end of 1976 IATA member airlines will probably still be operating around a conservat ive 2500 'old noisier ai rc raft' . If the older 400 are not operating with IATA airlines t hey most certainly w ill be w ith other non-IATA carriers and one must bear in mind that charter companies, business concerns, and private individuals

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· · · :_ ,. . •

CON .

Capt. P. A. MacKenzie, British Caledonian Airways

own at least 500 o r 600 ai rcraft which currently cannot meet t he requirements for noise certification. It must also be borne in mind t hat many of these aircraft a re new, comparatively, w it h a great deal of operational life left. They represent vast capital investments - possibly with co mpl icated financial arrangements attached. Little progress has been made to produce hush kits of integrity and the re is no posit ive technical advancement on the horizon by w hich it is likely that this great mixed fleet of second generation jet aircraft can be made to match the certification requ irements and still remain econo mically viable. Years ago when hush kits were being designed and tested 1979 was mooted the y ear of f inal t ransition. Hush kits w ere more-orless strangled in their y outh ; another deadline date was necessary. But based on what? Matching old airframes with new quiet eng ines may in some cases be feasible but so expensive. Whe re are the engines anyway? A rev iew of take-off and app roach procedu res , partly as a result of the s udden need fo r fuel conservation, has shown the anti-noise campaigners that the airlines are eve r ready to go one step further when it seems t hat even a small reduction can be achieved. Even so there is little peace for the airlines. At Gatwick blessed (or c ursed) as it is with one ru nway and therefore simple minimum noise routings, the Area Conservati on peo ple declared that a 'record number of aircraft were ignoring the airport flight path regu lations ; t hat the situation was d iabolical and the days of gen tle persuas ion had passed, t hat a irli nes had got to be stepped on hard'. In the local Airport Consu ltative Comm ittee it w as alleged as it has been many ti mes - that the pi lots we re lacking in discipline and d eli be rately igno ring t he departure and arrival rules. Specific eviden ce is rarely, if ever, produ ced to back these serious allegations becau se, of c ourse, they have no s ubstance. However, it remains the fi rm convict ion of these tiny g ro ups - not only at Gatwick but everywhere - t hat the airlines and the pilots are doing less than their best - or are insuff ic iently competent to avoid - comm itting an airc raft noise nuisance. Nothing could be further from the t rut h. It is airli ne policy to have good relations with the local inhabitants and a matter of pilot pride that the procedures prescribed should be fo ll owed with professional competence. There are sig ns t hat the recession is w aning, which means expansion in airline business and , therefore, the aviation industry. But hold on! We have nearly 3000 ai rc raft now deemed unacceptable air transport vehi cl es for t he f uture. Where do they fit into expansion ? Wel l, of c ourse, they do - the on ly question is, for how long. So we are back to square one. Inevitably and logically these ai rcraft will c ontinue to fly as they are, operating to noise abatement procedures as far as safety will prudently allow, with both Governm ents and airlines in a politically induced dilemma of how to match ex pansion within the already imposed restrictions w hi lst the anti-noise campaigners cry louder for more - and the ai r lines blood if they don't get them. The co mpromise has already been reached. The anti-noise campaigns have resulted in curtailment of airline co mmercial 15


~ctivity, the expenditure of enormous sums of money to find a solution for current equipment without real success but also further development of new technology engines and aircraft. Perhaps it may be said on their credit side that there is an incipient resurgence in the aircraft manufacturing industry for it will be agreed and decreed that by a certain date in the future 3000 uncertified aircraft shall be replaced. That is a lot of aeroplanes; that is a lot of business for someone. It will take time. What year shall be agreed? There are many problems to be solved and many compromises to make. At a meeting not long ago the potential life of the DC9 was discussed. One acknowledged expert engineer from an operator felt that 50 OOO flights was a reasonable assessment. On the other side of the table sat an engineer recognised as equally expert. His assessment was 70 OOO flights. This type of short haul aircraft averages globally about 2500 hours per annum. The difference in life between two aircraft with similar in-service dates could, therefore, be 20 OOO flights or about eight full operating years. This is the major problem. No matter how the aircraft are withdrawn, in the end there has to be a finite date. Between now and that finite date some aircraft will have been written off in the books and create few economic difficulties. The number depends entirely on the date. It is crystal clear that it must be projected sufficiently far ahead to minimise the economic effects of taking aircraft out of service knowing two very fundamental things:

1) The retiring aircraft has no value - it cannot be operated to any airfield which permits only noise certified aircraft. A few will continue to work in remote places but it will be a buyers market. 2) The replacement aircraft will be very expensive. Few states and fewer airlines have the resources to carry out the major transition to a short time scale. The manufacturers could not produce the aircraft - even if they knew what aircraft to produce. Few airlines have identical fleet requirements. A recent European survey indicated that nobody wanted any new type aircraft before 1980 and that the need was spread over seven to ten years. But these aircraft are split into three categories of range - between 1000 and 2500 nm and a passenger capacity between 120 and 225. The current wide bodied aircraft fill most needs for long range large passenger capacity. Now these specified categories may not meet the requirements of the many American airlines who have exactly the same phase-out problem as the rest of the world. No single category, as defined for the probable European requirement, has the number of aircraft necessary to encourage manufacturers to build. It is almost inevitable that the replacement aircraft will largely be those designed and built to meet the American domestic market with the rest of the world again having to make a judgement as to which aircraft is the best compromise for their business. I may be wrong here; I hope I am. A British or European involvement would be greatly applauded. Flexible aircraft are needed; the family concept must figure more and more to cut down crew and training costs. When shall this all come to pass? I hope I have said enough to emphasise the unreality of a short time scale. No doubt to the unmuted roar of disapproval from our friends the aircraft noise campaigners I forecast ten years - 1986 - as being the chosen year. The next decade will see radical changes. Some airlines may not survive, simple because the capital may not be available or too expensive to re-equip. There are proposals for an international fund to help, but whom shall it help? National airlines - some of whom have deep pits of gold; the independent operators who do not; the small charter companies who, up to now, have used the surplus equipment of their bigger brothers? No-one knows. There is an important planning exercise to be done and the quicker it starts the better so aircraft operators of the world will know where they stand. ICAO has a big responsibility, since the requirements of Annex 16 are unquestionably written in tablets of stone. 16

In the meantime, life must go on. In the UK the airlines and pilots have done a very praiseworthy job in meeting the financial and technical burdens resulting from the noise abatement rules and regulations. That important factor, the consumer, has had his burdens too for his movements are curtailed and a portion of the extra cost imposed upon the airlines must necessarily be passed on to him. I doubt whether any other commercial undertaking has so many inhibiting pinpricks to contend with. Finally Gentlemen, there can never be silence as long as aircraft, as we know them today, fly; there must always be safety. And in 1986 - if 1986 is to be the millennium - will 95 PNdPs be acceptable to the diligent environmentalists seeking something to do. Will it signal the end of the war or just a battle? Is it possible that by 1986 the world will be filled with pop or pot conditioned neurotics who suddenly discover the value of silence; to whom the unscrewing of a tranquiliser bottle top will, make their eardrums bounce? What is the ultimate limit? Shall we have to start all over again? I hope not; I think not. But we live in very • odd times and there are some very odd people.

Expanding Market Foreseen for ATC Associated Equipment A rapidly growing Western European civil avionics market over the next ten years is forecast in a new market-research study by the US company Frost & Sullivan. The report says that the prime contributory factors include improved avionics, air traffic growth of 2.5 per cent a year, larger aircraft, increased speed and performance, and higher fuel costs, along with demands for increased safety and for schedule reliability to reduce the£ 12 million annual cost of congestion to Western Europe's airlines. The study "Civil Avionics Systems Equipment Markets in Western Europe to 1985", examines 30 systems devoted to aircraft management, Air Traffic Control and incident investigation. By 1985 Western Europe will require 73,550 avionics systems and units of equipment for communications, navigation, ground participation, automatic flight control and data recording. Aircraft operational and Air Traffic Control needs will emphasise systems reliability, flight-deck information display, systems monitoring and air-to-ground communications. Britain will be the principal market and will account for 25 per cent of that total; France will follow with 18 per cent and Germany with 12 per cent. Sales over the next ten years of 6,400 VHF transceivers for air-ground-air communications are foreseen, with France and Britain as prime markets. HF transceiver demand is forecast at 1,700 units, with Britain again the principal buyer. The superior performance of inertial navigation systems, particularly over water, should see their increased adoption until they outnumber Doppler systems in the ratio of 4: 1 during the next ten years. Doppler could feel the benefit of increased helicopter applications in view of its slight edge in this area. The increased use of ground-based systems should lead to a demand for 4,640 automatic direction-finders, 6,050 VHF omniranges, 6,700 units of distance-measuring equipment, 5,120 secondary surveillance radars and 6,170 instrument landing systems, though the latter are likely to be superseded by MLS in the 1980s. The market for area navigation equipment to Arinc characteristic 581/2/3 is projected at more than 4,200 units over the next ten years. That is more than three times greater than the forecast sales of area INS. New legislation and airline interest in recording voice communication with Air Traffic Control and between crew members, will result in sales of cockpit voice recorders totalling more than 2,500 systems by 1985. •


ATC Training in Singapore by D. J. Canfield Solartron Aviation Systems

The importance of Singapore as an international airport in its key position en-route to Australia is well establi shed. It has vied with Kuala Lumpur fo r the air traffic but has always maintained the maj o r share. As well as prov iding ATC and airport services to the intern ational carriers, the island attracts business and tourist trade and has become th e foremost co mm ercial centre in South East Asia. Hence a busy airspace has evolved, bringing with it the need for efficient ATC services. On an island measuring 22 by 16 miles there are no less than four aerodromes handling c ivil and military traffi c. This causes in itself enough difficulties in separation and seq uen cing but to add to the problems, the approach and departure flight paths are restricted by the proximity of the FIR bo und ary. Th e national frontiers with the adjacent states of Ind onesia and Malaysia are virtually within eyesight of the airports and airspace is gained by over-flying neighbouring territories. Nevertheless to the SW the FIR boundary is only 100 miles away over a 180° sector. To the North, the lower airspace (below F. L. 145) has an FIR boundary at the national frontier: on the approach path this is only ten miles distant. Add to these restrictions a large number of danger areas reserved for _military training, add a fifth aerod rome at J ohore, 20 mil es away in Malaysia and a very complex airspace situati on emerges. To combat these problems the Singapore DCA have maintained a po licy of investm ent in the latest navigation aids and rad ar equipment. Th e island has several prim ary radar s ites, prec ision approach radar and seve ral ILS systems. Controll er training has been of paramount importance but has been limited to date by the lack of adeq uate simulato r facilities. Synthetic radar training is provid ed by an 8 target anal og si mul ator, supp lied by Solartron in 1968. A lthoug h this has given invaluable service, it c lea rly does not meet the requirement both in size and capabi lities. Th is situation has now been remedied by the purchase of a 120 target simulator, as an nounced in August 1976 issue of THE CONT ROLLER. This system is being installed at the DCA Training School, Seletar Ai r port. Solartron are the chosen contractor, assisted by th ei r local agent International A eradio (Far East) Pte Ltd. Th e co ntract, worth over three quarters of a million pounds, is unique in two respects . Firstly, it is timed to p recede the purchase and installation of some of the operatio nal eq uipment to be simul ated. This demonstrates the Singapore Governm ent's faith in the fl exibility and adaptability of the sim ul ator and its determination to have avail able a pool of trained co ntro ll ers, ready to take full and imm ediate advantage of the very sophisticated operation al system being developed. Secondly, the o rder is for the most compre hensive air traffic contro l sim ul ator eve r to be the subject of a sing le contract, covering the w hole spectrum of ATC training for both civil and milit ary controllers. The simulator will be used j ointly by the Singapore Air Force and the civil authori ties. A dual exercise facility even allows civil and military users to condu ct training independently at the same time. Training faci lities include precision approach radar, CADF, approach radar, area radar, simul ated RT and a comprehensive intercom system. Full li aiso n facilities with tower control, adjacent centres and all the ancill ary se rvices will be simul ated. Exercises to any level of complexity wi ll be developed to provide controller training from "ab initio" to the most advanced, and ensure full utilisation of t he equipment. Complete realis m wi ll ensure t hat the ultimate conversio n to operational eq uipment w ill be immediate and effective.

The si mul ato r can be set up to model almost any desired air traffic envi ronment. A lthough init ially it is programmed to represent the Singapore FIR, it is possible to change the prepared data to model any other FIR. The DCA are then abl e to offer training fac ilit ies to other countries p rov iding an authenti c representation of the region concerned . The simulator can also be used for evalu ation of ATC proced ures and for experimental investigations into new airspace patterns and traffic flow distributions. Training can be basic through to advanced, enabling qualified controllers to rece ive refresher cou rses. The controllers can be stressed with emergency situations, simulated in the air or on the ground such as communications failu res o n RT or intercom. Crash barrier, crash alarm emergency services telephones are al l provided to co mplete the realism.

