IFATCA The Controller - 3rd quarter 2004

journal of Air Traffic Control

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Contents

thecontroller In this issue United Kingdom, September 2004 Volume 43 No 3 IFATCA. International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations.

E X E C U T I V E B O A R D O F I F AT C A

Foreword

Reporting and Monitoring of ATS Deficiencies David Cheung - EVP Asia Pacific

Marc Baumgartner President and Chief Executive Officer

Llnate collision

Or Gabrieia Logatto

Linate collision consequences

Deputy President

Philippe Domogala - European Editor

Juan Perez Mafia Executive Vice President Americas

Oberlingen Monument

Albert Taylor

Uberlingen the Memorial

Executive Vice-President Africa/

Philippe Domogala - European Editor

David K W Cheung

Executive Vice-President Asia/Pacific Nicolas Y Lyrakides

Peter N

Two Neighbours Isa Alkalay

Executive Vice-President Europe

Article from Skymag

Dale Wright

Air traffic control in Europe after the Uberlingen accident

Executive Vice-President Finance

Alan Rossier- CEO Doug Churchill Executive Vice-President Professional Andrew Beadle

Executive Vice-President Technical Jack van Delft

Executive Board Secretary/Conference Manager

Article from Skyway

Eurocontrol leads a European ATM safety enhancement initiative Peter Stastny - Head of the Eurocontrol Safety Regulation Unit Erik Merckx - Head of the Safety Enhancement Business Division David Marten - SSAP Coordinator, Eurocontrol

Uboriingon Accident R"[)nil 25 Springfield Lea, South Queensferry. West Lothian. Scotland,

Uberlingen Accident Report

Marc Baumgartner - President and CEO

EH30 9XD,

United Kingdom.

Tel & Fax +AA (0)1313191975 email; ed@ifatca.org

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Protect Source & Flight Safety Foundation notice

Protecting Sources of Aviation Safety Data China

A trip of a lifetime - Personnal recollections of China Chris Stock - Editor

Philippe Domogala.

Metelstraat5,NL6176 EZ Spaubeek,

The New Beijing ACC

The Netherlands.

Tel +31 (0)46 4433564 Fax +31 (0)43 3661541

History of Australia ATC (Part 1)

The History of Air Traffic Control in Australia (Part 1) Roger Meyer and Phi! Vabre

ADVERTISING SALES OFFICE McMillan-Scon

S|)otli(jht

10 Savoy Street

Spotlight on Corporate Members

London WC2E 7HR

Kevin Salter - Contributing Editor, Corporate Business

Tel:+44 (0)20 7878 2316 Fax:+44 (0)20 7379 7118

email: davidrfSrncmslondon.co.uk www.mcmillanscotl.com

New Shannon ACC

Inauguration of Shannon Air Traffic Management System Karen Thomas and Joelle Leberton

DESIGN & PRINTING

Welcome to Melbourne

McMilian-Scoit

Scott Shallies - Chairman, Organising Committee, IFATCA 2005

10 Savoy Street London WC2E 7HR

European Foothai! ToLirnriment

European Controllers (football) cup 2005 Advertisers in this issue; CollectAir Limited Edition

Philippe Domogala - European Editor

Photographs: Php il pe Domogaa l , Chrsi Stock, Phli

Charlie's column

Vabre, THALES, Serco

Agenda Copy Editors

Maureen Clayson, ianet Hall, Lucy Leveson

Issues Appi-.if of M.irrh. June, ScpH'mbM, Dfti'tnb"f Conmbiior, Aif [xpn-SMfUj Ihon Ppr .onil Prjmls ol Vkv Cotncidr-V/ilh fhovof fhe IntcfM.ilioiMl ft dfr.itioii ol Air (r.iffn f onlmllf ts" As'.Od.Hion-,. IIAfrA IfAIf A Do'Not Assui

Welldone Leo McDermott for winning last issues competii

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Opinions I cpff ssr-d, il Accpls R'-spotr.ibilify For PublishiiKj fh'-Sf (oninhulions Contnliulions Am Wuhoni" c. Aif f ommc' for Manuscftpis SuhmuM for Publifation in fhf Conifoiier Ihu Fdiior R' Sfivp-. fh«' Hiqln lo M.iV'- Any [liiofi.il (li.ni

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VISIT THE IFATCA WEB SITE: \AAWw.ifatca.orcj

Foreword

Reporting and Monitoring of ATS

Deficiencies

David Cheung, EVP Asia Pacific

THE

CONTROLLER

Foreword The ICAO Manual on Safety Management for Air

been updated; or

Traffic Services contains, inter alia, guidelines on

risk and hazard measurements, performance monitoring, safety assessment, auditing and training. A Safety Management System, when properly implemented, requires that systems are in place to ensure that all hazards and deficiencies are reported in a timely manner and corrective actions taken.

play its part on the international scene and have c) that the said deficiencies no longer exist.

ICAO Council) as:

"A situation where a facility, service or procedure does not comply with a regional air navigation plan approved by the

our Membership report and assess appropriate

deficiencies and provide ICAO with them. It It was manifestly clear that a reliable reporting

should also be noted that IFATCA has been

and monitoring mechanism is required to

approached on two fronts to commit

e n s u r e a t r u e r e fl e c t i o n o f t h o s e d e fi c i e n c i e s

representatives to safety related causes; the "Deficiency List" initiative and the lATA "ATC Safety" initiative. Following the ICAO ANC last year, IFATCA and lATA met to discuss ways in

that had been identified and resolved, in addition to encouraging States to take actions

to eliminate them. In this regard, international An Air Navigation Deficiency is defined (by the

the running at these meetings. IFATCA should

organizations (i.e. IFATCA, IFALPA and lATA) as users of air navigation facilities are requested

by ICAO to provide assistance in the independent identification of deficiencies and verification of remedial actions taken by States.

which efficient communication between lATA,

IFATCA, (and also IFALPA) could be established with respect to Safety issues, and to integrate

our work into the 'overall' safety issue.

Council, or with related ICAO Standards and Recommended Procedures, and which

For various reasons, serious deficiencies which

In this regard, IFATCA is considering the

indicated an underlying system or procedural

situation has a negative impact on the

shortcomings, cannot be resolved quickly even

safety, regularity and/or efficiency of

if the will to do so is present in some cases. As

international civil aviation."

a result of cultural sensitivities, the "name and

possible creation of a "Safety Contact Person" for the purpose of collating and disseminating information (by way of a "Deficiency List") it becomes aware of, regarding air navigation

shame" policy that has been successfully used in one region cannot be applied in other regions without creating adverse consequences and

safety-related deficiencies. We must also develop a methodology for the identification, assessment and reporting of air navigation

political ill-will in the resolution of deficiencies.

deficiencies.

The establishment and maintenance of a strict

safety culture is crucial. It must remain the priority of all of us involved in aviation. On the ICAO regional level there exist several groups/boards whose purpose is to expedite the work required to deal with deficiencies. They

Flowever, as civil aviation authorities appears to

have become gradually more open over the

include: the Caribbean/ South American

years, receptive, as well as being aware of the seriousness of air navigation deficiencies, the

Regional Planning and Implementation Group

reporting of ATS deficiencies will enhance safety

(GREPECAS), and The Asia/ Pacific Air

in the aviation sector at large.

Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group (APANPIRG) Deficiency Review Ta s k F o r c e ( o n w h i c h I FAT C A h a s a

representative). The Africa-Indian Ocean

Planning and Implementation Regional Group (APIRG) and the Middle East Air Navigation

Planning and Implementation Regional Group (MIDANPIRG) are planning to establish similar

IFALPA has for some years compiled a list of deficiencies (including the notorious and feared 'black star' labelling). The deficiencies reported are mainly those of an operational nature observed by pilots when flying into a particular aerodrome. These are essentially operational

bodies and a similar approach is being pursued

requirements that in some instances, are not related to either the ICAO Standards and

in other regions.

Recommended Practices (SARPs) or the

Regional air navigation deficiencies are now (or

requirements of the regional Air Navigation Plan. One avenue they use to deal with

should be) reported, by a Working Paper, to each annual ICAO Planning and Implementation

Regional Group (PIRG) meeting. The list of deficiencies is currently collated from information supplied by the States and IFALPA,

and is added to, or subtracted from, during the

problems at the operational level is the Airport Liaison Representative (ALR) programme.

Similarly, local airport groupings such as the Airport Operators Committee (AOC) have been established in some places to provide a forum for the management of identified deficiencies.

PIRG, generally via States' advice.The problem is

a significant number of deficiencies reported

lATA also produces a deficiency lists. Should

are in fact a repetition of previous reports

IFATCA compile similar lists? If so, who should

which the State concerned considered as having

manage it and what categories of deficiencies

been satisfactorily resolved. This confusion may

shouldl we report to ICAO?

be due to a number of reasons such as: Conferral of ICAO Observer status on IFATCA

a) States had not been truthfully reporting the actions taken; or

b) deficiencies reported by the pilots had not

also obligates the Federation to contribute to safety monitoring and reporting activities, especially as we are on many international committees and task forces, and make a lot of

A commitment to actively participate will no doubt require the allocation (re-allocation) of our limited human and financial resources.

Therefore, all implications for the Federation must be thoroughly explored, prior to any decision being taken. The matter was formally presented to IFATCA Delegates at Conference 2004 with the aim of generating support from the Federation to proceed with a 'Deficiency List' action plan.

An important part of our aims and goals is the collection and distribution of information on

industry problems (ie: deficiencies), and to assist in the development of procedures and facilities necessary and useful for the safety of international aviati7on. The Federation, as a prominent presence in the aviation community,

by way of its position as full Observer to ICAO, and in respect of our well-documented objectives, which are:

a) the promotion of safety, efficiency and regularity in International Air Navigation; and b) to assist and advise in the development of safe and orderly systems of air traffic control.

In order to achieve our stated objectives, the Federation may need to make mutual benefit affiliations with, and work together with other international organizations, institutions or persons concerned with air navigation.

5

Linate collision

LINATE COLLISION

CONSEQUENCES An Opinion By Philippe Domogala - European Editor..

(Opinion means that this is not necessarily the views of IFATCA but that of the author himself) You have all seen the IFATCA press release on

doing your job. If you don't we will punish you

the consequences of the trial that followed the Milan Linate collision. Long prison sentences for

heavily.

a fellow controller and other airports officials.

How this is going to encourage controllers to

The message sent is clear: find scapegoats and

report their mistakes and other shortcomings is a mystery to me. But without anyone reporting, then the system can never improve and then we will have to wait for accidents and people losing their lives in order to learn something. How

punish them. And apparently those judges believe that this is going to improve Safety in the future!

