IFATCA - The Controller - August 1977

D 21003 F

JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERAT I O N OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOC I A TI O N S

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In this Issue : 16th IFATCA Conference Highlights The Controller and Automation Airport Surface Radar (ASDE)

FRANKFURT AM MAIN

AUGUST 1 9 77

V 0 L UM E 16

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ICR-today's answer to yesterday's problems

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Racal-Thermionic's multi-channel International Communications Recorder always gets the message.

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The reliability of this superb machine 1s JUSt about total.

There is always a spare t rack available, should the track fai l while recording. The back-up system precisely duplicates the master, and is ready at any instant to take over. Further, if for any reason the ICR should not have its operating tape

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replaced after 24 hours, the back-up would continue for a further entire day, switching on an automatic war . " d"1cate t he need for replacement. m~ system tom 24_hours ~ day 365_days a year, the ICR trustily records the voices of t ime. En~ineered to the highest perfection, the ICR can also, 1f desired, keep meticulous record of the time when events occurred.

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IFATCA

JOURNAL

OF

AIR

TRAFFIC CONTROL

THE CONTROllER Frankfurt am Main, August 1977

Volume 16 · No. 3

Publisher: International Federation of Air Traffi c Controllers' Associations, P. 0. B. 196, CH-1215 Geneva 15 Ai rp ort , Switzerl and.

Officers of IFATCA: J-0. Mon in, President, O. H. J6nsson, 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 0-4830 GOtersloh Tel efon (0 52 41) 19 21 Ext. 313 Contributing Editor: V. D. Hopkin (Human Factors) Managing Editor: Horst Guddat POB 60209 0-6000 Frankfurt am Main-60 Telefon (06 11) 6 90 31 63 Publlehlng Company, Production, Subscription Service and Advertising Salee Office: Verlag W. Kramer & Co..

Bornhelmer Landwehr 57 a, 6 Frankfurt am Main 60, Phone 43 43 25 and 49 21 69, Fr ankfurter Bank, No. 3-03333-9. Rate Card Nr. 6.

Larnaca Airport , the gateway to Cyprus.

Printed by : W. Kramer & Co.. Bornh ei mer Land· wehr 57 a, 6 Frankfurt am Main 60 (Federal Republic of Germ any).

Subscription Rate: OM 6.- per annum for members of IFATCA ; OM 10,- per annum for non-members (Postage will be charged extra).

Contributors are expr essing their personal points ol view and opinions, which may not necessarily coincide with those of the Internati onal Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA).

CO NTENT S A Message from the President

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The Controller and Automation

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IFATCA does not assume responsibility for statements made and opin ions expressed , It does only accept re· sponsibility for publ ishing these contributions.

16th Annual IFATCA Conference N icosia

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Getting the Message

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Contributions are welcome as are comments and crltl· cism. No payment can be made for manuscripts sub· mltted !or publication in "The Controller". The Editor re serves the right to make any editorial changes In manuscripts, w hich he believes wi ll Improve the material without altering the intended meaning.

International Law Part XIII

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A New High-Brightness All Weather A S D E

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CONVEX 76 - Aircraft Noise and A TC

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Universal News

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

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News from Corporation Members

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Spotlight on a Corporation Member

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What's the Difference?

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Letters to the Editor

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Publications Review

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IFATCA 77 Ladies Programme

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Impressions of Cyprus .

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Post Conferenc e Resorts

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Tail Piece

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Cartoons: Helmut Elsner.

Fotos: Ar ch iv, Danish Tourist Board, Hollandse Signaalapparaten, Komninos Studios, Lockheed Electronics, Philips, Photo Varouj, Pub lic Information Office Cyprus.

Smithson ian Inst itute.

Ad vertisers In this Issue: Racal Thermionic (inside cover). Hollandse Signaalapparaten (page 2), 1A L (page 5), Philips ELA (page 6) , Plessey Radar (pages 8/9), Gul f Air (page 10), Olympic Airways (page 15).

Cyprus Hilton Hotel (page 17), Ferranti Ltd . (pages 24/25) , T - V T (page 37), IFAT CA 78 (page 41) , Cyprus Ai rw ays (page 46), Selenia Radars (i nside back cover) .

Stansaab (back cover).

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There are four systems in the range: Alpha - a computerised fl~ght-plan processing and presentation ?YStem with strip printers or electronic displays, Bravo - a radar system with raw video display allowing a choice of Signaal radar sensors; STAR, LAR-1 or LAR-2, Charlie - a radar and labelled display system featuring comput~rised secondary radar data processing and radar to flight-plan correlation, and, Delta - providing completely synthetic presentation of all flightplan and radar data on bright displays.

If you a re interested in these four systems, that can be combined as needed, or in other systems li ke ASDE radar, take the first step now and contact : Holl andse Signaalapparaten BV Telephone: (05400) 88111 P.O. Box 42 Hengelo (Ov.) The Netherlands

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the speed, the frequency and the complexity of air traffic . increases, so do the demands on man and equipment. There 1s no room for error. That's why Signaal pioneered new technical concepts to develop a range of compact ATC systems that combine operational simplicity and efficiency with application flexibility and reliability.

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Editorial

IFATCA is working for you - are you working for IFATCA?

There used to be a lull after Annual Conferences when Member Associations the Executive Board - and the Editor - had time to examine resolutions passed: prepare their resulting work programme and generally take stock of the situation.

This year there ~has been no such 'natural break'. The high intensity activity of 'Nicosia 77' (of which more elsewhere) has continued into the summer with no noticeable cessation of pitch. The Board has had to consider and act upon, situations in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Eurocontrol, Greece, Israel, Portugal, Spain, Sudan, Turkey and Yugoslavia. And still we may have missed a few.

What have we achieved and at what cost? Not all of these situations have involved recognisable drama. Some have been a simple matter of communicating with the national authorities, at the request of the Member Association, to advise or inform. However, most have involved the safety of those who fly and the welfare of those who make those flights safe. These latter have involved IFATCA in the cost of time, telephone, telegraph or even personal representation. As we go to press, the personal intervention, as the representative of the President of IFATCA, of Andreas Avgoustis of CYATCA, would appear to have replaced dispute with discussion in Israel. Other activities, in support of the profession and its professionals, continue. Not least of these is action to assist Gradimir Tasic. "There, but for the Grace of God, go I", is in the minds of all controllers. The cost to IFATCA of these supportive activities is great. The result, to you as individual members and to all those who depend upon aviation for their livelihood, is infinitely greater.

Thank You

Letters and submissions from all over the world - Oslo, Warsaw, Budapest, The Netherlands, South Africa, Tokyo, USA, you name it, plus Journals - COCODOODLEDOO, INPUT, TRANSMIT, CONTROL, GILDEBRIEF, CATCA JOURNAL, THE JOURNAL OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, AIRWAY, HATCA HIRADO and COCKPIT. The wealth of material only supports my personal view of the controller as a multitalented animal. I would like to be able to refer here to those contributions used in this issue but this piece has to be written before the Editorial/printing spaceavailable decision-making-meeting takes place, so thanks anyway and I'll be writing. Thank you and keep them coming! sc 3

A Message From The President To: Asociaci6n Tecnicos y Empleados de Protecci6n y Seguridad a la Aeronavegaci6n - Argentine .

Associacao dos Controladores de Trafego Aereo Civis do Brasil - Brazil Canadian Air Traffic Control Association Inc. - Canada Egyptian Air Traffic Controllers Association - Egypt Association Professionelle de la Circulation Aerienne - France Verband Deutscher Flugleiter - Federal Republic of Germany Iranian Air Traffic Controllers Association - Iran Associazione Nazionale Assistenti e Controllori della Navigazione Aerea Italy Asociaci6n de Controladores de Transito Aereo de Mexico - Mexico Het Nederlandse Luchtverkeersleidersgilde - The Netherlands Swiss Air Traffic Controllers Association - Switzerland Dansk Flyvelederforening - Denmark Norsk Flygelederforening - Norway Svensk Flygtrafiklederforeningen - Sweden Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers - United Kingdom

International Labour Organisation Tripartite Technical Meeting for Civil Aviation 7-15 December 1977 Although IFATCA has sought an invitation to the above meeting as Observer, it is important also that controllers should be represented within the national delegations to the meeting. According the tripartite rule of the ILO, it is necessary that controllers should be well represented within the workers group, where ·some Associations may have possibilities to be represented in the Government side also.

From the countries invited by the Governing Body of the ILO only about 15 are represented in IFATCA. From these 15, it is likely that some will not be able to arrange any participation. Therefore it is urgent that your Association takes necessary action to secure its participation within your national delegation, in accordance with Resolution C.5/75: "That Member Associations endeavour to become members of their respective national delegations, when any further preparatory meetings regarding the intended International Civil Aviation Conference are convened by the ILO." Jean-Daniel Monin

The President of IFATCA, Jean-Daniel Manin, indicated in Nicosia that he intends to retire as President after the 1978 Conference in Copenhagen. It is hoped that a statement from Jean-Daniel will be published in our November issue. Meanwhile let us hope that he will reconsider his decision.

ro receive your own personally addressed copy of THE CONTROLLER regularly complete this form today.

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1700 reasons for choosing the IAL college of air traffic services Since 1958 we have trained more than 1.700 students of 71 nationalities as Air Traffic Controllers for overseas Governments to ICAO standards.

The high standard achieved and maintained by our 1nstruct1onal staff of experienced controllers 1s one of the many reasons for IAL being selected by these authorities. Flex1b1hty and economy are added attractions. Courses can be tailored to meet ind1v1dual requirements. incorporating national ATC leg1slat1on 1f necessary.

At competitive prices. All the courses are approved by the Civil

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lllTERllATIOllAL AERADIO LIMITED -

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Address

IAL specialises 1n the provision of air traffic control services and equipment at airports throughout the world.

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Please send me further information Company

Aviation Authority and recognised by ICAO. We otter three standard courses-Aerodrome and Approach Control. Area (Airways) Control and Surveillance Radar Control.

We also otter other courses such as an Ab lnit10 course. an AIS course. as well as Special Courses which can be designed to simulate any ATC environment.

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College ofAir Traffic Services The Administrator.

IAL College of Arr Traffic Services.

Oxford Airport.

Krdlrngton. Oxford. OX5 lSH. England.

Telephone Krdlrngton 6168.

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Which of these international civil airports rely on Philips voice logging systems?

Antigua Coolidge Airport Belgium Eurocontrol Brazil Val de Cans. Selem Internacional, Brasilia Internacional, Campo Grande Brig. Eduardo Gomes. Manaus Salgado Filho. Porto Alegre Guararapes. Recife Galeao, Rio de Jan eiro Santos Dumont. Rio de Janeiro Cogonhas. Sao Paulo Chill Antofagasta Puerto Monti Balmaceda Punta Arenas Arica Isla de Pascua Colombia Eldorado. Bogota C zechoslova kia Cuba Denmark Kastrup. Copenhagen Odense. island Fyn R0nne. Island Bornholm Alberg, Jutland Tune (Roskilde). Copenhagen Vagar. Faroe Island Mesterv1g. Greenland Kulusuq, Greenland SDR. Stroemfjord, Greenland Esb1erg. Jutland Dundas. Greenland Juflanehab, Greenland France Orly. Pans Roissy. Pans Lyon Le Havre Marseille M engnac. Bordeaux Germany Frankfurt Dusseldorf Bremen Kciln/Bonn Munchen Stultgart Nurnberg Hannover G hana Accra Great Britain Heathrow Airport. London Greece Athens Arrport Hong Ko ng Kai Tak Airporl lndla Calculta Bombay Madras New Delhi Nagpur Ahmedabad Allahabad

Indonesia I ran Ireland Dublin Airport Shannon Airport Italy Cristoforo Colombo, Genova Caselle. Torino Linate. Milano Malpensa. Milano Ciampino, Rome Fium icino. Rome Capodicino, Naples Marco Polo Tessera, Venice Trieste Bergo Pinale. Bologne San Giusto, Pisa Grosseto Rimini G. Lisa, Foggia Palese Macchie. Bari Casale. Brindisi Galatina. Lecce Taranto Crotone Reggio Calabria Lamezia T erme Fontana Fossa. Catania Puntaraisi. Palermo Elmas. Cagliari Alghero Jamaica Japan Jersey C.I. Telecommunications H.O. Jersey Airport Jugoslavia Beograd Ljubljana Zagreb Dubrovnik Pula Split Tivat Sarajevo Kuwait Kuwait Airport Lebanon Beyrouth international Libya Airport, Tripoli Benina. B engnazi Airport. Sebha Morocco Menara. Marrakech Sale. Rabat Saiss. Fes Angads. Oujda Boukhall. Tanger lnezgane. Agadir Bassatine. Meknes Nouasser. Casablanca Cote du Rif. Al Hoce'1ma Safi Mexico T11uana La Manga. Hermosillo Mazatlan Don Miguel Hidalgo, Guadalajara Chihuahua

Gral Mariano Escobedo. Monterrey Rihi, Tampico Lie. Benito Juarez. Mexico Gral Juan N. Alvarez. Acapulco Merida Mozambique International Airport Netherlands EeIde Schiphol, Amsterdam Zestienhoven, Rotterdam Netherlands Antilles Dr. A. Plesman Airport. Willem stad Prinses Beatrix Airport, Aruba Prinses Juliana Airport, SL Maarten New Z ealand Auckland Christchurch Wellington Dunedin Nandi Norway Vaernes Airport, Trondheim Rygge Airport Bardufoss Airport Bod0 Airport Peru Jorge Chavez International Airport, Callao Lima Phlllpplnes Manilla Cebu Laoag Zamboanga Davao Poland Portugal Lisbon Azores Airport, Ponta Delgada San Miguel Faro Azores Airport, Horta Madeira, Funchal Porto Azores Airport, Flores Amilcar Cabral, Cabo Verde South Afrlca Upington, Cape Province Jan Smuts Airport, Kempton Park, Transvaal George Airport. Cape Province Eros Airport. Windhoek S.W. Africa Ben Schoeman Airport, East London, Cape Province Alexander Bay Airport, Cape Province Kimberley Airport, Cape Province South African Airways, Johannesburg Phalaborwa Airport. Transvaal Wonderboom Airport, Transvaal Wefkom Airport, Orange Free state Groolfontein Airporl. S.W. Africa Keetmanshoop Airport, S.W. Africa Virginia Airport, Durban, Natal Sudan Surinam Zanderij. Paramaribo Sweden Switzerland Flughafen Zurich

Flughafen Genl Flughafen B ern¡Belpmoos Flughafen B asel¡Miilhausen Taiwan Venezuela Zambia Lusaka Airport Ndola Airport Livingstone Airport Zaire Kamina Mbanadaka K anariga Kindu Gema Kisangani Kinshasa Lubumbashi

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Answer: All of them

Philips Industries GAD/ ELA HBS 2 Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

PHILIPS

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The Controller And Automation*

by V. David Hopkin

Introduction The progressive introduction into air traffic control of automation, generally in the form of computer assistance, leads to numerous human factors problems which are currently the subject of lively debate. This general paper on the controller and automation outlines some of the main sources of human factors problems associated with automation, lists some potential implications of automation for the controller, both the favourable and unfavourable ones, and draws a few conclusions. Some of the sources of human factors problems associated with automation may be considered in more detail in future issues of "The Controller".

Correspondence would be welcomed from controllers on the topics which would be of most interest to them.

Main Sources Of Human Factors Problems Early attempts to design man machine systems were planned using, as guidelines, lists of functions to be performed by the man and functions to be performed by the machine. Later man and machine were seen as complementary rather than competitive, but this more enlightened approach stir~ makes some assumptions which can be challenged. In particular, only those functions which could conceivably be done by a machine appear in the list at all.

Certain functions may be performed well by either the man or the machine and others may be performed adequately by neither. If the machine cannot do them, the man must do them if they are to be done at all. Functions may therefore still be assigned to the man, not because he does them well or enjoys them or because they make use of his skills, but simply because he can do what a machine cannot do.

A further assumption is that there is one best way to perform every function. Though convenient, this assumption may be wrong.

Meanwhile it should be recognised as an assumption and not treated as a fact.

Automation has usually been first used in air traffic control systems to store and order data, with some limited updating of information. One effect is to change the nature, and especially the completeness, of information permanently displayed to the controller. There is too much to display all of it at once, and some has to be obtained when it is needed. This gives the controller the extra task of using keyboards or other entry devices to gain the information he wants. He must also learn what information is stored in the system and remember that it is available when it becomes relevant. Extra display facilities may be required to present the called down information. Storage of information in the computer also entails the further task of keeping it correct and up to date.

Automated aids are introduced when they have become technically feasible and cost effective and when it is believed they will add to the capacity, safety or efficiency of the system. The timing of proposed changes depends mainly on technical reliability and cost, and not on human factors. Often when aids are proposed their potential advantages have been explored more thoroughly than their potential limitations.

Increases in the traffic handling capacity of an air traffic control system are often assumed to increase the workload of con• This paper is condensed from part of a paper by the author in "A Survey of Modern Air Traffic Control", AGARDograph No. AG-209. The opinions expressed are the author's own, and should not be attributed to any official body with which he is associated.

trollers, so that some compensating reductions in workload must be achieved by means of automated aids. Some of the implications of this assumption require more exploration and questioning than they have received. One implication is that high workload is undesirable. A second is that the controller need not have much direct influence over his own workload. A third is that workload is a sufficiently uniform concept for reductions in workload of one kind to permit increases in workload of another kind. A fourth is that on balance automation does not lead to extra tasks or extra work. A fifth is that an automated aid can replace a manual function in its entirety. Yet it is mainly the quantitative data which can be automated and not the qualitative, which may be lost. If a pilot has to deal with an emergency he may be reassured by the controller's professional manner and tone of voice as well as by his verbal message, but an automated link may not provide comparable reassurance. Information on confidence, calmness, ease, uncertainty and professional confidence may be transmitted to an experienced listener by tone of voice, by intonation, by pace of speech, by pauses, by choice of language, by phrasing and by fluency - all this information may be lost in automated data transmission.

Future automated systems may rely on navigational data of very high quality, yet fail to convey to the controller how much the reliability of the data has been enhanced and how far he should trust it. In future systems the controller will need more guidance on the quality of the displayed information.

As automation progresses beyond routine data handling it starts to affect higher order tasks. These deal with decision making and problem solving, and depend much more on the controller's skills and af>Uities. In exercising these functions without automated aids, he relies on his training, experience, professional knowledge and skill. Therefore the extension of automation to these higher order tasks affects training, experience, knowledge and skill. The computer may formulate solutions which differ from those which the controller himself would have used, and which he therefore tends to think of as potentially unsafe.

It may be very difficult for the controller to know which factors the computer has taken into account in providing an automated solution but without such knowledge he does not have a satisfactory rationale for accepting or rejecting the computed solutio~s offered. Computer assisted solutions to problems generally restrict the controller's freedom of choice although a main reason for the controller's continued presence is his flexibility of action and ability to innovate.

Efficiency of automated aids tends to clash with certain other factors. Equipment that is effortless and easy to use may reduce the sense of challenge and job satisfaction. Greater uniformity associated with system efficiency may reduce the need for the controller to exercise his special skills. Making the job easier has to be reconciled with man's preference to be busy rather than idle and for demanding tasks which fully use his skill. The criteria for determining the form which automated aids take should include factors related to job satisfaction, morale, career, status, skills and professional pride, as well as the narrower ergonomic factors which seek to ensure that the automation will be efficient. Effective automated aids should be most helpful when traffic is heavy and probably optional when traffic is light. They should enable the man to retain some control over his own workload. They should require skills so that the controller using them can be seen by his colleagues to be maintaining professional standards.

They should engender favourable attitudes among users towards them.

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Your ups anddo•s are our business . Plesse~ integrated display systems, data processing techniques, pr.1 mary and secondary surveillance radars'. instrument landing systems and navigational aids all contribute to smoothing out the ups and downs ofthe ATC business.

New facilities, such as automated target labelling, are giving the controller the information he needs in clear uncluttered form so that his decision making is made that little bit easier.

That's what we call progress.

Complete radar systems for airtraffrc control and air defence; naval and maritime systems; meteorological radar systems; navigational aids; electrical and electronic airfield packages; message switching and software systems.