The Solartron IKAT air craft control unit. This ter minal provides fingertip communications with th e computer. The operator looks only at the VDU. He moves his fing er across the keyboard until the required item is i dent ified on the VDU (by video inversion). He acti ons his selection by pressing down on the keyboard, then the next set of items i s d ispl ayed by the computer changing the VDU page. In this way a m essage is entered. The message fo rmat is determined by the computer; onl y valid items are displayed ; hence errors ar e virtually eliminated and the operator becomes proficient in a m atter of minutes.

The simulator can train simultaneously fo ur radar co ntrollers, four assistant controllers, two PAR controllers, o ne CADF controller and one Local Desk Controller. A similar number of instructors can be accommodated; one or two exercise supervisors con¡ trol overal l exercise man agement and two Tower desks and an Adj acent Sectors desk complete the positio ns. Manual control of ai rc raft tracks is effected by eight si mulator pilots (blip drivers). Student controllers can be used as blip drivers rather than permanent staff because of the simplicity of the target control unit. The Solartron IKAT ( Interactive Keyboard and Term inal) is used here. This novel device, which was described in the November 1975 issue of THE CONTROLLER, attracted the Singapore autho¡ r ities, who were we ll aware of the message learning prob lems associated with dedicated keyboards. The ease with which PAR talkdown co ul d be achieved was of paramount importance and the IKAT units are particularly effective in this applicat ion . The radars simul ated are a 75 mi le range approach co ntrol radar. a 240 mile range area control radar, each with co-located second ary surveillance radars and precision approach radar. Apart from the 17


of target labels and video map. A choice of four maps is available: airways map, georef and coastline, extended runway centre lines, danger areas. The high performance displays enable all this data to be displayed in interscan time without resort to scan stealing techniques. Up to 64 full aircraft labels can appear on each radar display, the remaining 58 aircraft being represented by position symbols, overlaying the associated primary radar blip. The third mode of operation is fully synthetic. The rotating trace video signals are switched off to leave a flicker-free synthetic radar presentation. In this way, all types of radar display can be represented.

Aircraft Track Labels

Pi lots at the eight IKAT positions for control/monitoring the 120 simulated aircraft tracks.

A plot extraction system, operating from primary and secondary radar sources, is simulated. The system can assume tracking through missed radar returns. A full label has two lines of information and a short vector to the aircraft position symbol. The first line contains the secondary radar mode and code, the second line contains the Mode C flight level. Labels fl as h for Emergency codes. Label filtering is controlled by a conventional SSA Deco-

PAR, these radars can be defined by characteristics to model any chosen operational radar. Because the use of PAR involves constant manipulation of certain manual controls, realistic training can best be achieved on consoles identical with the operational equipment. For this reason , two PAR consoles have been supplied by the Tos hiba Company of Japan. All other radar displays a re of Solartron manufacture.

Approach Radar Training The operational radar in use at Singapore Paya Lebar International Airport is a Selenia system with 16 inch diameter radar displays. The simulator has 23 inch diameter displays but presents a similar radar picture to the Selenia equipment. The display can be used in three modes for varying levels of controller training. The basic presentation is a conventional primary radar with rotating trace. Raw primary and MTI processed videos are available, each radar position having an MTI range gate control. The vid eo effects of s ite c lutter and moving weather are authentically portrayed. The mixed mode of operation adds flicker-free synthetic data to the co nventional radar picture. The synthetic data consists

An area r adar consol e consisting principally of a radar controller's position and a n assistant's p osition. T he equipment is basically as in the preceeding photograph but the radar presentation i s entirely syntheti c.

der and a display control keyboard. Indiv idu a l labels are identified using a rolling-ball marker. Fac ilities available in cl ude repositioning of the label about the airc raft position symbo l, code to callsign conversion, keyboard addition of 'cleared flight level' to any label with automatic co mputer clear-down when the flight level is reached . The roll ing-ball and keyboard are also used for inter-console marking, display off- centring and as a range and bearing cursor. The display regeneration time is impressively short. A new synthetic picture of labels and maps is regenerated in less than 'h second after, say, map change or display off-centring or expansion.

Area Radar Training

Th e approach radar console consist ing principally or two radar contr oller positions and an ass istant controller's position . The radar d isp lay has a c onventional rotating trace displaying primary radar v ideo, a synthetic video map and target labels. Th e label led display is controlled by a touch sensitive keyboa r d and a roll ing ba l l marker and cu rsor is a l so provi ded. Beside the radar display are s tat ic data VDU and live data VDU w ith associated alphanumeri c keyboard . T he Jive VDU can displ ay any flight plan in the system and sequenced aircralt p r ocedural data at sel ected beacon s.

18

An automated, computer contro lled radar system is sim ul ated. The picture is therefore entirely synthetic . Airc raft positions are updated every 15 seconds to s imul ate a 4 rpm ante nna. The map, label and control fac ilities are identical to those provided for the Approach radar displays. At the time of order of t he simulato r, the contract for the live Area rad ar had yet to be placed . Hence the simulator is required to be flexible and adaptab le. A contract has now been placed with H.S.A. Holland for the supply of an Area radar to the Singapore authorities. The simulator will be operational at least a year before the Area radar is delivered and so the additional ATC staff will be fully trained in advance of radar del ivery.


Aircraft Track Control It is essential with a simulator generating as many as 120 aircraft tracks th at flights s hould be automatic where possible. This is achieved by first loading all th e flight plans into the computer store. Automatic flight strip printing then occurs to save the simulator staff this irksome task, then a flight strip cutter and loader loads the flightstrips in their load ers. The exercises preparation is now complete. The aircraft flights can occur as 'background tracks' in which case they are not allocated to pilots but commence at the appointed times and fly automatically; or flights are allocated to the eight simulator pilots. In this case, the pilot initi ates the flight when it is cl eared for take-off, by entering a message on the IKAT terminal. The flight then takes place automatically. Although the en-route flight plan is defined in advance of the exercise, the simulator pilot can select from a number of SIDs the take-off profile to suit the runway in use. Similarly a number of STARs are available at th e termin ati on of the flight. The pilot can also manually deviate an aircraft from its flight plan at any time during its flight. One of the exercise supervisor's positions. Two positions are provided to enab le two independent exercises t o be conducted. The supervisor has a rada r display and associated equipment like the radar controllers. He also has an IKAT un it to monitor or control any of the 120 simu lated aircraft. The central table contai ns ra dar characteri stics panel , intercom fault insertion panel and R/T fault inserti on panel.

EDD Sub-System A total of 16 electronic data displays (EDDs) are employed throughout th e simul ator for information display. Most positi ons include data entry a lpha-numeric keyboards. Half of the d isplays are used for 'static' d ata such as meteorological data, run way availability, etc.: o nly t he exercise supervisors are permitted to enter data to these displays. The remaining EDDs exh ibit the ' live' data obtained from a flight plan process ing system, typ ical of that available with advanced computer based operational radar systems. T he co ntro ll er can se lect several data formats and can edit the data using his keyboard. He can request the full flight

Toshiba Precision Approach Radar consol es. The associated console is al so used by the instructor and contains: wind speed and d i re cti on indicators, static data VDU and communication panels. The single CRT PAR display shows a comb ined azimuth and elevation presentation, including the v isual effects of site clutter and moving weather.

Each pilot can monitor 24 aircraft on his IKAT unit, although message entry rates and RT loading would normally prevent him from handling that number. For Area radar exercises up to 16 airc raft per pilot is likely, but for Approach radar train ing probably only 6 to 8 aircraft wou ld be handled whereas for PAR, only two aircraft. Th e IKAT message structure has been adapted for PAR control to en abl e rap id entry of correctio ns to the aircraft approach. A single to uch on the keyboard is usually all that is necessary to alter the rate of descent to a defined value, to turn rig ht or left by a few degrees, or to taper off or increase the aircraft speed. The pi lot response to the controller's instructions is now even more rap id than when using tile manual controls used on analog simulators and much faster than conventional keyboards, w hich are quite unsuitable under PAR control.

PAR Consoles The Toshiba PAR system was specified by the customer as this is already in use in Singapore. Only the military controllers are given PAR training. Two Toshiba 16 inch consoles are provided which share servo control of a simulated antenna system . Up to eight aircraft responses can appear on the PAR scans, together with the three dimensional representation of site c lutter and moving weather effects. When PAR exercises are conducted , two of t he IKAT aircraft control positi ons are assigned for PAR talkdown .

Syn thetic display for Area radar showing : Singapore. Malaysi a, Indonesia coastlines, Aircraft labels, Georef grid, Range and bearing cur sor, 64 NM range scale.

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Ferranti simulators· put years on your student controllers

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Our ATC training simulators give controllers the experience they need to do their job - before they start doing it. This is due to the detailed and comprehensive realism of Ferranti digital simulator systems. The trainee controller's radar displays are identical with those used operationally, and simulated RT and intercom are provided. With this equipment the trainee learns how to cope with aircraft identification, separation, sequencing, the allocation of levels, routing, stacking, and other problems. Ferranti have studied air traffic control in depth :md have an understanding of current and future needs as realistic as the simulators themselves. We know the economic importance of

handling heavy air traffic with minimum delays. It' s hardly surprising therefore that Ferranti ATC simulators have been chosen for the largest and smallest requirements and are currently in service or on order for London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, Rome Ciampino, Copenhagen Kastrup, Taiwan Taipei, Sydney Australia, and at the College of Air Traffic Control at Hurn. And a Ferranti simulator is used at the .CAA ATC Evaluation Unit for their real time traffic control studies. Ferranti Limited, Digital Systems Division, Western Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 IRA. Telephone: 0344 3232. Telex: 848117.

FERRANTI

The real thing in simulation


plan of any aircraft, or sequenced flight data with respect to selected beacons. The flight data can be in time order or altitude order, the latter being useful for holding stacks. This part of the simulator will be particularly useful for evaluation purposes, for example in the use of EDDs as an alternative to flight strips. The software facilities will be extended and adapted for evaluation exercises and to this end, programming staff from the Singapore Telecommunications Authority have already received training on the software supplied by the contractor. It will be possible for the users to modify and enhance the software to suit varying training requirements.

Communications A large number of RT, intercom and telephone panels are provided throughout the system, complete with fault injection facilities under the supervisor's control. To simplify the wiring and switching system of what amounts to a small telephone exchange, a Time Division Multiplex system is used. This enables many voice circuits to be carried on one coaxial cable. The non-training positions, that is the Adjacent Sectors and the two Tower Control desks are mainly communications centres, equipped with flight strip desks. These are necessary to complete the spectrum of controllers training and allow 'hand-off' procedures to be practiced.

CRDF The CRDF console is another training position reserved for military controllers. (The Civil controllers see OF bearing lines upon the radar displays) The cathode-ray direction finder display provides realistic presentation of radio transmission bearings. The position of the receiving station can be chosen within the playing area. When an aircraft passes over the receiving station, the bearing line scatters and becomes random while the aircraft is within the 'cone of confusion'.

Control The two exercises that can be run simultaneously have independent freeze, record and replay facilities. Throughout an exercise, all the dynamic data in the computer will be recorded on magnetic tape. Complete exercises, or any part of one, can thus be replayed for analysis and instructor comment. This form of recording has the additional advantage that an exercise can be reconstructed to any point during its run and then allowed to continue as though it were a new exercise. A student can thus be shown his errors at the time at which he made them and can go back and carry on with corrected instructions. At the heart of the system is a single PDP11/35 computer produced by the Digital Equipment Corporation of the U.S.A. This small, general purpose computer has been chosen because of its power, proven reliability and worldwide acceptance. As total simulator operations depends upon the correct functioning of the computer, a standby computer is also provided, in the event of failure of the main computer. Exercise preparation has not been neglected in the aim to provide a flexible system that is comprehensive yet simple to use. The definition of radar characteristics and position, aircraft performance, geographical and meteorological data and the combination of facilities required, is based upon a program which presents the operator with a series of plain language questions on a teletype machine. These define the format and data content of the required answers and all the operator has to do is enter the data. In a similar way, flight plans are prepared in advance of the exercise. Flight strip printing can be carried out at any time, several copies being obtained which are then stored for future use. Once a library of exercise data has been built up, the task of loading exercise data will become simple routine, occupying a very few minutes. Once operational, the simulator will be an invaluable tool for maintaining controller efficiency. The Singapore controllers are fortunate to have at their disposal one of the most modern and technically advanced ATC training centres in the world.

•

The MITRE METRE K Air Traffic Control Simulation Laboratory* by Bruce Morgenstern and Richard W. Telsch The MITRE Corporation, METREK Division

Introduction With the introduction of computer capability at air traffic control facilities, a new class of engineering problem has gained emphasis: the design, analysis, and validation of automated air traffic control services. This work has two areas of concern: the design of the computer algorithms which support the service and exploration of the basic man-machine interaction required to effectively use the new automation features in a real world system. An algorithm is a machine independent specification of the fundamental logical steps that the computer must execute to provide a particular function or service. (The next phase in implementing an automated service, after the algorithm is defined, is to program the given algorithm for the specific machine and computer language of the field system.) For a successful operational capability, it is essential that the basic algorithms be technically correct and effective prior to the programming. • This work was initiated by MITRE under its Independent Research and Development program and has received continuing support from FAA/DOT. This additional support was provided in part by the Office of Systems Engineering Management, FAA/DOT, under contract DOT-FA70WA-2448 and Systems Research and Development Service, FAA/DOT, under contract DOTFA69NS-162.