The message the Italian Judiciary system sends to the Air Traffic controller is in fact very simple: follow the rules and keep a low profile when

terribly wrong . . . Ironically, one of the main conclusions of the Eurocontrol-led AGAS group made in the aftermath of Linate and

Ueberlingen, asked for the immediate implementation of a non-punitive incident reporting system. The final legal chapter of Linate is in fact killing that very recommendation.

At the time of writing this article, we are in the middle of the media circus concerning the abuse of prisoners by the US military in Iraq.

With great interest, I watched on television the

questioning of the US secretary of Sate for Defense, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld, by the US

THE CONTROLLER

Linate collision

Senators and Congressmen. First, this is a lesson

of democracy for all of us; where else in the world could you expect to see your leaders

In ATC, all our publications are putting Safety first. When asked publicly, everyone in ATC,

similar to what happened in Linate.

Someone once said that "outside boundaries,

questioned in such a way, live on public

managers and controllers alike are declaring that Safety is indeed paramount in everything

there are no limits" meaning that once you

television for the whole world to see on CNN?

we do. So the general public and the judges that

operate outside the rules, you define your own

represent them tend to believe us. Yet in real life

things are different.

limits, and maybe you push those limits away with time, without perhaps realizing it.

There are such things as chronic staff shortages,

1 have no easy quick solution to offer you, as our

equipment not installed, manuals not updated in time, long periods of system maintenance,

job is one of those that cannot be exercised

repairs not done, repairs done but not declared 100% operational, procedures on "trial "for several years, people finding themselves alone on busy positions (just remember Zagreb,

decide to apply those rules to the letter, airlines

Ueberlingen,) all these things we unfortunately

boundaries are, review them constantly and try to avoid the day that someone will say "we had

What has this to do with Linate and ATC you might ask?

Well, Mr. Rumsfeld, and the four or five top Pentagon Generals sitting beside him during those hearings, all said that what happened in Iraq was due to a lack of discipline by a few individuals (six or seven at most). None of the

top brass knew anything about it, and, that those six or seven knew what they were doing was wrong therefore they will be court martialed, punished heavily, and basically that

see or have seen regularly in our operations

The parallel with Linate is that things were going on for a very long time, and were definitively known to a lot of people but did not reach the top decision level people, or if it did reach them, those people at the top will most probably flatly deny it, leaving the bottom people, and possibly their immediate superiors, fully exposed to the law.

Looking for scapegoats and punish them seems to be the best line of defence everywhere.

this is also punishable by law. What I can offer you is the advice to know where the acceptable

done in one thing, remaining out of the courts is

We all expect our direct bosses to know and

moment more.

call this an industrial action, and in some States

no idea this was going on." Getting the job

rooms.

will be the end of it.

By the time you read this, surely there will be more to that story, but bear with me one

inside a fixed set of rules. When some of us

another.

expect that our bosses' bosses are also aware.

Often, because we want to provide a service and sometimes perhaps we also want please our bosses, we accept those shortcomings,

Finding a way to report our errors in a non-

expecting them to be temporary, but with time, you finish by accepting them, not realizing that you lower the standards dangerously.

shaken and at risk.

Then the unthinkable occurs and you find yourself on the stand, everyone else denying

is probably another area that will not be helped by the media interest and hyperbole

they knew the real situation. Linate, Iraq, you

surrounding the Linate trial.

see the parallel now. Do not get me wrong, I do not excuse or accept what happened in those

These are some of the first consequences from

Iraq prisons. This is disgusting, but the process those scapegoats are finding themselves in is

TMrrOMTROI I

punitive environment, a system praised and mandated in the AGAS report, is now seriously

Motivating young persons to join the profession, or existing controllers to remain in it

Linate...

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Uberlingen Monument Behind the monument, the view on

the city, the lake and the alps. One of the metal spheres can be seen

^ on the foreground.

UBERLINGEN The Memoria Philippe Domogaia - European Editor Coming back from Friedrichshafen last June, I drove along Lake Constance and found myself

On the back of the Monument are two sheets of

dull steel, listing the names of the victims; one

Does this visit close the loop? No. It just reinforces the belief that we are doing a very

passing through the small town of Oberlingen. I

in Russian, the other in German - 71 names, 49

dangerous job.

decided to stop and pay my respects to the victims of that tragedy and lay a flower on the memorial, built by the Russian families.

children. The names of the 2 DHL pilots are also there, although their aircraft crashed

It was a beautiful summer's day, the landscape was peaceful, well maintained, hardly any houses around. The Monument is located exactly where the main fuselage of the TU154 fell. It stands at the entrance to a large wood, with a beautiful view of the lake, the still snowy Alps

in the background, and the town of Uberlingen on the shore, in the foreground.

some 15 Kms away. Attached to the

branches of the trees, are pieces of paper with poems and prayers in Russian on them, and there are some just lying on the ground, with a stone on top to prevent them from flying away.

A number of large metal spheres lie around the place. It is not clear if these

are part of the Monument or if they were there before, as close to the site, is a car

What is surprising, is the fact that the Monument already looks slightly neglected.

High grass and weeds have grown all over it.

The wooden cross is very simple and a very large, plastic, rose-coloured heart is already fading under the sun.

park and a rest area, which obviously has existed for a longer time.

The place is visited quite often, although it is not very easy to find, as it is not sign

see dozens of children's toys, half buried in the

posted. The tourist Information Bureau in Uberlingen was helpful. There were many cars, as manypeople had come to pay their respects. I walked around the place a

earth. This is difficult to look at.

few times, feeling very uneasy.

When you looks at the foot of the cross, you can

The monument itself with the cross bearing the date 1.7.2002.

THE CONTROLLER

Peter N

Two Neighbours Isa Alkalay

A boy is a boy - he dreams of aviation. Fast jets, pilots in their fancy uniforms surrounded with stewardesses, is the image of the world that every young boy not only from Yugoslavia, and not only in the year 1976 - dreams of joining.

A boy was raised in a family where humanity, human life, and human values were the paramount values. A boy was 17 years old when it happens for the first time in Europe.

Suddenly, a shadow man, a quiet man, his neighbour, is drawn into the lime light, showered with public shame, accused of killing 176 people out of negligence, and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

Two airliners collided in Yugoslavian skies killing everyone on board. His neighbour was an Air Traffic Controller.

A boy wanted to make this world a better place, he wanted such a thing never to happen again.

Children. Families. Tragedy. Terrible, horrible. The

Four years later he was a licensed Air Traffic

Controller. He is living his dream. Every shift completed fills his heart with pride. He is doing the right thing, he is guiding huge, wingequipped, metal-built beasts filled with

The public demands responsibility be established. Who is guilty, who is to be blamed? The media are doing their job - some of them good, responsible; some of them bad - very

travellers, through the narrow skies of Europe,

bad.

the Middle East, and Europe again.

The same bridge-builders are painted as

Somewhere in Denmark, another boy grows up, and joins the brotherhood of Aviation, living his one dream.

dearest in the crash. What is this good for?

worst possible.

careless, negligent, spoiled clerks. People spending their lives inextricably linked to the well-being of their fellow humans are crucified,

A boy from Belgrade is afraid. A boy knows. A boy has seen it once already. A boy, and all the other colleagues from skyguide, want to help to share the pain with the families of the killed, to comfort them, and at the same time to keep

our guy with us, among us. To share with him his struggle through the nightmare becoming real life. The life of his wife and kids. A boy from Denmark grew up.

Peter N.

without a court, without serious attempt to

understand the complexity of Aviation today.

Tens of thousands of caring people around the world, whose belonging to the profession of Air Traffic Controller is measured by nightmares full

Gentle, nice, a friend, a tender, devoted family

in the profession; it wasn't the appreciation of others. It is just the right thing to do. Every shift is one more brick in the bridge taking travellers across the crowded skies, every colleague is a

of planes, are accused and sentenced.

What are we supposed to do now? What more

fellow mason.

Did anyone spare a thought for what kind of

Twenty six years later, again. Two airliners. Skies.

echo such public lynching might produce in the emptied hearts of the people who lost their

They find themselves among them - the Air

Traffic Controllers. It wasn't the money - there was none at that time in the profession; it wasn't the status - there was none at that time

THE CONTROLLER

man - a quiet neighbour - an Air Traffic Controller.

could we do? Should we give up building Did anything change in 26 years?

bridges? Peter N wouldn't let us. He wouldn't allow us. He was ready to continue.

His bricks will be missing, but bridges will be carrying his name - Peter Nielsen.

9

Article from Skymag

Air traffic control in Europe after the Uberlingen accident Alan Rossier - CEO

On 1 July 2002, a nightmare came true for skyguide. In the airspace controlled by it over southern Germany, a Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev TU-154M passenger plane

skyguide takes on board the responsibility established in the report.

collided at 11,000 metres with a Boeing 757-200 cargo

Taking responsibility means committing oneself

plane belonging to express courier DHL. The accident cost the lives of 71 people. On 19 May 2004, the German Air Accident Investigation Bureau (BFU) in Braunschweig, Germany, published its final report on the Uberlingen crash. Time for skyguide to take stock and look into the future.

Taking responsibility to ensuring that such a disaster can never

happen again. For skyguide, this means meticulously respecting all the BFU's safety recommendations and where this has not

already been done, implementing them as swiftly as possible. But taking responsibility also means serving as an example to the providers, who have joined forces as an international air traffic control federation, and showing where the air traffic system offers scope for improvements to be made. In view of the fact

Accident and causes

Safety management extended

The BFU's final report, which Is published on the internet',described the accident process in detail. It points to causes and frames recommendations to be implemented to

Skyguide has been extending its safety management since 2001. Immediately after the

Improve safety. The report shows that weak spots In Swiss air traffic control bore some

responsibility for this accident. Skyguide is devastated that its safety system, with which it controls the extremely complex air traffic on the heart of Europe every day, failed on the night of the accident. Even before the accident, skyguide had extensively expanded Its safety system.

Today It meets all national and international standards.

accident, it set up a Task Force and introduced a

string of measures to enhance the safe handling of air traffic in the airspace controlled by it. The implementation of the recommendations from its own and external safety experts has been

Drawing a clear position

regarding facts and causes, and a stop put to the speculation. Skyguide could take up a clear position regarding the events of the accident, its

role and the safety recommendations coming

examined, skyguide can now face the future in

the certain knowledge that It has taken the measures necessary for the development of safer aviation.