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!!~!!?~;!5 PLESSEY RADAR Addlestone Surrey U nited Kingdom KT15 2 PW Telephone¡ Weybridge <0932J 47282

Air traffic controllers around the world rely on Plessey Radar for the most in(ormative displays 'RJ 603 P229

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 VC10~ 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~:h6J&.::)

~GULFAIR 10

Head Office: PO Box 138, Bahrain Tel: 51221 Telex: GJ 8255 GULFHQ London: Corner of Piccadilly & Berkeley Street. LondonW1V 9HF Tel:01-4091951 Te/ex:28591 GFRES G Amstordam: Leidseplein 1 â&#x20AC;˘ 3. Amsterdam Tel: (020) 230005/6 Telex: 16065 G FANS NL Parlo: 9 Boulevard de la Madeleine, 750001 Paris Te/:261 5316/17 Talex:211639 GULFAIR F Also oHices of General Sales Agents: British Airways in UK. KLM in Netherlands, and UTA in France.

Implications Of Automation The list below shows some of the effects which automation may have on the controller and on his tasks. It is confined to effects on the controller rather than effects on the system as a whole.

Potential Advantages 1. Automation assists in the performance of air traffic control tasks. This is achieved mainly by providing aids for existing tasks which assist in the compilation, storage and presentation of data and in providing assistance or guidance in decision making and problem solving in future systems.

2. Automation reduces routine tasks. Standard functions are those most readily automated. Data entry and retrieval imply routine tasks. Automation can permit direct transponding of data into the computer without requiring manual inputs, and automated updating and amendment of data also remove routine tasks from the controller.

3. Automation provides predictive information. The consequences of proposed actions by the controller may be shown to him before he decides on his actions. Many possible aids such as conflict detection, conflict resolution, and computer assisted approach sequencing, give more accurate or longer term predictions of future events than the controller himself can make unaided, because of his innate limitations in perceiving and handling information. Other aids may predict the consequences of proposed actions before they are initiated, by demonstrating on suitable displays the conflict which could occur -for example if an instruction to begin a descent were given at a particular time.

4. Automation increases data handling capacity. It enables the system to handle larger amounts of data than the controller can deal with, and to collate that data and display it in a suitable form. It can also show the relationships between different kinds of data and different sources of information. In the manual system ~he con~roller spends a considerable amount of time obtaining information from pilots which could be transponded and collated automatically. The computer can handle more sources of indepe.ndent data than the man can. Automation enables the appropriate amount of data for a particular task to be collected for presentation to the man so that he has enough information but not too much.

5. ~utomation encourages longer term tactical decisions. By removing or reducing routine tasks, automation allows the controller to plan further ahead in more detail and with more care.

He can do so whether or not he has predictive information. If automation has been successfully introduced there should be fewer occasions when it becomes necessary for the controller to t~ke urgent remedial action to resolve a tactical problem. Potentially d'ff" ¡ configurations ¡ 1 icu It traffic can be detected early and resolved before they become critical.

6. Automation can in principle permit greater control over workload. This is achieved by taking away some tasks and hopefully,. by allowing the controller to choose whether to ~erform functions manually or not. Automation if correctly applied can also smooth workload by being most efficient and helpful when the wor~load is greatest. Although it is normally assumed that automation reduces workload it often does not do so as much as expected. While assisting some tasks it may introduce new tasks associated with the form the automation takes.

Potential Disadvantages 1. Automation can reduce the alternative actions possible.

Almost inevitably, standard procedures tend to be automated and difficulties are encountered in dealing with non standard p~oce­ dures and with rare events. Fixed procedures are normally necessary in successful automation and the automated aids

require standard instructions. In particular, predictive information must be provided according to rigid rules which preclude the provision of many alternatives.

2. Automation can reduce flexibility. This is to some extent inevitable whenever a manual function has been superceded by an automated one, because flexibility is essentially a characteristic of manual as distinct from automated functions.

3. Automation reduces the actions initiated by the controller.

In a manual system, the controller is free to begin actions at whatever time seems most appropriate to him. In an automated system there are some actions by the controller which the system cannot accept at all and others which at certain times cannot be initiated because the system is not in an appropriate condition.

Thus automation also imposes timing restrictions on the controller's actions.

4. Automation makes the controller respond to equipment events. In displays such as those for conflict detection and resolution, the appropriate stimuli are determined by the equipment and not by the controller and the man acts in response to them and is constrained by them. The emphasis gradually changes with increased automation from the man driving the machine to the machine driving the man, with the result that in automated systems more of the man's actions are in response to indicated events and conditions imposed by the computer.

5. Automation reduces the number, quality and flexibility of decisions. In an automated system, only certain options can be exercised. These are normally clearly specified as alternatives in the sense that certain actions cannot be initiated because the relevant data cannot be obtained by the computer, or no appropriate facilities are provided to initiate a particular action. The decisions which are feasible are constrained entirely by what the system can implement. If the computer does not present information in a useable form on a particular dimension, than that dimension cannot influence decisions, no matter how relevant it is.

6. Automation makes the controller more remote from his real task. As transponded data on displays replace verbal contacts between pilots and controllers, as automatically updated displays replace flight strips which have to be manually updated, and as other comparable changes take place, the controller becomes more dissociated from his real task of controlling live dynamic aircraft traffic. He may come to think of his task in terms of a representation of it rather than of the real task. He may try for example to keep blips or labels on a display separated from each other rather than keep aircraft separated from each other. He may also be more remote in the sense that some of the computations and collations of data have to be accepted as correct because he has no means of checking them. If he thinks that a pair of aircraft are on potential collision courses in a manual system, then this is a decision obtained by a combination of plan information, height information, information on relative speeds, knowledge about aircraft characteristics, and information on future intentions.

In an automated system the comparable depiction of a potential conflict may not be taking into account all these factors in the same way, and the controller becomes more remote from his real task by being unsure of which factors are being taken into account.

Ambivalent Implications 1. Automation may have various effects on stress. By providing the controller with assistance and giving him a longer term view of his tasks and some control over his workload, automation may reduce many of the causes of stress, although in other ways, such as retaining the controller's responsibilities without giving him all the facilities needed to exercise them, automation may increase stress. Automation may only reduce stress if it is introduced with that specific intention and in an appropriate form.

Certainly the relationship between automation and stress is not clear cut.

11

2. Automation affects teams and the way they perform. Automation has effects in particular on communication, co-ordination, liaison and hand-over. There may also be a need to enter into the computer data which the computer must have but which no controller or pilot needs to know.

3. Automation has indirect effects on numerous factors. These include recruitment, selection, training, re-training, screening, and the retention of controllers; the development and use of skills, job satisfaction, morale and professional pride; the manner of co-operation and consultation between controllers and management; status, careers, promotions and responsibilities; and conditions of employment and job security. Many of these factors in turn affect the acceptability of automation.

only when automation is extended to problem solving and decision making, recognising them now may enable the associated problems to be solved, so that more automated future air traffic control systems will continue to satisfy the needs of the controller by providing job satisfaction, opportunities to exercise skills, interesting work and good career and promotion prospects.

These needs are known; human factors problems are recognised; solutions to them can be formulated or found; the actions required to implement these solutions are clear. The good will to find acceptable solutions exists now, far more than it once did.

In the long term the problem is not whether to have automation, â&#x20AC;˘ but rather how to use it properly.

Conclusions When introduced in its simplest forms, automation provides a powerful tool for handling data, and enables many routine functions to be taken away from the controller. At a later stage, automation assists in problem solving and decisions. It produces suggestions, proposals, solutions or commands and it often does so in ways which the controller does not fully understand. Indeed a main reason for having this kind of computer assistance is the superiority of the computer over man in making fast accurate calculations, in collecting information from numerous sources, in keeping information continuously up to date, and in predicting faster and further than the man is capable of doing. Therefore there are difficulties in enabling him to understand enough about what the computer is doing to be prepared to trust it and to accept, reject or amend its proposals.

When automation is applied to functions which are the traditional sources of skill, job satisfaction, interest in the job and professional pride, this must be done with great care, in the full knowledge that all these factors are likely to be adversely affected if the application of automation has ignored them. If the provision of acceptable conditions of employment and jobs for those engaged in air traffic control is neglected then ultimately the primary purpose of the safe, orderly and expeditions flow of traffic cannot be fully realised in an automated system.

Automation, when introduced into a man machine system, entails that the system and all the parts of it are assessed in machine terms, since no other terms can be used. The nature and timing of proposed automated aids do not depend primarily on the needs of the man in the system. Their evalution cannot include all their effects on the man, many of which can be neither measured nor expressed in machine terms. Thus automation may have unexpected implications for the man's task. These can often be stated if not measured. They usually derive from the fact that automation can replace the man wholly or in part in quantitative functions but not in qualitative ones. Information conveyed by tones, pace and gestures may therefore be lost when it is transponded. A man may have difficulty in remembering an automated solution which he has accepted, because he has not actively had to work it out for himself. Computed solutions may seem unsafe to the man because they do not fit the strategies which he is accustomed to using. Automation may take insufficient account of the fact that old habits persist when they are no longer relevant, particularly if they are associated with skill and professional pride.

New applications of automation should preferably permit the retention of existing skills, but, failing that, should at least enable new skills to be acquired.

In considering the controller and automation from a human factors point of view, it is perhaps inevitable that the main emphasis is not on the successes which have been achieved but on the failings in current and proposed automation. Nevertheless much automation in air traffic control has been advantageous to the controller, and its deficiencies have originated in a failure to appreciate the full extent of the implications of automation for the controller, and not in a deliberate attempt to ignore the implications. Because many of these implications have serious effects 12

AOPA Tells Pilots to Avoid ATC For the past several years, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has been carrying on a vendetta against the controller and the ATC system. Its reasoning appears to be that the general aviation pilot would have to pay less if the present ATC system were dumped or reduced.

Despite the obvious fallacies to this argument, AOPA has persisted. Undoubtedly, it is trying to make the controller the scapegoat for the things it cannot get its membership which would justify their belongings to AOPA in the first place.

A perfect example of the depths of distortion to which AOPA will stoop is a recent newsletter it sent to its membership. In it, AOPA Senior Vice President Max Karant advises pilots not to use the IFR system or towers for their own safety. He asks for some 100 towers of the USA to be closed down. He also misreports that the air carrier formula is part of the new classification standard - although, of course, that was dropped.

In a letter to Karant, PATCO President John Leyden responded, "The new air traffic controller classification standard does not include a provision for increased pay when air carrier traffic exceeds 7 O/o of total movements of centres or 3,5 % for towers.

Nor do they get more money for separating aircraft with radar, or for handling VFR traffic. On the contrary, VFR towers are limited to GS-12 grade for full performance controllers. Three of these facilities currently handle in excess of half a million total aircraft operations annually each.

Your recommendation that pilots avoid the system is devoid of logical reasoning and endangers the safety not only of your pilot members, but of their passengers and of the flying public at large."

PATCO Newsletter

Announcement By the end of this year the first booklet ever published with cartoons on Air Traffic Control topics wlll be available.

"SQUARE ONE" by - guess who - our well-known cartoonist Helmut Elsner, former controller, now working with Lufthansa, German Airlines, will contain about 70 humorous aspects of our profession. Priced at about OM 10,- SQUARE ONE will be available at Kramer & Co, Frankfurt/M, Federal Republic of Germany.

A must for every controller!

16th Annual Conference - Nicosia, Cyprus 25th to 29th April 1977

At the head table from left to ri ght are: Mr. T. H. Harrison, Executive Secretary IFATCA; Mr. G. Tombazos , Minister of Communications & Works; Mr. J .-D. Monin , President IFATCA ; Mr. Panay iotis Kazamias, Director General Ministry of Communications & Works; Mr. E. Bradshaw, Vice-President Administrati on IFATCA; and Mr. Panayi otides-Djaferis , Director Civil Aviati on, Cyprus.

IFATCA '77 was the biggest conference to be held in Cyprus since the war of 1974 and among th e biggest ever to be held on the island. As such it challenged both the Cyprus Air Traffic Controllers' Association (CYATCA) and IFATCA to overcome many problems - administrative, organizational, po litical and technical. That these problems were overcome, indeed overwhelmed, it is a tribute t o the co urage and hard work of both organisations.

From the moment one set foot in Cyprus, or even insid e a Cyprus Airways aircraft, the reputed hospitality of this Eastern Mediterranean island became a reality, providing the ideal support for deliberations and debate that yearly become more onerous and demanding . V IP treatment was afforded to every delegate landing at Larnaca, th e probl ems of ~ustoms, Immigration, baggage and transport being mag ically settled wh ilst w ith equal magi c a Keo Beer ap~eared in one's hand. It was at this stage that the question first arose, the question that was repeated many tim es as the conference progressed _ 'how do they do it? ' 'They' being th e 12 members of th e Organisi ng Committee - one half of th e total membersh ip of CYATCA! The answer to 'h_ow' is very much like th e IFAT CA story - understand ing w ives an_d wo rk till you drop - but you don't drop, you keep ?n wo rking. Additionally, in Cyp ru s the 'family' of IFATCA is ref lect ed in mic rocosm - everyone in the 'Sweet Land ' seems t o be relat ed to, or at least to know someone who is related to, everyone else and success for one is success for all. This fami ly spirit plus the importance of a successful international conference to the economy of the Island ensured the cooperation of all t he appropriate Govern ment departments.

The venue of the conf erence was th e Hotel and Catering Institute, sit uated on a hilly s ite in the sout h-east suburbs of Nicosia, with superb views over the town and the distant Kyrenia mountain range. Under the paternal eye of th e Direct or, Petros Kontopirghos, about whom a

book could (and should) be written, the students of the Institute provided fo r the needs of the delegates, including the accommodati on of the Executive Board and some of the MA delegations. The daily Lunches, with over 300 covers (technical catering term for places) gave the kitchen and waiting staff a t est that they passed with flying colours. The Institute provided adequate conference facil ities for the three committees - 'A ' (Administration), 'B' (Technical) and 'C' (Professional), with the Final Plenary being held in the Committee 'B' room, a fully equipped conference hall with tiered seating and delegates microphone/ votin g equipment. The Corporate Members Exhibit ion was accommodated in the attractive Entrance Hall.

Two ful l days of work for the Executive Board , inc luding a Press and TV conference for the President, occupied Saturday and Sunday 23rd and 24th April. Sunday saw th e arrival of the observers from the Civil Aviation Workers Union of the USSR who were entertained to dinner by the Board on Sunday evening.

IFATCA '77 was opened officially at the Nicosia Municipal Th eatre on Monday 25th Apri l by Andreas Papathomas, President of CYATCA, in the presence of His Excellency The Minister of Communications and Wor ks, Mr. George Tombazos ; the Major of Nicosi a, Mr. Lellos Demetri ades and t he Director of the Department of Civil Aviation, Mr. Panayotides-Djaferis. Mr. Tombazos, in his speech of welcome, made reference t o the importance of perso nal contact and the exchange of ideas and experiences in the evolution of a safe air traffic control system. Mr. Panayotides q uoted C. D. Colchester " It is a paradox long apprec iated by polit ical and religious thinkers th at Freedom can on ly be achieved by that surrender of absolute freedom that is implied by th e word Control" , and went on to explain 'Acceptance of authority is a prerequisite for man 's exerc ise of his personal freedom and it is no less true in other fields of human activity, including mans ' development of ai r 13

16th IFATCA Conference Opening Ceremony on 25th April 1977 at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre.

transportatio n, where f reedom to operate aircraft stems only from the acceptance of cont rol '.

The President, IFATCA, in replying to the Minister's speech of welcome, refe rred to the history of Cyprus and how she had suffe red the consequences of occupation by many peoples in her long history. He continued, 'This quick look into the past should help us however to better appraise the tradition of courage, tenacity and also kindness and hospitality of the people who welcome us today'. The Mayor of Nicosia, who in his message of we lcome had said ' Kalosorisate' - a warm welcome - then proceeded to demonstrate th is, when after the Opening Ceremony he presen ted the Executive Board and heads of delegations with mo mentoes of the Municipality of Nicosia.

The First Plenary Session followed , with a roll-call of Directors of Me mber Associations s howing 27 present. Application for membership were received fro m Bahamas, Brazil , Fiji , Senegal and Tunisia. Busi ness continued with the acceptance of the Report of the 15th Conference, th e Report of the Executive Board and th e appointment of Committees A, B and C and their Chairmen. Th e highlight of Any Othe r Business was the presentation of the IFATCA Scroll of Honour to the Swiss Association by Ted Bradshaw. Vice-Pres ide nt (Administrati on) . He quoted the proposal unan imous ly carried at IFATCA '76, Lyon , " Th e IFATCA Scroll of Hono ur is awarded to the Swiss Air Traffic Controllers ' Association, a founder member of the Federation , in recog nition of the o utstandin g and uncomplaining service given to the Fed eration si nce its incepti on by numerous membe rs of the Association ", and followed by naming many of the Swiss Assoc iation members who had contributed to the successful work of IFATCA. One name he kept unti l last, Be rnhard Ruthy, who deserved a speech on his own . Bernhard was called forward to accept th e Scrol l on behalf of the Swiss Association.

A fleet of buses then carried everyone back to the Conference Centre fo r lunch and the start of the intensive committee sessions. Before hosting the lunch, the Minister of Communications and Works formally opened the Technical Exhibition and was thanked by the Corporate Members' Coord inator Mr. Graham Will iams of Stansaab Elektronic AB. who th~n escorted the Minister round the Ex hibition.

The Committees rapid ly got down to business, with Committee A C hairman Mr. A. Gougou lias (Greece); ViceChairman Mr'. T. Karner (Yugoslavia) ; Secretary Miss Lesley Austin (UK) , open ing their agenda w ith MA 's problems, hearing emotive statements from Cyp rus, Germany, Greece and Israe l on the subject of replacing civil controllers with unlic ensed mi litary co ntrollers. During a subseq uent disc ussion on the situation in Morocco and Sri Lanka Mr. Gougoul ias indi cated his w ish to resign . afte r which V-P 14

Admin took the chair until the Executive Board appointed Mr. Larry Curry (UK) as Chairman of Committee A for the duration of the conference.

Committee 8, Chairman Mr. W. Robertson (Canada); Vice-Chairman Mr. E. Danielli (Israel); Secretary Mr. D. Beech (UK), heard the report of the IFATCA representati~e to the ICAO 9th Air Navigation Conference (ANC) 1976. T~1s outlined the programme of work at the conference which included discussions on separation of aircraft, tu rb ulent wake, improved Flight Plan methods and verification of information from aircraft automated height data transmission system. The committee was told that the 9th ANC were very appreciative of the input of IFATCA and the profess ional way in which it was presented .

Meanwhile, Committee C, Chairman Mr. E. Just (FRG); Vice-Chairman Mr. J. M. Tonn er (Canada); Secretary Mr. P. 0. Doherty (Ireland), delegates discussed recommendations to the Internat ional Labour Office (ILO) on sel ection and training of Air Traffic Control Officers, post-graduate training and the necessity for familiarisation fligh ts for con trollers.

All committees voluntarily added an hour or so to their working session but everyone was on tim e fo r the first of the sumptuous dinners to be held at the Cyprus Hilton. On Monday night delegates and their wives were entertained

by KEO Ltd - famous for their wines, spirits and beer an~ now for their hospitality!

Kalosorisate!

Hospit al ity must be a Cypriot's midd le name, because each day held new delig hts of entertainment as our hosts appeared to vie with each other to make all delegates welcome. Tuesday lunch was provided by cou rtesy of th e Bank of Cyprus and the short but w arm speech of th e Director, Mr. M. Colokassides, had delegates wondering whether they should try for an immediate loan! Cyprus A irways were the toast of IFATCA on Tuesday evening when during their dinner at the Hilton, Mr. E. Savva, General Manager, speaking on behalf of the Chariman, Mr. G. Eliad es, made reference to the control lers responsibil iti es which ind icated a lot of homework and a lot of sympathy. The President, IFATCA, rep lied, thanking Cyprus Airways not only fo r the dinner but for their goodwil l and assistance wh ich had enabled so many delegates to attend the co nference. The display of Greek dancing that f ollowed round ed off a memorable eveni ng.