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The design of the key algorithm for automated ATC services often involves very fundamental exploration of the basic concept of the service to be performed and the way it should interface with other elements of the system, especially the ATC controller and pilot. Since analysis can only assist in making some of these design choices, it becomes very attractive to work with a flexible, low cost simulation prior to proceeding to a test bed experimentation phase. This design simulation can also be used to choose the basic approach to displays and man-machine Interaction. These choices are then refined in a full evaluation laboratory or pre-operational test effort. The MITRE Corporation, METREK Division, is a non-profit systems engineering organization located outside of Washington, D. C. In a non-competitive, public interest role with the Federal Aviation Administration and other non-U.S. agencies; METREK has been involved in the design of several automated A TC systems. As a by-product of this work, a design oriented simulation laboratory has been assembled. This article will briefly describe the laboratory, examine the characteristics that make it especially suitable for research work, and identify several projects that illustrate the use of the facility.


Facility Description The simulation capability to be described here has evolved over several years from an initial effort to model a terminal metering and spacing system which included control algorithms as well as a traffic model. The laboratory features which support the design emphasis mentioned above are the product of this evolution rather than the facility proceeding from a prior complete design. Figure 1 illustrates the basic elements of the system. It consists of the following components often shared with other non-simulation users: IBM 370/ 145 - contains the basic simulation software, interface software for the various peripheral devices, and the user software which is unique to a particu lar project. This computer is a general purpose system running under the VM/CMS standard operating system (virtual memory/ conversational mo nitor system) . It is shared by both technical and administrative functions at MITRE METREK. Design Demonstration Capability (DOC) - The DDC is a Federal Aviation Administration-supplied ATC display system located at MITRE METREK and used for a variety of projects. It is a display complex including a Raytheon RDS-500 minicomputer, two National A irspace System Plan View Displays (PVD) from operational inventory, and special 110 devices such as touch and plasma panels. The RDS-500 is a 16-bit minicomputer with 64K words of core memory. It has two asynchronous interface lines to the IBM 370. The PVDs are used as the primary ATC displays for simulations and are high quality 20" CRT devices with trackball and other inputs. This s ubsystem is also used for development of

The modified Singer Link General Aviation T rainer GAT-1

man-machi ne interaction c oncepts in an off- line mode using extensive display software developed at MITRE METREK. Cockpit Simulator - A mod ified Singer Link General Aviation Trainer GAT-1 single engine cockpit simu lator has been interfaced with the simulation to provide a demon stration of pilot interaction with automated ATC systems. In several advanced automation projects, it has been of particular interest to exam ine how the less than completely equipped general aviation ai rcraft can operate in future ATC systems : th is simulator is similar to a Cessna 172 aircraft with typical avionics. The cockp it hardware is essentially

R CRD

PILOTED SI MULATED AIRCRAFT GAT-1

+r+"

TRACKBALL KEYBOARD QUICK ACTION KEYS IBM 370/145 "USER" SOFTWARE UNIQUE TO A GIVEN PROJECTS

-------BASE SOFTWARE COMMON TO MOST PROJECTS

NOVA 800

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16- BIT MINICOMPUTER 16K

VM/CMS STANDARD OPERATING SYS TEM 756K

TEKTRONIX 4014 TEIU1INAL

IBM 3270 TERMINAL

RDS-500 16-BIT MINICOMPUTER 64K

PLASMA TABULAR DISPLAYS (2)

PLAN VIEW DISPLAY INTERFACE (PVD)

TOUCH INPUT OVERLAY

MITRE DESIGN DEMONSTRATION CAPABILITY

IBM 3270 TERMINAL Figure 1: The MITRE Simul ation Hardware Layout

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an analog computer modelling the aerodynamics of the aircraft. A NOVA 800 minicomputer with 16K memory samples this data and interfaces with the main simulation. It also controls navigation systems which present to the pilot appropriate instrument outputs given the configuration of navigation stations specified in the simulation software and the logical position of the simulated aircraft. Cockpit Displays - The NOVA 800 also drives mock ups of displays that might deliver data link messages to the cockpit. The data to be displayed comes from the control system model running in the IBM 370. Present displays include a Tektronix storage tube display for alphanumeric data link messages and a special purpose Intermittent Positive Control (IPC) collision avoidance display. Console Inputs - Several IBM 3270 character mode CRT displays are available for manual inputs to the system (e. g., injecting failure modes into a real time simulation. This hardware organization is tied together by a simulation package in the IBM 370, designated Basic ATC Simulation Environment (BASE). The BASE software package has been configured to support the research engineer in exploring new ATC concepts. Principal features are: 1. The ATC analyst builds his system model in a high level language (PL/1) with clean interfaces with the simulation environment (but without learning an advanced software structure). 2. Many of the basic features of an ATC model (such as traffic generation, displays, and surveillance model) are built into the system. 3. Most of the features are general and can be adapted to any type of self-guided vehicle model. The vehicle control capabilities are especially flexible. 4. All interfaces to special devices and peripherals (such as a cockpit simulator) and real time control are handled by the standard software without special user attention. 5. The constructed system models can be run in either real or fast time during various phases of study without reprogramming. The analyst can therefore use most of the built-in features of the facility to assemble his model while concentrating his efforts effectively on the particular problem (e.g., a new ATC control logic) that he is studying. Capabilities built into the system include: Vehicle Model and Route Control - A flexible software organization permits modelling of aircraft primitive actions (e.g., a particular navigation mode) with whatever level of fidelity is required for a given project. These individual actions can be "strung together" to make up arbitrarily complex flight paths for the aircraft. The controller (or the simulation model of an automated ATC system!) can intervene in the aircraft's preplanned flight at any time. Surveillance Subsystem - Most ATC system models require surveillance inputs that would normally be provided by a radar processing subsystem. BASE provides a built-in capability to generate vehicle observations with added rho-theta errors and a random missed hit probability appropriate for a multi-radar environment. The outputs of a simple a-{J smoothing filter may also be selected to provide vehicle measurement errors with correlations similar to software tracking systems. A user desiring a more sophisticated surveillance subsystem can substitute his algorithms in place of the existing module. ATC Displays - BASE includes the capability to generate a real time plan-view display similar to that used in computer based ATC systems. This display capability can be used as either a tool tor monitoring the behavior of the simulation or as a means of presenting a first cut demonstration of the system under test. Enhanced or additional displays can be constructed with a user-oriented graphics language which is included in the simulation package. Considerable power exists in the DDC to model advanced man-machine interaction concepts.

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Research Emphasis The laboratory can be applied in all the modes typical of real time ATC simulation facility. However, certain of the internal features make its use especially attractive for research in automated ATC concepts. These are briefly described below. Further discussion appeares in Reference [1]. Reactive Traffic Model Distinct from System Under Test - A simulation of an ATC system can be profitably viewed as two pieces: a model of the aircraft traffic with each aircraft having largely autonomous on-board navigation and control capabilities and a model of the control system which observes this "physical plant" (e. g., using radar surveillance) and generates control inputs (e. g., revised ATC clearances). Since the simulation facility was intended to be used in modelling different ATC control systems, it was designed to clearly separate the two pieces. The simulation environment provides traffic modelling tools common to many efforts while the user builds his ad hoe model of the control system under study in a particular project. Level of Detail of Individual Aircraft Models - A very significant factor in producing effective simulations of air traffic control problems is to control the level of detail used in modelling the aerodynamics and basic navigation capabilities of the aircraft in the system. It is important to recognize that for many ATC problems it is not necessary to use a complete model, and the degree of completeness depends on the goals of the simulation. The simulation laboratory allows convenient variation of the models when warranted. Aircraft Route Structure and Control - We can look at an aircraft (along with its pilot) as an autonomous unit that can execute a set of "primitive" actions defined in terms of its own state and the external navigation aids. These actions might include maneuvers as simple as climb or descend and as complex as the standard procedure for entering and maintaining a holding pattern. A key to achieving flexibility and extensibility in a simulation intended for multiple applications is to build up the route-following behavior of the aircraft out of these primitives with no special constraints on this higher level structure. ' Straightforward User Interface - The early exploration of new ATC concepts often makes direct interaction of the ATC investigator with the simulation very desirable. However, the primary analy~t may not be a computer science expert and could' experience significant problems working with an advanced soft~are structure, particularly in assembly language. It was therefore intended that the user should interface to the simulation environment by supplying ordinary subroutines written in a high level ~anguage (specifically, PL/1 procedures) that become embedded m the total package. Man-Machine Interaction - A primary feature of today's semiautomatic ATC systems and the more automated systems of the future is the man-machine interface provided to the ATC controller. It is important to note that the fundamental problem during early system engineering of new ATC concepts is not typical human factors such as display brightness or control positioning (although these become essential at a later stage.). Initially, the problem is to define the basic concept of what information should be presented to the controller and how he can follow and interact with the automation algorithms executing in an operational system. The MITRE METREK simulation facility provides built-in generic ATC displays of sufficient generality to let most projects initially demonstrate their simulation using existing features. In addition. advanced graphics and input primitives exist to permit demonstration of and experimentation with arbitrary man-machine concepts. Thus, a project can work anywhere along the spectrum from no concern with displays all the way to a comprehensive study of advanced man-machine concepts.

Application To System Engineering Projects We have described several desirable features of a simulation laboratory oriented toward research in automated ATC systems.


Each research project utilizes the facility in a way that places emphasis on certain aspects of the laboratory design. The following will highlight th is use for a few typical projects. Intermittent Positive Control - This is an FAA project to develo p a ground based coll ision avoidance service. The basic system concept is surveillance of transponder equipped airc raft, processing of collision avoidance and proximity warning information in a ground based computer for all aircraft in the service area, and transmission of warning data by digital data lin k directly to cockpit displays (Refe rence [2]). This system is based on the Discrete Address Beacon System (DABS) now under develop ment. The laboratory was utilized in a fast time mode to develop algorithms for the collision avoidance task and for determining s urveillance performance req uirements (acc uracy, data rate, etc) . In the real time mod e, pilots were given the opportunity to "fly the IPC system" in simulation very early in concept development. Th e full spectrum of laboratory features, inc luding cockpit simulator and displ ays, was used in this work with only the core IPC algorithms requiring new software development. Automated Terminal Services (ATS) - The first phase of this project is concerned with developing a concept for an automated service for airports without manned t raffic control towers. The basic system would consist of a sho rt-range beacon radar, a minicomputer, and a voice response system located at the airport. Communications with the pilot are by standard VHF aeronautical radio. The pilot would receive synthetic voice messages giving threat warning , traffic advisories, sequence management, and other information services (Reference [3]). The si mulation facility has played a significant role in defining this concept, exercising the basic logic, and computing estimates of critical parameters such as voice channel utilization. Features of the faci lity that are especia lly significant include : (1) extensive use of the flexi ble traffic control capabilities to generate the intri cate models required to realistically simul ate traffic pattern beh avior, (2) application of the cockpit sim ulator to get an initial ¡ leok at the pilot's interaction with the system, and (3) use of the built-in display capability to demonstrate the system. An add itional use is an intelligent target generator to provide inputs to exercise test bed software. A PDP 11 /40 minicomputer comp lex is being programmed for the FAA by MITRE METREK. A si mil ar system will be used for test bed studies with live surveillance at the FAA's National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC), Atl anti c City. New Jersey, during 1977. En Route Sector Position Development - The effort in this project is directed into three areas. Th e primary goal is the repl acement of printed flight progress strips at ATC centers by an electronic tabular display of flight plan data. A second design feature is improved techniques for interactive message entry to be used in conjunction with the tabular displays such as touch input. The format and content of the data to be presented on the electronic displays wi ll also be investig ated (Refe rence [4]). The features of the facility emphasized in this project are: (1) capability for development of a full traffic scenario similar to that w hich would be presented to a controller under normal traffic circumstances in today's ATC system, (2) support of the Plan View Display and input devices, along with considerable project unique display software and (3) controller interaction with the flight plans of simu lated ai rcraft. The actual quality of the aircraft models is of relative ly little impact. Automated En Route ATC (AERA) - The primary goals of this project are to develop advanced automation algorithms for conflict free contro l of air traffi c and to demonstrate concepts of how the ATC control ler can receive and input the necessary information to keep him invo lved with the decision making loop. The enviro nment is one or more en route ATC sectors with realistic traffic flows and airspace structures (Reference [5]) . Features of the BASE simulation package that are of significant importance in this project are: (1) ability to accept full models of traffic routes, altitude profiles, and speed profiles, (2) reasonable fidelity aircraft models to introduce appropriate variation in

ATC Displays for Term inal or En Route Control

response to the control system generated conflict-free clearances and (3) the ability to operate with the basic displays plus considerable special software for the project displays.