Safety and error reporting culture

occupying skyguide intensively since the accident almost two years ago. The BFU's safety recommendations, too, have been implemented or are in the course of implementation. The measures taken by skyguide included opening

clearly reinforced

up the Area Control Centre in Zurich to the team of experts from Germany and Austria for

to the company's own safety management.

since the accident. The implementation of the ICAO (SARPs) and Eurocontrol requirements (ESARRs) is well advanced now. Skyguide has taken additional measures to improve the error

Skyguide also subjected the STCA (Short-Term

reporting culture at all levels In the company,

Conflict Alert) system, which warns if safety minima are being breached, to a close analysis and remedied any shortcomings detected.

because it is only where weak spots are

examination, and making major reinforcements

With the long-awaited publication of the final report, clarity could finally be established

that air navigation services in Switzerland, in fact the whole system of civil aviation in Switzerland, have been comprehensively

Plea for forgiveness

Since 2001, skyguide has invested increasingly in extending the safety and error reporting

culture. This work has been stepped up further

consistently highlighted and investigated that safety can be increased every day. The measures taken by skyguide include an Individual Responsibility and Ethical Awareness Program

(IREAP) which Is conducted companywide and

out of the report, together with their implementation. It has expressed its regret and asked for forgiveness. At its media conference,

Skyguide once again extends its sincere condolences and deep sympathy to the

Is designed to further sharpen human behavioural patterns such as taking

skyguide reported on the progress in safety

bereaved. Skyguide CEO Alain Rossier asks the families for forgiveness and assures them that

responsibility for one's own actions, selfcriticism

management.'

10

and safety awareness. With its Safety

THE CONTROLLER

Article from Skymag training and for the award of the air traffic

controller's licence which is renewed annually.

The team work is further optimised thanks to theTRM (Team Resource Management) module.

A further measure is the BLiP (Briefing &

Learning i-net Platform) project, which allows computer-assisted briefing of air traffic controllers.

The courage to embrace transparency The experience of this accident was traumatic

for everyone at skyguide and in the international air traffic control community, dealing with it has cost a lot of energy and the process is not yet complete. Because safety is

not a state that remains indefinitely ensured once it has been achieved. Safety is the objective of our daily work. Transparency, the courage to admit to mistakes and understand them, to make and take criticism, are therefore

. Sky^uide feels ready to rise to the challenges

necessary conditions if we are never to rest upon the laurels of what is assumed to be a high safety record. That is why we at skyguide are striving, on the strength of our experience, to achieve an open communication field which

allow blame-free reporting of operational

provides the foundations for safety to be constantly guaranteed. Skyguide feels ready today to rise to the challenges of European air

incidents. However, here in Switzerland, as in

traffic control with its increasingly important cooperation.

for the improvement of safety in the technical or

other European countries, we lack the legal framework. On top of this, skyguide has introduced in the operational field the so-called PTC (Proficiency Training and Assessment

operational field. A further program called CIRP (Confidential Incident Reporting Program) will

Concept), which corresponds to the Eurocontrol requirements. It sets new yardsticks in further

Improvement Reporting (SIR), skyguide has created a reporting system for safety-related observations and proposed improvements. All staff members can use this system -

anonymously if they wish - to make proposals

â&#x2013; http://www.bfu-web.de/berichte/02_ax001dfr.pdf ' Presentation and detailed fact sheet from the media conference are available on the internet

http://www,skyguide.ch/ueberlingen/

To advertise in the next issue of THE CONTROLLER

please contact David Lancaster on tel: +44 (0)20 7878 2316 or email da\1(l@mciii$Iondon.co.uk

THE CONTROLLER

I I

Article from Skyway

EUROCONTROL leads a

European ATM safety enhancement initiative

By Peter Stastny, Head of the EUROCONTROL Safety Regulation Unit, Erik Merckx, Head of the Safety Enhancement Business Division, and David IVIarten,SSAP Coordinator, EUROCONTROL

responsibilities for ATM safety. IFATCA played an important role in the development of the

EUROCONTROL must therefore intensify its efforts to enhance safety to ensure that public confidence in ATM is maintained. The High Level European Action Group for ATM Safety (AGAS), set up by the EUROCONTROL Director General, identified eight high-priority areas in which

European Strategic Safety Action Plan by its involvement in the High Level European Action

action is urgently needed in order to enhance ATM safety in Europe. AGAS also undertook a

Group for ATM Safety, known as AGAS,

study into the maturity of ATM safety

provided. Processes must be in place to ensure,

and IFATCA's contribution is gratefully

frameworks throughout the 41 States of the

acknowledged. We will continue to be aware of

European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC). The

as far as possible, that when human and technical failures occur, systems are in place to

the controller's needs and ensure that those

prevent catastrophic disasters. The SSAP is a call to action for EUROCONTROL, State regulators,

The following article was published in the

study found that some European States already have well-developed and mature safety systems.

Other States are developing potentially robust

Summer Edition of the EUROCONTROL House

safety systems, but as yet they are far from

Magazine "Skyway".

mature. A few States have only recently

Aviation is among the safest means of

embarked on addressing safety issues and have a long way to go before their systems reach

stakeholders to ensure that ATM safety systems throughout ECAC meet the challenges of the

ATM safety cannot be left to chance EUROCONTROL is ever mindful of the fact that

Air Traffic Controllers have very significant

needs are taken into account in all our work.

(SSAP) for implementation throughout the ECAC area. This Action Plan provides a structured approach to ensuring that safety frameworks are raised to a common minimum

level across Europe. It is not good enough for State regulators and service providers just to ensure that runways, taxiways, radars, passenger processing systems, etc. are

service providers and other aviation

increasingly busy ATM environment.

transportation, but any human activity is

maturity. These States need help to implement

From the moment that AGAS identified

a s s o c i a te d w i th r i s k a n d th e re fo re a vi a ti o n

systems as quickly as possible. The study drew

incorporates risks that can lead to accidents. For

two fundamental conclusions, firstly that leadership and commitment to safety in many

weaknesses, action was taken to improve the situation. EUROCONTROL, through its

that reason, regulating and managing Air Traffic Management (ATM) safety cannot be left to chance. Positive, proactive steps must be taken

States - for both regulation and safety

governing bodies, took action in November 2002 to ask States to ensure that instructions to

staff in the event of system outages are

have an excellent record in ATM safety. However,

management - needs to be strengthened and secondly that resources, particularly trained and qualified personnel, require bolstering. The study also concluded that it is probable that, until

as the runway incursion accident at Milan's

these issues have been resolved, little

with ICAO and JAA recommended procedures.

Those States that had not yet installed Short-

Linate Airport in October 2001 and the mid-air collision at (berlingen in 2002 have shown, there is no room for complacency. These most

substantial progress can be made on other

Term Conflict Alert (STCA) were asked whether

issues.

assistance from EUROCONTROL was required.

AGAS, in its final report, proposed that five out

unfortunate accidents remind us of the

A fresh initiative

of the eight high-priority actions needed

paramount priority in ATM - safety. Predicted traffic growth will increase the risks and

AGAS proposed a Strategic Safety Action Plan

to ensure that the risks associated with ATM are

minimised to every possible extent. Europe does

adequate, and that instructions to controllers and pilots on the use of ACAS are consistent

immediate focus. Actions in the areas of safety-

related human resources, incident reporting.

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Article from Skyway

ACAS, runway safety and ESARR

The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft

implementation monitoring were therefore being pursued, whilst an implementation

Accidents Investigation (BFU) issued their

States through State ATM regulators. The first recommendation of the Action Plan, to set up a

mechanism for the SSAP was being developed.

report into the <berlingen accident in May 2004.

The findings and safety recommendations in the

runway safety team at each airport, is being implemented and is expected to have an

The SSAP was approved by the EUROCONTROL

report are consistent with the outcome of the AGAS group and the SSAP. EUROCONTROL

immediate effect on raising the awareness of the runway incursion problem. In parallel with

decision-making body (Provisional Council) in

experts are scrutinising the report to ensure that

April 2003 and an implementation programme

all aspects are covered within the Safety Action

the Action Plan's implementation, EUROCONTROL will continue to support States

agreed in February 2004. The implementation programme covers the eight high-priority areas identified by AGAS and is a broadly based

Plan.

with briefings and input into local runway

Runway safety

safety workshops as requested, and will ensure that the action plan is revised as the need

"programme" that encompasses a wide and varied number of tasks such as feasibility studies, development of requirements, safety and human factors research and development, as well as other specific actions. It provides a structured and time-based approach to

An initiative by EUROCONTROL, the JAA, ICAO and the Group of Aerodrome Safety Regulators (GASR) produced the "Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions", an action plan to enhance runway safety that was

first recommendation states "With reference to

implementation of the many actions required to enhance ATM safety in the high-priority areas.

adopted by AGAS and has been incorporated in the SSAP. The plan has been distributed to

findings obtained in the investigation, ANSV

arises.

The eight high-priority areas Human resources

The EUROCONTROL Agency, State regulators and air navigation service providers will plug human resource gaps by increasing the training of safety personnel and ensuring adequate levels of safety staffing.

Incident reporting and data sharing

The Linate accident investigation report was

published in January 2004 by the Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo (ANSV). Its

recommends that the national competent

authority work in the international air transport organisations towards a full and quick implementation of the European Action Plan for Prevention of Runway Incursions." A sure indication that the runway incursion Action Plan and the SSAP are timely.

Implementation of the European Strategic Safety Action Plan

ATM safety-related data will be collected, disseminated and shared within the entire ECAC area

The objective of the SSAP Implementation

more quickly and more effectively to increase safety n but not misused to compare performance.

Programme is to create a common minimum

ACAS

and AGAS has recommended that this should be

ACAS provisions wil be reinforced and usage guidelines and procedures clarified to remove any

achieved by January 2006. The Safety

ambiguity.

Ground-based safety nets Use of ground-based safety nets wil be increased and appropriate standards and guidelines implemented locally. Consideration wil be given to the introduction of minimum equipment lists

level of safety system maturity across ECAC;

Regulation Commission, through its work programme, is responsible for implementation of the safety regulation aspects of the Strategic Safety Action Plan, and the safety management areas have been incorporated within a

as already practised in the airborne domain.

EUROCONTROL Agency Safety Management

Runway safety

Programme. Both will work with States, air navigation service providers and other

The 50 recommendations contained in the "European Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions" will be implemented.

ESARRs

States will transpose ESSARs into national law and monitoring of implementation will be enhanced.

stakeholders to ensure that the necessary

actions are being taken. Of course not all the actions within the implementation work breakdown will apply to all States. Those States

with very mature frameworks may find that they have little to achieve as the work has already been done. However, it will be

Awareness

incumbent on all States to ensure that they

Implementation of the ATM 2000-f Strategy will be accelerated. A campaign will be launched to heighten awareness of safety matters and appropriate guidance material and resources will be

will be maintained between these two separate

made available.