Seventeen of IFATCA's Corporate Members host ed Wednesday's Luncheon. These were: AEG - Telefunken; Airport Lighting Eq ui pment Co.; Cab le and Wireless Ltd. ; Card ion Electronics; Cossor Electronics Ltd .; Decca Soft-

To Greece evety week from

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ozv-..P•c Al•W'AY.S

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Committee 'A' (Administration) with delegates from Egypt, Eurocontrol , Germany and Greece in th e foreground. This Committee had to get through a h eavy agenda.

ware Sciences Ltd .; Ferranti Digital Systems Division; Hollandse Signaalapparaten; International Aeradio Ltd.; Lockheed Electronics Co. ; Marconi Radar Systems; Plessey Radar Ltd.; Racal - Thermionic Ltd.; Redifon Computers Ltd.; Softw are Sciences Ltd.; Solarton Electronic Group Ltd.; and Stansaab Elektronik AB. The delegates were very appreciative of this hospitality, knowing how well they and IFATCA are supported ' by the members from industry.

Thursday's luncheon , hosted by the Cyprus Cooperative Movement, proved to be another tour de force for the staff of the HCI, and a very enjoyable occasion. In the evening CYATCA hosted the farewell party at the Cyprus Hilton, yet another 'great' in IFATCA conference history. On this occasion it is apt to mention the outstanding service rendered by the Hilto n staff, and the flexibility of its management to cope with the requirements of a big crowd of international individ uals. Well done, Cyprus Hilton!

rer, Standing Committee Ill (S. C. Ill) (Financial) and discussed the IFATCA budget for 1977/78. Reports were received from the Regional Councillors for North and Central America; South America; the Caribbean ; Australia and New Zealand ; the Far East; the Middle East; Eastern Europe; Western Europe and Africa, and Regional Councillors were elected, or re-elected for all regions except the Far East. Recommendations for Final Plenary were made in respect of the election of the Vice-President (Admin) and Vice-President (Tech).

Copenhagen, Denmark, was confirmed as the venue for the 1978 IFATCA Conference and an up-date of information on the preliminary arrangements was presented to the committee.

Wednesday's programme continued with Standing Committee II matters - the Registration of IFATCA in the Swiss Commercial Register and the effects of this registration (i. e. one effect is that the IFATCA Constitution must be translated into French for lodgement in the Register); Freedom of action of Members of the Executive Board (ensuring freedom from pressure by their parent associations); Relations with the Media; Relationships between IFATCA and IFATSEA; the Nicosia FIR (CYATCA thanked IFATCA for the stand already taken) .

A composite Recommendation for Final Plenary was adopted offering the Executive Board guidelines in conducting further negotiations with IATA on Resulution 200.

Work continues Fortified by the tremendous show of hospitality, delegates contin ued dealing w ith a massive agenda of important items. Committee A received the reports of th e TreasuRepresentatives from other big International Organisations followed with interest the debate in Committee ' B ' (Technical). From l eft to right ar e: Cpt. H. Hopkins (IFALPA), L. H. Ar men (IATA) and Ch . Eigl (ICAO) .

Committee 'C ' (Professional) w ith Egbert Just (Germany) in the chair.

J. M. Tonner (Can ada) as Vice-Chairman and P. 0 . Doherty (Irel and) as Secr etary. ably managed to tack le all rel evant questions. I FATCA Vi ce-Presid en t Pro fess ion al. Harri H. Henschler. not all the time in the background as shown h ere. gave explan ations an d g uidan ce as required .

16

The V-P Admin, requested that separate papers should be produced for the Admin., Technical and Professional aspects of MA problems.

The Netherlands Assoc iation indicated willingness to prepare a paper on Regionalisation. The Norwegian delegate offered to help.

Committee B discussed Civil/ Military Integration in Air Traffic Control and a universal language for ATC, inc luding the concept of bi-lingualism. These subjects took the committee through into Wedn esday. Business was completed after considerable discussion on Jamming of Radio Frequencies (by faulty aeroplane mi crophone switches) thi s resu lted in some strong recommendations fo r Final Plenary; SST operational experience and an item for next year's work programme - that of a project on Universal Commu ni cations Failure Procedures.

The Chairman of Committee C stee red his co mmittee through a number of subj ect s. Th ese inc luded: "Contro ller's Concern" - a paper to be prepared for IFATCA pre-

sentation to the International Labour Office Technical Meeting in December 1977, with the purpose of setting up a Convention, setting standards upon which Governments, after ratification, should establish national law to guarantee a satisfactory working environment (in all aspects) for Air Traffic Controllers.

Another subject was the ILO Tripartite Conference (7/ 15 December 77) on Civil Aviation and IFATCA participation therein. It was stressed that MAs should ensure ATC representation at this Conference by approaching their Governments and Unions to indicate their desire to participate.

Medical studies were discussed, including stresscaused illness and ocular diseases.

The

Cyprus ]Jittoo is the perfect

Further important subjects were those of studies on the Legal Liability of the Controller and of Intimidation of the Controller.

Thursday began with a very interesting and informative series of presentations by some of the Corporate Members.

It is hoped to describe these in the next issue of THE CONTROLLER. Despite almost round-the-clock work by the Secretariat, led by the indefatigable Nicos Shouer and assisted by willing volunteers (mostly from the UK - is that because of their spirit of service or because they want to check up on the English Language?!), the typing and copying of the mass of reports and recommendations proved to be too great to meet the advertised time for the Final Pl enary Meeting. This point has been borne in mind for future conference timetable planning. After a short delay, Final Plenary got under way with the Roll Call of Directors indicating 30 present, Hungary, Italy and South Africa having arrived during the Conference. This was followed by the Reports and Recommendations of Committees, presented by their Chairmen. Then the new Member Associations, Bahamas, Brazil, Fiji, Senegal and Tunisia were announced and those present were called forward to accept their IFATCA Charters. Representatives from Fiji and Tuni sia made speeches pledging their Associations to work towards IFATCA aims.

Five new Corporate Members were then announced.

Th ese were Cable and Wireless Ltd. ; Decca Software Sciences Ltd.; Redifon Ltd.; Cardion Ltd. and International Technical Products Corporation, of whom Mr. Don Bryce of Cable and Wireless Ltd. , Mr. Peter E. Haines of Decca Software Sciences and Mr. A. D. Pavey of Redifon Ltd. were present to receive their Charters.

There followed addresses by Mr. L. Godart of the Airports Associations Coordinating Council ; Mr. Hubert Koemans of the International Aircraft Operators and Pilots' Associ~tion; Mr. R. Vuckovic, President of the Yugoslavian Air Traffic Controllers Association ; and Mr. Henning Christensen of the Danish Air Traffic Controllers Association and Mr. G. J . Williams representing the Corporate Members, followed by an address from the President, IFATCA, in which he than ked CYATCA and all involved for a most successful conference. The President CYATCA, responded and closed the Conference, expressing the hope that all present had enjoyed their stay in Cyprus. Th e applause that followed indicated the appreciation of t he delegates and observers of the organisation and hospitality that had made the conference so memorable both for work and play. ' Time and space preclude a full descriptioi:i of Friday's excursion when the Cyprus Tourism Association organised a varied and enjoyab le itinerary including visits to Limassol , Kolossi Castle, Curium amphitheatre and the Keo brewery.

Needless to say, a good time was had by all! This excur-

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sion may well have influenced some delegates to extend their stay. The Executive Board, and many others too, made sure that their return flights were not too soon after the conference closed and enjoyed a well earned rest at such resorts as Nissi Beach, Limassol and Paphos.

Ninety-Eight ladies attended the conference and were treated to a well-organised and interesting Ladies Programme, which is desc ribed later in this issue by Mrs. Peggy Bradshaw.

A satisfying feature of IFATCA conference is the large number of observers representing potential MAs and CMs and Internatio nal and National organisations. Nicosia '77 was no exception, with representatives from Australia; Ruman ia ; Japan ; USSR ; Qatar ; Borroughs Corporation, USA; CAA UK; IAOPA; IFA LPA; ITA ; ICAO ; FAA ; IANC ; AACC ; EWS Technivis ion ; Negie Luchtween Min. of Communications, Belgium ; Transport Canada; French Administration DNA ; Civil Av iation Department of Sudan; Cyprus Airways and the Cyprus Nation al Association of Flight Instructors.

And finally , no report on this conference would be complete without these names: - Andreas Papathomas, President, CYATCA; Andreas Avgoustis, Chairman, 16th Annual Conferen ce Organising Committee; Petros Georgis ; Eleftherios loannou ; Nicos Shouer ; Savvas Theophanous; An-

dreas Georgiades ; Yiannakis Louca; Costas Orphanos ; Tassos Theodotou; Costas Astras and Joseph Maltezos.

Gentlemen -

Eviva!

BC

Andreas Papathomas, President of CYATCA, c l osing the 16th Annual Con¡ ference o f IFATCA at the end of the Final Plenary Session in the Auditorium of the Hotel and Catering Institute, Nicosia.

Ve ter ans in downtown Nicosia, April 1977, " We had b een there t

The Press about I FATCA 77 Controllers meet at Cyprus The bilingual ATC debate, collision-avoidance techniques and confli ct-detection systems were amongst the subjects discussed at the 16th An nual International Fede ration of Air T raffic Control Association (IFATCA) conference, held at Ni cosia o n April 2529. A record attendance of 383 delegates representing 38 countries se rved to emphasize I FATCA's influence in International ATC. Three com mittees presented papers and discussed administ ration, techni cal and human and environmental topics. The technical committee's work was embodied in 30 working papers and covered, amongst others, th e subjects quoted above.

IFATCA reports a current total of 50 membe r associations, and says th at its cor porate members, the ATC equipment manufacturers, played an active part at N icosia. A full report o n the meeting will be published by IFATCA. Enq uiries about the confe rence s hould be addressed to Mr. T. H arrison (IFATCA Executive Secretary) , 45 Ottoline Drive, Troon KA10 7AN. Ayrshire, United Kingdom.

Fligh t International 18

The unforgettabl e performance of National Dances o n occasi on of the Fare¡ well Party in the Cyprus Hilton Hotel.

During that even ing delegates were carri ed away by the charmi ng , elegant and prec ise movements of the dan cers.

Getting The Message

by Bob Adderley * Principal Consu ltant Software Sciences Limited

This paper emphasises that the integrity of the ATC system depends upon voice messages, radar displays and data displays being readily understood by controllers. It considers the effectiveness of aural and visual messages and recognises the problems of man/machine interface. The message it conveys is the virtue of simplicity!

Introduction We have all met the character who fails to select his brain before opening his mouth. Whilst such performances may be harmlessly entertaining when practised by Lords, Masters and lunatics, they are hardly conducive to the provision of Air Traffic Services. Indeed, as you are well aware, th e practice of Air Traffic Control demands an integrity in terms of the receipt, understanding and transmission of messages, that ranks it amongst the foremost of respons ible professions.

Essent ially, the role of the controller is to apply shee r brain power, in a manner far more efficiently than an electronic computer, to analyse a series of dynamic situations and to select, from within a matrix of rules and ¡regulations, the appropriate courses of action. The quality of each analysis is itself dependent upon the quality of incoming information. In turn the implementation of the analysis is related to the quality of the outgoing data.

It is in this context of 'Getting the Message' that I present this paper. My objective is to help you to understand the problem and to encourage you to analyse and refine your own techniques of receiving, understanding and responding to the aural and visual messages, which may or may not be generated electronically, that comprise such an essential part of the conduct of Air Traffic Control.

The sense of touch was of little importance ; although it was sometimes evide nt as a fumbling amongst the Flight Strips or as a foot pressed upon a foot-transmission switch , with an apparent desire to lend emphasis to a belated transm ission. I must confess that I did observe one cont roller, who was in the habit of pressing a bi-directional microphone switch , either upwards or downwards, to coincide, respectively, with a climb clearance or approval for a descent!

Making Sense of the Senses We readily recognise that certain of our senses dominate the receipt of in coming data. Histori cally, the practise of ATC, in the good - or bad, old days of Procedural Control , was dominated by the receipt of messages received by Telephone, WIT or R/ T. Thus undoubtedly a good sense of hearing was, and still remains, a commendab le virtue.

Howeve r, the sense of vision has always been an essential component of the controll er's performance. In practice it supplies access to the description of the route structures, procedures and regulations, that form the basis of the ATC service. More significantly, the dying art of caligraphy, as practised upon the production of countless thousands of Flight Progress Strips, was dependent upon the eyesight of the assistants, plus the co ntroller's ability to interpret the product of writer's cramp and hasty scrawls applied to update the Flight Progress Strips.

â&#x20AC;˘ Bob Adderley is a Member of GATCO. I FATCA and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He served f or 21 years in the Royal Air Force at Home and Overseas as Aerodrome, Approach, Radar , and Area Radar Contro ller and as a Command Staff Officer. He completed tours as an Instructor at the Royal Air Force GCA Train ing Squadron, and at JATCARS Sopley.

He originally joi ned Software Sciences, then known as GPS, as an Operations Ana lyst and has since been appointed as Principal Consultant and Manager of th e Operational Planning Group. He has contrib uted to computer appl ication projects in The Netherlands and Belgium and has undertaken Airport and Airspace system evaluations and planning stu dies in Canada.

Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Turkey, West Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The Mi n ister of Commun ications & Works. Mr. George Tombazos , 'Gets the Message' from Bob Adderl ey , Pri ncipal Consultant of the Operational Plan ning Group of Software Sciences at the Open ing of the Technical Exhibition, IFATCA n.

The remain ing senses, namely of smell and taste, are stil l less appropriate to the aviation environment ; althoug h the latter is occasionally appare nt as a dryness in the mouth proport ional to the magnitude of an incident. However, their absence is amply compensated by that non-scientific sixth sense co lloqu ially know n as 'a Feeling in the Water'. Hopefully this essential attribute has been replaced by the rather more precise data that one assumes is available from the latest generation of ATC equi pment !

But the lesson to be learned, from that era of contro l, was that the contro ller was presented with an ill-defined p icture of events.

Indeed, it was not a pictu re in the conventiona l sense. but a collection of verbal messages wh ich the contro ller was required to shuffle amongst a pack of progress strips. The messages themselves were far from precise, because, altho ugh they purported to represent exact posit ions and forward estimates, the navigational techniques of the day frequently occasioned considerable errors. More significantly, the positio n reports originated from the individual aircraft using the system, and thus had no common frame of reference, (as is obtained from a ground based radar).

However, the inaccuracies of the system were well recogn ised. they dictated the large measures of longitudional and lateral se19

"Yes, clutter is one of the major deficiencies of your old raw radar scope ...

paration and consequently delays and lack of capacity at peak times, that were typical of 'procedural' environments. The controllers themselves must be congratulated for coping so admirably with what must be admitted was a very indistinct message.

It is interesting that a well recognised limitation of procedural systems was not one of controller capability but of R/T channel capacity. Some individuals, with verbal diarrhoea, really believed that the way to prevent R/T congestion was to keep talking themselves, and thereby prevent others using the channel. But as we all know, it is the precise observance of standard phraseology that contributes most towards achieving understanding of the message.

Just Picture ltl Current generation ATC systems have advanced from the original Procedural Systems to include two distinct progressions, generally identified as: radar and electronic data processing.

Radar has evolved from primitive electronic floodlighting techniques, which measured range on simple cathode ray tubes. These ignored direction, on the assumed principle that, like the sun, the enemy invariably rises in the East. Radar has since spawned a variety of sophisticated display devices with amazingly involved titles and acronyms which invariably are some form of Plan Position Indicator (PPI). The particular virtue of such displays is that they can depict, with considerable precision in terms of range, bearing and horizontal velocity, as if on a common horizontal plane all those aircraft within radar coverage. Thus they achieve the required common frame of reference which permits horizontal separation minima to be reduced. Using this type of message, in pictorial form, the controller is able to apply his skills to reduce delays and to increase capacity by safely expediting the flow of traffic.

Once again, it is interesting to note that early forms of radar display suffered from lack of message clarity. In fact, early radars were notorious for the amount of ground returns, weather clutter, anomalous propogation and electronic interference they displayed. These detracted, sometimes severely, from the quality of the radar message, and motivated the introduction of such suppression techniques as circular and eliptical polarisation, and MTI circuits.

The lesson was finally learnt that an efficient ATC radar was not one that produced reflections from every element within range, but one that detected, and displayed, the traffic of relevance to the ATC task. Suppression of irrelevant returns is usually a virtue; although in specific cases an indication of the presence of hazardous weather or terrain can contribute to the controllers reaction to the radar message.

20

Recognition of the third dimension, in terms of the measured or reported Flight Level or Altitude of an aircraft, is an essential component of the ATC message. A few attempts have been made to construct electronic goldfish bowls, to produce 4 dimensional, dynamic representation of sections of airspace. But it is significant to realise that the conventional PPI type display supplemented by altitude data, remains the most easy to interpret.

The alternative methods, by which altitude information has been presented to the controller, by successive generations of ATC systems, is worthy of note. Initially, of course, the aircrafts' requested cruising level was written on the Flight Plan and by sleight of hand was transferred to a series of Flight Progress Strips. In this form it represented a useful planning tool, but until verified, could be dangerously misleading. Verification of altitude was, and in many cases still is, achieved by in-flight reports transmitted on RTF which are used by the controller to update his Flight Progress Strips. This is a good example of the controller being firmly in the loop and being required to action and hopefully to fully comprehend the received message before issuing instructions derived from it. _In the military context, motivated by a certain lack of co-operation from visiting aircraft, it is considered to be more prudent to obtain the necessary height information by ground interpreted radars. Various developments of these have been evolved ranging from the well known 'nodding' radars, akin to the elevation elements of Precision Approach Radars to the sophisticated stacked beam and 30 radars that measure altitude with considerable precision.

The manner which this altitude data is presented to the controller is also of interest. The early nodding finders had entirely separate displays and the altitude data was transmitted from a shapely package more correctly known as a WAAF radar operato~. One form of so called 'V' radar actually achieved a double ~hp on the PPI, with the inner one representing the aircraft position, and the outer one representing the altitude of the aircraft.

But it is more normal for altitudes to be displayed digitally, either in a viewing frame adjacent to the radar console, or, more usefully, as part of a label electronically attached to individual aircraft, as seen on the radar screen.

The danger of displaying altitude information, in any position other than attached to a particular blip, was that it could so easily represent the right information about the wrong aircraft, and thus be the cause of the controller getting the wrong message.

Extract Digit The advent of data processing has offered significant advantages and certain disadvantages to the controller's task. In as-

... now this new synthetic fully digitized display should do away with this."

pects of Flight Plan processing the computer has significantly reduced the workload involved in the production of Flight Progress Strips. It has eliminated writer's cramp and the grey hairs occasioned by recalculating forward estimates. But in return it has threatened to engulf the unwary with the spates of data it is premeditated to spew from its electronic brain.

The danger is that, because the computer's brain is programmed to function more rapidly than the controller's it may present him with a series of situations of which, at best, he is unsure and, at worst, he is unaware. In fact, whilst disciplined traffic management in the form of scheduling and flow control should always ensure that strategically planned capacities are not overloaded, there remains the danger that tactical messages may be presented to the controller at a speed in excess of the rate at which he can sensibly comprehend and action them.

The introduction of data processing techniques has significantly reduced the pressure upon the controller's sense of hearing albeit at the expense of some additional demands upon his sense of sight. The most valid example of this is the technique of labelling aircraft returns upon the radar screen. The combination of secondary radar and digital techniques serves not only to present the precise position of each aircraft, but also provides the essential correlation of identity and confirmation of precise altitude or Flight Level.

This is exactly the type of message that the controller requires to complete his task. In fact, he needs this message for each aircraft within his area of responsibility so that he can be fully aware of the dynamic situation. By being able to easily correlate the status and intention of each aircraft and by assessing the relative positions and velocities of these aircraft, the controller can more efficiently initiate the instructions that ensure the expedition and safe conduct of flight.

Certain digital techniques, that are available, introduce additional advantages, both in terms of being able to ecomonically remote radar from distant locations to centrally located control centres, and in being able to suppress irrelevant data that might detract from the radar message. This latter feature applies, not only to ground and weather returns which might be said to 'cloud' the picture but, also to traffic operating for instance, above or below the controller's area of responsibility, which, if not filtered from the radar screen, would provide distracting messages.