Summary The algorithm design and system engineering problems associated with the automation of air traffic co ntrol services emphasize special aspects of a simulation facility. That goal is to design a facility whi ch is very flexible in meeting demands of the individual problem but general enough to include the basic features required for most ATC models as standard services. MITRE has developed such a facility at its METREK Division. The Basic ATC Simulation Environment software package includes the basic features of traffic generation, displays, and surveillance as well as interfaces to special devices such as a cockpit simulator. It also provides for flexible t raffic and ATC system modelling. The laboratory has been applied to several different R&D projects with ATC automation design as the only common link. • References 1. " A Designer Oriented Air Tr affic Control Simulation Facility'", B . Morgenstern and R. W. Telsch , M76-37, Pr oceedings of the S ummer Computer Simulation Conference. Washington , D. C .. July, 1976. 2. "'A Descri ption of the Intermi ttent Positive Control Concept"". A . L. McFarl and and B . M . Horowitz. FAA-EM-74-1 . MTR-6587, The MITRE Corporation , Ju ly. 1975. 3. " A Description of the Phase I Automated Terminal Services Concept", B. Morgenstern and R. W. Telsch, FAA-EM-76-6, MTR-7376, The MITRE Corporation . November. 1976. 4. " En Rou te Sector Position Developme nt " , D. W. Sager, MTR-6932, The MITRE Corporation , June. 1975. 5. " Au tomated IFR Traffic Control : Project Overview and Objecti ves"'. R. Rucker, FAA-EM-75-10, MTR-7073, The MITRE Corporation , November. 1975.

From the Spring 1976 issue of the U. K. Safety Bulletin : " NOTAM No. 477/1975. which in fact was amended in a couple of small details by NOTAM No. 684 1975, has now been replaced by a revised NOTAM, No. 215/1976, and this is backed up by an Aeronautical Information Circular, AI C No. 24/1976. The revised NOTAM cancels both No. 477/ 1975 and No . 684 1975 but does not cancel No. 675/1975, which stil l remains in force although that NOTAM now refers to a cancelled NOTAM . The A IC, of cou rse. does not refer to any NOTAM." And the best of B ritish luck to you , chum (FLIGHT 1n1ernat1ona l)

25


International Law (Part XII) by E. Mc Cluskey IFATCA Standing Committee VII (Legal Matters)

International Institutions (5) The International Labour Organisation (ILO) We have been looking in previous articles at International Organisations which have either lawmaking or technical objectives. As IFATCA has one other facet in that the Federation is striving for worldwide recognition of the ATC profession it would seem politic at this stage, before studying more regionalised technical organisations, to study the International Labour Organisation which deals with, among other things, professional matters. The ILO is very different from other International Organisations in its set-up and it departs in many ways from the traditional International Law which we have been discussing in these Articles. After the Industrial Revolutions which followed in some countries later than in others there was a backlog of atrocious working conditions. Workers were not able, or in some cases not permitted, to associate in unions as we know them in many countries today. Improvements were therefore slow and in mid-nineteenth century improved conditions were achieved only by the dedication of some reformers and a few politicians who sometimes sacrificed their political futures in the interest of justice. The reform gained impetus notably in Great Britain in the nineteenth century and, when the time was opportune, the reforms were taken up by the trade union movement. Yet in some States reform was slow and trade unions non-existent and again these dedicated reformers began to look outside their own States and some International Conventions did result prior to the First World War. How these Conventions were applied within States was very much haphazard. There was no International Organisation to control conditions. In 1919 the International Labour Organisation was set-up as a partner to the League of Nations. The Organisation was covered by provisions in each of the Peace Treaties from 1919 to 1921, but notably in the Treaty of Versailles (Article 387 to 427). When the League of Nations was dissolved, the ILO amended its constitution and became the first international organisation to enter into relationship with the UNO as a specialised agency following the International Labour Conference, 26th Session 1944. The aims and objectives of the I LO were restated in the Declaration of Philadelphia in 1944 and embodied into the Constitution in 1946. The ILO has a fundamental social objective in aiming at conditions in which "all human beings, irrespective of race, creed or sex, have the right to pursue both their material wellbeing and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, of economic security and equal opportunity." It is the responsibility of the I LO "to examine and consider all international economic and financial policies and measures in the light of this fundamental objective". The ILO works closely with UNO specialist organisations which share some of these objectives. Before the Declaration of Philadelphia, the competence of the ILO had always been highlighted by Advisory Opinions of the Permanent Court of International Justice. From these Advisory Opinions we find that the ILO is competent to deal with the regulation of the conditions of employment of persons engaged in agriculture as well as industry; to draw up and propose labour legislation which, in order to protect certain classes of workers, also regulates the same work when performed by the employer himself; and its competence is not limited to manual workers. The ILO is already looking closely at ATC among other aviation professions. 26

Membership of the ILO is open to States. Membership of the League of Nations involved membership of the ILO but non-members of the League could be Members of the ILO, notably the U.S.A. Membership today consists of those States which were Members on the 1st November 1945 and those who have become Members by either of the two possible procedures. Whereas Membership of the UNO does not involve Membership of the ILO, Members of the UNO can become Members of the ILO by informing the Director-General of formal acceptance of the Constitution of the ILO. Acceptance is unconditional. In 1953 the DirectorGeneral received an acceptance from the USSR in which the USSR would not consider herself bound to the provisions of Article 37 of the Constitution of the ILO relating to the International Court of Justice, and he replied that the Constitution makes no provision for membership on the basis of incomplete acceptance of its obligations. Other States may be admitted by a twothirds majority of delegates of the Conference including two-thirds of the government delegates present and voting. Normally the applicant Government must possess the International Status necessary to enable it to discharge its obligations. Members may withdraw from the ILO on giving two years notice but if they have ratified any International Labour Convention, ceasing to be a Member of the ILO does not change obligations under such Conventions. The introduction to the International Labour Code gives information on the effect of war on these Conventions as well as conditions for entry into force, denunciation, reservations, etc. We have seen that membership of the ILO is open to States but unlike other International Organisations endowed with International Personality, the States are not represented at the ILO exclusively by their Governments. The ILO has three main organs,.. ~ a General Conference, a Governing Body and an International Labour Office. The General Conference is not a diplomatic conference but is partly diplomatic and partly occupational. This is the tripartite characteristic of the ILO since each Government nominates four persons, two being delegates of the Government and two representing employers and workers respectively. The Government should choose these last in consultation with the most representative industrial organisations. Each delegate may have technical advisers. Credentials are subject to scrutiny and a two-thirds majority may refuse admission of a delegate thought not to have been elected under the required conditions. Questions have arisen in States where workers are organised in a variety of unions, State controlled unions and socialised management. Every delegate votes individually. Delegates of employers and workers habitually act in groups and these groups are equal in status. The Governing Body of the International Labour Office Is similar in character. It consists of forty persons of whom twenty are Government representatives, ten representing the ten most important industrial States and ten elected for three year periods by the Government delegates of the rest of the Member States. Ten are elected by the Employers' delegates and ten by Workers' delegates. The decision as to which are the most important industrial nations rests with the Governing Body assisted by an impartial committee and subject to appeal to the Conference. The expenses of the employers' and workers' members of the Governing Body are paid from the budget of the International Labour Office. The Governing Body fixes the agenda of the International Labour Conference and convenes meetings held under the


auspices of the ILO. The work of the Conference and the Governing Body is prepared and supplemented by Regional Conferences, Industrial Committees, Committees of Experts, Correspondence Committees and Social Conferences. We have been fortunate over a number of years to have had the participation of observers from the International Labour Office at IFATCA Annual Conferences. The functions assigned to the International Labour Office, whose headquarters are in Geneva, include the collection and distribution of information on all subjects relating to the international adjustment of conditions of industrial life and labour; the examination of subjects which it is proposed to bring before Conference in order to conclude International Conventions; conduct of special investigations; help to governments in framing laws; improvement of administration and inspection systems; observance of the putting into practise of Conventions; help in negotiations between workers, employers and governments; vocational training; occupational classification; and migration of workers. The General Conference meets annually. Proposals adopted may either become an International Convention or a Recommendation. In both cases a two-thirds majority of the delegates is required. This procedure of adoption by Conference replaces the normal diplomatic conference and signature by plenipotentiaries required for other Conventions. An International LabourConvention is simply authenticated by the President of the Conference and the Director-General of the ILO. A Convention is communicated to Member States for ratification, while a Recommendation is for possible inclusion, or not, in national law. Each Member is bound to bring in the Convention or place the Recommendation before the national legislature within one year or at most eighteen months. This rule applies whether the Government delegates voted against or not. Ratifications are communicated to the DirectorGeneral. Reservations are normally inadmissible. The Convention is binding only Members who have ratified. Members must report progress towards ratification as required by the Governing Body, when difficulties arise. Whereas these rules are straightforward and relatively simple one cannot conclude that progress is altogether satisfactory towards ratification of Convention concluded within the ILO system. States are just as reticent in this field, as in the others we have studied, to shoulder their responsibilities in International Law. We fortunately already have experience within the Federation of hearing glowing speeches by Heads of States or Ministers regarding conditions in their countries and wholeheartedly supporting ILO policies only to return home and perpetuate conditions of employment wholly inadequate to ensure the safety of air navigation. Our Federation is pledged to do its ut~ost to ensure that ratified Conventions are put into practice as intended. We unfortunately can only draw the attention of the appropriate authorities to those States which ratify but which do not carry out their obligations. The Constitution of the ILO provides for investigation by a Commission of Enquiry of complaints made by a Member State which has ratified a Convention to the effect that another Member State, which has also ratified, is not carrying out its Treaty obligations. If they are not satisfied with the recommendations of the Commission, the Members can refer the complaint to the International Court of Justice. In the event of Commission recommendations or a Court decision, the Governing Body recommends action aimed at securing compliance. Are there not cases which each Member Association could bring to the notice of its Government? An industrial association of workers or employers (which IFATCA is not) can make representations to the International Labour Office if it is thought that a Member has failed to comply with its obligations. In addition to these methods there is a system which is probably more important, namely the systematic examination of the annual reports which Governments are required to make on the measures they have taken to comply with Conventions. An important body of case law has developed using procedures

agreed between the Governing Body and the U. N. Economic and Social Council on infringement of trade union rights and the right of association. Inquiries into highly political matters have also been undertaken in the social field. The tripartite system of the ILO is an important change, even if limited, in traditional International Law. Conventions do result yet only half the delegates are from Governments. Freedom of action is guaranted for employers and workers. There is also an exception to the idea of unanimity in that a two-thirds vote is enough to adopt a Convention, and Governments are bound to put the matter to their legislature whether they voted for or against. Compulsory Government reporting is also a new departure from traditional International Law. Now we will look at some of the improvements which have benefited the employers and workers of the World as a result of the work of the I LO. Some of us benefit from general Conventions on working conditions. All of us stand to benefit from recent and forthcoming work of the ILO in the Aviation field and SC VII is commencing informal discussions with the ILO on Controllers' Legal Liability. Let us look at some of the fields where the work of the Organisation has given concrete advantages for better conditions of work. The ILO Conventions cover a vast field of subjects and we list some of them since it is because of them that the controller has his working conditions as they stand today. If the trades and professions treated seem far from our own nevertheless some States have developed their Labour Laws from ILO Conventions to the advantage of other groups. There have been a number of Conventions on such things as: Hours of work, Night Work for Women, Minimum Age, Night Work for young persons, Rights of Association, Workmen's Compensation, Weekly Rest, Sickness Insurance, Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery, Forced Labour, Hours of Work, (Commerce and Offices), Old Age Insurance, Invalidity Insurance, Survivor's Insurance, Holidays with Pay, Safety Provisions for Buildings, Migration for Employment, Rest Periods, Labour Inspections, Labour Standarcts th Non-Metropolitan Territories, Labor Clauses in Public Contracts, Equal Renumeration, Maternity Protection, and Medical Examinations. When Member Associations have difficulties on any of these subjects they would be well advised to consult the relevant Conventions and establish whether their State has ratified or not and then examine whether their conditions fall below those required by the Convention. In the case of Conventions applying to other professions only, there can always be a case for negotiation on a parity basis. we already saw that prior to the first World War Labour Law was dependent to a great extent on Advisory Opinions of the World Court. These Opinions were generally dealing with constitutional aspects of the ILO itself. Interpretation of International Labour Conventions has been limited, the main case being the Advisory Opinion on the Convention concerning Employment of Women during the Night (1932). This Convention was revised in 1948. In the case mentioned the Court had to construe "Women without distinction of age shall not be employed during the night in any public or private undertaking, or in any branch thereof, other than an undertaking in which only members of the same family are employed". The question was as to whether the Convention applied to women not engaged in manual work. The Court decided that the Convention applied equally to all categories of women engaged in industrial undertakings including posts of supervision and management. The reaction to these findings varied as more and more women became employed. Some States denounced the Convention. Some disregarded it but insisted on at least two women being present at a place of work, which created problems with the advent of equal pay. Some employed women freely but refused to let them work at night where the International Tort could be discovered eg. as international telephone operators. Others found problems in applying the Convent-