Research and development R&D efforts will focus on ATM safety systems and management to accelerate progress in the areas that will have the greatest operational benefit.

meet the spirit of the SSAP. Close coordination parts of the Action Plan through an

Implementation Coordination Group (ICG), jointly chaired by Peter Stastny, Head of the

Safety Regulation Unit, and Erik Merckx, Head

of the Safety Enhancement Business Division

and coordinated by David Marten, Safety and Security Management Business Division.

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13

Article from Skyway

The "Swiss Cheese" model of organisational accidents Hazards

Some holes due to active failures

Other holes due to latent conditions

Losses Successive

layers of defences are eroded

"No matter how good you think your safeguards are, there will be holes through which errors will slip" James Reason, Professor Emeritus University of Manchester UK, stated

at the SSAP Implementation Workshop in Rome at the end of April 2004, comparing the saftey problem to a Swiss cheese.

To ensure that targets are being met, the iCG has established a tracking and monitoring

events have shown, there can be no slowlngdown In the effort to continuously Improve

function and regular reports will be made to

existing safety. The recently published

the Provisional Council. Existing monitoring

Investigation report Into the LInate accident

mechanisms such as the EClP/LCIP process will be used to the extent possible. However, they are mainly directed at annual reporting so as to ensure that the programme remains on target.

There may be a need for some more frequent

highlights the urgent need to address runway safety Issues. ECAC States must all develop a safety culture with regard to ATM; some States already have very developed systems, but others need to put more effort and resources into ensuring that everyone associated in any

reports and these will be obtained through the Safety Regulation Commissioners and Agency

safety team members. Visits to States made by Stakeholder Implementation Service LCIP national contact points will also be used to gain Information on progress being made where appropriate.

way with ATM understands what Is required of them. The Strategic Safety Action Plan will focus attention on the requirements for developing a safety culture throughout the

SSAP launch event The SSAP Implementation Programme was formally launched on 17 February 2004 at a one-day event attended by

regulatory authorities and air navigation

enhancements.

service providers at EUROCONTROL

EUROCONTROL Is pledged to work together

headquarters. As a follow-up to the launch event, SSAP implementation

with everyone concerned In the aviation

implementation Is complete In early 2006.

constant attention to ensure that the needs of

an Increasingly complex ATM environment are

14

www.eurocontrol.lnt/activltles/saftey/ssap.html

In which to progress the required

requirements, after this Initial SSAP

European skies are very safe but, as recent

Further details see

s e n i o r e x e c u t i v e s f r o m S t a t e AT M

Industry to ensure that the European ATM system Is as safe and efficient as possible. ATM safety cannot be left to chance. It requires

The future

tackling safety enhancement In all the areas Identified by AGAS.

ECAC area and provide a structured framework

This Implementation programme Is the Initial phase of a longer-term EUROCONTROL safety action plan. The second phase will be developed during 2004 and will be scheduled to continue Implementation of safety

other articles In this Issue, EUROCONTROL Is

met safely. Now is the time to take action on ATM safety and ensure that It Is considered in all aspects of our work. As will be seen from

workshops will be held at various venues throughout the ECAC area. The first

workshop was held In Rome at the end of April and the second In Tallinn at the end of June. Two more workshops are planned for 2004, one In Bucharest and one In Dubrovnik.

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Uberlingen Accident Report

Uberlingen Accident Report Marc Baumgartner - President and CEO Since our very well organized Annual Conference in Hong Kong in March a few events

deserve a particular mention by the members of

avoidance. Without going into too many details it is important to highlight the various elements in the accident report.

the Executive Board (EB).

Following the tragic murder of our Danish

colleague working the night of the Ueberlingen Mid-air collision IFATCA watched with interest the court case related to the Milan - Linate

accident of 2001. Our Italian colleague working the G round frequency was one of the 11 accused

persons standing in front of a judge. The sentence against him and the other accused

personnel were outrageous and beyond comprehension. Furthermore the Italian controller was attacked and his life threatened

by members of the victims families. The EB has decided to write directly to the President of ICAO in order to raise our serious concerns

The strategic level encompasses every element which precedes the tactical operations.

It starts sometimes years or months before the real conflict appears at the control units. ICAO Rules, National AlP, letters of agreement, operational manual, TCAS procedures etc. Two elements were highlighted in the accident report which are strategic in nature: • "Management and quality assurance of the air navigation service company did not ensure that during the night all open workstations were continuously staffed by controllers" • "Management and quality assurance of the air navigation service company tolerated for

about this "trend" of public or private justice against our members, the operational staff, which has the potential of hampering the long term development of a safe air transport

years that during times of low traffic flow at night only one controller worked and the other

industry. One of the recommendations of the Air Navigation Conference 11 (October 2003) was that a better protection of frontline operators

The tactical level is carried out at the control

one retired to rest"

tools used at this layer are Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and Short Term Collision Alert (STCA). The accident report highlights in Zurich as the radar data processing system (RDPS) was working on fallback mode for maintenance reasons the STCA function was not available. Sad to note is that the STCA of

the German colleagues was working but as the direct telephone lines were also on maintenance and not working their warning n e v e r r e a c h e d t h e AT C O i n Z u r i c h .

In conclusion, what is incredible is that all 3 layers as per the definition of ICAO failed in the

case of the Ueberlingen mid-air collision. The German BFU makes 19 recommendations which

are required to be put in place in order to prevent a repetition of Ueberlingen mid-air collision The Swiss Air Navigation Provider has implemented all the 19 recommendation. It is IFATCA's advice that all the other ANSPs world

wide should as part of their overall Safety Assessment and Safety Management system

unit or sector. In the case of Switzerland it starts

accept and implement the 19 recommendations in their entirety and with utmost speed.

should be created at ICAO level,in order to

approximately 8 to 12 minutes prior to when the traffic calls on the frequency, with the receipt

What is interesting to note in this context is

protect privacy and the working environment.

of the estimates. This when Air Traffic Control

what the scientific world says when it comes to

ICAO has tabled this item at their upcoming General Assembly which is due to take place in

starts to take over from the more strategic level with tactical tools like authorization, assignment

accident in high risk industries like ATC (Dekker

September 2004.

of flight levels, routes, headings etc. The report highlights the following elements from the

Further, the accident investigation report of the

tactical level which contributed to the accident.

German Bureau for Air Accident Investigation

The following immediate causes have been

(German BFU - www.bfu-web.de) has been

identified:

published and can be downloaded. This

• The imminent separation infringement was not noticed by ATC in time. The instruction for the TU154M to descend was given at a time when the prescribed separation to the B757-200 could not be ensured anymore.

comprehensive report has highlighted the need for all Air Traffic Service Providers be it state owned or commercialized to have a closer look at how they do business. Root causes and

systemic drift into failure have been highlighted as contributing to the accident..

2004 see controller 2/04): IFATCA should and will continue to become a

champion when it comes to Safety in ATC - and

the process initiated with the Working Paper on Safety for this year's annual conference will be continued in the form of educational material to

be made available to all the members of IFATCA. We have to learn from these accidents

and we have to get sufficient education in order to be able to challenge some of the drifts into failure - which are caused by other influencing

• T h e T U 1 5 4 M c r e w f o l l o w e d t h e AT C

factors, like the call for more capacity at lower

instruction to descend and continued to do so

costs.

A thorough reading of this accident report

even after TCAS advised them to climb. This

should be part of any refresher or ab-initio course for Air Traffic Controllers. The report of

generated TCAS RA.

We simply cannot afford that our colleagues, who have already to endure emotional hardship

Collision avoidance - If the tactical level does

after an incident or worse after an accident get murdered or attacked on the streets, because

the German BFU is following the recently adopted (ICAO November 2003) way of looking at Air Traffic Control. IFATCA has debated

extensively about this as a preparation for the 11th ANC Conference and as well during our Annual Conference in Hong Kong. The 3 layers are Strategic, Tactical and Collision

THE CONTROLLER

manoeuvre was performed contray to the

not fulfill it's mission, the next layer comes into place, which is the avoidance of an incident or a collision. We are at this stage approximately 2

our society thinks we are the only one to be

minutes prior to the closest point of approach

together and defend our profession in a pro active and non negotiable way.

(CPA) - when using the TCAS terms. Current

blamed in case of such human tragedies. We

owe it to our colleagues that we stand firm

15

Protect Sources & Flight Safety Foundation notice

Protecting Sources of Aviation Safety Data At the 11th ICAO Air Navigation Conference

(2003), IFATCA submitted a working paper

Management Systems for ATS.

entitled "The Need for a Just Culture in Aviation

• The Conference is invited to encourage ICAO

Safety Management" (WP 92). The summary of

Member States to:

that working paper reads as follows:

- review existing aviation laws with the aim to remove factors that could be deterrents

In the initial stages of development of the

to the collection and analysis of valuable

ICAO air traffic management operational

safety-related information; and/or

concept, the concept panel was unanimous in its statement that safety must continue

- develop legislation that adequately

to be the highest priority in the planning and implementation of the future ATM system. To be successful, the industry must

protects all persons involved in the reporting, collection and/or analysis of safety-related information in aviation.

re-think its methods of doing business and

move beyond a blame culture that singles

In the Final Report of ANC/11 is recorded that

out individuals and criminalizes error(s).

With a cloud of legal liability hanging over

the discussion on this subject resulted in the

system operators, progress in the quest for true system safety is in jeopardy. Accidents

following recommendation:

and Incidents are not caused by individuals,

Recommendation 2/4 - The protection of sources of safety information

but by many contributing factors. Focussing blame on system components (operators), is not the correct way to improving aviation

That ICAO develop guidelines which will provide support to States in adopting

safety, and is in fact, counter-productive as it stifles the reporting process. A just culture, free from the threat of punishment is needed to ensure comprehensive and

systematic safety occurrence reporting. The action for the Conference as proposed in the working paper was:

adequate measures of national law, for the purpose of protecting the sources and free flow of safety information, while taking into account the public interest in the

proper administration of justice.

Within the ICAO mechanism an Air Navigation Conference as held in 2003 could be described

• The Conference is invited to task ICAO with

developing guidelines promoting the concept of a "just" culture; i.e. a culture in which front line

as a meeting at the highest operational level in the organisation. At the political level its counterpart is the ICAO Assembly, of which the

operators are not punished for actions or

next meeting will take place between 28

decisions that are commensurate with their

September and 8 October 2004.

experience and training, but also a culture in which violations and wilful destructive acts by front line operators or others are not tolerated.

In this upcoming meeting of the Assembly a

• The Conference is invited to task ICAO to

ensure that judicial aspects are adequately addressed in ICAO guidance material on Safety

16

Draft Resolution will be discussed that, if

adopted, will lead to the development of legal guidance to assist all ICAO member states in

enacting legislation to effectively protect information from safety-data-collection systems.