One disadvantage of these sophisticated techniques is that to some extent they detach the controller from the information loop, and thus they may decrease his awareness of the situation.

As an example, if an aircraft is in the climb, the controller can

impose normal climb restrictions until he observes from the Mode C readouts that the aircraft is vertically clear of opposite direction traffic. But if the controller is complacent and chooses to delay imposing a climb restriction and then subsequently fails to monitor the Mode C readout; then this obviously invites disaster.

But correctly applied, the provision of labelled displays makes a significant contribution to the efficient conduct of Air Traffic Control and leads directly to the provision of increased expedition and safety. In plain words it presents the right messages about all the right aircraft and can filter out irrelevant distracting messages.

Finger Trouble A specific disadvantage, associated with the introduction of computers to assist controllers, is that controllers now have to communicate, not only with each other, and with the aircraft they are controlling, but also with the computers. They have to 'Get the Message' to and from the computer. But, as has already been discussed, the process of disptaying the messages to the controller is already extremely successful and, in general, contributes considerably to ATC efficiency. This applies not only in respect of pictorial and labelled radar messages.

Significant progress has been made in transferring the paper formats of Flight Progress Strips to corresponding electronic alpha numerics. Obviously anything that can be printed or scrawled on paper can be neatly displayed and tabulated on suitable electronic displays.

Initially, it is sensible to agree on a fixed format, most usefully on a separate, single line, for each aircraft. But the flexibility of such displays presents a potential for new electronic formats that more usefully could assist controllers with such tasks as Flow Control or conflict prediction. However ATC functions in real time and therefore there is constant need to update the displayed messages. Radar displays are automatically updated; but Flight Plan data on electronic displays requires numerous inputs from the controller to revalidate the information in synchronisation with constantly changing Flight Levels or positions either originated as Control instructions or received as reports or estimates from aircraft. It is the process of getting these messages to the computer, technically described as man/machine interface that has introduced certain disadvantages in terms of additional workload.

Some remarkably sophisticated message input devices are available. These range from alpha-numeric and function keyboards, through touch wire and touch sensitive displays; and in 21

some cases are aided or handicapped by rolling balls, joysticks or light pens. But they all require mental effort plus reasonably adept touch {from hands that many believed were designed to hold chinagraph pencils). The mental processes and manual coordination involved are obviously a distraction from the thought processes required to solve the ATC situation. Thus whenever an automated system is to be introduced or upgraded full consideration must be given to the particular disadvantages as well as the advantages that will accrue.

There is a complex relationship between workloads imposed concurrently and/or consecutively, on hearing, sight and voice, which is even more involved when manual dexterity is also required. Perhaps the communication problem can be simplified by programming for voice commands to the computer. However, the fear must remain that, in time, the computer may respond in like manner, with its opinion of the controllers' competency expressed as an audible raspberry!

What is the Message?

The message is simply: "Keep the message simple". A simple message is easier to understand than a complex one. This appies equally to the documentation used for training and to the reams of paper that invariably comprise the efforts of beaucracy to define the rules, regulations and red tape, that represent the airspace structure and procedures.

Paradoxically, complex electronics can produce simple messages for controllers, to permit them to get on with their job. But it is essential that those responsible for planning the system and specifying the operational requirements share a common understanding of the system with those responsible for implementing it.

ATC depends upon the quality of its message and so I hope that you have understood this paper and that you get the right â&#x20AC;˘ message.

International Law Part XIII International Institutions (6) European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) * In our summaries of International Institutions which have a direct influence on International Law, and particularly on the Law of the Air, we have looked at Organisations established on a World-wide basis. However, no summary would be complete without also looking at the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol). Eurocontrol is an International Organisation set up on a regional basis in Western Europe. In many ways it is unique, and while the direct interest in Eurocontrol is for us the effect the Organisation has on a number of our Member Associations, notably the Eurocontrol Guild itself, and the Member Associations of the Member States of Eurocontrol not forgetting Member Associations in immediately adjacent States and the Channel Islands, nevertheless the objectives and organisation of Eurocontrol could well be a model for similar organisations in other parts of the World.

The preamble to the Eurocontrol International Convention is quite explicit as to why the Eurocontrol Organisation had to be set up. There was a need to take into account the entry into service of turbine-engined transport aircraft, their high speeds, their optimum operational altitudes, together with the necessity, for economic reasons, to remain at such altitudes to points as near as possible to destination. These characteristics meant adaptation and re-organisation of existing methods of Air Traffic Control especially as there was an obvious need for new Flight Information Regions above a certain level. Such re-organisation was essential because of the very size of many Western European States. Control of traffic flying at high speeds and at high altitudes could no longer be envisaged, at the time of signature of the Convention, within the restricted framework of national frontiers.

The first experiment of control across national boundaries had already been carried out in Europe when Luxembourg had given control of a large part of her airspace to Belgium. It was decided to form an International Organisation to permit the creation of an International control extending beyond the limits of State terri' The opinions expressed in this Article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Eurocontrol Organisation nor of the Eurocontrot Guild of Air Traffic Services.

22

by E. Mc Cluskey IFATCA Standing Committee VII (Legal Matters)

tory. It was also envisaged that there would be advantages, even in the lower airspace, if national airspace were entrusted to the Organisation or to the Air Traffic Services of another Contracting State. In fact Luxembourg has done both by permitting control of part of her lower airspace by Belgium and all her airspace FL 200 and above by the Eurocontrol Organisation.

The First Moves We have seen in this brief examination of the preamble to the Convention why Eurocontrol was founded. These reasons are today just as valid because they still exist. The first move towards international co-operation in aviation in Western Europe was at a meeting of representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1958. France and Italy expressed interest in,the same year. In fact all were Member States at the time of the European Economic Community. The original project was to set up an Agency to carry out Air Traffic Control Services in the Upper Airspace over all the States which would participate.

The Agency was to have its own Centres and other installations and would be responsible for training and research. The Treaty was to provide for the possibility of the adherence of other States. In 1959, the United Kingdom decided to participate. By 1960, Italy, which had done much of the preparatory work, decided to postpone adherence to the Convention. The Convention was signed on the 13th December 1960. Ireland became the seventh Member State on the 1st January 1965.

Because of the urgency of the problem for the new generation °~ aircraft, and because of the known delay which would result in the ratification period, during the transition period work ~as. started following a Protocol which set up a Eurocontrol Assoc1.at1on t~ undertake studies into the required new methods of Air Traffic Control, to draw up the plans and to test their practical value. The headquarters was at Orly Airport near Paris, and a number of experts from the six Member States commenced work under the responsibility of M. Rene Bulin, who had been Director of Air Navigation of the French Ministry of Public works and Transport, and who today is the Director General of the Eurocontrol Agency.

Once the final ratification had been made, Eurocontrol as the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation came into being in March 1963, with its seat in Brussels established in September of the same year.

The Organisation Under the Convention, the Organisation was set up with two organs: - "The Permanent Commission'' on which the Member States are represented usually by the Ministers responsible for Civil Aviation and the Ministers responsible for Defence or Military Aviation, and the "Air Traffic Services Agency''.

The Permanent Commission is responsible for the adoption of measures and the installation and operation of facilities to ensure the safety of air navigation and an orderly and rapid flow of air traffic, taking into consideration the necessary co-operation with national military authorities. In more detail, Article 6 (2) of the Convention lays down the methods by which these responsibilities can be carried out. The first requirement is standardisation of national regulations and standardisation of the operation of the relevant services. The Convention requires common policy on radio aids, telecommunications and the corresponding airborne equipment. Studies are to be carried out in close coordination with Regional Navigation Plans of ICAO. The Commission also determines the configuraton of airspace for which the Air Traffic Services are entrusted to the Agency. It is also laid to the Commission to decide policy as regards remuneration for services rendered to users by the Agency and the actual finance of the Agency itself. Recommendations, formulated by majority vote, are proposed to the respective national authorities. Directives are binding on the Contracting States. These Directives are subject to a double majority requirement, a majority of the Contracting Parties (under Article 8) and a majority of weighted votes. Under Article 9 of the Convention, a special weighting table protects the interests of the larger States while the straight majority protects the interests of the smaller ones. Whereas the Permanent Commission decides policy, the executive body is the Air Traffic Services Agency. The Agency is staffed by personnel normally recruited from national administrations, who become International Civil Servants on recruitment and, as we saw in a previous Article, subject to the general law of International Organisations where they must act internationally and cannot use their position for the national interests of their home states.

The Agency is administered jointly by the Director (subsequently to the signing of the Convention, the Director General) and a Committee of Management (Annex 1 Article 3). Voting on the Committee is also given special weighting. The Committee is composed of two representatives of each Contracting State and these representatives are highly placed officials exercising responsibility in matters of air navigation in their home States. It can be seen that at times such responsibilities must give rise to conflict of interest.

The administration of the Agency being thus carried out, the Agency is the Executive body responsible for the prevention of collisions between aircraft, for ensuring orderly and rapid flow of air traffic, for provision of advice and information useful for the safe and efficient conduct of flights and for notifying appropriate organisations regarding aircraft in need of search and rescue aid and for assisting such organisations as required.

sterdam ACC. This control is in conformity with Articles 37 and 38 of the Convention, while Article 2 covers the special case of Belgium and Luxembourg.

Article 38 lays down that the Agency shall provide the Air Traffic Services a) in the Upper Airspace above the territories referred to in Article 37, that is to say all the territory for which the Member States are responsible by International Agreement except that the United Kingdom had the option at the time of signature of the Convention to extend the control to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. As we already saw, the Comission decides the configuration of the airspace to be controlled by the Agency.

The Shanwick OAC is excepted; b) in the lower airspace by the request of a Contracting State to the Commission; c) in airspace which forms the subject of agreements with other States. The last section has never been applied but is in keeping with the objectives of providing services across national frontiers.

It was with the objectives of Article 38 in mind that the Centres of Karlsruhe and Shannon were set up. These two Centres controlled by the Agency would have completed the control in the Upper Airspace over Germany and Ireland. Eurocontrol is now carrying out programming for the new Centre at Brest.

Problems The main principles of the Convention were however not applied in France and the United Kingdom and after these States had claimed "force majeure'' but without the grave conditions required for that in legal terms, studies of their claims were undertaken which led to the report of the Moroni-Walton Group. In the report abrogation of the relevant parts of the Convention by these two States was recognised. This could have given rise to a case of International Tort. The other five States could have chosen to bring a case at International Law, but, first by acquiescence, and then by accepting the Moroni-Walton Report thus giving recognition to the abrogation, they by their actions made the situation "opposable" to them as recognising entities and could no longer, if they had wished to do so, react at law. The decision of the Commission in accepting the report was the deciding factor in legalising the situation again. However the theory of the Report was that the Convention was but temporarily abrogated by these two States and that it would be applied during the 1980s.

It might have been simpler and certainly more within the spirit of the Law had the Commission just decided to redefine the configuration of the airspace allocated to the Agency which it has the power to do and to revise the financing procedure by a Protocol.

The precedent was nevertheless set and the Federal Republic of Germany has taken a first step towards what could become a similar abrogation of the Convention by announcing that it intended the taking over of at least the Air Traffic Services from the UAC at Karlsruhe based on the premise that the Convention may not be applied as signed, by some States in the 1980s. Ireland has taken a similar first step as regards the UAC at Shannon. In fact the UAC at Karlsruhe became operational in February 1977 with Air Traffic Services provided by personnel of the Bundesanstalt fUr Flugsicherung (Federal Republic of Germany) working under contract to Eurocontrol.

The Work We must now look at the work which has been carried out under the Convention. Under Article 13, agreements may be concluded between the Organisation and other States. Co-operation agreements exist with Denmark, Norway, Sweden, United States (F.A.A.), Italy, Switzerland and Austria. Portugal has signed an Association Agreement and is seeking to adhere to the Convention. Spain also wished to become a Member State but lacked the unanimous vote of the Commission in 1975.

The Upper Airspace of Northern Germany, FI 250 and above, and of Belgium and Luxembourg, FL 200 and above, is presently under the control of the Eurocontrol UAC at Maastricht in the Netherlands. Although foreseen, the Upper Airspace of the Netherlands has not yet come under the control of Maastricht and control is still carried out on behalf of Eurocontrol from the Am-

Other Tasks The Agency is also empowered under the Convention to take action regarding infringements of Air Navigation Regulations in the airspace entrusted to it. This is without prejudice to similar action being taken by the States. Co-ordination with Ireland and the United Kingdom, and France is carried out through Regional Services offices established at London and Bretigny sur Orge respectively.

The Planning tasks allotted to the Agency by the Convention are carried out by the Eurocontrol Headquarters situated in Brussels while the tasks of research and training are carried out by the Experimental Centre at Bretigny sur Orge and the Air Navigation Institute at Luxembourg. Research and training may also be carried out for non-Member States. The word "research" in

23

Ferranti simulators put years on your student controllers

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 ru;id 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

\

I

The real thing in simulation

·f .:),:· ... ,·"[ I 'r· . ~ .. · · . I ; .' .I

the Convention has been interpreted as being "experimentation and development".

In September 1970, another task was given to the Agency, that of collecting the user charges imposed by the Member States and the service of collection of user charges has been extended by International Agreement to collection for some non-Member States. These are State charges for service given by the national services and not Agency charges, the Agency being financed by funds voted by the Member States.

Eurocontrol as an International Example In many ways the Eurocontrol Convention gives us a fine example of many of the points which we have tried to put across to readers in previous articles. Disputes between Contracting States, or between Contracting States and the Organisation have, as we have seen, been resolved by the use of the unilateral acts of acquiescence and the Principle of Recognition used by several States at once. When disputes cannot be resolved they must go to arbitration. If agreement cannot be reached on the arbitrators, any party may request the President of the International Court of Justice to make the nominations. Decisions of the arbitration are binding on the parties. The Organisation is endowed with International Personality and therefore may, as we saw in a previous Article, request an opinion on a subject to be stated by the International Court of Justice.

Personnel of the Agency retain all rights of proceedings in the Courts of the States in respect of disputes with the Organisation (Article 5 of the Protocol of Signature). As ratified Conventions become national law, they therefore retain all rights of citizens under any other Conventions to which the States are signatories. It is also a principle of the law of civilised nations that unless there is written prescription of Legal rights these rights cannot be interpreted as being alienated and so where other citizens have rights of appeal beyond the national Courts, these rights by the silence of the Convention are guaranteed. Nevertheless special provision is made under Article 93 of the Eurocontrol Staff Regulations for the Administrative Tribunal of the I.LO. to be considered the competent body to hear such disputes.

Under Article 39, the Convention remains in force for twenty years. This period is prolonged automatically for five year periods provided that no Contracting State has given written notice at least two years before the expiry date that it intends to denounce the Convention. Here we see the interplay of State sovereignty with the setting up of an Organisation with recognised International Personality. The first twenty year period ends in 1983 and at the time of writing it would appear that the Convention will be renewed but in a form yet to be decided by the Contracting States. No comment can therefore be given on what form it may or should take.

Lessons to be Learned From the Federation's point of view. there are some lessons to be learned from the present Convention, since Eurocontrol has proved quite a number of factors. Standardisation of procedures and equipment is not only valid for the economics of Member States. Studies and research leading to standard equipment, especially in the realms of automation, is a valuable economic advantage to industry and airlines not only for the development and exploitation of equipment in Europe but throughout the World. Any such studies leading to standard airborne equipment must benefit the airspace users. This type of research can therefore also benefit our Corporation Members. Eurocontrol has also proved that a valid team in control or programming can be formed in a multinational environment so the Eurocontrol experiment is a valid testbed for either the developing nations to copy where lack of resources prevents unilateral modernisation of methods and equipment, or for the application of similar methods to areas where countries are small and where purely national sectors are not the optimum for the traffic. Central America is one

26

logical area to adopt such a system especially as the nationals of most of the States speak the same language. The Cenamer system has been established based in Honduras. The beginning of such systems are to be found in Liberia and Singapore.

The Future Whatever the future may bring in Western Europe or elsewhere in the World, aircraft are becoming still faster; executive aircraft are continually being produced with increasing performance and increasing range; longer flights mean a higher percentage of overflying traffic. All these factors add up to a greater need for Civil-Military co-ordination. Organisations such as Eurocontrol, with controllers trained in an International environment and qualified to control over several States can ease the problems for the airspace user on the one hand and for controllers in the lower airspace on the other. Even when Sectors are politically restricted to national frontiers rather than to suit the traffic, the controller who is qualified in the adjacent State as well, can use his ability to set his transfer of control point to suit the needs of a given user. He also, by his ability to co-ordinate with several Air Forces, is better placed to expedite long distance traffic. His control of the ever increasing number of overflights leaves the lower airspace controller more freedom to deal with the difficulties of climbing and descending traffic. These are the technical advantages which result from such an International control.

We have already seen, in a previous Article, that the European Communities together with the European Parliament are looking at the problems of routes and sectors for the area covered by the Communities i. e. the Eurocontrol Member States plus Denmark and Italy. Many learned bodies have been lobbying their Parliaments for increased European co-operation in the realms of airworth!ness, aircraft construction, accident investigation etc. The ~echmcal ¡successes of Eurocontrol are already known. If Europe is to succeed politically it must first succeed technically for as we know in .the Federation, technicians can reach agreement much more q~1ckly than politicians even in difficult political situations.

International Law when applied to a purely technical field is much '.'"ore like!y to succeed provided that political influences can, as m other fields of International Law, be kept to a minimum.

This Article has given some idea of the setting up and achievement of control at International level under a specialised Convention. We must now look more closely at the Law of Aviation on a worldwide basis, during the course of which studies we will see yet again why there is a need for International Organisations such as Eurocontrol.

For further study: - Oppenheim's International Law Volume 1 Part IV Chap. 1, Part 1, Chap. 4, Lauterpacht, Longmans: Conditions of Employment and Service of Air Traffic Controllers, I. L. o.: Government of Modern Britain Chap. XIV, Stacey, 0. U. P: International Law- International Courts and Tribunals Vol 1 Chaps. 29 and 30, Schwarzenberger, Stevens: Moroni-Walton Report, Eurocontrol: Eurocontrol International Convention relating to co-operation for the. s.afety of Air Navigation, Eurocontrol: Loi No. 63.69 (30. 1. 1963), Journal. ~ff1c1el 31. 1. 1963 page 1035 and Decret No. 63.332 (19. 3. 1963), Journal 0~1c~el 3. 4. 1963 page .3165 et seq.: Civil Aviation (Eurocontrol) Act 1962, Civil Av1at1on Act 1968, Civil Aviation Act 1971, 10 and 11 Eliz 2 Chap. a; s. I. 1963/458; S. I. 1971/1573; H. M. Stationery Office. â&#x20AC;˘

Voice from the loud-speaker in the Ops. room: ,,Ladies and gentlemen, your captain is speaking. we are flying at ten thousand meters, our speed is 950 kilometers per hour. We are shortly passing the border and we will arrive at Homefield at 1750 hours. The temperature at Homefield is 23 degrees. I wish you a pleasant flight!"

From the ATC: "Okay Captain! Unfortunately I am not your passenger, but I will accept your message as a position report!

(HATCA)

Controller: Do you carry VIP on board?

Pilot: Negative, we have only DME and ILS

A New High-Brightness, All-Weather, ASDE {Airport Surface Detection Equipment) by lr. A. G. L. M. Weijts, Marketing, Advanced Air Traffic Control Systems, Hollandse Signaalapparaten B. V., the Netherlands, a Corporate Member of IFATCA.

It gives me great pleasure to be able to present to you w hat I think you wi ll agree is a real breakthrough in the field of airport safety and efficiency. This is something we have all been waiting fo r, a genuine, highbrightness (daylight viewing) display, A irport Su rface Detection Equipment (or ASDE as it is called), capable of continuing to give its excellent performance even under adverse weather conditions!

Controlling Ground Movements

and objects in between t hem and the tower. A 'bird 'seye view', in fact.

6. The equipment used must be absolutely reliab le and require the minimum amount of servicing and maintenance.

7. The. system used must not, of course, requ ire any extra equ ipment to be carried by either aircraft or ground vehicles.

8. The digital scan converter must be able to handle TMA radar and give a TMA display on the screen.

The new ASDE fulfils all these requ irements and more.