27


ions as night allowances were included in equal salaries and the men were forced to work at night while the women still collected night allowances. This problem in various forms has now to be faced by Air Traffi c Services as well as airlines. Further revisions of the Conventions are overdue. The ILO also carries out studies on various professions and that of the Conditions of Employment and Service of Air Traffic Controllers undertaken jointly with ICAO was published in 1972. The main fields covered were Conditions of Entry, Work Environment, Conditions of Service, Remuneration , Promotion, Recent Deve lopments in ATC Systems, Social Security and Methods of Determining Conditions of Operation and Service. This extensive study is of value as it highlights many problem areas and differences from State to State. It has led to the Air Traffic Controller havi ng his just place recognised in the first attempt by the ILO to arrive at Law to cover the Aviation industry in general. It is to be hoped that those Member Associations, who participate with their national delegations will put across the unique position of the controller not only in his working conditions but also under the Law. The study included a short summary on Controllers' Legal Li a bility. Basically in some States in the event of an accident the State is responsible while in others the controller is treated like anyo ne else under the national law. Only three cases were cited and they are sufficiently diverse to give cause for alarm. Whereas in Switzerland the State and the Authority are responsible, action can be taken against the controller only if he causes damage wilfully or through gross negligence. If the controller is conscentious , he runs little risk of being held liable under Civil Law. Eurocontrol assumes responsibility for damage caused and is answerable to third parties, but a controller may be called on to make good all o r part of the prejudice suffered by the Organisation if he has committed a serious fault. In the USSR, co ntrolle rs are expected to be familiar with and to apply the aviation code of the USSR which includes apart from the rul es of safety of flight, ru les relati ng to co nstruction of airc r aft, transport of passengers, baggage and merchandise on the nation al ai rlines etc. The penal code holds air transport workers c riminally respon sible when violation of the rules lead to an accident and, even if no damage results, the controller is c riminally invo lved if he wittingly v iol ates the rules. In addition to cri minal liability he is a lso liable under Civil Law if any prej udice to the enterprise results and he is required to make good the d amage. Penalti es unde r administrative law in some other States are a lso c ited . We in the Fed er ation already know th at the Controllers' Legal position is not at all sati sfactory. Recently we have had the case o f controlle rs exec uted, when their only c rime was to be on duty (Entebbe). We have seen cases of impri so nm ent of controllers and su bseq uently acc idents at the same pl ace res ult in other contro ll ers also b eing condemned to pri son. Only then did the State install t he proper equipment fo r the airport concerned. We have seen controllers fined , evidence suppressed, and extensive damages awarded. Controllers have been in prison without any s ign of a c riminal charge nor of a trial. We know of legal systems where the Controllers' Liability is unlimited . These cases do not in c lude the multitude of poss ible permutation s under the dis cipline of Ad ministrative Law. The co ntroller while re maining at his place of wo rk, and therefore stati c, may come under the Law of his home State, of an adj acent State or under International Law, or un der a mix ture of these. This is w hy, because the controller is unique in the World , the Federation fixed its policy at the 15th Annual Confere nce. This is why w e seek an International Co nventio n aimed at Limiting the Liability of Cont ro ll ers whereve r they work in the Wo rld, and tyi ng t hem to one legal syste m o nly. The ILO is a lready studying the case of a ll civil aviation workers an d we as a Federation and as in d ividua l M ember Associations must act with great effo rt to convince such Organisation s as ICAO and the ILO that our case is not linked to the others on questions of Legal Liabi lity . If we can 28

convince such International Organ isations to support our case we wi ll increase air safety automatically by relieving the controller of one of the greatest causes of stress. The other facets of the ILO study must also be followed up with vigou r and in these we cou ld hope to be included in the general body of the aviation world. Our future therefore depends to a large extent on the work of the ILO. To finalise this brief study of International Organisations we will turn in our next Article to Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation. • For further study: Oppenhei m's International Law, Vol. 1, Ch. Ill , Part XII; Lauterpacht-Longmans : International Law Vol. 1, lnt'I Courts and Tribunals, Part 3, Ch. 14; Schwarzenberger Stevens: Conditions of Employment and Service of Air Traffic Controllers, ILO; Gemma: Treaty of Versailles, Part XIII: Reports of the ILO to the United Nations ; ILO : Summary of Reports on Unratified Conventions and Recommendations.

Publications Review

Deutsche Flugzeuge (German Airplanes) 1914-1918 Booklet LO 20 from the series Aviation Documents Published in German language by Verlag Karl W . Pawl as, Postfach, 0-85 NOrnberg 122, Fed. Rep. of Germany. 320 pages, 456 fotos , 69 two view aspects, 28 drawings, paperback, DM 24,-. Here we have a uniq ue documentation of German fl ying machines between 1914 and 1918. Historic and rare fotos. reproductions of original doc uments, project descriptions. secret reports, test results, etc . make this a very useful and interesti ng digest of Germ an airplanes of th is part icular period. Presented are war planes and experimentals, both l and and sea. Many of them are well-known , but there are others you didn 't even think of, and it is hard to believe that they ever were fl yi ng. The airplanes are p resented in the alphabetical order of their producers. You will find the Albratros, Euler, Fokker, Junkers, Pfalz and Rumpler productions, to name just a few . Pictures of Manfred von Richthofen, Boel cke, lmmelmann, and other prominent aces, as well as dog fight scenes enliven the era of pioneering , courage and chivalry. You may find it d ifficult to obtain this fantastic exampl e of painstaking documentation anywhere else. It is a very lim ited edition . So if you want to have this most complete digest on your book shelf, don 't hesitate too long with your order. By the way, in the Pawlas Series of Aviat ion Documents (Luftlahrt Dokumente) ther e are p lenty of other fi ne editions w ith descrip tions of famous Germ an ai rplanes. Get more information on this l ow cost and high quality series from Pawl as direct. te c


The Aircraft Corner

The first prototype of Sikorsky Aircraft's new S-76 commerci a l h elicopter was rolled out January 11 . 1977 betore an auo1ence ot 300 at the Sikorsky plant in Strattort, Conn. The twin-turb ine S-76, developed in response to a survey or the commercial helicopter market made by Sikorsky three years ago , embodies the l atest h elicopter technology and is designed to serve three basic missions: offshore oil exploration , executive transport, and general utility. At the podium : Harry J .G ray, chairman, president and chief executi ve officer of Un ited Technologies Corporation which i s financing the S-76 p rogram . Thus far, twenty-five operator s have signed con tracts to pur chase a to tal of 85 S-76s. First flight is schedul ed for March, 1977, and first deliveries tor mid-1978.

Sikorsky Aircraft's New S-76 Helicopter The first production prototype of Siko rsky Ai rcraft's new S-76 hel icopter was officially rolled out o n Tuesday, January 11 , in a cere mony at t he co m pany's Stratford, Conn., plant. Rollout of the first aircraft, one of fo ur prototypes being built fo r the f light development and certification program , came less than two years after the company, a division of United Technologies Corpo ration , announced its intention to produce an allnew helicopter designed specif ically for commerc ial appli cati ons. T he ot her prototypes will be completed at three- to four-wee k interval s durin g the next several months. Gerald J. Tobias, Sikorsky president, told those attending the ce remoni es that the aircraft act ually was completed in midDecember, as schedul ed, but the rollout was delayed because of the holi day seaso n. Tobias said the S-76 will make its first flight in March, several month s earlier than previously expected, at a spec ialized flightt est center under construction on co rporate property in a remote section of Florida's Palm Beach County. Th e test site is on land long owned by United Technolog ies and occupied, in part, by the Governm ent Produ cts Division of U nited's Pratt & Whitney Ai rcraft Group. The Sikorsky fac ili ty will have a staff of about 60 emp loyees, including pilots, test engineers, and technicians. Development flight testing of the S-76 wi ll be carried out in Florida because the better year-roun d weather will help speed the development cycle. Amo ng those on hand for the rollout was a delegation of top executives from United Technologies headed by Chairman and President Harry J . Gray and Group Vice Presiden t Robert F. Stewart ; and severa l com mercial heli copter operators who have

signed contracts for the twin-turb ine-powered S-76, and aviation editors and writers from the local and national press. Although Sikorsky will not begin S-76 deliveries until Jul y, 1978, 25 operators have already signed contracts for a total of 85 aircraft. Several other orders are currently under negotiation. Si ko rsky said the large number of signed contracts so early in the p rogram , unusual in the helicopter industry, is a good indi cati on that the new helicopter's design meets the needs of commerc ial operators. The aircraft was developed in response to a survey made by Si korsky three years ago of the requirements of the commercial hel icopter market. The high technology S-76 offers increased performance and payload alo ng with reduced operating and maintenance costs. The new helicopter was designed f rom the o utset to meet the offshore oil transportation and general business aviation requirements of the 1980s and beyo nd. In offshore service, for example, the S-76 will carry a greater payload over a longer distance and at a lower cost than any other hel icopter in its class. For bu siness travel , the S-76 offers safety, all-weather flying capabil ity, passenger comfort, speed , and rang e th at wil l reduce travel time, provide more flexibility in travel arrangements. and enhance productivity by providing an atmosphere conduc ive to work. Configured to carry up to 12 passengers plus a c rew of two, or external loads up to nearly 5,000 pounds , the S-76 has a max imum gross weigh t of 9,700 po unds and a maximum c ruise speed of 176 mi les per hour. It will carry a full payload up to 400 nauti cal mil es (460 statute mil es) on a 90-degree F day at a cruise speed of 145 miles per hour with a 30-minute fue l reserve. With add iti onal fuel tanks, the S-76 can carry eight passeng e rs 600 nautical mil es (691 statute miles). 29


Powered by two 650 shaft horsepower Allison turboshaft engines, the S-76 has a four-blade main rotor, a composite bearingless tail rotor, fully retractable tricycle landing gear and a large cabin. Its instrumentation has provisions for the installation of IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) equipment and other communication and navigation aids for all-weather operation. The main rotor blades have titanium spars, fiberglass skin and aft-swept tips, all contributing to higher rotor efficiency and improved aircraft performance. Optional equipment includes long-range fuel tanks, air conditioning equipment, rescue hook, cargo hook, emergency flotation gear, and engine air particle separators which reduce the hazards of ingestion of sand, dust, ice and snow. •

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SIKORSKY S-76 Facts The Sikorsky S-76 is a new all-weather, multi-mission, twin-engine helicopter designed specifically to provide commercial operators or company executives· with the kind of dependability, versatility, productivity, range, speed and economy not presently available in other helicopters of its class. The S-76 has a four blade main rotor with titanium spars, fiberglass skin and aftswept tips; a composite cross-beam tail rotor; fully retractable tricycle landing gear; a 44-foot fuselage with four large cabin doors; ~ifilar rotor vibration absorber; dual hydraulic and electrical systems; elastomeric main rotor bearings that need no lubrication, and full instrumentation, with provisions for the installation of IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) equipment and other communication and navigation aids for all-weather operation. The S-76 can also be fitted with an entire array of optional equipment, including extended range fuel tanks, air conditioning, weather radar, rescue hoist, cargo hook, emergency equipment and engine air particle separators.

SPECIFICATIONS Maximum Speed

155 knots

Engines

(2) Allison 250-C30

Best Rate of Cllmb

Over 2,000 ft./min.

Weight Empty

4,942 lbs.

Service Ceiling

15,000 ft.

Gross Weight

9,700 lbs.

Range/30 min. reserve 400 nautical miles

Useful load

4,758 lbs.

Passengers

Dimensions

(see above)

Crew

12 2

tee

Spotlight on a Corporation Member International Technical Products Corporation General International Technical Products Corporation (ITP) is an international manufacturing, systems engineering, and logistics company. ITP specializes in the design, manufacture and turnkey installation of complex electronic equipment and systems related to military and civilian Air Traffic Control and Air Defense systems.

Experience, Products and Performance ITP was founded in 1963, as a specialized electronics company to design and manufacture high technology components for the aviation industry. A natural outgrowth of this activity was the design and construction of complete electronic equipments. From this beginning ITP grew and developed rapidly during the dramatic expansion of the American aerospace industry. Over the years ITP acquired the personnel and experience which led it naturally into the turnkey systems business. Today ITP is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of complex state-of-the-art airport and ATC systems. ITP is known worldwide for creative solutions to Air Traffic Control and Air Defense problems. ITP's commitment to quality and service to its customers is the cornerstone of its reputation. Over the years ITP has successfully completed turnkey system projects in over thirty countries. These systems vary from simple ILS and VORTAC installations to complex air defense and radar approach control systems. ITP's speciality is providing complete turnkey installations for air traffic control and air navigation equipment and systems. The equipment and components necessary to meet a customer's 30

requirement are selected from products manufactured by ITP and from specialized equipment manufacturers around the world. This concept of selecting equipment from various manufacturers enables ITP to provide systems suited to the customer's · precise requirement. ITP's ability to undertake a total modernization or expansion program and perform all phases, i. e., conducting the air traffic requirements study, specifying and procuring the equipment, performing the interface engineering and installations, commissioning, maintenance, training and logistics support, enables these major projects to be completed in an efficient and timely manner with significant cost savings to the customer. An additional important advantage is the single point contact with a single contractor for all aspects of the program. The major types of equipments and services available from ITP include the following: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j) k) I) m) n) o) p) q)

Fixed Air Traffic Control Towers Transportable Air Traffic Control Towers Mobile Control Towers Radar Approach Control Facilities En Route Traffic Control Facilities Air Defense Systems Navigational Aids Air Traffic Control Training Simulators Airport Lighting Facilities Communications Systems Telephones Meteorological Systems Auxiliary Power Systems Test Equipment Logistics Support Flight Inspection Systems Technical Services


Resour ces ITP has significant technical, financial, personnel and physical resou rces availab le to f ulfill its co mmitment of qual ity and service to our c ustomers. T he majority of ITP's key pe rsonnel are experienced military and civilian pilots, eng in ee rs, systems analysts, and Air Traffic Co nt rol experts. ITP has numerous personnel q ualified and expe rienced in all facets of: Systems Designin g Eng ineering Manufacturing Program Management

Financial Planning Installation Maintenance Technical Documentation Flight Calibration Aircraft Operations Air Traffic Control Operations Ai r Defense Operations Traini ng Over the years ITP has brought together highly trained and experienced specialists from all segments of the government, military and indust ry. ITP is t he parent corporation of a group of specialized companies and d ivisions. Recent corporate acqu isitions have considerably expanded ITP's resou rces and capabilities.