THE CONTROLLER

Protect Sources & Flight Safety Foundation notice both mandatory and voluntary, while allowing for the proper administration of justice. The draft recommendation is as follows:

We, as a Federation have been for some time

materials, and have lobbied other international

advocating the necessity for changes in the collection and dissemination of safety-related

organizations to join us in furthering this cause.

We are very pleased to see the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) shares our position. The

Protecting information from safety data collection systems In order to Improve

Foundation first proposed in 2003 that

aviation safety

appropriate principles for protecting critical

Whereas the primary objective of the Organization continues to be that of ensuring the safety

safety data be incorporated into guidance for member states of ICAO. Their proposal has been

of international civil aviation worldwide;

endorsed and a draft resolution has been

Recognizing the importance of the free communication of safety information amongst

developed in conjunction with ICAO staff for the

thestakeholders of the aviation system;

35th session of the ICAO Assembly. The FSF

Recognizing that the protection of safety information from inappropriate use is essential to

position is not unlike our own; accident investigation - not criminal prosecution - should be the first priority, and safety data collected under voluntary programs or mandatory

ensure the continued availability of all relevant safety information, to enable proper and timely preventive actions to be taken; Concerned by a trend for safety information to be used for disciplinary and enforcement actions, and to be admitted as evidence In judicial proceedings; Mindful that the use of safety information for other than safety-related purposes may inhibit

programs should remain privileged information ... the accident investigation must be

the provision of such information, with an adverse effect on aviation safety;

completed properly and probable cause(s) determined so that steps can be taken to ensure

Considering that a balance needs to be struck between the need for the protection of safety information and the need for the proper administration of justice;

that similar accidents can be prevented. When it comes to improving safety, this is far more effective than meting out punishment.

Recognizing that technological advances have made possible new safety data collection, processing and exchange systems, resulting in multiple sources of safety Information that are essential in order to improve aviation safety;

Noting that existing international laws, as well as national laws and regulations in many States may not adequately address the protection of safety information; The Assembly:

1. Instructs the Council to develop appropriate legal guidance that will assist States to enact national laws and regulations to effectively protect information from safety data collection

systems, both mandatory and voluntary, while allowing for the proper administration of justice in the State;

2. Urges all Contacting States to examine their existing legislation and adjust as necessary, or enact laws and regulations to effectively protect information from safety data collection systems based, to the extent possible, on the legal guidance developed by ICAO; and 3. Instructs the Council to provide a progress report to the next ordinary Session of the Assembly on this matter.

The passage of the above resolution will be a

significant step forward in the never-ending task of improving aviation safety. Adoption would lead to the development of legal guidance thereby assisting ICAO member states to enact legislation to "effectively protect information from safety-data-collection

systems, both mandatory and voluntary, while allowing for the proper administration of justice." Along with the Flight Safety Foundation, IFATCA is hopeful the ICAO

Assembly will vote in favor of this resolution. By acting together we can help ensure the free flow of safety-related information.

THF

//

*

r

'

To advertise in the next issue of THE COIVTROLLER

please contact David Lancaster on tel: +44 (0)20 7878 2316 or email davld@iiicnislondon.co.uk

THE CONTROLLER

17

A trip of a lifetime Personal recollections of China Chris Stock - Editor

Dreams Come True

Throughout my time with IFATCA, first as EVP Technical and then Editor, I have been privileged to visit many countries. However, human nature being what it is, I have always wanted more and top of my wish list was to visit China. As time went on, the chances of such a trip appeared to be

diminishing until last year,when my company was requested to undertake

a safety evaluation of the China ATC system. Fortunately for me, my previous experience with the Safety Regulation Group of the UK Civil

Aviation Authority was enough to be selected to carry out the task. Plans and arrangements were made for the visit to take place in the last quarter of 2003. Due to circumstances, the trip was cancelled at the last moment and with it, my dreams of visiting China. Just when I had given up hope, the Chinese authorities requested that the evaluation be carried out

before the end of May of this year. So it was that I found myself in Heathrow's Terminal One on 15 May waiting to board BA025 for Hong Kong.

On arrival in Hong Kong, I was met by two friends from Hong Kong Association, Philip Lee and Neil Timms. They introduced me to Captain Marcus De Santis, Chief Pilot of Dragonair. We spent a very pleasant afternoon discussing my visit from which I learnt a lot, which was not

difficult since I was starting from a low level of knowledge. Next day, I was on the early Dragonair flight to Beijing.

The Work Begins Before I left UK, I was sent an itinerary that had been planned by the evaluation sponsors. Starting in Beijing, I was scheduled to visit Xi'an, Chongqing, Heifi, Nanjing and Shanghai before returning to Beijing. At each destination, I was required to evaluate the ATC arrangements and organisation including interviewing Regional Management personnel and operational staff from the Aerodrome, Approach and Area ATC units. All in all, I visited 18 units and interviewed 50 members of the Air Traffic

Management Bureau (ATMB). To overcome any difficulties with

language, I was accompanied by Dai Lei who was a great travelling companion and friend. Without him, the task would have been almost

The Chongquing tower building

impossible in the short timescale that we had. We were also joined by

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China

individuals from ATMB and the sponsors

throughout the whole trip although the majority stayed with us for varying lengths of time except for our organiser, Miss Luo Hong Fei, better known as Lucy. She did a great job making sure that the hotel and the travel arrangements were in place - most importantly, paying all the bills! Her photograph appears on

• developing the requirement and strategy with regard the air traffic service system in China • drawing up the long and medium term development plan and annual construction plan of t h e a i r t r a f fi c s e r v i c e

the back "Check out what's in the next issue"

advertisement. I have many pleasant and

• organising and implementing

abiding memories of this journey through this

the construction the air traffic

amazing country which I would love to write

service system

about however it is more appropriate to describe the China ATC scene and the number

• verifying ATC equipment

of developments that are taking place.

requisition and system construction plan • organising and implementing the

The ATM Organisation and

• organising and implementing air traffic services for VIP flights and flow management, and supervising and co-ordinating the daily

construction of ATC facilities on key routes, terminal areas and busy airports

operation of the ATC system

• formulating air traffic service administrative

traffic services.

regulations, technical standards, and specifications on ATC safety, air traffic control, communication, navigation, radar, meteorology

There are four management levels within the national civil air traffic service system. These

and AIS

a r e :

in the Air Traffic Management Bureau (ATMB) of

• managing the work of scientific research and

• AT M B o f C A A C

the CAAC. As a subordinate body of the CAAC,

training

Structure.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China

(CAAC) is responsible all sectors of the air transport industry including the Air Traffic Management system which is one of the major stakeholders. Responsibility for ATM is vested

• handling international affairs regarding air

ATMB has certain administrative functions and

responsibilities. These include: The Beijing Airport, Domestic Terminal.

licencing all professional staff

• ATMB of the Regional Administrations of Civil Aviation

• Air Traffic Management Centres of the Provincial Administrations

• Aerodrome Air Traffic Management Units

All flights within China are under a unified control which is lead by the Air Traffic Control Commission and the Central Military Commission. ATMB currently provides ATS

throughout mainland China in 8 Flight

Information Regions, 27 Upper Control Areas that have a base of 6600 metres (approximately

Flight Level 200} and below this altitude, 28

medium/low level control areas, 1 terminal

control area and 144 tower control areas. It is

interesting to note that all airspace within China is regarded as Controlled Airspace to civil flights which are required to remain en-route at all times. Any deviations for weather or

emergencies must be co-ordinated with the military control authorities. Despite the apparent stringent application of rules, co ordination between civil and military ATC is effective and conducted quite often at a controller-to-controller level.

On an international level, ATMB has been

working closely with ICAO, lATA, and other

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China

states. The results of this co-operation can be seen in the inauguration of the first ADS route

• To carry out periodical safety inspection on

vicinity of the taking over controllers for 10 -

the ATC system

15 minutes to ensure no immediate problems arise. After this period, the off going watch

• To investigate unsafe ATC occurrences and

have an informal debrief to discuss the work

in west China and the establishment of the

Sanya Area of Responsibility, which aided the solution to the problems of the South China

participate in aircraft accident

and raise any issues that may have occurred

Sea. On 1 November 2002, RVSM was

investigation

with the supervisor.

successfully implemented in the oceanic airspace of the Sanya AOR.

The third and forth levels are responsible for

All controllers are required to undergo 80 hours

the safety of daily routine ATC operations.

refresher training every year - 40 hours theory

and 40 hours simulator including emergencies The ATM Operation ATMB is committed to a policy of keeping safety as a top priority taking proactive measures and enhancing defence layers

Whilst It is not possible in a short article to cover all aspects of the ATM operation, it is worth noting aspects which have been

and unusual circumstances. Also, each controller is subjected to routine checks by

highlighted within IFATCA over the past years.

on the individual controller files

local inspectors. All assessments are recorded

through the safety committees of the four

In 1997, ATMB issued a reguirement which stated that 2 licensed ATC officers must be in

levels within the Bureau. The main

place at every control position, one to control

responsibilities of the first 2 levels are:

aircraft and the other responsible for co ordination and to monitor the actions of the

• To comply with the State and CAAC policies,

operating controller. Also, to prevent errors

These include ATC to ATC agreements and ATC to Aerodrome, and ATC to Military. The LoAs

regulations, standards on aviation safety

induced by controller fatigue, controllers at

are contained in unit documentation which

busy units should not work more than 6 hours

form the core of the Unit operating procedures.

• To develop the objectives and principles, the

with a break every 2 hours.

All controllers must understand the contents of

regulations and procedures on ATC safety as well as the annual safety plan

The procedure for change of shifts is also rigidly

subsequently assessed. The documents are

followed. Each controller is required to sign

available to all unit controllers.

each LoA and their knowledge of them is

• To analyse the safety status of the ATC

that he is fit to work before TOW which relates

system and put forward safety recommendations and to promulgate safety

his/her physical and mental condition, that he or she is fully briefed. At the end of the shift, each controller is required to remain in the

information

20

Every unit has a number of letters of agreement which stipulate procedures for co-ordination and liaison with other units and facilities.

All civil aircraft over 15000kg AUW are required to carry TCAS. Procedures for a RA are in

accordance with ICAO which allows the pilot to

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China

compared to European standards, is very low. Indeed,

e f fi c i e n c i e s a n d t h e r e s o l u t i o n o f t r a f fi c

at the units visited, there had not been any failures. This was

and Wuhan areas to ensure better conditions

explained that the filter process takes place at the University

conflictions in the Xi'an, Kuming, Chongqing exist for civil flights. These are but a few of the improvements that are planned for the ATM system.

although it was noted that

been certificated. In the event

With the Olympic games very much in the news at the time of writing, it is significant that the Chinese Authorities do not envisage any

of a failure either in the

problems with the 2008 Games when it comes

practical or theory, the student

to air traffic flow and movements. From what

would be given further training followed by assessment.

has been done so far and what is planned, you

some students had reached the

12 month OJT point and not

can see their point.

leave his ATC clearance until the RA is resolved.