I do not have to stress to you how important to both tower controllers and ground controllers the availability of such an equipment w ill be, whether it is either a civil airpo rt or a military airfield that we are considering. The ever-increasing number of movements at airports today, together with th e clutter of bui ldings that have arisen in and around them, necessitates very efficient control, not only of aircraft taking off and land ing but also of their movements, and those of their supporting and other vehicles, on the ground.

It is hardly, therefore, for me to underline the great contri bution to safety that such an ASDE can give to an airfield faced w ith a large influx of traffic under inclement weather conditi ons.

It is fair to say, I think, that, both because of the inc reasing size of airports and the growth of air traffic, the necessi ty for an efficient airport surface detection radar, now goes withou t questi on and, in fact, ASDE installations of various types have already been availab le on th e market for several years now.

System Requirements However, what are the ideal requirements fo r such a system? In c lose co-operation and co-ordinati on with the Dutch Civi l Aviation Authority, Signaal came to the fol lowing conclusions: 1. Such a system must permit the accu rate surveillance and co-ordination of the movements of airfield surface traffic under all conditions of visibility, including both at night and during bad weather. .

2. The display must be sufficiently bright to permit such surveillance to take place by means of direct viewing during the high ambient lig ht conditions normally obtained in the control cabi n during th e daytime, and without add itional aids.

3. The reso lution of the radar must be such as wi ll permit discrimination on the display between all moving objects of relevant size.

4. The display must give a complete presentation of the airfield and its immediately surrounding area at surface level, with the outlines of runways, taxiways, buildings and objects c learly and accurately shown, tog eth er w ith the outline representation, as th ey move. of all moving objects of commens urate size.

5. Such a presentation must c losely resemble the visual impression that cou ld be obtained from the tower when the visibi lity is good and if it were not for the buil dings

ASDE ra d ar antenna . t the Control Tower at Schiphol Internation al A' â&#x20AC;˘n radome on top 0 d "Port, Amsterdam. The Ne therlan s.

Operational Considerations Without going too deeply into technicalities, its main

chara~teristics are, briefly, as follows : .

It is a very high resolution radar with a range, for a 3 mi flu c:uating target, under normal conditions,_ of up to 10 k":1. (six miles) and even under the extremely inclement cond1t1ons. obtaining during a 16 mm/ hr r~infall, a range of 5 km (3 n:iâ&#x20AC;˘tes). The range discrimination 1s of about seven metres with an angular discrimination of 0.25 .

Thi s means that al l relevant aspects of the aircraft and vehicles concern ed, includ ing th eir movements , are presented in an operational fash ion. T argets that are c lose together, either in range or in bearing, are displayed as discrete objects. Thus, accurate information at all times is continuously provided of movi ng aircraft and vehic les, as well as stationary objects at and around the runways, taxiways and aprons etc. of the airport.

27

ASDE radar picture. This Signaal d aylight display can be observed under high ambient lighting.

The Signaal ASDE display allows for inverse presentation (Black on White) for better discernability during daylight.

The displayed picture with the new system is of so bright a luminance, 36 cd/ m 2 (1O foot-lamberts), that it can be viewed in broad daylight, without screening, at a contrast ratio of 1.6 : 1 under ambient light conditions having an illuminance as high as 10,000 lux (1000 foot-candles).

This is of tremendous importance to controllers, w ho will know what a problem visual adaptation normally is for the eyes w hen having to glance down from time to time to a d im surveillance display after they have been gazing out from their 'greenhouse' under bright daylight conditions.

When the equipment was being designed , apart from its functional efficiency, maximum reliability was the principal consideration. In the new ASDE this can be ensured by the duplication of the main items of equipment used in the system. Change-over to the alternative transmitter/receiver unit then occurs automatically, ensuring no break in service or discontinuity of traffic control. However , even without this built-in redundancy by the duplication of equipment. the MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) for one half of the system has been calculated as high as 1550 hours, giving the remarkable resulting availability, fo r that particular part alone, of 99.93 %.

It is th e DISCOs, however, with th eir sophisticated, solid state, electronic circuitry and memory that convert the radar information, which has a rather low data rate, in such a way that it becomes available with a high repetition rate, to enable its presentation under high ambient lighting conditions. In addition, the DISCOs have th e fac ility for supplying the synthetic video, such as cont ours of runways, taxiways, etc. and range rings for the radar information. As the radar information and the synthetic video are both contained in one and the same memory, this presentation is, naturally, drift free.

The heart of the new system is, thus , the memory of the DISCO. Its action can be briefly desc ribed as follows: A multiport random access memory, in other words, a memory which is randomly accessible with equal or different addresses in a number of memory parts simultaneously, has been used in the DISCOs. Th is memory can be considered as a square which encloses an area of 896 x 896 memory cells. This area is subdivided in 7 x 7 (49) blocks which are represent ed in the memory by the memory blocks. This construction allows memory blocks for those areas of the terrain which are of no interest to the controller to be left out. Th e memory used in the ASDE system recently installed at Schiphol Airport, for example, contains 28 memory blocks.

For the ASDE mode, the memory square of 896 x 896 memory cells represents a square of 6400 x 6400 m. For the TMA radar mode a memory square of 448 x 448 memory cells is used , representing a square of 56 x 56 km (30 x 30 nautical miles). The horizontal lines represent the WestEast direction whereas the vertical lines represent the South-North direction.

The memory frame is wired tor a maximum of 32 memory blocks. Thus, four selectable blocks can be added.

Special controls can be used to:

Some Technical Details Basically, the new ASDE system can be said to consist of: 1. An antenna system with a turning speed of 60 r.p.m.

(Th is low turning speed also contributes to reliability) .

The antenna is contained in a 5.8 metre high radome and can be located on the roof of the control tower.

2. The antenna is connected to the, normally duplicated, transmitter/ receivers in the equipment room below.

3. The output from the receivers is fed to their respective digital scan convertors, (DISCOs), also located in the equipment room.

4. Each DISCO can , if required, be connected to up to six bright displays, some of which can, if desired, be installed remotely from the tower.

28

freeze the displayed picture invert the displayed picture test the operability of the display system control the luminance of the display

Summing Up

In the Signaal ASDE any required video map can be generated by the dig ital scan converter.

!j!)j1 !I ~~i

On the new ASDE tube, all essential activities and movements of aircraft and other vehicles on the ground are clearly seen , whatever the weather or the time of day. Even after take off, by the press of a button , the movements of a particular aircraft can be followed from the TMA radar, but on the same bright display, up to a distance of 28 km away from the airport.

Also the line-up of aircraft, with clear separation, can be followed at the holding point, this allows for short-term planning, in other words, optimization of the con crete available. The controller thus controls the flow of rolling traffic, both going out and coming in.

The radar frequency chosen for the new ASDE (in the 'Ku' band) is that found to be the best compromise between performance during adverse weather condition s and antenna size for the narrow horizontal antenna beam width of 0.25° necessary for the high resolution obtained. Previous airport surface detection equipment, operating in the 'Ka' band , was found to be severely limited in use when it was raining.

There is no doubt that this new ASDE is different and it is very exciting to use! Nevertheless, like rare whisky, its use is an acquired taste, Which however, I assure yo u, will grow on you. â&#x20AC;˘

1:J

Aircraft Noise And Air Traffic Control

by T. S. Johnston, Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers

use of preferential runways at ce rtain t imes. Of these restrictions, It was only with the introduc tio n into airlin e se rvice of pure the one which has the most significant effect on Air Traffic Conj et-engined aircraft that noise began to present a significant entrol is the use of preferential runways which could involve aircraft vi ronmental pro blem and, inevitably, it was not long before departing and approaching with tailwind components, thus giving groups of people in the most badly affected areas (generally ber ise to in creased occupancy of the runway and relatively fast low the approach and initial departure paths at airports) formed ground speeds on approach. On the ground, too, the location of protest groups, with the object to reduc ing this noise where pospassenger and cargo terminals in relation to runways can affect s ibl e, and ensu ring no in crease is permitted. Th is ultimately led the movem ents of ground traffic , tugs, tractors and aircraft if to political interventi on and the introdu ction of the cu rrent restricthe use of a preferential runway necess itates the adopti on of intio ns at airports, restrictions o n the ope ration of airc raft after tri cate taxying patterns, including perhaps, the crossing of runtake-off and the req uirement for aircraft to foll ow so-called Miniways between arrivals and departures, to reach a terminal. The mum Noise Routes wh ich, in reality could be more accurately restriction or, in some cases, the comp lete banning of night motermed Maximum Noise Routes. All of these restricti ons affect vements tends, of course, to fo rce operators to compress their Air Traffic Control to some degree and, it is fair to say, have reoperations into the socially acceptable hours, contributi ng to sulted in the extensio n of the noise nuisance over a very much traffic peaking with all its attendant air traffic control prob lems. wider area than is either necessary or desirable. It is arguable It is an inescapable fact. unfortunately, that most noise abatewhether the alleviation achieved in t he immediate vicinity of airment action impairs the efficient use of aircraft and generally port noise monitoring points (where, in any case, assistance is leaves less room for error. The vario us operational restrictions given towards the cost of noise insulation) benefits anyone other app lied inc lude : than to a small extent, whereas it is unarguable t hat the subsea) the use of redu ced thrust on take-off, quent reappl ication of c limb power sp reads a carpet of noise b) the actual thrust used for any take-off being restricted so as over a w ide area which would otherwise be affected on ly mininot to exceed the minimum recommended by the manufacmally. tu rer, All noise restrictions at ai rports are desig ned to ensure that c) power cutback c limb-outs, aircraft are operated in such a manner as to cause the least posd) minimum noise routings (inbound and outbound) , sible distu rbance to surrounding communities, as is right and proper, provided that they do no impair safety margins. They ine) minimum flight altitudes over congested areas, c lude restr ictions on ground running, on the number of training f) minimum flap settings for each stage of the approach, flights, on the number of night movements and also prescribe the g) prohibition or discouragement of the use of reverse thrus t

29

It must be clearly apparent that any one of the restrictionts which require aircraft to be operated below optimum performance, will decrease the flexibility of operation otherwise available to Air Traffic Control to expedite the climb of aircraft out of noise sensitive areas and altitudes. Any requirement for aircraft to be operated at power settings lower than those for which they were designed results in a reduction in the altitude achievable over any given ground distance as well as a reduction in manoeuvrability and the ability to accept air traffic control directions and instructions.

Minimum Noise Routes have come to be accepted as one of the means by which the effects of noise can be restricted. They are designed to avoid densely populated areas, but in so doing, inevitably ensure that all aircraft are obliged to follow the same initial route. In general, these routes are not particularly easy to fly, as their turning points are often delineated by intersections rather than specific navigational facilities. During the critical post take-off stage of flight, when cockpit workload is at its highest, and in a busy terminal control area when air traffic control intervention is most needed, the requirement for flight deck crew to have to concentrate on very precise navigation to follow the Minimum Noise Route, frequently means that limitations are imposed on communications from Air Traffic Control until the noise abatement procedures have been completed. In the event of safety being compromised however, Air Traffic Control would, of course, intervene. At some airfields in the UK, there is a requirement to pass noise readings to pilots during climb-out. These readings have to be determined and passed to the aircraft by ATC - an example of extra workload imposed on Air Traffic Control due, solely, to noise considerations. The need for aircraft to follow the same route initially also imposes otherwise unnecessary departure delays to achieve separation between aircraft when a fast follows a slow and neither can be deviated until all noise abatement action has been completed. This arbitrary channelling of traffic effectively ensures that the same areas are always subjected to the noise nuisance, particularly since Air Traffic Control is prohibited, except in emergency situations, from v~cturing aircraft until a specified altitude is reached, thereby losing the ability to disperse traffic earlier. The argument is that thes~ routes overlie less densely populated areas and therefore inconvenience a smaller number of people. The effects of reduced power settings to conform with permitted noise levels and the requirements for aircraft to follow Minimum Noise Routes sometimes combine to compound the problem by producing situations where noise is spread to areas not otherwise affected, because such aircraft need to be held down at low altitudes to separate them from inbound aircraft descending on converging tracks with the departure towards terminal fixes.

So far we have considered the problem arising on departure, this bein~ the phase of flight giving rise to the worst. situations on account of the higher power settings used. The arrival phase however has its problems, which include speed limitations on intermediate approach (which affect the altitude of the aircraft, resulting in engine noise being directed angularly do~mwards) and the long final approach resulting from the compromise necessary to marry, harmoniously, the operating characteristics of ~urr~nt aircraft types with the facilities developed by the electronics industry to give guidance in both the lateral and ve~ical pla~es on final approach. In a conventional ILS approach, interception of the glide path is normally made from below, therefore the higher aircraft are required to fly over congested areas before becoming established on the ILS, the further from touchdown they will have to be in order to intercept from below. Glide paths associated with current approach aids are usually 3 to 3 112° and therefore, for every 500 feet by which the minimum intercept height is increased, the approach is extended by about 1 112 nm. There is, in fact, a very fine balance between the degree of alleviation achieved by raising minimum heights over congested areas and the aggravation created by extending a slightly smaller noise nuisance over a wider area. On the ground, restrictions on the use of 30

reverse thrust can increase runway occupancy, especially if fast turn-offs are not available. As a result, runway capacity can be quite severely curtailed, particularly at one-runway airports, resulting in both arrival and departure delays. The former results in arriving traffic needing to be held at terminal or en-route airway fixes with the consequent blocking of cruising levels otherwise available for overflying traffic; whilst the latter creates problems of congestion at the holding point for departures, and can also reduce stand availability. Within the last ten years, the general public has become increasingly aware of pollution in all its forms and organised protest is the means by which, generally, it seeks to halt its spread. Unfortunately, not all protest is well-informed and action is sometimes therefore taken which, although politically expedient, is not necessarily in the best interests of the greatest number of people. Such action tends to take the form of concessions made as a result of representations by highly articulate and well-publicised pressure groups.

We are increasingly aware of a trend towards opposition from the general public to well-reasoned and researched proposals from the National Air Traffic Services, the Civil Aviation Authority, (and even from the Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers) to achieve more efficient use of airspace within the constraints imposed by current noise abatement procedures. The subject has, unfortunately, become a political hobbyhorse and, of course, its complexities are not always too well understood by those who feel moved to complain. Perfectly well-reasoned explanations of proposed changes to existing procedures have been summarily dismissed with a 'we don't want to know' attitude which has been no~ed during some recent public meetings concerning aircraft noise, and there seems to be virtually unconcealed desire on the part of many communities to insist that aircraft noise can inconvenience anyone else, so long as they remain undisturbed; the ultimate perhaps, in anti-social behaviour. It is, however, all too easy to be critical and overlook the real distress that unnecessary aircraft noise causes.

What then can be done and in particular what would air traffic controllers like to see implemented in the i~terest of a safe, wellordered system with minimum noise nuisance to the community?

Whether we like it or not, we are, at present in a rather difficult 'in betw_een' period of technology where, cert~inly, there are some very noisy a~roplane.s. There are also some relatively quiet ones and the Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers believes that the technology which produces the jet engine _ and the noise associate~ with it - will be capable of solving the environmental problems 1t created. It has already taken the first step with the Tristar and the 8747, and surely it is encouraging to note that the Jumbo has not been required to be operated at take-off limits lower than those for which it was designed, in order to meet noise parameters. Hopefully, we are today examining what could be a diminishing problem.

The Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers believes that modern j~t transport aircraf~ should be permitted to climb at power settings and rates of climb for which they were designed and should not be obliged to adopt procedures that increase c~ckpit workl~ad (which is high enough already) immediately after take-off.

P1lo~s are extremely conscious that any in-flight emergency occurring close to the ground, immediately adjacent to the airport, may requ~re unusual actio~, and are, therefore, rightly concerned when their normal operation of the aircraft is affected or interrupted by restrictions arbitrarily imposed by non-aviati~n bodies.

If all noise abatement techniques, including Minimum Noise Routes, were to be abolished, jet aircraft could climb unrestricted, using optimum performance to a safe and acceptable noise level altitude in the shortest time/distance from take-off. This procedure would permit fingered-climb techniques to be utilised by radar controllers at a much earlier stage, thereby enabling them to achieve vertical separation from the levels allocated to traffic descending into the airport; a procedure known by air traffic controllers as 'jumping'. Subsequent climb to cruising level in such circumstances is often more likely to be continuous. We

are opposed, in principle, to any procedures which result in aircraft being held at low altitudes in a T erminal Control Area for longer than is absolutely essential, because of the consequential increase in the number of aircraft operating at the same levels or altitudes in a restricted volume of airspace with only minimum radar separation. It is self-evident that the earlier an ai rc raft can climb out of the congested lower levels in a Terminal Control Area, the sooner it can be released from air traffic contro l direction to its own navigation, reducing the workload on the controller, and allowing the pilot a welcome respite from compliance with frequent ATC instructions. This must continue to be the pattern pending the introduction of a more sophisticated air traffic control system.

Aircraft engine noise is composed of a number of components, the principal of which are the roar of the hot exhaust stream and, in the case of the fan jet engine. the high whine of the co ld air compressor, or fan noise. It is this latter component which, at present, gives ri se to the biggest problem of noise on final approach, since it does not redu ce in intensity with reduction of power, as in the case of exhaust noise. One suggested solution to this problem, viz two segment glide slopes, has been considered by the ATC Systems Committee, which is a private group with members drawn from BALPA, GATCO and the RAeS. The following is quoted from an Annexe to their report: - 'Variation in approach techniques using glide slopes in the range 6° -2112° will place a severe strain on the ATC system throughout the TMA and may have implications on the siting of holding patterns, initial approach routeings and vertical separation where adjacent airfield patterns conflict ... At this time, it is not considered that two segment glide slopes are 'cost-effective' in terms of noise abatement, consistent with the safeguards which would have to be built into the technique. Detailed study and a close liaison between operators and ATC is required to determine the additional route structure required in this procedure'.

Anothe r suggested soluti on is the low drag/low powe r approach technique pioneered by Lufthansa. The conventiona l ILS approach (and there are variations) commences with straight and level flight at low speed along the localizer at a height of 1500 to 2000 feet until app roaching the glidepath, when landing gear is lowered and flaps are extended to the setting required for landing.

The aircraft is then in the final configuration at a point some 6 to 8 nm from touchdown and requires a large amount of thrust to counteract the high drag created by the landing gear flaps and any additional high lift devices which might be in use.

The low drag/low power approach requires the aircraft to fly the intermediate approach in clean configuration or with negligible flap setting at a speed of arou nd 210 knots. At 12 nm track distance from touchdown, flaps are extended to an intermediate ~etting, speed is reduced to 160-170 knots and the glide slope is intercepted at a height of not less than 3000 feet unless the published procedure or the ATC c learence requires otherwise.

Landing gear and final flap for a landing are extended in the vicinity of the outer marker, ie at a much later stage than in the conventional approach. The thrust required is therefore, much less up to the outer marker and the noise is consequently reduced .

This particular type of approach does not appear to present any difficulties to ATC; on the contrary, it offers the advantage of known specific airspeeds being maintained by aircraft during each stage of the approach. Indeed, at airfields where speed control techniques are a necessity, pressure from airlines for fuel conservation has already resulted in ATC using higher speeds on both intermediate and final approach. Aircraft are thus able to fly with lower power settings. It has also been established that, ope rating w ith the speeds referred to, the loss in separation between successive aircraft commencing approach at 210 knots and reducing to approx imately 120 knots at the outer marker (about the lowest approach speed of current j et transports) is of the order of 2 nm, when the second aircraft is over the outer marker.

Knowledge of this standard reduction offers a radar controller an

easy method of assessing the spacing required between successive aircraft becoming established on the ILS to achieve the minimum permissib le spaci ng at the outer marker.

It is hoped that technology will red uce aircraft noise to an acceptable level in the not-too-distant future, and there a re signs that this is being achieved. Until that time, it is essential in the interests of the communities affected, to reduce to a minimum, the noise nuisance to which they are exposed. However, there is a limit to what can be achieved and it must be accepted that little can be done to alleviate the exposure to noise of com munities on the extended centrelines of runways below the departure and approach paths within 5 nm of the airport. Much can, and should be done, however, to minimize the nuisance beyond this distance.