Automation Of The Low Density Terminal by DAVID B. WHITNEY Marketing Manager International Techn ical Products Corporatio n (ITPC) *

Application of ATC automation techniques in centres controlling major terminal areas has gone far in rec~nt years; but what are the prospects for the smaller terminal areas and what are the factors to consider in p lanning for new systems? The author describes his company's approach. A utomated and semi-automated radar app roach control facilities have become an important factor in air traffic control at major terminal airports worldwide. The concept of automating t he ter minal facility originally was emphasized for airports with high traffic densities as a means of expediting air traffic movement and, at the same t ime, improving the level of flight safety. The automated systems have enjoyed a high degree of success at large airports in the United States and a number of other count ries around the worl d. Much of th is success is due to the versatility and inherent reliability of the Secondary Surveillance Radar (SS R) Beacon System, or Ai r T raffic Cont rol Beacon System (AT CRBS) as it may be known in various parts of the world. It was the ad aptability of the SSR syste m to automat ion t hat revolutio nized the science of Air Traffic Control. The techniques used in SSR systems are compatible with the o peration of the primary radar system but have additional features which enhance overall ATC system presentation. A number of these features are related to the fact that the SSA system uses a two-way transmission of data (Interrogator/Transponder) rather than rely o n reflected energy from an aircraft skin paint as is done by a primary radar. The constant amplitude reply transmitted by the aircraft transponder tends to make the SSA system insensit ive to close-in ground objects and weather which cause problems in primary radar syste ms. Coding of the t ransmission from the ground based Inter rogator and replies from the airborne transponder enables the system to elicit specific information from a responding aircraft. The experience gained in the initial yea rs of operating automated SS R systems at the hig h-density terminals, coupled with advances in micro logic and co mputer tech nology has enab led a number of noted AT C equ ipment manufacturers to offer automated systems ideally suited to meet the requirements of low and medium density airports. These systems combine the ope• ITPC is a Corporation Member of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers· Associations.

rational flexib ility of general-purpose mini-computers or specialpurpose processors with the basic SSA system technology. The resulting systems provide the controller with alphanumeric readouts of aircraft identity, a display of programmed arrival and departure information, and semi-automatic hand-off between sector controllers. An equally important factor is that this equipment is economically attractive to many airport operators. International Technical Products Corporation (ITP) uses the SSA system in turnkey terminal radar approach control facilities presently in produ ction. In addition to the SSA, these totally integrated, self-contained, shelterized systems include the Airpo rt Surveillance Radar (ASA) , Operations Center, Communications and support subsystems, and may include a Precision Approach Radar (PAR).

SYSTEM DATA TAB AREA

HDH·SELECTED

I .

,_SELECTED

SELECTIDND LEADER

ARRIVAL/ DEPARTURE LIST

II

••

PREVIEW AREA ID

P~U6

IS' I ~

U' I

l

l I

H27 I ~

1

' tl

t

.1

' '

I

'

• ,

2G JI • 1

I

t

I

Display presentation tor a programmable SSR processing and display system.

31


The automated SSA system typically consists of four major functional groups: 1. Interrogator/Receiver (located at the primary radar transmitter site}. 2. SSA Video Digitizing Unit 3. Data Processor (Computer or hardwired). 4. Display or Indicator Group The system is basically modular in configuration and may be expanded to include redundant back-up equipment groups or to incorporate additional operational or processing capabilities. Many of the operational features previously limited to the large, high density terminal systems are now attainable for low to medium density airports; either as part of a basic system installation or as a modular addition as the local traffic warrants. These additional functions include on-line flight strip printing, computerto-computer data exchange between automated terminals or en route control canters, aircraft arrival sequencing assistance, and primary radar data extraction and tracking.

Elements of the System Any SSA system, whether it is an analog passive decoder or a digital automatic system, performs a basic function: the processing of pulse coded transponder data for the purpose of identifying aircraft. The automatic system performs this basic function and uses the aircraft's transponder reply data to provide a substantial amount of additional assistance to the air traffic controller. A programmable or computer-based system will process a transponder reply containing an identity and altitude response and display a position symbol which will be coincident with the primary radar video. An alphanumeric data block will be displayed adjacent to the primary return. This data block, or tag, will show the aircraft identity, the aircraft altitude, derived from Mode "C" response and the computed ground speed. These data blocks will be updated with each antenna scan and will maintain the same relative position adjacent to the primary radar video display. A Programmable Display processor performs the required processing and formatting of the SSR data into a display message. Each message contains the data necessary to generate and position the alphanumerics associated with each processed aircraft reply code. These Display messages are routed to the display consoles where the controller selects the data he wishes to display. Each display console is equipped with the controls and indicators necessary to operate the console and display the desired primary and secondary radar data. Front panel controls enable a controller to select the desired CRT presentation in terms of display range, range marks, sweep origin/offset, MTl/normal video and other functions associated with the basic radar display. A keyboard assembly containing alphabetic, numeric and special function keys is located in the desk of the indicator console. From instructions entered at his keyboard, the controller is able to filter the SSR data to be displayed and select only those aircraft of interest. Filtering may be performed by SSA code selection which can be one or more of the 4096 discrete codes, one or more of the 64 block codes or display of all aircraft regardless of transponder reply code. Geographical areas also may be filtered to display only aircraft within selected azimuth limits. Upper and lower altitude limits may be selected so as to display only aircraft replying with an altitude response which are at flight levels between the limits. For safety reasons, aircraft not replying with an altitude response will be displayed. Also, any aircraft which transmits any of the three emergency response codes will be displayed automatically regardless of any filtering that the controller has selected. In addition to aircraft data, the controller is able to select and display sets of tabular data: System Data, an Arrival/Departure list, a Coast/Suspend list, and a Data Preview area.

32

System Data is a display of the date and time, local barometric setting, altitude filter and identity filter limits selected by the controller and a message area which may be used for the display of additional local weather data, NOTAMS, and the like. The Arrival/Departure list is a tabulation of aircraft scheduled to arrive or depart during a programmed time limit. This may be entered into the computer prior to the aircraft's scheduled arrival or departure time and than will be displayed automatically prior to the time the aircraft enters the area of control. The Coast/Suspend list tabulates aircraft that have stopped reporting for several scans (coast) or that have been removed temporarily from the display by operator action (suspend). The type of aircraft target to be displayed is also selected through the use of the keyboard assembly. Typically, a system recognizes three categories of targets: tracked targets, selected targets, and non-selected targets. The controller may designate a tracked target as any aircraft replying with a discrete or nondiscrete reply code. Transponder data from these aircraft are processed to provide a correlation between the aircraft and the information not contained in its transponder reply; this includes flight number or any other message that the controller may wish to attach to the data block. For a tracked target the system will compute and display the aircraft ground speed, detect missing target reports, predict the aircraft position or display its last reported position. The system will perform semi-automatic handoff of tracked targets between consoles controlling adjacent sectors. Selected targets are designated by the controller by entering the discrete reply code or a block of codes. A special symbol is displayed for these targets along with the aircraft identity code and, if the aircraft is replying in Mode "C", its altitude. A non-selected target is any aircraft not tracked or selected by the control position. Non-selected targets may be displayed by a position symbol or by a numeric data block containing the identity code and altitude readout. Both selected and non-selected targets can be converted to tracked targets by the controller via the keyboard or automatically by prior entry of scheduled flight plans. In addition to the control and select functions, a target designating device, either a trackball or a joy stick, may be incorporated into the console. These devices are used to position a special symbol on the display screen by appropriately moving the trackball or joy stick. The position symbol is used to specify a particular target, specify a position on the display screen to which the display is to be off-centered, or to specify where one of the tabular displays is to be moved. The operational sequences for using the keyboard and target designation features have been developed to enable the controller to rapidly and effectively utilize the capabilities of the system. The steps necessary to perform the various selections and filtering functions have been simplified through the use of a flexible computer software program and by using the special function keys contained on the keyboard. The ASR system provides almost continuous position data by utilizing radar monitoring of the terminal area airspace. The addition of positive identification and aircraft altitude data may allow closer aircraft separation, therefore promoting more safely controlled, higher density air traffic. The density of the local traffic is then limited only by the controller's workload, his ability to handle the coordination and ground-to-air communications, and the processing capability of the computer system.

The Decision to Automate The decision to upgrade or modernize an airport to include an automated ATC facility is influenced by a number of factors which will be of concern to both airport operators and airspace planners. One of the airport operator's main concerns will be cost, both in the initial equipment acquisition and in the annual operating cost of the facility. The reduction in traffic delays and the improved level of flight safety in the terminal airspace area resulting


A Radar Approach Control produced by ITPC. Present in this operati ons cent r e are primary and secondary radar and Precision Approach Radar (PAR) , plus communi ca tions, meteorological and other support systems.

from the improved ATC facilities will be received favorably by both air carriers and general aviation alike. These improvements can result in an increase in flight activities for the airport which, in turn, could be a major factor in national and region al development programs. Airspace planners, on the othe r hand, may consider a fac ility ready for automati on based upon the annu al number of air carrier or itin e rant aircraft operations. An add itio nal factor is the traffic density and mix of aircraft operating in the terminal area. This inc ludes conside ratio n of th e numbers an d type of high performan ce or large co mm erc ial aircraft that must be managed in the same airspace occupied by smaller, general aviation ai rc raft. Apart from these facto rs, geographi cal or terrain features such as mountains, reg io nal weather conditions or other such hazards and variables affecting flight must be conside red when ju st ifyin g automation of a terminal fac ility. Regardless of o ne's perspective, from the ope rator or planner's viewpoint, the primary considerati on is the in crease in the leve l of fli g ht safety attainable through the use of the automated system. Any of the other factors mentioned, but not only these, co uld provide so le justification fo r automating a terminal facility. Engineering, installation and commi ssioning of the terminal ATC facility is a signi ficant undertaking and comprises a major portio n of the au tom ation project. It may be economically feasibl e for many airport operators to consider the installation of a complete primary radar, automatic SSR system as a turnkey project. As a turnkey effort, a single cont racto r would be responsible for management, eng ineering, integration, install ation and checkout of all the systems which woul d comprise the terminal radar facility. In add ition, the cont ractor could provide logistic, initial maintenance and training services for the systems and , if required, controllers and operations personnel.

ITP believes turnkey projects are necessary for airport operating organizations which may not have the necessary engineering and technical personnel available to manage either the system's installation or the integration of the various systems into an operational fac ili ty. An experienced turnkey contractor can accompli sh the total facilities implementation in a timely and cost effective manner. A turnkey contractor who is experienced in installing major ATC systems internationally may also be able to provide guidance and recommendations to the airport operating authorities for financing an automation project. Studies, surveys, procedu re reviews and flight data analysis can be used by ATC specialists, airspace planners and the airport operato r to determine the most advantageous approach to automating the terminal faci lity. International Technical Products Corporation specializes in providing assistance in perfo rming this analysis and in the p lanning, engineeri ng and install at ion of automatic terminal control facil iti es for any ai rport around the world.

•

A new control room is being installed, ready for operational use in March 1977, on t he top of the control tower at Norwich Airport, U. K., as a direct result of the December 1973 loss of a Falcon 20 on take-off from the airfield. The aircraft crashed after ingesting a large nu mber of seag ulls and the accident report noted that the air traffic controller's ability to give warning of birds on the runway was limited : parts of the runway were not visible from the towe r and rain tended to gather o n the outside of the control tower windows. (FLI GHT International!