All radars incorporate Short term Conflict Alert

Future Developments

Conclusion

(STCA) and Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW). Controllers must be familiar with all

Traffic within China airspace is forecast to grow

China is a huge country and it is difficult to

aspects of the safety nets including the identification of aural and visual warnings and

by 8% - 10% per annum and by 2005. In 2001, the ATM system handled 1.66 million flights so

appreciate its size. In the same way, the ATM system relates to this scale and therefore it is

recovery procedures where applicable.

by 2005, this figure could be in the region of 2.5 million flights. Traffic distribution shows a

not possible to cover every aspect of the ATM

Controller Training

concentration in the east of the country with 76% of traffic movements east of the Beijing-

CAAC has a total of 3290 controllers, of whom 8% are female and 90% possess either a

college or university diploma.

Guangzhou airway. To provide the capacity to meet this demand, ATMB has invested 10 billion Yuan (about 1.2 billion US$) in the construction

of the ATM infrastructure over the past 10 years Individuals seeking a career in aviation enter one of the 4 CAAC universities. A visit was

arranged to Nanjing University at late notice which allowed me to gain valuable insight to the training system. In the first 3 years, an undergraduate will study a number of related aviation subjects such as Engineering, Aerodynamics, and Electronics. During the latter half of this period, an undergraduate

including the introduction of three advanced ACCs at Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The implementation of these ACCs together with other improvements will bring significant changes to airspace design and operational procedures. For example, the 27 upper air areas will be reduced to 5, significant adjustments to the airways system to bring about further

system in an article of this length. I am very grateful to the ATMB for all the help they afforded me during my brief trip and for the incredible hospitality, which is the subject of another, article its own right. Also, no trip to China should miss some of the historical

aspects and I was privileged to have trips organised for me to visit the Great Wall at Badaling, the Ming Temples, the Terra Cotta Warriors near Xi'an, and Dr Sun Yat Sen's Mausoleum at Nanjing.

If you have the opportunity to make either a business or social trip to China, I can assure you that it will be a rewarding experience.

wishing to pursue an ATC career must undergo various selection tests including medical,

aptitude and psychological. If suitable, the 4th year is devoted to ATC based on ICAO Annex 1.

The first 30 weeks cover the theory subjects then followed by 6 weeks of Area and Approach

procedural practical and then 5 weeks of radar simulator. The final part of the course is devoted to CNS/ATM, Flow Management and Airspace Management.

On successful completion, the graduate transfers to an ATC unit where he or she will

commence a year of on-the-job training. The OJT follows the unit training plan and the

progress of the student controller is monitored throughout both at unit level and regional ATMB. When considered suitable for

certification, an application is made to ATMB and a Regional Inspector will carry out the certification assessment. A licence is issued on

successful completion. The failure rate.

THE CONTROLLER

21

China

The New Beijing ACC will result in increased efficiency for both CAAC and the airspace users.

Thales is an international electronics and

systems group, serving defence, aerospace,

services and security markets. The group employs 62,000 people worldwide and generated revenues of 10.6 billion in 2003.

Thales is a world leader in Air Traffic

Management with a full range of CNS/ATM (Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management) solutions. *NESACC: North, East and Southern Area Control Centres for China

Thales has successfully completed the Site

Republic of China, enhancing

Acceptance Tests for the Beijing air traffic control centre. Beijing is the first of the three

safety and allowing China to accommodate increasing traffic

centres to be delivered under the NESACC*

densities.

AAC NESACC Beijing Site Acceptance Signature C

contract, of around 100 million euros, awarded

to Thales by the Civil Aviation Administration of

The added capability provided by

China (CAAC) in 2001.

the Thales' EUROCAT systems will provide CAAC with options for

Installed in a purpose built building, the Beijing centre will control enroute traffic throughout the Beijing Flight Information Region as well as providing approach control for the Beijing Capital International Airport.

increased information sharing between enroute and approach centres, reduced requirements for voice coordination, more

economical route planning and

The next steps for this programme will include site acceptance of the complementary centres for Shanghai and Guangzhou. All three centres are

fully integrated to provide automatic data exchange betcveen the centres, as

well as with neighbouring Flight Information Regions. Under the NESACC* contract Thales is supplying Its EUROCAT Air Traffic Management

A THALES CAAC NESACC |g||||l^ Sionature Caramony

system.

*

China has 1150 air routes including international air routes to 60 cities in 33

countries and air traffic is growing at an

H

annual rate of 10 per cent. The new

systems will control up to 60 per cent of current air traffic in the Peoples'

22

THE CONTROLLER

History of Australia ATC (part I)

The History of Air Traffic Control in

Australia (Part 1) Roger Meyer and Phil Vabre

At the end of the Great War in 1918, Australia

the fledgling Aeradio organisation.

was uniquely placed to participate in the growth

taxi safely. These signals had an effective range of about two miles.

of civil aviation: a vast continent, sparsely

In 1937, the Civil Aviation Branch of the

settled, with a host of experienced airmen returning from Europe and the Middle East in search of ways to apply their hard-won knowledge and skills in the development of their

Department of Defence appointed Aerodrome

Following the crash into Mt Dandenong,

Control Officers (ACOs) at Brisbane/Archerfield,

Victoria, of Australian National Airlines' DC2

Sydney/Mascot, Adelaide/Parafield and

aircraft Kyeema in October 1938 it was revealed

Melbourne/Essendon. Their function was to

that two major weaknesses existed in the

homeland. Not surprisingly, there was pressure

regulate air traffic at aerodromes, provide a meteorology service, and give advice to pilots of aircraft engaged in cross-country flights. The

ground control organisation.

personal qualities required of Aerodrome Control Officers were mature age, discipline,

instrument conditions. A radio beacon to

for the Government to establish air services to link remote communities and Australia soon had

some of the longest regular air services in the world.

power of command and level-headedness. The Until the mid 1930s, there was no formal

wireless organisation or control of air traffic in Australia. Few aircraft apart from the 'all-metal' DC2 carried two-way radio equipment. The few which did carry radio could communicate with Coastal (shipping) Radio Stations and, later, with

salary range was ÂŁ306 - ÂŁ384 (about A$17,000 in 2004 dollars), being slightly above that of a Rifle Range Superintendent.

The first concerned the navigation of aircraft in

provide pilots with a positive course along which to fly was soon introduced. This was the Lorenz 33 MHz two-course Radio Range, the

precursor of the VAR and today's VOR. The Lorenz system, an adaptation of the German

beam approach system, was the first Ultra Short Lacking radio communications, ACOs used visual signalling devices - the Aldis signalling lamp and Very cartridge pistol. At Essendon and Mascot they operated from

Wave (what we would today term VHF) en route

rudimentary Control Towers on

The other major innovation was the

the roofs of the Aero Clubs. From

radio-navigation system operational anywhere in the world.

appointment of Flight Checking Officers (FCOs)

and cream cane balls, which were

whose job it was to maintain a watch on the progress of flights on the main air routes. This

raised or lowered to indicate

was to guard against a pilot making a grave

masts on these Towers hung red

aerodrome conditions. A

miscalculation of his position, as had happened

signalling square located in front

with the Kyeema.

o f t h e To w e r c o n v e y e d

information on wind speed and direction and general aerodrome conditions. Using a combination of red and green flare cartridges, and white or red signalling lights,

Flight Checking Officers were introduced in

they gave instructions to aircraft

Australian aviation service - Operational

when to land or takeoff, and to

THE

CONTROLLER

August 1940 at the same locations as

Aerodrome Control Officers. They were selected

from experienced airline pilots and provided what would become known as a uniquely Control. Their duties were to check flight plans

23

History of Australia ATC (part I) was established. The first Flight Control Manual

was published in 1943, and in early 1944 the introduction of radio for Aerodrome Control

purposes made it possible to exercise greater control over aircraft operating in the vicinity of aerodromes.

Aircraft were separated by the most

rudimentary rules: northbound aircraft flew at odd thousands of feet and those southbound at even thousands. This was the NOSE rule. Also,

aircraft flying at the same height along an air route had to be separated by ten minutes flying time. With aircraft of vastly different speeds on

of computer known as the 'Rodoniscope'. It

the same trunk air routes, a procedure was needed to maintain this longitudinal

comprised a rotating circular glass disk 60 cm in diameter, under which was a chart showing aircraft reporting points. At the outer edge of the chart was a clock face. By marking the

separation.

position reports and circulating the glass disk in

The solution was presented in 1944 by a Sydney FCO, Mr Norman Rodoni, who invented a form

divert aircraft if conditions at the destination

Aeradio was likely to receive a position report and would then mark the actual position when the radio report was received. Thus it was

were unsafe, close airports if weather

possible to accurately predict when a faster

conditions deteriorated below minimum

aircraft would overtake a slower machine. Mr Rodoni's simple invention halved the number of controllers needed, and was more accurate than

real time, the controller could see at what time

and ensure that adequate fuel was carried, to

standards, and to keep pilots informed of changing flying conditions.

After an aircraft took off, the pilot was instructed by the Aerodrome Controller to 'call

Aeradio' on a given frequency (HF or MF), on which he transmitted his position to Aeradio

I

other, more cumbersome, methods of control.

Despite its officially agreed merits, it was not

until 1950 that he was finally paid ÂŁ200 by the Public Service Board and a further ÂŁ250 pounds by the War Inventions Committee.

every half hour. Aeradio passed the position report on a slip of paper through a chute to the

FCO who recorded the position, making sure that it was reasonable for the pilot to be where he claimed to be. It was not unknown at times

Part 2 of this article will

look at the post-War

when Aeradio was busy for the FCO to receive a

history of Air Traffic

report that an aircraft was over Benalla (about

Control in Australia.

1OONM from Melbourne) just as the aircraft was taxying past the Essendon Control Tower! Such

were the limitations of this form of position reporting.

During the war, the widespread installation of

radio facilities made it possible to take positive control of flights en route. A ground organisation capable of exercising such control, including positive separation between aircraft.