Mr. Tom S. Johnston. UK Guild of Ai r Traffic Control Officers . at Convex 76.

An attempt has been made to show that the Air Traffic Control service is very aware of its social responsibilities in connection with noise. Air Traffic Controllers are adaptable people and can make even badly designed systems work, but they are primarily concerned to provide a safe, efficient and expeditious service to ai rcraft under their control. Current noise abatement techniques hinder them in the performance of this task and represent nothing more than a political compromise which really satisfies nobody.

The adoption of any proposals which permit unrestricted initial c limb would : (a) ease the task of the controller, (b) enhan ce safety in all terminal control areas. (c) reduce the overall noise nuisance suffe red by any single community located more than 5 nm from the airport, â&#x20AC;˘ (d) increase departure rates and reduce delays.

PATCO Calls for ASDE Nationwide Airport Surface Detection Equipment should be installed immed iately at al l level IV and V facilities (busy airports), and at all qualified radar towers within five years. These actions were called for by PATCO President John Leyden in his testimony before the House Appropriations Committee.

PATCO also called for immediate and extensive research and development to perfect ASDE, which is presently " less than fully effective" in rain and fog .

PATCO testimony indicated that the present ASDE equipment is 10 years old, and has only been instal led in 12 facilties nationwide.

In suppo rting the need for ASDE, Leyden referred to the recent crash of the two Boeing 747 Jumbojets on the active runway at Teneriffe Airport, Canary Islands.

PATCO Newsl etter 31

Universal News

Some Important Rules For VFR Flight In Sweden Air Tourist - Welcome to Sweden!

Flying a light-plane is an excellent way of touring in Sweden.

In summer we have plenty of air tourists coming up from Germany, France, Switzerland and other countries. However, as a pilot you must "do in Rome as the Romans do" and in Sweden as the Swedes do. We refer, of course, to the special air traffic procedures that are in force in Sweden. It is true that Sweden applies ICAO rules and regulations, but like most other countries she has a few differencies in relation to the ICAO procedures.

Experience shows that some of these differencies are not always known to foreign pilots, and for that reason we would like to point out some important rules.

When you have decided to "make" Sweden, don't forget to provide yourself with the latest navigational charts and the required visual approach charts and VFR out- and inbound routing charts.

Airways VFR flights must keep out of airways, since IFR is mandatory on airways in Swedish FIR:s. You are however, generally permitted to cross an airway according to VFR, provided you keep an extra sharp look - out and, if possible, make it in level flight (at a semicircular VFR cruising level) and at right angles to the airway.

If you want to follow an airway routing to make use of its navaids, remember to stick below the lower limit of the airway, which generally is at 4500 feet MSL (3000 feet MSL in the northern part of Sweden). Always check thoroughly the lower limit in AIP - SWEDEN or on a current navigation chart.

Flight Plan A wise, precautionary action is to file a f I i g h t p I a n with ATS for every flight. Sweden is in general a sparsely settled country, with vast areas of forests and wilderness, and it is far from certain that an emergency landing or an accident will be observed from the ground, should it occur. Provided you have filed a flight plan, a search and rescue action will immediately be started if your plane doesn't arrive at your destination within 30 minutes after your flight plan ETA. HOWEVER, if you have submitted a flight plan, DON'T FORGET TO CLOSE IT, if your destination is a nontower aerodrome (searching for a missing aircraft in our vast areas of wilderness is a costly operation). Just give a telephone call as soon as possible after landing to the nearest ATC or, preferably, direct to the Area Control Centre in the IFR where you have landed, and tell them you want to close your flight plan (give aircraft designation, points of departure and landing and actual time of arrival).

N o t e : In some cases, submitting a flight plan is mandatory e g for flights crossing the Swedish territorial borders or for any flight within the "mountainous area" in northern Sweden.

Restricted Areas Sweden has her secrets ... Although you are free to explore most of them, there are some we prefer to keep for ourselves.

For that reason it is absolutely prohibited to cross the red-shaded restricted areas on the navigational chart. The red-striped restricted areas you may cross on the conditions laid down in AIPSWEDEN, RAC 4.

Conclusion Although the rules referred to above may seem rather strict to you, compared to the often more liberal routines in other European states, we hope that you will not be discouraged to visit Sweden by light-plane. You will find that flying in Sweden is in many ways simple. For example, the flight visibility is often very good, and the landscape generally provides good visual landmarks for pilotage.

WELCOME TO SWEDEN, AIR TOURIST!

Terminal Control Areas In those term i na I cont r o I are as having the most dense traffic you must not fly VFR without having obtained an ATC c I ear an c e. When approaching such a TMA, call ATC five to ten minutes before reaching the TMA border, give them your position, your level and the route you want to follow, and request an ATC clearance. (Preferably, you should file a flight plan before departure, including data for the flight in the TMA).

After having obtained your clearance you must adhere to it, in order not to conflict with other traffic. Radio contact with ATC must be maintained during the entire flight in the TMA. If, later on, you are not able to or don't want to proceed according to your clearance - for example, if you wish to climb or descend, or to circumnavigate clouds - report this to ATC and you will get a new clearance.

N o t e : For flight above 4500 feet MSL in Stockholm, Goteborg and Malmo TMAs, your plane must be equipped with a functioning transponder capable of replying on Mode A, 4096 codes.

For flight within other terminal control areas an ATC clearance is not required (when flying in day-light), but you must establish radio contact with ATC before entry and report your position, level and intended routing through the TMA. For safety reasons ATC may suggest that you change your route or level or both because of other traffic. You must not leave the appropriate ATC frequency until exiting the TMA (unless permitted to by ATC), and any diversion from your previously reported route or level must be notified to and acknowledged by ATC before being executed.

Note : For VFR flight in darkness in any TMA, an ATC clearance is required.

32

BOARD OF CIVIL AVIATION SWEDEN

FAA Wind Shear Tests The Federal Aviation Administration plans to begin tests this Summer of a new surface wind monitoring system to detect low level wind shear caused by thunderstorms and fast-moving weather fronts. The new Surface Wind Monitoring System (SWIMS) will be tested at Kennedy International and Tampa International (Florida), Oklahoma City's Will Rogers, Houston International, Denver Stapleton and Hartsfield Atlanta International. Wind shear was a causal factor in the June 1975 crash of an Eastern Air Lines Boeing 727 that cost 113 lives.

Using a mini-computer, SWIMS will compare measurements of wind speed and direction obtained by sensors located in the runway approach corridors with wind data readings on the airport. When a significant difference in wind velocity, about 15 knots, is detected, an aural and visual alarm is triggered in the control tower. This alerts controllers to potential wind shear conditions.

The SWIMS will give controllers better wind information from as many as six points on and around an airport. giving them time to alert pilots to possible wind shear situations. Basic elements are five or six anemometers located on 20-foot poles, a radio link that sends the wind data to a mini-computer and a wind monitor display in the tower cab.

FAA said installation at the six airports will be in time for the Summer thunderstorm season. The tests will run up to six months depending on local thunderstorm activity, the Agency added.

INTERAVIA Air Letter

Helicopter Industry Faces New Era of Expansion The helicopter industry. bolstered by Washington 's stimulation of the econo mic c limate and economists' forecast rise in the gross national product, should see an upsurge in co mmercial helicopter sales beginning this year, according to Gerald J . Tobias, president of the Sikorsky Aircraft divis ion of United Technologies Corporation.

In a talk to the annual meeting of the Helicopter Association of America (HAA), To bias said that helicopter manufacturers and o pe rators "should be just as optimistic as the rest of the nation becau se today, more than at any other time in o ur nation' s history, we are in the right business".

"Today, more than ever before, " Tobi as added, "the factors w hich influence the economy are precise ly those factors which drive demand for helicopter services."

Tobias explained that for every industry which wi ll enjoy the benefits of an upsurge in the economy there exists a logist ics problem - the movement of people or goods - which in many cases the helicopter can handle easie r, faster and more efficiently than other means of transport.

Among the helicopter applications in these industries, Tobias c ited the support of offshore oil drilling and exploration . selective timber harvesting, pipeli ne constructio n, t ransmission tower erection, redu ction of port congestion through ship to shore vertical lift, and executive transport.

In looking to the future, T obias urged the industry to thin k about where it is going and how it can expand.

"We have to explore new opportunities," he said, "such as agricultural applications, fire fighting, law enforcement, airborne emergency treatment, and narcotics cont rol.

"And in keeping with this exploration. we must look inte rn ally - to our own operations and approaches - to see if we can meet with efficiency t he needs we will be discovering. " Manufacturers, for example, have to des ign parts for less maintenance and longer life, use newer and more efficient materials, and improve the all-weather availability and reliability of our equipment."

New Philips Dynascreen Metal Detector Features High Selectivity The latest addition to the Philips range of security screening equipment is a walk-through metal detector, w hi ch provides a speedy and effi cie nt method of ch ecking people for concealed metal o bjects.

Unobtrusive and easy to install in entrances or corridors, the new DynaScreen WT-1 utilises advanced electro ni cs technology to achieve minimal false alarm rates and give the possibility of triggering the alarm only on certai n c lasses of metal, whe re required.

The DynaSc reen generates a pul sed magnetic field wh ich exc ites transient eddy currents in ta rget metal objects. These secondary signals are processed in a key-l ocked electron ics conso le, w hich actu ates a red alarm lamp and an adjustab le-vo lume audible signal w hen a suspic ious object passes thro ugh the screen.

For most operations, the sensor is set to respond to the presence of any metal. Typic ally, one can achieve a 95 % detectability rate on items such as a .22 calibre handgun with a non-ferrous metal frame o r a 57 g (20 z) knife. Full RFI shielding virtually el iminates false alarm s ignals, and fo r spec ial applications the unit can be set to alarm on ly o n certain types of metal. It is possible to d iscrim inate between magnetic and non-magnetic metals, as well as between those which exhibit high and low conductivity.

Th e walk-thro ugh sc reening arch is constructed with se~sor coils encapsulated in tough panels with a discrete wood-grained melamine fin ish. No special wa lkway structure is needed, so t here is no danger that persons passin g through may trip or fa ll. Thi s feature also hel ps to make the DynaScreen very easy to re locate w hen necessary.

Rem ote positioning of the alarm devices themselves is possible, up to 60 m from the console itself. The combination of visual and audible signals provides an effective safeguard agai nst operato r inattention or collusion .

Another useful security feature is the lockable electron ics console. Access to the controls and circuitry is available only to the key-holder. No adjustment o r calibration is required fo r d ay-today operation: the unit has simply to be plugged into a convenient mains socket - even after movi ng to a new site.

A major advantage of the DynaScreen is that it allows a fast throughput, w ith no pe rsonal interventio n other than when the alarm is actuated . Thus intrusion of subjects' privacy is reduced to an absolute minimum.

T otal weight of the walk-through arch and t he compact, pedestal mounted console is less than 40 kg. Th e arch can be installed in a passageway 91,4 c m w ide, while floor space required fo r the complete system is just 0,3 m 2 â&#x20AC;˘

If:~~ .. ~

Th e Ph ilips Dynascreen WT-1 walk- through metal d etector can be set to detect all metals, or to discriminate between various types. It 1s compact , unobtrusi ve an d easily relocatable.

Applications range from airports and other transport terminals to embass ies, government build ings and sensitive industrial plants . Apart from detecting such things as weapons, the DynaScreen is equally effective in guarding against the theft of materials, too ls and manufactured articles from factories. ..

Press Release-Ph1l1ps

The World's Most Sophisticated Air Traffic Control System For New Changi Airport In Singapore The c iv il aviation authorities of Singapore have placed an order with Ph ilips Singapore to develop, construct and deliver a mul ti-million dollar air traffic control system at the new Changi air port.

33

Code named LORADS (Long Range Radar And Display System), it consists of long range primary and secondary surveillance radars, radar displays, electronic data displays, communication facilities for air to ground and more than 20 computers which automatically process the radar and flight plan data and control the displays.

With LORADS, the ground air traffic controllers at the new Changi airport can "see" all the incoming and outgoing aircraft within 250 nautical miles and up to 40,000 metres high. They can process at one time, 300 different flight plans and monitor as many as 250 aircraft at the same time.

Not only being one of the world's most sophisticated air traffic control systems. LORADS is also a proven design. Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, one of Europe's busiest airports, has been operating a similar system successfully for several years. With LORADS, Singapore's new Changi airport becomes the region's most advanced. To cater for the estimated 80,000 planes that will be flying in and out of Singapore in the 1980's. Philips was awarded this contract over 7 other international competitors, after a whole year of careful evaluation by the Singapore civil aviation authorities.

The awarding of the LORADS contract for the new billion-dollar Changi airport is a major achievement by Philips. The equipment is one of the most sophisticated systems available in the world today.

The equipment will be developed and manufactured by the Philips subsidiary, Hollandse Signaalapparaten, in close co-operation with the Singapore civil aviation authorities, Philips Singapore and several subconstractors.

Scheduled to be completed in only 31 months - a phenomenally short time for a giant project such as this - the LORADS project will be installed and commissioned by a special Philips project team. This team of specialists comprises technical management people from Signaal and commercial management staff from Philips Singapore.

Extensive computer programmes to meet the requirements of the department of civil aviation are being developed by Signaal's software department in Holland.

When completed in 1980, Philips LORADS system will have made flying in and out of Singapore safer, speedier and more orderly, and strengthen Singapore's position as an important junction of air traffic in the Far East.

Press Release-Philips

News From Corporation Members Hollandse Signaalapparaten B. V. New Airport Surface Radar for Amsterdam will detect even bicycles On May 17, Mr. H. Raben, director general of the Netherlands Civil Aviation Authority commissioned the new ASDE RADAR (Airport Surface Detection Equipment) designed and manufactured

by Hollandse Signaalapparaten. (See full report page 27.)

This SIGNAAL ASDE is unique for its combination of two important qualities apart from the required high resolution.

First its performance under extreme conditions of heavy rainfall.

Even under a shower of 16 mm/hr a range of 5 km is obtained.

Second its bright display permitting direct viewing under full daylight conditions in the tower cab, without additional aids.

The SIGNAAL ASDE enables controllers to better cope with the ever increasing number of movements at airports, despite the clutter of buildings in and around them. The controllers can clearly observe not only aircraft taking off, landing or taxiing, but supporting vehicles on the ground as well. The high resolution is best illustrated by the acceptance tests, when excellent reflections were obtained from a bicycle. indeed one of the smaller vehicles on an airport.

Main feature of the new equipment is the display, which presents a completely synthetic, high-brightness picture of both the ASDE and the TMA radars. The picture is reconfigured from the raw radar information by a dedicated digital scan converter, ensuring a completely drift-free presentation of both radar information and synthetics such as video maps. The display offers a choice of presentation modes to suit the individual wishes, i. e. different picture decay rates, and positive or inverted presentation.

~nternational

Technical Products Corporation

International Technical Products Corporation has delivered its new solid state TACAN to the U.S. Navy and has been assigned the nomenclature AN/URN 26 for the U.S. Government. The TACAN will be installed on the Navy's new patrol Frigate Class ship scheduled to be deployed this autumn.

The URN-26 is the latest design in TACAN beacons and is a

34

high power, solid state system. It can also be used for a shore ground station or colocated with a VOR to provide a complete VORTAC facility.

Philips More Throughout in New Philips Switching System Philips Telecommunications has added to its range of DS 714 computer-directed message/data/circuit switching systems a DS 714/81 version. The new version has been specifically designed for high-efficiency control of telegraph, telex and teleprocessing networks, and is intended to meet the steadily increasing demand for additional system functions and higher traffic-handling capacities in small, medium or large system applications. rncreased System Efficiency

The system is based on an advanced central processor which, while compatible with the channel and peripheral equipment of oth~r. ~embers of the OS 714 familiy, provides substantially more flex1b1hty and traffic handling capability. The administrative functions associated with the input and output of data characters have been divided optimally between software and hardware operating under the control of specialized microprograms. A wide variety of operational modes is available for different applications, including: message switching (store-and-forward} mode; core-cutthrough (direct retransmission) mode; push mode (analogous to true circuit switching); monitor mode (a combination of core-cutthrough and message switching); and a high-speed data chaining mode.

State-of-the-Art Processor

The increased data handling capacity of the new processor is achieved by employing a very fast core memory with an access time of 300 nanoseconds and a complete cycle time of 700 nanoseconds. Schottky-TIL technology has been applied in circuitry with high speed requirements, and semiconductor randomaccess memories are used to accommodate the 64 index registers.

These measures, in combination with software optimization, have reduced the execution time of an average instruction from the previous 6 microseconds to 2.4 microseconds, and the time to input and retransmit a data character in the message switching mode from 22 microseconds to 4.6 microseconds.

Lockheed Electronics Company, Inc.

The U.S. Government's Federal Av iation Administration has equipped its National Aviation Faci lities Experimental Center in Atlantic City, New J ersey, with L ockheed Electroni cs' Automated Radar Terminals System (ARTS).

New Software Operating System.

Although ex isting OS 714 software can be used with the new processo r, a completely new operating system has been developed to take advantage of the OS 714/81 features. The DACOS (D ata Communication Operating System) is a modular real-time system with multi-programming o n up to 16 leve ls and multitasking facilities. It is capable of supportin g applications in standalo ne (off-line), hot standby and on-line environments.

Flexible Extension Capability.

Variou s multi-processor co nfigurati ons are possible with the new system. Up to four pro cessors, with their individual core memories of up to one megabyte, can be coupled so that each processor has access to the memory domains of the other processors, or the memory capacity of a sin gle processo r may be extended to four megabytes. The flexib ility of the system is further en hanced by a family of intelli gent multiplexers design ed to hand le eithe r a specific type of traffic o r a mix of different types.

Philips at the Le Bourget Air-Show In addition to the well- known basic th eme that the Philips-inAviation group const itute a total capab ility whi ch can tackl e any aviation project no matter how large, selected items focussed the visitor's attention on state-of-the art techniques.

A group the size of Philips does, of course, assign conside rabl e sums on research and deve lopment. Basic research al one absorbs as much as 1.4 Ofo of the turnove r of the entire Philips Group, which reached a leve l of about 30, 435 m Dutch guild ers in 1976. (at cu rrent exchan ge rates approx. St.ÂŁ 7, 110 m or US$ 12, 220 m) .

The Philipps Group is represented by the fol lowing companies: The Electro-Aco ustics Division (ELA) of Eind hoven, Netherlands

The MEL Equipment Company Ltd. (MEL) of Crawley, Sussex , England Hollandse Sign aalapparaten (Signaal) of Hen gelo, Netherlands Philips Elektroni kindust rier AB of Stockh olm, Sweden Ph ilips¡ Telecomm unicatie l ndustrie BV of Hilversum, Netherlands The In ter-Engineerin g Division of Eindhove n, Nethe rlands.

At Le Bourget t he French companies were t raditio nally represented on the Fre nch stan d. Th is year the German co mpany of El ektro-Spezial, because of the nature of its product range , had also been ass ig ned a place o n the French stand.

The professional visitor's attention was attracted by the following items: A new professional 33-channel communi cations recorder for voice logging to fill the gap in t he range hitherto includ ing 11 , 22 and 44-channel mode ls. the MAREC airborne mariti me reconnaissance radar by MEL ; as demonst rated in flight in a Hawke r S iddeley Coastguarder the new ASDE control tower radar by Holl andse Sign aal, w ith computer-co ntrolled daylig ht disp lays.

In addit ion the individual members of the group focussed atte ntion o n selected prod ucts from the i r ranges. Thu s, MEL exhibited the civil version of the MADGE microwave landing guidance system which has been subj ected to trials for use on offshore platforms. Supporting graphic displays depicted the development of the MADGE system for area navigation and air traffic co ntrol. Fu rt her graphic material featured another MEL landing guidance system . PAIR-Precision Approach Interferometer Radar.

Sig naal displayed a mock- up of thei r complete Air Traffic Control system which recently won them an order of 18.5 m Singapore dollars. Designed to cope with the c ontrol of t he 80 OOO flights a year forecast fo r the nineteen-e igthies, th is syste m in cor porates long- range ai r route surveillance rad ar as wel l as data handlin g and display facil it ies ; it uses no less than 20 co mputers.