33


Job Satisfaction or how did you feel after your last emergency? As a controller you will probably know the situation. A lengthy dayshift in a busy Approach Control unit (at a major German International Airport). A day in March, weather not too good, not too bad, solid overcast, good visibility underneath. A day like many others. Some of the long hours you are trying to spend in a quiet position. Apart from th'e week-ends the Flight Information position normally may provide for some hours of relief, just a few calls by light types, flight following of some Army flights, provision of some pieces of information, routine processing of flight plan data, etc. But out of the blue a faint call on Emergency Frequency. You turn the volume of the loudspeaker up a bit. Another call, a tactical callsign, speaking for a military mission, is seeking contact with someone. You jump right into the frequency, and so do other listeners. Result, nobody was able to establish contact because we were cutting each other out. Another moment passed and then a smart reaction by the pilot, the aircraft showed up on a discrete frequency ... Mine! A MAYDAY Call by a formation leader of two military jets, his wingman being in a state of emergency with some engine overheat and fire indication, urgently necessitating landing at the nearest airfield! Immediately many thoughts flashed through my head. When did you handle your last emergency of a military jet? Sure more than ten years ago. Being stationed at a civil airport you hardly have a change to keep in touch with military procedures. You never did any emergency training since the old days, when you still had the Air Force people around who were in charge of the Air Traffic Services in Germany at that time. Once the German Civil Authorities took over around 1960, the military procedures were removed from our shelves and minds. Like so many other things, emergency training remained an unrealized subject in the long list of requests of some professionals and our professional controllers association. . Here I was with the emergency and the realisation that the aircraft involved had to land within the next couple of minutes. Thanks to Secondary Radar the flight of the two Royal Air Force Jaguars was immediately identified some 25 Miles South East of the airport. Radar vectors for shortest way to the field. Coordination with the Tower to get the crash crew out. Have the supervisor arrange that all other traffic was kept out of the way. Smooth turn onto the Final Approach Course at a suitable distance from runway, to enable the pilot to prepare the aircraft for landing. Yet disregarding noise abatement procedures calling for an interception of the final approach course 12 miles out. Act now, answer questions later! Routine Surveillance Radar Approach till runway in sight. Another call to the Tower to confirm that the crash crew is in position. A last corrective action for some trucks to proceed to the far end of the runway as the pilot indicated on short Final that he might overrun the runway end. Turning around now you

could find most of the colleagues at the window to watch the rest. Nothing more could be done, keeping fingers crossed. Here they came, holding hands till about a mile out. Then the leader was maintaining altitude while the emergency approached the runway rapidly. Touch-down, drag-chute out, slow down and taxying off the runway well prior to the far end. A normal landing to many visitors on the gallery of the Airport Terminal Building. Probably only some knowledgeable visitors spotted the unusual type of aircraft among all the civil airplanes. The aircraft was down and secured, the leader clearing out Victor Mike Charlie. A few words of thanks, an indication of relief and then he set course for his home base to report the irregular but safe completion of Mission 1414. Now you sit back for a moment, thinking everything over again. The happenings of the last four minutes still fresh in your mind. Anything you could have done better? What, if ... ? A pleasant feeling of satisfaction warms you up somewhat. Makes you forget about the negative sides of your job, the day to day deficiencies at your facility; the unnecessary trouble with your administration, personal problems you might have with your authorities or superiors; the depreciative attitude of your employer towards controllers in general, which you simply find frustrating; the repeated promises by the Authorities to improve your working conditions, that just create a smile of unbelief on your face now, and other things you basically cannot understand and which make our profession still a profession that demands more recognition and support. Nevertheless you are proud of belonging to that bunch of professionals. Successfully handling the unexpected is just one part of our job but it is the part that almost invariably guarantees job satisfaction. Perhaps we should feel pity for the "Belle Etage" will they ever get job satisfaction like ours? ... " ... Information, this is Delta-Alpha-Bravo-Charlie-Delta, could you give me the weather along the route to somewhere?" The show goes on! Well, here we go ... moc

Not long ago at Portland, Ore., Airport, an airline captain elected to use a runway turn-off that is difficult for large aircraft to negotiate. The ground controller suggested that the pilot taxi to the next turn-off, but the pilot responded by saying: "Tower, I can do this all by myself." A few seconds later he had one set of wheels buried in the mud, and the ground controller came back on the radio with the following question: "Do you need a tug, or can you pull that out all by yourself?"

CLEARANCE LIMIT 1978: 17th IFATCA CONFERENCE, Copenhagen, Denmark More information in the August issue of THE CONTROLLER

34

(FAA World)


News From Corporation Members

Philips - Singapore Exchange '76

Philips VHF Extended Range In Rumania The Rumanian Civil Aviation Authorities (TAROM) recent ly placed an order with Philips Telecommunications for the supply of ten 250 W transmitters and eight receivers, to obtain full VHF coverage of the whole of the country. To this end the equipment will be positioned at an altitude of about 2500 m (8000 ft) in the Carpathian Mountains. As this location is not easly accessible, al l equipment will be fully duplicated and provided with automatic change-over devices. Furthermore, the equipment will be remotely controlled via a mi crowave link between the site and Otopeni International Airport near Bucharest. The transmitters as well as the receivers employ a shared omnidirectional antenna system. The antennas wil l be accommodated in a radome. With this order Philips is coming c lose to the number of 100 transmitters sold since the date of introduction at the Farnborough show in 1974. The transmitters are mainly used for extended- range applications.

Telegraph/Telex Exchange Used For Different Services The Philips os 714 telegraph/ telex exchange recently installed in Singapore is used for a combination of total ly different services. Th e exchange is equipped with 4250 telex lines and 250 telegraph lines of the public telegraph network and also the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network. All these services employ national and international lines. All facilities of this large exchange are thus made ava il able to the various users. Thu s the Telecommun ication Authority of Singapore (Telecoms) complies with the high demands as to message flow quality and quantity made by Singapore, as one of the prin cipal communication centres of South-East Asia.

New VHF Transmitter For Control Towers As part of their current transmitter rang e renovation plan, Philips Telecomm uni cations have put a new 50-watt VHF transmitter for ground-to-air communication s in the 118- 136 MHz band on the market.

The transm itter is far more compact than its predecessor; retaining a width suitable for a standard 19-inch cabinet, it now has a he ight of only 5 inches (13.3 cm). Because this type of transmitter is frequ ently used in outlying areas the emphasis in its design and manufacture was on a high MTBF and on simplicity of tuning and maintenance. A high degree of negative feedback from the RF power output to the AF modulator provides such linearity that high modulation depths can be adopted without the risk of undue distortion. The transmitter fully meets ICAO specifications and is protected from the effects of overheating and severe aerial mismatch.

'I•

Stansaab Modernisation of Air Traffic Control in Sweden Continues The Board of Civi l Aviation in Sweden have recentl y signed a contract wi th Stansaab Elektronik AB in Jarfal la, fo r the delivery of the second air traffic control system , also in the so-called ATCAS-series . (ATCAS, Air Traffic Control Automated System). The contract amount for ATCAS 2 totals 31 million Swedish crowns. The system wi ll be delivered and installed during 1980/81. ATCAS 2 which is located in a new building at Sturup, will be responsible for most air traffic in sou the rn Sweden. ATCAS 2, therefore, replaces t he present system in Malmo and certain parts of the present system in Gothenburg. ATCAS 2 is a sister system to ATCAS 1, loc ated at Arlanda. ATCAS 2 has considerably greater capac ity and is dimensi oned for the air traffic of the 1990's. The system receives extracted information from f ive radar stations, together with fl ig ht p lan information from AFTN , Aeronauti cal Fixed Te lecommunication Network. Furthermore, flight plan information is exchanged with civil and mil itary air traffic control towers and centres in southern Sweden. Information is handled in a duplicated computer system which continuously provides the approximately fifty working positions with informati on. Only one half of the dupli cated computer system is req uired for full functioning . If a fault occurs, a switchover is made automatically to the second half. Th is is carried out witho ut any effect on the operational work of the centre. Furthermore. 35


CORPORATION MEMBERS

of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations AEG-Telefunken, Frankfurt a. M., Germany Airport Lighting Engineering Consultants, Birkerod, Denmark ASSMANN GMBH, Bad Homburg v. d. H., Germany Cable & Wireless Ltd., London, England CAE Electronics Ltd., Montreal, Quebec, Canada Cessor Radar and Electronics Ltd., Harlow, England Compagnie lnternationale Pour l'lnformatique, Le Chesnay, France Dansk lmpulsfysik A. S., Holte, Denmark Decca Software Sciences Limited, London, England Ferranti Limited, Bracknell, Berks., England Glen A. Gilbert & Associates, Washington D. C., U.S.A. Ground Aid Group, Esbjerg, Denmark Gustav A. Ring A/S, Oslo, Norway International Aeradio Ltd., Southall, England International Air Carrier Association, Geneva, Switzerland International Technical Products Corp., Washington, USA Jeppesen & Co. GmbH., Frankfurt, Germany Lockheed Electronics Company, Inc., Plainfield, N. J., U.S.A. The Marconi Radar Systems Ltd., Chelmsford, England The Mitre Corporation, Mclean, Virginia, USA N. v. Hollandse Signaalapparaten, Hengelo, Netherlands The Plessey Company Limited, Weybridge, Surrey, England Racal-Thermionic Limited, Southampton, England Selenia - lndustrie Elettroniche Associate S. p. A., Rome Italy Societe Artistique Franc;aise, Paris, France Societe d'Applications Generates¡ d'Electricite et de Mecanique, Paris, France Societe d'Etudes & d'Entreprises Electriques, lssy Les Moulineaux, France Sofreavia, Paris, France Software Sciences Ltd., Farnborough, Hampshire, England The Solartron Electronic Group Limited, Farnborough, Hants., England Stansaab Elektronik AB, Jarfalla, Sweden Telerad S. A., Anglet, France Thomson - CSF, Paris, France Ulmer Aeronautique, Clichy, France The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations would like to invite all corporations, ?rganizations, and institutions interested in and concerned with the maintenance and promotion of safety m air traffic to joi!l their organization as Corporation Members. Corporation Members support the aims of the Federation by supplying the Federation with technical information and by means of an annual subscription. The Federation's international journal "The Controller" is offered as a platform for the discussion of technical and procedural developments in the field of air traffic control.

36


there is an additional compute r system normally for program development, which can take over in the event of a simultaneous fault in both halves of the duplicated computer system. By this means, an hi gh operational reliability is obtained in the system, which must function 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The system is built up of units out of Stansaab's well-known information system Censor 900, in which is included computer type Censor 932, graphical display units (PPI) type DS 800 and alphanumeric display units type A lfaskop 3500. The work positions are provided with display screens for presentation of synthetic radar information, flight plan information, together with maps with reference points and airways overlaid. For automatic printing and distribution of flight plan strips, position s are also equipped with automatic strip printers. For input to the computer system, keyboards and rolling balls are used. Flight plan information is handled by the system for automatic printing of flight plan strips, together with presentation of flight plan data fo r traffic controllers on radar indicators and picture screens. From the extracted radar information and from flight plan data, the system automatically identifies flights and maintains identification, as well as presenting continually the air traffic position for the traffic controller on his radar indicator. Each traffic controller is responsi ble for a specific sector of the airspace. Depending on changes in traffic intensity, the system can be re-configured in a simple and flexi ble manner, partly by rearrangement between different work positions in the control centre and partly by arranging the system to give changes in the control sector's layout. For on optimal utilisation of the airspace, a working position is provided for airspace planning. Furthermore, there is a special work position for the operational and technical functioning of the system. ATCAS 1, the first step in Sweden's future air traffic con trol system , begins to approach its completion. The principal supplier, which also for ATCAS 1 is Stansaab, already delivered all the hard wa re before the end of last year. Installation and commissioning of the control centre at Arlanda is now comp leted. The greater part of the program work is also completed. Delivery testing continues in parallel with the completion of the software and delivery of the communication equipment, which is supplied by the telephone administration. Operational courses for the personnel who will work in the new centre will commence in a short time. In addition, the system requires certain installation to be completed at other airfields, e.g. Bromma, and in the Air Force.

Norwegian Order For Air Traffic Control Equipment The Board of Civil Aviation in Norway have ordered an air t raffic control system through the Norwegian Telecommuni cations Directorate, from Stansaab Elektronik AB in Jarfalla. The contract sum is 3.3 milli on Swedish Crowns. The system, which will be delivered in 1978, is located at Vaernes in the neighbourhood of Trondheim. From there, all civil ai r traffic in the Trondheim FIR (Flight Information Region) will be controlled. One primary and secondary radar station will be connected to the system. The radar information is handled in a duplicated central equipment and is presented to the operato rs on displ ay screens. The displ ay screen information, which continually depicts the air traffic situ ation, consists of synthetic information in the form of position symbols, labels, maps with reference points and airways, together with a list wh ich shows future traffic and which automatically initiates label presentation to the correc t operator. In addition, so-called raw video blips are presented from the p rimary radar station .

Bali

Java Sumatra... ... How could we be insensitive to the spell of these islands? ... In Indonesia T-VT is m odernisin g and developing the aviation infrastructure and ai r traffic control over the entire country. T-VT has demonstrated its capabilities 1n more than 50 countries with in the five continents. T-VT, the world special ist in e lectronics applied to air navigation. We think you'd prefer to deal through a single c oncern.

~ T-VT Subsidiary of THOM SON-CSF

40. RUE DE LA GRANGE DAM E ROSE I BP 34 92360 MEUDON FRANCE TEL (1) 630 23 80

The system is built up of units from Stansaab computer system Censor 900, which includes combined radar extractor type CX1100, computers type Censor 932 and radar displays type DS 800. 37


The system design has aimed at a very high reliability. This has been realised by duplicating the central equipment in several levels. If a fault is encountered in one half of the system, switchover can be made to the other half. In this way, a continuously operational service is ensured and thereby a safe air traffic control is obtained in Trondheim FIR. Stansaab is a leading company in the air traffic control system area and has recently obtained an order for the second step in the future Swedish air traffic control system, ATCAS. The first step, which is intended for Arlanda, is almost complete. Delivery will take place in 1980/81.