24

THE CONTROLLER

Spotlight

J

on Corporate Members Kevin Salter

- Contributing Editor, Corporate Business Welcome once more to our Corporate

Members feature 'Spotlight' The response to our last issue proved very interesting with the majority of your feedback focusing on TERMA's TERADS system in Norway. in this issue i have chosen to focus on a

Corporate Member whose name will be familiar to you ail:

Serco is the only significant non

government provider of air traffic services

Serco is the first completely commercial

in the world, it operates on a global basis and handles about 6 million aircraft

ATC provider in the UK to have a fully

movements each year at airports in Europe,

approved Air Traffic Services SMS implemented at all its contracted ATC sites

the Middle East and North America.

and is well underway in achieving implementation for those sites where

United Kingdom

Airport Operations is provided. In addition, Serco has built on this achievement by

The Serco Defence and Aerospace SMS encompasses the provision of Air Traffic Services and Aerodrome

Operations within the European Union, and meets the requirements of CAP 670, CAP 730 and ESARR 3.

In addition, Serco is the only Company

to have developed an SMS interface

providing SMS consultancy to other airports. The Serco SMS is designed primarily to ensure that the highest practicable levels of safety are achieved for all ATS provision and airside operations. The

ATC services under MATS Pt 1 and

Air Traffic Services are provided to both

secondary objective of this SMS is to ensure

military and civil customers and related

Middle East

(ASMS). Managing the provision of

that other essential business goals are achieved, including: • compliance with legal and regulatory

airport services to a broad range of

requirements (and achieving a balance

in the UK, Serco provides air traffic control services at more airports than

any other service provider.

Aviation Safety Management Systems

customers under various regulatory authorities is also undertaken.

Case study Aviation Safety Management ICAO and the UK CAA required that a

Safety Management System (SMS) was put in place at every airport within ATC during 2003 and within Airport Operations by November 2005.

THE CONTROLLER

document with the RAF, for use at those

military ATC units where Serco provides JSP 552.

Serco has been involved in providing aviation services in the Middle East since 1947.

where there is a conflict between

them); • commitment to quality;

The company provides Aeronautical Services including Air Traffic Control, Electronic Engineering and Aviation

• proof of good corporate governance

Meteorological Forecasting Services at 7

• demonstrable leadership in safety;

practices in relation to safety;

• improved goodwill and confidence from clients; • shareholder confidence;

• positive and pro-active safety culture.

International Airports and 2 Area Control Centres in the Arabian Gulf.

It directly employs around 150 air traffic controllers in the Middle East with

experience of ATC operations at some of

25

Spotlight

It operates 61 air traffic control towers for t h e F e d e r a l Av i a t i o n A d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n

addition to providing air traffic engineering and many other aviation and engineering services.

Case Study us Federal Aviation Administration Serco provides VFR tower air traffic control and weather observation services to the US Federal Aviation Administration at 60 sites

the busiest airports around the world. Serco recently successfully re-bid their contract in

technical services including air traffic

spread throughout the western United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and

control as well as training in air traffic

Saipan.

the United Arab Emirates - held since 1986

control.

- to provide air traffic control and engineering services at the Emirates Area Control Centre in Abu Dhabi.

Serco's air traffic controllers in the US are

Serco also provides other services including the engineering maintenance of airfield

responsible for the safety of over 4.5 million air passengers a year.

surveillance radars, landing and

Following a successful re-bid, Serco was

also recently awarded a five year contract

navigation aids, and air traffic control communications.

for the provision of aeronautical services at two international airports in the United

Serco also provides services at Northern

Arab Emirates.

Emirates airports at Sharjah, Ras Al

Case Study Dubai International Airport Serco has provided a range of services at

Dubai International Airport since 1960 when the present airport opened for business. Serco provides aeronautical

Khaimah and Fujairah that rely on Dubai's air traffic control radar unit for approach control.

This contract was initially won in 1994 and Serco again won the re-compete of a new five year contract in 2000. Serco has been

awarded several awards, including four "None in a Million" Awards from the FAA

for no operational errors in 1 million aircraft operation/movements. In the first two years of its existence, Serco control towers won the Willie F. Card Award for

North America

Customer Service and Safety, first by

Serco North America holds the unique position as the leading private provider of ATC services in North

and again at Williams-Gateway Tower, Mesa, Arizona in 2004. [

America.

In 2002 Serco's relationship with the FAA was expanded when they won the bid to

Lewiston Tower, Lewiston, Idaho in 2003 '

provide weather observation services at 9 airports. Serco monitors the weather conditions and forwards information to the FAA's air traffic controllers and the National Weather Service.

Canada In Canada, Serco provides VFR tower

air traffic control and flight information services at the former

Canadian military Base in Southport, Manitoba as well as Air Information Specialists and technical services.

At Goose Bay, Labrador, Serco operates the entire military installation including

providing VFR tower, radar approach control, weather forecasting and

observations, including flight planning and pilot briefings. A full range of technical services are also provided to support the air traffic control environment and weather functions.

26

THE CONTROLLER

Spotlight

Case study -

military aircraft, commercial air carriers and general aviation aircraft through

Goosebay

exposure to both live and simulated traffic

Serco operates and maintains the Canadian Forces Goose Bay air base in Labrador, Canada. The 11-year contract

supports intensive fast jet flying training by the UK, German and Italian Air Forces

from April to October and commercial aviation throughout the year.

environments."

Bermuda

Case study An overview of Air Traffic Control

operations in Bermuda Serco has been the ATC service provider in Goose Bay since 1998, providing VFR, PAR and IFR services to the Department of

company formed by Serco and Bermuda

National Defence, the Canadian Forces and

Aviation Services. BAS-Serco Limited has

allied air forces including the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.

been providing aerodrome control services

B A S - S e r c o i s a B e r m u d i a n J o i n t Ve n t u r e

under contract to the Bermuda Government since 1995.

VFR Control is provided on a 24/7 basis. A G r o u n d C o n t r o l l e r a n d AT C A s s i s t a n t

support the Tower Controller during the allied flying season and for stand back

supervision during "fast jet" launches and recoveries.

It provides Bermuda International Airport with Air Traffic Control operations and

other services including Airport Rescue & Fire Fighting, Bermuda Weather Service & Aeronautical Information Service, Ground Electronic Services and Facilities

IFR Control. This service is provided on a

16/5 basis. During the allied flying season, Serco will have a complement of four

Management.

radar-qualified Terminal Controllers on

Six air traffic control specialists provide a VFR Tower service 16 hours per day.

functions including Precision Radar

VOR/DME approaches are available to the single runway 30/12, in addition to an ILS

watch to provide Terminal and Arrival

approaches. IFR controllers manage the mix of high performance, low endurance

THE CONTROLLER

approach to runway 30. The mostly IFR annual traffic movements average 13500,

made up primarily of air carrier (65%) and general aviation (35%) aircraft.

Being a UK Overseas Territory, safety regulation is overseen by Air Safety Support International (ASSI), a subsidiary of the UK CAA, via the Bermuda Department of Civil Aviation.

This concludes the feature for this issue. I

would like to take this opportunity to thank Katharine Stedman, Serco Defence

and Aerospace, Communications Manager without whose help this feature would not have been possible.

Once again, to our corporate membership,

if you would like your company to be the focus of "Spotlight', or if any reader has any questions or would like further

information on any topic that was covered, please contact me using the following address:

Kevin Salter

Flead of Qualifications Programmes DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH Flugsicherungsakademie Am DFS-Campus 4, D-63225 Langen Tei:-t-49 (0)6103 707 5120 Fax:-I- 49 (0)6103 707 5177 E-Mail: kevin-john.salter@dfs.de

or E-Mail: kevinjsalter2008@aol.com

27

New Shannon ACC

Inauguration of Shannon Air Traffic Management System Dublin and Shannon, the first of a new generation of Thales air traffic control centres in operational service in Europe Karen Thomas and Joelle Lebreton The Irish Minister of Transport, Seamus Brennan T.D. officially inaugurated the new Irish Aviation Authority's (lAA) air traffic control centre and its

air traffic management system which was

North Atlantic as it will permit more flexible

routing. The Shannon system has been fully operational since 26 February 2004, and the Dublin one since 26 May 2004.

supplied hy Thales, at a ceremony on 2 July 2004

in Shannon, Ireland. Officials including the lAA Chairman, Donal Geaney, the lAA CEO Eamonn

Alexander ter Kuile, CANSO** Secretary General

Brennan, EUROCONTROL's Director General

outstanding example of cost effective

Victor M. Aguado and Thales Air Systems Senior

commented: "The new Shannon centre is an

ceremony to celebrate the bringing into

modernisation and highlights CANSO members focus on co-operation which will further improve both efficiency and safety."

operational service of this latest generation of air traffic control centres in Europe.

The Shannon en-route air traffic control centre

Vice President Alexandre de Juniac attended this

Under the turnkey contract awarded hy lAA in 2000, Thales supplied its EUROCAT air traffic control systems and Voice Communication Control Systems (VCCS) to the Shannon and

Dublin air traffic control centres. This programme known as CAIRDE (Civil Aviation Integrated Radar Display Equipment) is part of the overall lAA programme to equip Ireland with the modern air traffic management systems.

Donal Geaney, Irish Aviation Authority

handles 70% of transatlantic flights. However, this is expected to increase to 90% of t r a n s a t l a n t i c fl i g h t s f o l l o w i n g t h e

implementation of NOTA airspace (Northern Oceanic Transition Area), which is due to commence in January 2005. The EUROCAT

system, fully compliant with EUROCONTROL standards, specified according to safety assurance levels, benefits from the advanced

capabilities allowing air traffic controllers to handle all operations in European zones with

high traffic density and complex airspace

Chairman, said," This ceremony today marks an

structures. One of the benefits for lAA of the

impressive success for the lAA and European ATM. The building and equipping of new control

VCCS and EUROCAT systems in Dublin and

centres including the air traffic management systems has been one of the largest programmes undertaken hy the Authority since

its inception. Thales' technological expertise and ability to deploy extensive and complex systems has played a major part in this achievement as is

the true co-operation and integration of both the lAA and Thales teams. I congratulate all the teams that have been involved in this project on their achievement".

The Irish systems process both radar and flight plan information with oceanic processing for the control of 500,000 square kilometres of Irish

airspace at the border of the ICAO* North

Atlantic Region. In 2003, air traffic in Ireland rose by 10 % to 272,000 movements of which 80% comprised en-route flights. The new air

traffic management system wil be of significant financial benefit to the airlines transiting the 28

Donal Geaney Chairman lAA, Minister For Transport Seamus Brennan TD and Victor Aguado Director General Eurocontrol

Shannon is the virtual centre capabilities

allowing remote supervision and flexibility of the location of controllers versus sectors of control.

The new generation of the EUROCAT air traffic

management system has already been selected by 6 other European countries (Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Sweden and Switzerland).