35

Corporation Members of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations AEG-Telefunken, Frankfurt a. M., Germany Airport Lighting Engineering Consultants, Birkerod, Denmark Cable & Wireless Ltd., London, England CAE Electronics Ltd., Montreal, Quebec, Canada Cardion Electronics, Woodbury, USA Cossor Radar and Electronics Ltd., Harlow, England Compagnie lnternationale Pourl'lnformatique, LeChesnay, France Dansk lmpulsfysik A. S., Holte, Denmark Decca Software Sciences Limited, London, England ELECMA Divisions Electronique de la SNECMA, Suresner, France Ferranti Limited, Bracknell, Berks., England Ground Aid Group, Esbjerg, Denmark 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 N. v. Philips Division ELA, Eindhoven, Netherlands The Plessey Company Limited, Weybridge, Surrey, England Racal-Thermionic Limited, Southampton, England Redifon Computer, Ltd. Crawley, England Gustav A. Ring A/S, Oslo, Norway Selenia - lndustrie Elettroniche Associate S. p. A., Rome, Italy Societe Artistique Fran9aise, Paris, France Societe d'Applications Generales d'Electricite et de Mecanique, Paris, France Societe d'Etudes & d'Entreprises Electriques, lssy Les Moulineaux, France Sofreavia, Paris, France Software Sciences Ltd., Farnborough, England The Solartron Electronic Group Limited, Farnborough, England Space Research Corp. Inc., Montreal, Canada Sperry Univac Germany, Sulzbach/Ts., Germany Sperry Univac, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA 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, organizations, and institutions interested in and concerned with the maintenance and promotion of safety in air traffic to joi~ 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

Philips Elektronikindustrier AB showed hardware in the radar and ECM fields. Mock ups and audio visual displays covered anti-ship guided missiles and the latest of their land based, shipborne or helicopterborne weapon control systems relying on wide band frequency agility radar and optronic sensors. Philip's Telecommunicatie lndustrie demonstrated their new domestic and regional satellite communication system for point-to-point links e. g. for Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Networks. Of the new SO-watt VHF transmitte r an RF power module was shown.

Inter-Engineering gave a synoptic view of the wide range of services they can provide in a turnkey project context. Emphasis was on the world-wide nature of their organisation and its ability to cover all the spheres of interest in turnkey projects.

Selenia Selenia at the 32nd Paris International Air Show As in the past, Selenia (the Italian electronics firm of IRl-STET Group) was also present at this year's Paris Air Show in the Italian Pavillion.

This year the Company occupied a 270 m 2 stand in hall D, shared by four Divisions : the Radar and Missile Systems Division, the Special Equipment and Systems Division, the Space Division and the Civil Radar and System Division.

The exhibits emphasized the consolidated positions achieved by the various Divisions in their respective fields over the past 25 years of the Company's activity. In particular, the Radar & Missile Systems Division concentrated on their capabi lity to supply complete air defence systems. On s how were models of the Division's range of military radars: the ARGOS 10 (recently included in NATO's inventory of early warning radars) ; the ARGOS-12 ; the RAT-31 S 3D radar incorporated in the MRCS-403 mobile automatic reporting and control system (now in production for the Austrian MoD); the PLUTO low coverage surveillance radar. On the missile side the Division showed their SPADA medium range ground-to-air missile system, in both its mobile and self propelled versions. Also on display were the ASPIDE multirole missile, now in production for a number of nations, as well as a display of the Division's activity in the framework of the " PANAVIA-TORNADO" programme. The Space Division, which have achieved to date the most significant successes in the field of space communications . on board data handling, power supply and ground equipment, showed some equipment produced for the OTS, INTELSAT V and SIRIO satellites and other samples of space electronics packages. The Special Equipment and System Division, which are presently involved in Electronic Warfare and Electro-optics, presented a model of the pod-mounted ECM system for high performance aircraft the IHS-6 integrated ECM helicopter system and a "direction finding" antenna for interception of radar signals w hich can be installed on board the helicopters. The Civil Radar and Systems Division illustrated their activities and the remarkab le results achieved in the field of air traffic contro l systems (more than 110 Selenia ATCR radar systems are now successfu lly in operation in 19 countries all over the wo rld).

photo CICCIONE / RAPHO

Zurich, Geneva ...

In Switzerland.

THOMSON -CSF contributes significantly to modernize the aviation infrastructure and the air traffic control system.

TH OMSON-CSF has asserted its expertise 1n more than fifty countries on all five continents .

TH OMSON -CSF, the world specialist in electronics applied to air navigation.

One company can provide turnkey service for all your programs.

Selenia Wins Peru ATC Bid SELENIA has won the international bid for the supply of the Lima (Peru) terminal area ai r traffic control system.

The Peruvian Ministry of Civil Aviation 's choice fell on Selenia after careful consideration of the bids submitted by some of the world 's leading ATC radar manufacturers.

The system to be supplied by Selenia compri ses a third generation p rimary and secondary dual-channel radar and the relative data display system.

The number of SELENIA Air Traffic Cont ro l Radars installed o r on order now stands at 119, for a total of 238 channels.

THOMSON -CSF DIVISION T-VT .. O,:.',

:-

37

Spotlight on a Corporation Member

The electronic beamsteering circular antenna (AIMS) measuring 12.5 feet indiameter, contains an a rray of 64 beam radiators around its perimeter .

Lockheed Electronics Company, Inc. Lock heed Electronics Company, Inc., is a subsid iary of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, one of the leading aerospace firms in the United States.

Headquartered in Plainfield, New Jersey, Lockheed Electronics Company, or LEC for short, was formed in 1959 by the merger of two existing organ izations - the Lockheed Electronics and Avionics Division (LEAD) of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, and Stavid Engineering, Inc., in Plainfield, N. J. LEAD had been establis hed as a first step toward building a separate, major electronics capability within Lockheed, whi le Stavid was a medium-sized firm with an excellent reputation as a developer of radar and other electronics systems, primarily for the U. S. Navy.

With the merger of these two organizations, the new company immediately had a strong capabi lity ranging f rom development and production of components to the design and manufacture of comp lex electron ic systems.

LEC is one of the most diversified of the 11 Lockheed Aircraft compan ies domiciled in the United States. LEC's divisions and thei r product lines are: Products and Systems Division - air traffic control systems, radars, weapons contro l systems, checkout and test equipment, ordnance co mponents, e nvironmental testing, instrument repair and calibration, and ene rgy management systems .

Systems and Services Division - computer programming and operations, space systems s imulation engineering, space systems and components test faci lities operation, ea rth resources data ana lys is, application , consulting and systems engineering, field se rvices, range instrumentation , maintenance and installation , prototype equipment and data reduction services.

Data Products Division - Lockheed System Ill bu sin ess comp uters, co mputer memo ry systems, and minicomputers - LEC 16 and SUE (System -Use r-E ngin eered).

Industrial Technology Division - instrumentation tape recorders, telephone directory assistance systems , petro leum dist ribution and tra nsaction systems.

38

In the area of air traffic control, LEC's Automated Radar Te rminal System (ARTS), installed at sites in Italy and the United States, represented the first significant application of a low cost, high reliability minicomputer for air traffic control technology.

Presently LEC is engaged as a principal subcontractor in the development of a $ 625 million airway system fo r Saudi Arabia.

In this project, Lo ckheed Electronics is responsible for bot h enroute and terminal air traffic control systems.

Within very recent months Lockheed Electronics has delivered to the U.S. Navy an advanced antenna wi th radically new features to improve airspace coverage and control of ai rcraft.

Called AIMS, the antenna is designed as part of a tactical identification system. A IMS is an electron ic beamsteering circular antenna. Measuring 12.5 feet in diameter, it contains an array of 64 beam rad iators around its perimeter. All or some of the rad iators can be ene rgized for omnid irectional or sectional scan. This system flexibility is due to a patented power distribution concept developed by Lockheed Electronics.

The immediate use of the AIMS antenna, whi ch can be ringmounted around the mast of a ship, is military in nature to control aircraft launched and recovered at sea and to id ent ify air contacts. It seems likely, however, that applications will be found for AIMS in civilian aviation and commercia l air traffic control.

In other current programs of an aerospace nature, LEC is receiving new assignments and growing responsibilit ies from t he National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) in connection with the upcoming Space Shuttle M ission. T he company is NASA's major on-site contractor at the J ohnson Space Center in Houston.

In addition, LEC produces instrument tape recorders which have been used most visib ly in the U. S. space probes . Lockheed recorders were on the Viking 1 and 2 Mission s to Mars last summer and co nti nue to relay back photog raphs of the Red Planet as well as virtually mill ions of pieces of other sc ient ifi c data. LEC recorders of the same type will be on the Jupiter-Saturn fly- by schedu led for launch later in 1977. â&#x20AC;˘

During IFATCA Conference '77, HORST GUDDAT, Managing Editor of The CONTROLLER and IFATCA Vice-President {Admin) from April 1968 to April 1975, visited the Nicosia Air Traffic Control Centre. He was disturbed by what he saw and heard, and her.e gives his impressions of that visit, und er the wry heading :

What's The Difference?

Looking at these two pictures you may feel incl ined to allo¡ cate th e two facilities to the same epoch. Howeve r there is quite some difference. The picture to the left depicts a mock-up of the A ir T raffic Contro l Centre at Newark, USA, way back in 1936 (now to be see n in the Aviation Museum of the Smithso nian Institute in Was hi ngton , USA), whereas the photo to the right was shot in Apri l in the still ope ratio nal Control Room of the Nicosia Air T raffic Control Cent re, Cyprus.

Standin g in front of an ordinary looking 5 storey bui lding somewhere in downtown Nicosia, you would think it to be a low standard apartment house prese ntly under some sort of long overdue overhaul and renovation . An Air T raffi c Control Centre and T elecommunications unit in there ? No! Impossible! How can peop le even get i n with all those bits and pi eces of bui lding material scatte red aro und ? A non-paved entran ce, some uneven stairs (well-known, perhaps, to mountain cli mbers or archeologists) , followed by an insecure, rough staircase. Construction work all ove r the p lace. I wonder who else of the foreign controll ers attending th e Nicos ia Conference took a chance to see the working conditions of our Cypriot coll eag ues? Those who did wi ll probab ly ag ree that outside such a build ing elsewhere you most like ly would find s igns like "Buil ding site - Off limits" or "Passage at own ri sk". Yet our Cypriot colleagues have to accept that risk. And some more.

After you have man aged to get into the Control Room and afte r you have listened to the explanations given by a controller on the layout of the faci lity and the area, you have to sit down and review what you have hea rd and seen. It is hard to believe.

An approximately 20 m1 control room housing a home-made control desk that prov ides th ree working positions. In fact the board was hand-made by three controllers in little over one week just after t he Turkish invas ion in July 1974 wh ich had caused the shut down of the Ni cosia ACC at N icosia Ai rport. At that t ime Ni cosia Airport was also c losed down and is now guarded by United Nations Fo rces. You will remember that during the invasio n, N icosia Cent re was bombed and partly destroyed and for so me days there w ere no Air T raffic Services provided in the Region.

What was meant to be a provisional and improvised so lution - until the anticipated return to the existing ACC - is now st ill in operat ion, although over two years have passed by.

This has been a great burden on the 14 centre controllers and about 20 assistants, and it is with admiration that you have to look upon those professio nals controlling ai r traffic unde r such

awkward circumstances, compensating system and facility deficiencies with high skill, professional experience, initiative and responsibility. Not only are the available facilities somewhat outdated and insufficient, the non-existen ce of radar and dire ction finding equ ipment makes positive contro l diffic ult and to ensure safety a lot of ai rspace is wasted because of the higher convent¡ ional sepa ration stand ards appl icable. The major problem. however, results from a decision by the Turkish Aviation Authority to establ ish a separate FIR within the Nicosia FIR. A Notam was published on 21 March 1977 announcing the establishment of the so-called " Ercan FIR" covering the Northern (Turkish-occupied) part of Cyprus and adjacent waters. Th is illegal act of changing t he boun daries of the Nicosia FIR, established by !CAO in 1958, raised protest from va rious bodies concerned with the safety of Civil Aviation, includ in g IFATCA and IFALPA Safety in the area was already impai red because of the tense situation since the T urkish invasion and the consequent cessation of any coordination between T urkish and Cypriot Air Traffic Control units. Aircraft coming from T urkey, however, came early enough to the Nicosia ACC freq uency to be assimilated into the system and, although uncoordinated and often un expected, could be safely separated fro m ot her crossing traffic prior to the main crossing points of ai r ro utes ove r and east of Cyprus. Look ing at the Navigation Chart you easily can judge the vital role Ni cosia ACC has to play in the Eastern Mediteranean Area controllin g all major ai r routes that are linking West and East Europe with the Middle and Far East as well as with Africa. Between 240 and 300 movements are reco rded a day, with hourly peaks up to 40, handled by 2 to 3 controllers working two sectors and two frequencies.

Safety At Stake However, since the establishment of "Ercan ACC" safety in the air is at stake in t he region and some controllers believe that it is only a matter of time - should the present practise be conti nued - before there is a fatal acc ident. Some dangerous situations have already been recorded , caused mainly by unreported IFR flig hts from t he North be ing transferred by Anka ra Control to the illegal unit of "Ercan" instead of Nicosia Centre. Th is can mean that some aircraft from the north actually pass the first Nicosia reporting point before checking in with Nicosia ACC. This makes them unknown traffic at possibly occupied levels. Nicosia ACC continues to apply !CAO rules and fo llows standard practises when. for instan ce. sending northbound flights to Ankara ACC

39

direct. Here, you have the same dangerous situation in reverse.

At times "Ercan " co mes in with comments like "Shut-up! " on the Nicosia frequency w hich they obviously monitor. Nicosia in turn monitors the " Ercan" frequency to avoid surprises, if possibl e.

However t here is no guarantee that un coordinated flights will not pop up thus creating a safety haza rd. I wond er what comments would be given by the Turkish Cypriots in the event of a mid-air collision? Who, in whichever Civil Aviation Administration would volunteer to accept the respon sibility for such a disaster? I will hazard a guess _ they would put most of the blame on the controller. the most vulnerable factor in the system. It s hould be the aim of any professional controllers association in conjunction with IFATCA to protect its m embers from arbitary acts and dangers that are like ly to arise from syst em deficiencies for which controllers cannot be made responsibl e.

During the 16th Annual Conference of IFATCA delegates fro m 37 countries have been made aware of the dangerous circumstances ex isting in the Nicos ia FIR. After discussion the following recommendations were passed by the Nicosia Con ference and put on record under Ree. 77 A. 43 and A. 44: " It is recommended that: A.43 1. JFATCA declares that the unauthorised operation of " Ercan ACC" within the boundaries of the Nicosia FIR is illegal and liable to create hazardous effects to air traffic in the Eastern Mediterranean.

2. IFATCA requests that ICAO takes all necessary steps to ensure the immediate cessation of all dangerous and Illegal acts within the Nicosia FIR. 3. IFATCA requests IATA and IFALPA to ignore completely

Dial A Map

the so-called "Ercan Centre" and apply normal ICAO procedures while operating in the Nicosia FIR. A.44 It is further recommended that copies of Recommendation No. A. 43 are circulated to all concerned authorities within the area."

What Now? What else can be done? Without the cooperation and common-sense of national authorities - very little. What can IFATCA do when even a strong international body like ICAO has been unable to do anything so far? IFATCA cannot enter the politi cal field to persuade the Turkish Authorities to w ithdraw "E rcan ACC".

There are plans to have a new centre, complete with radar, in the near future . (Hopefully, Larnaca Tower will also be equipped with radar during the same programme, thus easing the work of the 13 controllers there.) We all know how slow the mill s work at times. In the case of Ni cosia no time should be wasted if the worst fears of the controllers there are to be avoided.

Just before going to press we have received information from the Cypriot Civil Aviation Authorities th at new equipment has been ordered which hopefully w ill become o perational until Spring 1978.

As far as I am concerned, I would have preferred to present pictures depicting. for example, the London or Stockho lm Area Control Centre and a properly equipped modern Nicosia ACC. The answer to the question " What's the difference?" would then simply be: - " None."

•

by Aerostat

Two c rew members of a WESSEX 5 helicopter , a Li eutenant Commander and a Ch ief Airc rewman , were briefed to go on a VIP sortie. The detail was simple, th ey were to fly to a given map reference . land and te lephone a certain number to tell the Gene-

r~I they were picking up that they had arrived and were awaiting his . convenience. They flew through the summer afternoon with their thumbs where thumbs go, and their brains in neutral , u n1 t"J . t h ey arrived at the map reference. It turned out to be a m i litary barracks and the only place to land was the parade ground. Unfortunately, there was a parade in progress - never m ind th General's staff must have forgotten to tell them . Slowly d, e ' II own, t h ey get the buzz and make room . Faced with the unequal _ ·t· f · op pos1 ion o six tons of moving helicopter the parade broke · . . . · up in disarray. The a1rcrewman cli mbed o ut • indicated above th e no ·ise . that he wished to. telepho ne and w as Jed away. M eanwh 1"Ie, a . group o f quite senior, and c learly angry Officers gathered ar d the heli copter to whom the pilot waved every s o ofte n . Th eou~ a1rcrewman returned, c limbed in an d said to the p ilot, " I think we had better leave as soon as poss ib le. Sir I " " Why, what's wrong Chief?" ·

h " Yo u are n ot going to like this Sir" he replied "s t • · u we ave landed at th e telepho ne number, and I have jus t rung u th reference".

P e map - Even professionals have thei r problems - THE CONTROLL ER · . . . on grateful f or th e perm1ss1on of the Editor o f the Royal Navy flight s I 1 . " C k "! " t d · a e Y magazine oc pt o repro u ce this cautionary ta l e, with its cartoon by Tugg . _

A private light ai rc raft en-route: Pilot : We past Oscar at three-four levell ing four-zero Controller : Roger. What is your present heading?

Pilot : Roger, heading is good!

Controller : Check your heading please !

Pilot : Wo uld you say again ? . a gr o up o f quite sen i or. a n d c l early angry offi cers gathe re d around the hel icopt er to whom the pi l o1 w aved every so o ft en .

40

Controller: Wh at is the course you a re fol lowing ?

Pilot : Oh, we are on a business flight!

(HATCA)

17th ANNUAL CONFERENCE International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations Copenhagen, Denmark, 23-28 April 1978 I FAT CA

'7 8

K0BENHAVN General Information Loc ation: Hotel Scand inavia Official Language : Eng lish Registration Fee: Dkr. 250.Accompanying Perso ns: Dkr. 150.Lad ies Programme: A Ladies Programme giving general impressions of Copenhag en and surroundings wil l be arranged.

Secretar iat : I FA T CA '78 Organising Committee c/ o Dansk Flyv elederforening Maglebyi ille DK-2770 KASTRUP Denmark

Provisional Timetable Sunday 23 April 1978 1300- 2000 1900-2300

Registration Refreshments Meet the Delegates

Mo nday 24 Apr il 1978 0900- 1200 0900- 1100 1230-1400 1400-1800

Registration Opening Ce remony Lunch Working Sessions

The To wn Hall o f C openhagen was erected 1892- 1905. T he d etails of the bui lding are partl y of m edieval Danish architecture. partly of N. Itali an Renaissance. The Tower is 346 ft. high and the highest tower in Copenhagen Architect : M arti n Nyrop.

Tuesday 25 April 1978 0900-1200 1230- 1330 1400-1530 1540- 1830 1930

Working Sessions Lunch Working Sessions Technical Pane l Reception by the Ci ty of Copenhagen

Wednesday 26 April 1978 0900- 1200 1230- 1330 1400- 1800

Wo rking Sessio ns Lunch Working Sessions

Thursday 27 April 1978 0900- 1200 1230- 1330 1400- 1800 1900

Working Sessio ns Lunch Working Sessions Farewell Party

Friday 28 April 1978 0900- 1200

Fin al Plenary 41

INTERCOM - Letters to the Editor Dear Brian!

Just to prove that an ACC controller is as good as his word, I enclose a note on a recent experience.