Universal News Far-reaching Air Security Bill Tabled By Israel Transport Minister At the beginning of this year a bill to control security on all civilian flight~ to and from Israel has been presented to the Israeli Knesset (parliament) by the Minister ofTransport, Mr Gad Yaacobi. The pro~ose~ legislation, which Israelis claim to be the most comprehensive . m the world • ·is ·men t ded to secure the safety of every user of air transport to Israel. The bill deals with the entire network of. f aciTf · 1 . ies serving civilian aviation in Israel: airfield ~~ndmgff~tnps and adjoining areas: airport facilities such as air. me 0 . ices: passenger and freight terminals: as well as installations located outside the airport. The maj~r innovation in this legislation is said to be that it doe~ not differentiate between Israeli airlines and non-Israeli

~~rne~s, and permits the Ministry of Transport to give security ire~~ives which would be obligatory for all civilian air transport reac i~g Israel. The new law, thus, possesses an extra-territorial

sanctions on countries which did not abide by the Hague and Montreal treaties failed due to the opposition of the Arab and communist blocs, Mr Yaacobi stated. Since 1968, all the terrorists who were apprehended for attacking civilian flights to Israel had been freed, except those who were in prison in Israel, he added. The inability of the international community to fight air terror by means of international law had resulted in the need for large investments and wide-scale efforts designed to provide technical solutions to the challenge of assuring the safety of civil aviation services users. Israel was continually demonstrating its concern about this problem and had presented to the ICAO a long list of suggestions designed to improve the security measures of the airlines of all countries which were members of the association, Mr Yaacobi went on. At the same time, Israel had undertaken a firm policy not to surrender to international extortion by the terrorists. "Operation Yonathan" was a proud example of this policy. Mr Yaacobi stated that the proposed legislation had already aroused considerable international interest, and he hoped that the bill would serve as a model for many other countries. He repeated to the Knesset suggestions that he made to members of the International Aviation Club in Washington last September. These included the introduction of significant amendments to international law which would ensure the punishment of offenders in every country, and characterise their deeds as crimes against humanity such as was done in the legislation introduced to the Israeli Knesset. A special meeting of the ICAO will be convened on the subject of air security in order to decide on measures such as those proposed by Israel. The major steps to be considered will be the introduction of international laws which would apply sanctions against nations aiding those who attack civil aviation, and would include refusal to carry out flights to such countries and forbid landing rights or other services to their aircraft. Mr Yaacobi called on the nations of the world, and the international organisations involved, to learn from Israel's experience, and to act jointly in an effective way to strengthen the safety of all air travellers. Will this proposed legislation help the controller faced with a hi-Jacked aircraft in his airspace? We hope so.

executive character.

In his statement to the Israel Knesset Mr Yaacobi reviewed the ~ve~ts which led to drafting the new l~gislation. He said that 4oo incidents of aeroplane hi-jackings or attempted hi-jackings took place throughout the world between 1968 and 1976. These acts, he noted, endangered the lives of tens of thousands of passengers and crew members from almost all parts of the world, and affected the property and aircraft of 68 nations. f In 1968 an El-Al plane on its way from Rome to Israel was arced to land in Algiers. This was the only successful hi-jacking of an Israeli aircraft • th e mm1ster · . stated. In its wake, the Government of Israel took various steps to guarantee the security of passenger planes which "have proved immensely effective." .The t~rro~ists then turned their attention to foreign airlines which mai?tamed regular service to Israel. Their criminal acts lit a danger signal among international organisations and the governments throughout the world, and launched a wave of intensive national and international activity which, Mr Yaacobi said had not been sufficient. This activity, he noted, concentrated o~ two accepted levels: national and international law and technical security measures. In the area of international law the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) issued two international treaties: against the hi-jacking of aircraft - Hague, 1970 and condemning sabotage and other harmful actions against aircraft - Montreal, 1971. Despite the fact that these were important steps they did not ensure the punishment or the detention of aircraft hi-jackers. Attempts to introduce another international treaty regarding

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Eurocontrol Five Year Plan The Permanent Commission of Eurocontrol has adopted the five year plan submitted by the Agency for the period 1977-1981, which provides a general policy framework and financial plan for the continued development of Air Traffic Services in the Eurocontrol airspace. The Ministers approved the location of the "lie-de-France" Centre at Reims. The new Centre will be responsible for the airspace almost identical to that of the present Paris Centre, but excluding the Paris Terminal Control Area. They also agreed to the proposals put forward by the Federal Republic of Germany for the future of the Karlsruhe UAC, by which the German Government envisages the full transfer of responsibility for the Karlsruhe UAC to the competent national authority as a long term objective for the 1980s. In the meantime the execution of Air Traffic Control for general air traffic would be provided by air traffic controllers of the Federal Republic of Germany's civil aviation authority (Bundesanstalt flir Flugsicherung) for which purpose they would establish an external unit at the Karlsruhe UAC, the UAC however remaining a Eurocontrol Centre.


Boeing - Boeing

Karlsruhe Control Centre Commissioned

Boeing is shortly to offer to A merican, United, Delta and Western Airlines what it regards as its final 7 X 7 design. It will be based o n three JT1 0D-4 turbofans, to be developed in cooperatio n with Rolls-Royce. Further the Being Company reports that the Boeing 747 production is expected to move up to four ships a month next year. US aircraft-industry sales and contracts departments are now busier with the airlines than they have been for many years. - So will the controllers controlling them!

New Lateral Separation Standards

Th e new lateral-separation standards planned for parts of the North Atlantic will be in troduced not before October 1978, ten months after the withdrawal of the Loran'A'Navigational Service. In the interim, existing stan dards will apply while the trackkeeping accuracies achieved by inertial navigation and Omega are monitored. If the predicted track-keeping improvements materialise, lateral separation will be reduced to 60 NM, although 2,000 ft vertical separation wi ll be retained. North Atlantic operators will then have a larger choice of routes close to the optimum for each secto r. Seprations of 30 NM laterally and 1,000 ft vertically might follow in 1981 . The minimum navigation performance specifications (MNPS) associated with the new standards will require operators to check equipment accurarcy befo re entering MNPS airspace and to report immediately if equipment unserviceability reduces trackkeeping performance. A high standard of in-flight equipment programming will be requi red to prevent large erro rs arising from "finger trouble". Operators intending to fly within MNPS airspace will have to use equipment capable of keeping the airc raft within 12.6 NM of intended t rack for 95 % of the time during which the system is being used for navigation. Deviations of more than 30 NM should not occur mo re than 53 times per 100,000 system hours, and 70 NM errors should not happen more than 13 times in that period.

Another Aircraft Saved Two Fre nch air traffic cont rollers have been credited with making a substantial contribution towards saving a USAF C-130 Herc ules during an emergency last October. The aircraft was en-route from Germany to Italy when the No. 4 engine generator warning li ght illuminated shortly after passing Dijon. Afte r a routine check the engine was shut down - the airc raft was in IMC and under the control of Paris-Orly civil radar centre. Th e pilot-in-command decided to return to Rhein-Main, his departure point and home base, and the controllers alerted Contrexevi lle Radar in eastern France, which issued a clearance for a most direct return route. Nancy-Ochey, Toul, Metz and Strasbou rg were also alerted. Approaching Nancy, the crew watched all the three other generator lights illuminate; the back-up power source would not start and a second engine had to be shut down. An emergency was declared with the Hercules at about 8.850 ft and 24 miles from Nancy. One of the French controllers took over the distressed aircraft, directed it to Nancy-Ochey and started directing the descent. On final approach, 2.5 miles form the field and at a height of less than 1,000 ft, a third engine failed. All radio contact was lost, with t he ai rcraft sti ll in IMC. Referring to the last heading given by the contro ll er, the pilot held his course, finally broke clouds at 400 ft, saw the runway directly ahead and made a safe landing on one engine only. USAF techniques and English ATC phraseology were not foreign to the first of the controllers, who had previously taken part in a USAF/ French Air Force exchange programme. - This is the sort of investment that pays back at times!

The EUROCONTROL Upper Area Control Centre at Karlsruhe com menced operational service at 23.000 hours on Saturday 26th February 1977, in the presence of the Director General of EUROCONTROL, Mr Rene Bulin, together with Mr H. Voss, President of the Bundesanstalt flir Flugsiche rung , the Federal Republic of Germany's air traffic control organisation , and Colonel L. Stecher, Head of the Arnt fur Flugsicherung der Bundeswehr, the air traffic contro l services of the German Air Force. The U.A.C. Karlsruhe is now providing ai r traffic services to both c ivil and military air traffic in the upper ai rspace of southern Germany on a 24 hours per day basis. The Centre is being managed and developed by EUROCONTROL but with the actual control of civil aircraft being executed by controllers of the ,, Bundesanstalt fUr Flugsicherung" and for military ai rc raft by staff of the German Air Force. Employing entirely automated techniques for the treatment and display of air traffic data, this centre is, on the technological level, the eq uivalent of any of the most modern centres in existence, notably in the United States. Under the Direction of EUROCONTROL, this centre has been established with sole recourse to the industries of the Member States of the Organisation in Europe. It is a n achievement of the seven Member States of EUROCONTROL in that, following the decision of the Ministers in November 1970 to c reate the centre, it has taken only a little over six years to conceive, plan and bring it into operation . EUROCONTROL

US Safety Record in 1976

According to the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB), US-Air Carriers had the fewest fatalities in more than 20 years during 1976, and the general aviation fatal accident count was the lowest in nine years. There were 28 air carrier accidents, involving 45 fatalities and 4.567 general aviation accidents with a total of 636 fatalities.

Farnborough Air Show 1978

Refuting earlier rumours that the Society of British Aerospace Companies might not stage its biennial air show at Farnborough (UK) next summer, it is now announ ced that sufficient firm enquiries have been received from ho peful partici pants to ensure that the show will go ahead as usual , in ear ly Septembe r 1978. INTERAVIA

39


What Others Think Wasted Airmanshlp? The world's biggest airline outside the superpowers says goodtw~ this spring to three of its most senior captains. More than

30 years after the Second World War, British Airways is losing a generation of war-tested airmen who have not only kept up with the technical pace, but who have actually set the standards it demands. These are the pilots who have defined the standards and disciplines to which air transport owes its unsurpassed operational integrity. The retirements include men higher than most on the everascending curve of experience - experience for which there is no substitute, even with realler than real simulators. Airmanship comes from a lifetime spent flying all types of aircraft in all weathers into all airports through all air traffic control systems. Knowing what to do in a bad moment comes not only from discipline and technical knowledge, in which the younger pilots also excel, but from airmanship. Some airlines, including PANAM, keep their captains until their 60th birthday. The retirement age recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is 60 for the firstclass air transport pilot's commercial licence, and over 60 for pilots of light commercial aircraft. We wonder whether, given the integrity of today's medical examinations, airline-pilot retirement at 55 can be a waste of safety. This is simply a medical judgement, on which FLIGHT feels unqualified to comment. But some facts are worth considering. In the United States 16 airline pilots, average age 44, have died of heart attacks in the air in 15 years. In the world as a whole, including the USA, only two accidents which actually killed passengers can definitely be attributed to pilot incapacitation. In one major airline medical failure rate is about 0.3 D/o, about a third of the national average. British Airways, aware not only of the safety lost with retirement at 55, but also of the adverse economics, is gathering data on the health of about 1,000 pensioner pilots. There will soon be a 30-year medical dossier on which to base pilot-retirement policy. Heart disease appears to be less common among airline pilots than among others. The statutory regular medical, and the prospect of losing licence and livelihood, are incentives to keep

fit. And another important safety policy factor is that there are two pilots on the flight deck to achieve what in engineering is called a failsafe system. The medical evidence appears to suggest a review of the rules. Could the statutory cast-off of 55 be extef'!ded, in the interests of safety and economy, in certain cases? Circumstances would have to take account of the fact that today's young pilots are as good on SOPs (standard operating procedures) as are their 20,000 hr fathers in the left-hand seat, and they do not want to wait yet another five years to achieve captaincy. But 55 does seem an arbitrary waste of safety experience and airmanship. FLIGHT International ~c

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The Air Transport Scene If the world's airlines have been going through a period of poor profitability and other problems during recent years, the signs are that things are getting better. Preliminary results for 1976 are now appearing and many companies that were forecasting doom and disaster in the two previous years seem more optimistic. However, one swallow does not make a summer - to quote a-"' well-known expression - and there will have to be a further three to four years of solid profitability before lenders will consent to finance major fleet modernisation. Meanwhile, important happenings are under way that may lead to significant changes in the operating environment. On the regulatory side, Britain and the USA are renegotiating their bilateral, the benchmark by which many other nations set their agreements, while the ICAO met in April to discuss major issues. Technically, the talk is less of aircraft and engines, than of systems; both long-distance navigation and airport procedures will be radically changed by the phasing out of Loran 'A' and its replacement by Omega and by forthcoming decisions on microwave landing systems. This constant evolutionary process sometimes causes confusion and even consternation, but it is contributing towards making air transportation more efficient and safer. The year 1976 was one of the safest on recent record in the USA - and was an encouraging time for profits; if this "influence" spreads elsewhere, the next five years could be boom times for the airlines. INTERAVIA

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