About Thales Thales is an international electronics and

systems group, serving defence, aerospace,

services and security markets. The group

employs 62,000 people worldwide and generated revenues of 10.6 bilion in 2003. * ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organisation

** CANSO: Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation

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29

I FAT C A M e l b o u r n e 2 0 0 5

WELCOME TO MELBOURNE Scott Shallies - Chairman, Organising Committee, IFATCA 2005

FATCAMELBOURNE2005 The 44th Annual IFATCA conference will be held

lunches. This manner of incorporating

sponsorship levels, there will also be a mid

in Melbourne, Australia in April 2005.

conference, exhibition and informal lunches was

week evening event. A fantastic Accompanying

Australia has previously hosted an IFATCA

seen to be practical, time saving and provided more scope for delegates to spend time

conference, back in 1975, also in Melbourne.

exploring the exhibition. Exhibitors found the

Persons tour program, taking in some of the great sites around Melbourne is being arranged and full details will be on our web site shortly.

Many long serving members of IFATCA have

resultant Increased Interaction with delegates

fond memories of that conference, and are

encouraging.

Early registrations will attract a discount and

you must book accommodation early to ensure

looking forward to returning next year. I'm sure

you get your preferred hotel. Note that Civil Air

since then.

We are expecting at least 600 people to attend with many already indicating they are planning to extend their stay in Australia for the holiday

The 2005 conference will be held from the 17th

of a lifetime.

accommodation agent whose website is linked

they'll notice one or two things have changed

is NOT handling accommodation bookings. This

is being administered by an independent from the ifatca2005 site.

to 22nd of April 2005. The conference venue, and prime hotel, will be the Crown Promenade

As usual, it's a great chance to meet colleagues

Tower, in Melbourne's Southbank district. This is

from all around the world, and to renew the

Emirates Airlines is already offering discounted

newly opened extension to the Crown Casino

many lasting friendships that have been formed

complex joined by an "air-bridge" to the existing complex. It is a purpose built hotel/exhibition centre facility, and is a perfect venue for the

at previous conferences.

travel to the conference, full details are on the web site. We are of course still exploring

2005 conference.

"welcome" cocktail party on the Sunday

Please remember that all visitors to Australia

evening before the conference proper begins. An informal affair, it's a chance for the delegates to meet and mingle, and renew friendships from

will require a VISA, full details are explain in the accompanying column. Early registration will

Without ever leaving the building, you can go from the hotel to the meeting rooms and technical exhibition. Across the airbridge are

additional air travel discounts and we will

We'll be following the usual format with a

advise full details as soon as they are available.

ensure that all formalities can be completed in

previous years. For the 2005 conference, this wil

time.

gaming rooms, cinemas, theatres, 10 pin

take place In the River Room of the main casino

bowling, pubs, shopping arcades, and many restaurants of all styles. Of course we hope you

complex.

So please, check out our comprehensive web site at http://www.ifatca2005.com. Here you

will venture outside and take in some of the

Lunches are supplied every day, and the conference finishes with a formal "closing gala"

will also find a link to an on-line forum where

delights that Melbourne has to offer.

on the Friday night in the Palladium Room. Six We are planning to follow the lead of Hong Kong in locating the technical exhibition adjacent to the conference rooms and providing buffet style

you can ask any questions about the conference or your visit to Australia. Or you can email me

hours and fine food, drinks, dancing, entertainment (okay, and a couple of short

directly on ifatca2005@civilair.asn.au.

speeches), and good fun. Depending on

See at the conference April.

THE CONTROLLER

I FAT C A 2 0 0 5

Conference Crown Promenade Tower, Southbank Melbourne IFATCAMELBOURNE2005

17th- 22nd April 2005 Accommodation ^Ao

E o

The Lido Group Australia's leaders in Accommodation and Travel management guarantee competitive hotel rates, airfares and tours.

To make a booking simply fax this form to +61 2 8585 0802 or email: exhibitions@lidoac.com To find out more information about the hotels log onto www.lidoac.com First

U

Booking Form

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Family

Name

Company or Organisation ■

u

(0

o "O

Te l e p h o n e Fax ( ) Postal

( Email

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Conutry

Domestic Flights and Pre 8i Post Conference Tours - Special domestic flight and pre & post conference tour discounts are available for attendees of the IFATCA 2005 conference

Would you like a Lido consultant to contaa you to arrange a domestic Australian flight booking? Yes □ No □ Would you like a Lido consultant to contact you to arrange a pre or post conference tour? Yes □ No □ Accommodation - Please indicate your preferred room type by placing a tick besides the room of choice. Ail rates include Tax and

are valid for up to two people per room unless otherwise indicated. Please note that allocation of smoking and non smoking rooms is at the final discretion of your chosen hotel. Other hotels are available on request. Hotel rooms & rates are subject to availability. NB Breakfast is NOT included unless otherwise stated. All prices are quoted in Australian Dollars.

I would like a Double Room □ Twin Room □

Single Room □ Sharing with □

I would like a Non Smoking □ Smoking □ Crown Promenade 4star

Crown

Conference Venue & Preferred Flotel

Directly opposite the Crown Promenade $275.00 AUD per deluxe room per night □

$187.00 ADD per deluxe room per night □ Travellodge Hotel 3.5 star Adjacent to the Conference Venue/Hotel £129.00 AUD per room per night □ $141.50 AUD per room per night inc. 1 breakfast □

To w e r s

5

star

Enterprize Hotel 3.5 star 8 minute walk to the Conference Venue/Hotel

$99.00 AUD per courtyard room per night □ $130.00 AUD per business room per night □

Gateway Suites 4.5 star

For Information on backpacker

10 minute walk from the Conference Venue/Hotel

$185.00 AUD per studio room per night □

accommodation options in Melbourne

$205.00 AUD per one bedroom apartment per night □ $330.00 AUD per two bedroom apartment per night □

contact the Organising Committee on i f a t c a 2 0 0 5 @ c i v i l a i r. a s n . a u

All rates for this hotel include breakfast for two,

cheaper rates apply for one breakfast

Guest

1

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in

April

05

and

check

out

.April 05

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Thank you for your booking with Lido Group - Contact Lido on 1800 817 339 (within), or +61 2 8585 0808 For information on per 8i post conference tours, theatre packages, car hire and much more.

44th Annual Conference & Exhibition of International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations IFATCAMELBOURNE2005 ApHI 17-22, 2005 Melbourne Australia * Please use BLOCK letters when filing out this form PARTICIPANT

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Please Register on-line, post or fax this form to the Organising Commitee by 14 March 2005.

IFATCA 2005, PO Box 394, Port Melbourne, 3207, Melbourne, Australia. Fax: +61 3 96466799, Tel: +61 3 96469277, Email: ifatca2005@civilair.asn.au

European Footbali tournament

EUROPEAN CONTROLLERS

(FOOTBALL) CUP 2004 Philippe Domogaia - European Editor

% I-

i#i

This year the 37th competition of the European Controllers Cup /ECC) was held in Leuven, near Brussels in Belgium between 24 and 29 May. It was attended by 940 (yes, almost a thousand!) controllers from all over Europe,

The organisation took 3 years to prepare and was done by 80 volunteers mostly from Belgocontrol (the Belgian ANSP) and co-chaired by our own Catharina de Decker, well known to I FAT C A .

irÂť<\

Controllers represented 25 countries in 44

Teams, The winner of the main competition was this year Reims ACC (France) proving that once more the controllers are better than the

professional footballers (who were eliminated early from the recent Euro cup in Portugal!) even if they do not get paid that much I The second place was for Norway, with Copenhagen winning the so called " second run."

Plate cup.

Moscow won the Fair Play cup, the mixed Team Faro and Santa Maria

Oceanic won the " Spirit of EEC Cup" and the mix Team Bordeaux Belgrade won the "W- Anchor" or

last place.

Of course meeting outside the games is also what is all about as the" meet

the delegates" photo can testify. A very good ambiance, lot of partying,

all awaiting next year event, which will be held in Antalya (Turkey).

THE CONTROLLER

33

Charlie's Column

COLUMN LOW COST AIRLINE POLICY

I love Ryanair. Every time, this airline gives me enough material to write about in this column.

First, they decide to order their Boeing 737's without window blinds and without seat

Do not worry my

pockets to save some money, but now they have told their pilots that it is their turn to save

friend; most young controllers in my unit

money as well. No more free coffee in the

have never seen real

cockpit for Ryanair pilots. If they still want to coffee they will have to pay for it, like their

aeroplanes. All they see are radar blips.

passengers without discount. I bet this will save

Ryanair enough money to give away more free seats I tickets for their passengers. The low cost

BIRD STRIKE

logic is difficult to follow, but we are repeatedly

In America, everything we know is bigger, even the birds, this one looks like a turkey from the feet, but everyone knows that turkeys do not fly.

told they are the future of Aviation.

We are slowly moving from the "second to God"

airline captain of the 1950's image and are going into the normal factory worker coming to

So either this one fell from another aircraft, or

this particular aircraft was flying really, really

Fire truck: Actually, it's not that clear, I can barely see the other side TWR: (patronising voice): "clear" means there is nothing on it

Fire truck: eer... wrong again, because

l o w.

we are in the middle of it right

work with sandwich box and thermos coffee

flask. We should not smile too hard, if this trend continues, guess who will be next?

FLYING JOB IN 2004

A pilot friend of mine who mainly flies at night (DHL) describes his job today.

n o w. . .

OVERHEARD ON THE FREQUENCY APR Controller: ABC 123, can you expedite your descent?

Pilot: We have 3000 feet per minute, this enough?

On a rather large airport full of VFR that day due to a rally: Pilot 1:

D-ABCD request start up

TWR:

Name of pilot plus persons on

Controller: Negative, can you give me

You see the concrete ground, with buildings and lamp posts on departure, they too see black

above and below sometimes with "small lights in between (the stars and / or the cities) and then it s again concrete with more lampposts on

arrival. The concrete and the lampposts might

more?

Pilot: Sure, I can get you much more

than that but you might not like the paperwork you will have to fill after we hit the groundâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

be differently located but they all look the same.

Nice discussion between a fire truck with a new

All my friends and family believe that I do an

driver and an older controller:

exciting job travelling around and seeing the world, whilst, in fact, all I see are the concrete

runways, taxiways and buildings lit up by lamp posts.

34

Fire truck: TWR, Fire 2 request permission to cross active runway TWR: Go ahead Fire 2, runway 5 clear.

board?

Pilot 1:

Meyer plus 3

TWR:

Call you back

Pilot 2:

D-EFGH request start up

TWR:

Name pilot plus persons on board? â&#x20AC;˘

Pilot 2:

Spitz plus 1

TWR:

Call you back

Pilot 3:

TWR, this is Lufthansa 123, request start up. Captain Heuz plus 273...

THE CONTROLLER

Check out what's in the next issue of

in December . . .

Coming up in the next issue: MELBOURNE 2005

REGIONAL MEETING REPORTS A I R P O R T S A N D AT M