It is a long way from a hot classroom at the Eurocont~ol lnsitute of Air Navigation Services to the wind-swept moun~ams of Northern Norway. However, two air traffic controllers having. ~et for the first time at the "lnstilux" in 1973, found themselv:s nd1~g the jump seat of a Scandinavian DC 9 around Easter-time th_is year. Joining the downwind leg of RWY 10 Tromso/Langne~ in sparkling arctic sunlight and a 20 KT wind d~wn the ce.nter-llne, the DC g had completed the flight from Oslo via Trondheim, Bodo and Bardufoss in super VMC all the way. Quite a sight fo.r on~ of the jump seat riders, a native of West-Germany, for the ftrs.t b~e in his life crossing the 60 degree latitude northbound, now finding himself closer to the 70 degree line. To his friend and colleague, a controller of Oslo ACC, Fornebu, the sight was more famil~ar, but none the less fascinating. 1300 km of uninterrupt~d su~shme on glittering snowy mountains is an uncommon experience .in the land of low stratus, frequent showers, turbulence and slippery runways. .. . . .

The excursion was a combined fam1hanzat1on-pleasure flight for the two who left their families behind in Oslo for the day. The two famili~s later joined for sight-seeing and night-spotting in Oslo, confirming a friendship brought about through a common . .

ATC background. we stress the value of human relationships very strongly m this country.

You see, Sir that my English is average, too, but I try to polish my English and I write and write. Dear Sir, I wait for your answer and your opinion about my English. If it will be good I would like to write about the history of ATC in Poland.

With best wishes to you, Yours sincerely, Christopher Guzenda Warsaw ACC Poland

* Dear Brian, On the occasion of your appointment to Editor of "THE CONTROLLER", the Board of Officers of the Hungarian Air Traffic Controllers' Association wishes you to have successful and prosperous work in editing of "THE CONTROLLER".

Hereby we send a copy of your journal, published three times a year, one of the aim of which is to give information to the Hungarian Controllers on new equipments, procedures, and on the works and also endeavours of the International Association.

We shall be pleased to assist you in your task to ensure the continued success of the IFATCA yournal.

Your sincerely, Laszl6 J6nap editor of "HATCA HIRAO" Budapest Hungary

Bjarne Nilssen Oslo ACC Norway

*

Editor: - Many thanks Laszl6 - how about translating some of the articles out of your excellent magazine? And some of the captions to the cartoons?!

Dear Sir, To article written by Mr. G. J. de Boer, titled: "One language, or More, in Air Traffic Control". .

Because in "The Controller" has not articles about the Polish Air Traffic Service and I would like to give my own opinion about view of point to that article. The matter of using languages - ~ne or more is open. But I want to introduce how it looks here, during the work of ACC Warsaw.

First of all I say at once that must be only one language Pilots ban Flights to Greece English. . . .

British Airways pilots were among many last week who refuWhy, in my country we speak with aircrafts in English, Russian sed to fly into Greek airspace after the International Federation and our. But sometimes, the pilots of Polish Airlines speak in of Air Line Pilots Associations had advised its members to susRussian and English - probably they exercise. And you have pend operations while "unqualified Greek military air traffic confor example 10 or 15 aircrafts on the line - you have to rememtrollers" continued to replace striking civil controllers. ber which speaks English, Russian and so on.

IFALPA says that it is worried about the competence of the But here is the main matter and it is on the time: - our level military controllers and is concerned that there might be a repeat of knowledge and using English Language during work. It is my of the 1973 mid-air collision, with miiltary men manning consoles opinion as the assistant of ACC in the Air Traffic and Airports vacated by striking French air traffic controllers. The Greek air Administration, I think it proper to learn more and more English. traffic controllers' strike is expected to last until Sunday may 22.

But after the course most of the assistants do not deep the knowFlight International ledge of English, and what is when they are controllers? One language - or know two or three but a little. I dare say only one and one but the best. What is a pity, that nobody remember of us Laker on Concorde (ICAO). The visiting of good lecturer of English - two times yearly will be very good for us.

Concorde is being operated wrongly, over populated land The books which say about English Aviation are old, we read masses rather than oceans, and it should be operated separately it, but it is 1962 year. If a man wants know more he has to learn from subsonic fleets. This was said by Mr. Freddie Laker, guest but he must has materials which help him. One language we must of honour at the North-western Lodge of the Guild of Air Traffic use. in my finishing that letter, I would like to say something. Is Control Officers in Manchester late last month. only one country in our block which made an order in 1966 - that He went on: "I was taught that we should give people a choice. all aircrafts which fly to Hungary have to use only one language This is why I have become unfriendly towards politicans. They - in what - in English Language. are a lot of villains who don't believe in democracy. The Ber-

The Press and ATC

42

muda Agreement was to be 'for the benefit of mankind ', but that was the last time they ever mentioned mankind. From that day to this they have been restricting fares, meals and routes. Nobody, but nobody, can afford a 40-day holiday, w hich is what these excursion fares mean. That is why we have invented Skytrain." " I am a Concorde enthusiast," he said. "We have all paid 97p for it, and it is the best 97p we have spent. It represents high tech nology and I don't care two hoots about Mr. Benn and his coal or North sea oil exports or even Scottish oil chiefs in tartan robes. The only way the United Kingdom is going to maintain its standard of living is by exporting highly valuable material at 1,000 pounds per pound. It is the only way."

"I don't agree with the way Concorde is being operated. You can't take five Concordes and put them in the same fleet as 190 su bsonic airliners. I thin k British Airways is the best airline in the world - second best anyway - but it should use the Concorde in a separate company and go out into the market and pinch the business from every other airline."

"I don't think we have been very clever about Concorde. We have got to go for Miami, Caracas and Rio. For reasons unknown we are not doing the obvious Concorde routes to get it environmentally acceptable. Instead of every ocean, flying over every so-called second-class citizen they can. But then I am nuts."

Laker Airways made 70 million pounds revenue last year and carried a million passengers and, claims Laker, the airline has more of its own capital in flight equipment than any other airline in the UK. He told the controllers that he would like to see closer liason between military and civil ATC, and better commun ications on the Atl antic. "But UK air traffic control is," he said. " the best in the world without any reserve or qualifications."

years in jail renews that attention. Announcing his intention to appeal, Grasimir Tasic's lawyer said the sentence would place an intolerable burden on all air traffic controllers .

But the 176 death toll in the crash for which Tasic was blamed emphasises that no deviation from the highest standards can be allowed in this profession.

Perhaps it is time that advertisements started to feature the skills of the controllers instead of the hostesses' charms; it would help if they felt what they do is appreciated.

The Cork Examiner (Ireland).

Publications Review

Flight International

Yuckspeak Library British Airways have been working for so me years with the Technical Directorate of the European Organisation for -the Safety of Air Navigation, Eurocontrol, on a method of o rganising, at the plann ing level, air traffic flow based on the minimisation of the state of potential conflict in a given sample of traffic. The basic principles of the method include predi ction of flight paths, definition of an instantaneous zone of protection around the aircraft and definition of a function characterising the probable state of conflict of the traffic sample ...

Alle Flugz:euge der kriegfiihrenden Machte Sonderausgabe -DM 19.80/Fr. 19.80

E

Die Weltkrieg II Flugzeuge (Aircraft of World War II) compiled by Kenneth Munson

Flight International

The Forgotten Controller The air traffic controller is the last man most plane passengers think about during the usual period of pre-flight nerves. Airl ines advertise the experience of their pilots, the charms of their hostesses; no one advertises the traffic controlle r.

Yet in modern flying conditions the controller's role is vital.

Around the busier airports, airlanes are so crowded that only com puters keep track of the planes' movements. And it is the controllers, not the p ilots, who have access to those computers.

Modern airliners fly so fast that by the t ime a pilot sig hts a plane on co llision course with his own, it is too late, even in the best visibility, to aviod a t ragedy.

To cope with bad visibility, airports are becom ing more and more automated. Pilots fly blind, depending on thei r instruments and the ski lls of the men in the control tower.

At a busy modern airport those men may have thousands, eve n tens of thousands, of lives depending on them. The j ob requires perfect accuracy, fast thinking and an ice cool head. It also, as medical research is beginning to show, places a fierce strain on the health of the men themselves.

The recent collision of two Jumbos in Teneriffe, killing 570 people, rivetted attention on the importan ce of the controller; and not before tim e. The sentencing of a Yugoslav co ntroller to seven

Published in German language by¡ Molorbuch Verlag, Postfach 1370, D-7000 Stuttgart 1. Special ed ition, 462 pages, 350 photos (some of them multicoloured) , solid cove r, OM 19.80. The English version is available at Ian Allan's, London.

In this nicely set up documentation Kenneth Munson has compiled what rightly may be considered a complete presentation of airplanes that were used by States involved in World War II . He has managed to find facts and obtained rar e photos from many national Air Force archives. museums and various other sources. Many of the action photos have not been published before. Described are all types of aircraft, whenever and for whatever they were used. You can find the rapidly outdated equipment of the early days, well-known and dependable aircraft that went into mass production , legendary airplanes made famous through their performance and special activities and the ai rcraft that gave the w orld its first steps into the jet age.

Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, USA and the USSR are listed with all their airp lane manufacturing companies. Many of them have not survived the post war years. Great names. famous productions. It would be unfair to mention examples, because most of them are worth mentioning as they are of eq ual importance. Anyway, you will find them in the book. all of them! listed in the alphabetical order. No matter which country they were serving .

All air craft series are described technically, their purpose and areas of acti vity depicted with service altitude and range. In most cases prod uction numbers are given .

In the in troduction there are brief comments on the Air Force Fleets of the States involved , their development. main tasks, specific probl ems and circumstances, and areas of activities. This comprehensive vol ume thus illustrates very reali stically the period from 1939 to 1945.

A r eg ister at the end provides a complete list of all aorplanes contai ned and described in this interesting book A useful c omplllation and documen¡ tation well worth having on your bookshelf toe

43

Ladies Programme. Cyprus. April 1977 A Report by Peggy Bradshaw

.,. â&#x20AC;˘

Organisers of the Ladies Programme, from l eft to right: Mr. Roula Sp. Herodotou. Mrs. Niki Chrysanthou, Mrs. Cleopatra Georgiadou, Mrs. Androulla Shouer. Mrs. Georgia loannou . Mrs. Katina Avgoustis.

Some 90 ladies from 30 countries persuaded their husbands that this year it was the " in" thing to go to Cyprus for the 16th An nual IFATCA Conference. And how lu cky they were!

Six Lad ies of the very small Cyp rus Assoc iation had comp iled a most interesting programme for us to enjoy whilst husbands debated the problems of the Aviati o n wo rld.

On Monday 21st. April, after attending the opening Plenary and lunch with the men , we were escorted o n a visi t to Nicosia Museum, here we saw many beautiful treasures of Cyprus dating back to 5000 B. C.; the afternoon ended with tea and cakes in the nearby "Garden cafe".

9.0.am . Tuesday morning found us all eage r for a trip to Lar-

naca, sponso red by Cyprus Ai rways. On the way to Larnaca we were given a comp re hensive description of the history and places of interest in Cyprus, all in English, French and German - just one example of the minute attention to detai l that had gone into the programme. We visited the "Tekke of Umm Haram" , one of the most famous places of pilgrimage for Moslems, and within the precincts of this Tekke is the tomb of Umm Haram , said to be the Aunt of Mohammed. The present tomb was bu il t in 1760 and the Mosque built in 1816. On next to Kiti Beach, here some of us took advantage of the sun and sea to do a little swimming and sunbathing and the rest were content to sit in the shade and imbibe the local brew unt il lunch.

Replete with food and drink we were taken to see a private Antique collection; this wo nderful collection belongs to the Pieriadies Family and has been collected over five generations. The last surviving member of the family is now an old lady and it is understood that this collection will be given to the Government of Cyprus on her death. After a short t ime for the inev itable shop g azing we set off back to Nicosia, the fact that the bus b roke down in a most unstrategic spot did not mar our enjoyment of a wonderful day.

Wednesday morning was left free to allow us to catch-up on lost sleep or hair-dos etc. At 12 noon a v is it to the Folk Museum was a rranged, followed by lunch at the Corner Restaurant which was much appreciated having negotiated the flooded streets of Nicosia after a sudd en storm. In the afternoon we were entertained in the Hilton Hotel to tea and cakes, and a beautiful display of Cyprus Dancing given by the Larnaca Municipality Dan cing Group. At the end of the dancing CYATCA presented each lady with a pair of dolls dressed in National costume - another of those lovely gestures.

Th ursday was rese rved for shopping and there were some beautiful things to buy in Cyprus, many a husband was due for a shock when th e bags were unpacked back home !

Apart f rom arranging the outings, t he lad ies of CYATCA also arranged for a display of Cyprus Lace and Hand icrafts in the foyer of the Conference Hall ; the Ladies were always on hand to give help and information and somehow managed to keep sm iling all the time.

Here it must be po inted out that the above mentioned six Ladies are all wives of Cypriot Controllers (we all know what that means ! !), they had homes and families to care for, and yet proved that not only was hospitality born in Cyprus b ut that it still florishes and will continue to do so. To Androulla, Katina, Niki, Georgia, Cleopatra and Roula, we say thank you most sin cerely; we shall never forget you or our visit to Cyprus. â&#x20AC;˘

:;: * *

Announcement

A performance of nat ional dances f or the Ladies att ending the Progr11mm e d u ring an A ft e rn oon T ea in the Cyprus Hilton

44

Ladies

By the end of this year the first booklet ever published with cartoons on Air Traffic Control topics w ill be available. " SQUA RE ONE" by - guess who - our well-known cartoonist Helmut Elsner, former controller, now working with Lufthansa, German Airlines, will contain about 70 humorous aspects of our profession. Priced at about DM 10,- SQUARE ONE will be available at Kramer & Co, Frankfurt/M, Federal Republic of Germany.

A must for every controller!

IMPRESSIONS OF CYPRUS TO REMEMBER

The legendary Birthplace of Aphrodite

Roman theatre at Curium

â&#x20AC;¢

I

I

r

" Lefkaritika", the famous lace of Cyprus, made in the village of Lefkara.

A performance of National Dances

Tombs of the Kings near Paphos

Temple of Apollo near Kourion

Kol lossi Castle near Llmassol

45

Larnaca

/T•IA•;• 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 fast comfortable jet liners.

Cyprus Airways THE AIRLINE OF CYPRUS

46

POST CONFERENCE RESORTS IFATCA Officers and Delegates spent a most enjoyable holiday after the Conference in the below Hotels (15 °/o to 20 °/o rebate are granted to IFATCA Members!).

Amathus Beach Hotel, Llmassol 208 air-conditioned elegant rooms and suites with private bathroom, tele· phone, radio and bal cony. About 4 m iles from llmassol, free transport to the city by hotel bus. 200 m eters of private sandy beach. Beach Bar, Swimming Pool, Pool Bar, Night Club, Beauty Salon, Sauna. Massage. Floodlit Tennis Courts, Minigolf, Volley Ball Gro und, plus all water sport facil ities.

Apollonla Beach Hotel, Llmassol 154 rooms and suites fully air-conditioned and beautifully furnished. Tele· phone, private bathroom and bal cony. A l uxury hotel of highest calibre, two miles from the centre of llmassol. Tenn is Courts. heated Swimming Pool, Boutiques, Discotheques, Beauty Salon, Minigolf, and many other facilities.

Excur sions to the near-by antique places and Troodos Mountains.

Nlssi Beach Hotel, Ayla Napa All 104 air-conditioned rooms fa ce the sea and have private bathroom and balcony. 48 bungalows provide accomodation for up to 4 people. Beautifu lly located beach resort for a quiet holiday. Ideal for fami lies. honeymooners and veterans. Sloping beaches for safe bathing. Every form of water sport can be enjoyed. Tennis Court, Minigolf, Volley Ball, bicycles for hire.

Indoor s & Open air discos, Cocktail Bar. Typical Village Tavern. Beauty Salon, Souvenir Shop, etc.

Paphos Beach Hotel, Paphos 90 room s and 20 bungal ows. all air-conditioned, comfortabl e and elegant.

A luxurious hotel, built on the beach amidst extensive gardens. Overlooking the pi cturesque o ld harbour and castle. All watersports, floodlit Tennis Courts. heated Swimming Pool. Poolside Bar, Piano Bar, Folklore Evenings.

Boutiques . Beauty Salon, etc . Excursi ons to historic and beautiful places around Paphos (Tombs of the Kings, House of Mosaics. Aphrodite's Birthplace. etc.)

47

Tail Piece Safety in Aviation In the wake of airline accidents at Tenerife and Atlanta, "U.S. News & World Report" ran an article on aviation safety that compared the safety records of various forms of transportation based on the 1975 death rates per billion passenger miles. The numbers cast a very unfavorable light on personal and corporate aircraft. our record was shown to be 11 times worse than that of passenger automobiles and 177 times worse than the scheduled air carriers' figure.

The comparison with air-carrier flying is not really meaningful because while all airline flying is conducted for transportation, a lot of general aviation flying and even more general aviation accidents involve nontransportation flights.

When only travel flights are considered, general aviation comes out much better. It is difficult to derive precise per-mile numbers because of the variety of aircraft types and speeds, but corporate flying (that flown by professional pilots) had a per hour fatal-accident rate eight times higher than the air carriers' in 1976.

For business flying (that flown by businessperson pilots), the hourly rate was about 20 times higher than the air carriers'. Convert those to per-mile figures and the airlines look even better because they go faster. However it is sliced, our record is not good, but it sure isn't 177 times worse than the airlines'.

There are some valid reasons for our poor showing. General aviation operations are diverse: they're flown over a wide variety of routes to an even larger assortment of airports.

Pilots range from SO-hour beginners to fully rated pros with five-figure logbooks. Air-carrier operations are much more uniform and predictable. And at the risk of raising ire both abroad and with military services everywhere, I'll say that U.S. air-carrier crews conduct the most professional operations in the history of aviation.

In any form of transp.or:tation, some accidents are inevitable; the air carriers' high level of proficiency and safety awareness has pared theirs down almost to just freak accidents - exceptions to any rule. Southern's losing both engines in a storm was certainly a new one, and the collision of two 747s on a runway in the canary Islands was as long a shot as you could imagine. Looking at our side of the ledger clearly illustrates why their record is so much better: most general aviation accidents fit a predictable and fatal pattern that is bred by indifference to discipline.

Consider two common types of general aviation mishaps.

Pilots frequently fly airplanes into the ground while attempting to complete instrument approaches despite below-minimum weather.

To what can you charge this other than a lack of discipline? The book says you are not to leave the minimum descent altitude (or decision height) until the runway or its lights are clearly visible and a normal landing can be made. That rule almost has to have been broken when someone flies an airplane into the ground on an instrument approach. It's that simple.

Pilots without instrument ratings who continue into adverse weather conditions account for a tragic number of accidents each year. This reflects only a lack of discipline. There is no mystery to weather. It doesn't sneak up on anyone. When it is below VFR, it is below VFR. In a "continued VFR" accident, a pilot has knowingly cast caution to the winds.

It is often said that general aviation has matured to become an important part of the national transportation system. Very true, except that we have not yet really addressed the safety question.

It is almost entirely a pilot problem, one that won't go away until we start taking flying as seriously as do airline crews. This requires much effort, proficiency and education, no chance-taking, no rule-breaking, no hot pilots, no show-offs and no flying with rosecolored glasses.

Richard L. Collins in FLYING

New York Blackout Closes JFK and La Guardia Ever since the great North-east US electricity blackout in 1965, both Kennedy and La Guardia airports at New York have had emergency generators capable of supplying control towers, runway lighting and navaids, and the essential services of the passenger terminals. Yet both airports closed down during the recent New York power failure on July 13.

Officials felt that it was "not in the interests of the passengers or the city'' to bring people into New York while parts of the city were in riotous state. Newark, across in New Jersey, was in any case available. Around La Guardia, many important obstruction lights powered by the New York grid were not lit, causing possible danger to approaching aircraft. Finally, the director of aviation of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority was concerned about the difficulty of directing ambulance and fire services to the scene of a possible accident.

La Guardia had anyway been scheduled to close between midnight and 7 a.m. on July 14. Its closure at 9.30 p.m. on July 13 therefore only added a further 21 /2hr to the shutdown period.

FLIGHT International

CLEARANCE LIMIT 1978: 17th IFATCA CONFERENCE Copenhagen, Denmark 23 - 28 April 1978, Hotel Scandinavia

48

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