IFATCA The Controller - 2nd quarter 2005 by IFATCA

Als in t s nssue THE FEARFACTOR SES=Save Europe's Skies? UGANDA: Full success after IFATCAIntervention

2/2005 2nd quarter

2005 volume 44 ISSN 00 I 0-8073

__ ......,_·___.

lfAJ A E r

ean

Rod.os,Gre·ece 14-16 October 2005

39-,11. Lykavittou str., 10672ATHENS GR Tel.:003021O3668800• Fax:00302103643511 wviw.afca.or• c-rni!il:inlo@aloa.gr

Foreword

FOREWORD Dale Wright - EVPFinance

he pastyearhasbeena veryactiveone for IFATCA. TheFederationhasseen requestsfor our participationin workgroups,conferences and seminarsriseto an all-timehigh.While morerequestsfor participationshowthe effectiveness of the Federationit alsoplacesa strainon our finances.At the HongKongConference the Directorsreceiveda workingpaperon the financialfuture of IFATCA. Stepshavebeen takento improvethe communicationbetween the EVPF, FinanceCommitteeand Office Manager.TheExecutiveBoardhasbegunto closelymonitorrequestsfor participationin orderto ensurethe Federationis attendingthe onesthat are mostimportantto the membership. Whilea requestmaybe important to a singlefacility or areathe ExecutiveBoard hasthe tough decisionto decideif it is a priorityfor the entire Federation.

coststo the Federationas low as possible. No representative shouldlosemoneyby volunteeringhis or hertime to IFATCA. Many representatives havetakenthe extrastepof searchingthe Internetfor cheaperhotel costs or evenstayingwith friendsin orderto allow IFATCA to get morefor eachdollar we spend. TheExecutiveBoardappreciatesthe effortsof our representatives in keepingthe costof travel manageable. IFATCA strivesto keep hotel coststo $100USDor below,however, this goal is practicallyimpossible.In the world'smajorcities,especiallythosein Europe it is verydifficult to find lodgingneara seminaror conferencesite for $150 USDor less.TheFIChasdiscussedraisingthe per diem allowancewith the EVPF.Thisrequestis currentlybeingconsidered.

In a perfectworld IFATCA would havethe moneyto attendany meetingwe wish or have an invitationtoo.We all know the world is far from perfectso the IFATCA FinanceCommittee (FIC)will havethe task of searchingfor other fundingpossibilitieson their work programme from the MelbourneConference. Oneareathat maybe reviewedis the methodusedfor reportingthe actualnumberof membersand how to accuratelyget the numberof members without makingthe coststoo high for the category2 and 3 nations. TheFIChasbeenmoreinvolvedin the financial mattersof the Federationat the requestof the currentEVPF. Therearetwo formerEVPF's on the FICand their expertisealongwith the knowledgeof IFATCA financialissuesis very valuableto the Federation. As a resultany communicationbetweenthe EVPFand others on financialissuesis sharedwith the FIC. IFATCA's representatives havebeenveryfrugal with their travel expenses. Theyare to be commendedfor their assistancein keepingthe

~ Dale Wright, IFATCA EVP Finance

havebeenbriefedon the importanceof filing their claimson time so the numberof transactionsmaybe combinedto reducebank charges. TheEVPFreceivesa file daily with the exchangerate for all the world'scurrencies.If you needthe currencyrate in orderto file the claimpleaseemailthe EVPFfor assistance.It is imperativethe correctexchangebe usedto ensurethe representative receivesall monies they are due and it alsoprotectsthe Federation from payingout morethan justified. TheControllerMagazineis enteringinto a new era with changesin the Editorand with the behind-the-scenes administrativeduties.The magazinewill seeincreasedsubscriptions

IFATCA's currencyis the USDollar.The Federationwas ableto showa gain in funds whenthe switchwas madefrom the Swiss Franc,however,anygain madehasnow been negatedby the strongpositionof the Euro.A majorityof IFATCA's businessdoestake placein Europe,which mayresultin a dedicatedEuroaccountbeingcreatedto reducebankingcosts.Thecost of bank transactionshasbeenon the riseat both CreditSuisseand the Bankof Montreal. Representatives and officersof the Federation

and advertisingif the articlesare interesting and the qualityof the magazineis good.The magazineis the members'magazine. Contributionsfrom membersare what make the magazine.Increasedadvertisingwill only comeoncethe aviationcommunityviewsour magazineas an importantpart of the community. Thereis still an enormousamountof work to accomplishbut the IFATCA ExecutiveBoard wil I keepthe Federationpointedin the right direction.Thankyou, DaleWright EVP- Finance evpf@ifatca.org 1-202-213-6006

THE CONTROLLER

Editorial

PhilippeDomogala, Editor

elcometo the new "CONTROLLER". Well, it might not look much differentfrom the previousissues yet, but it is "new" in the sensethat we have a new Editorand a newTeam.Chrishas decidedto stop after so manyyearsof time and makingthe magazinewhat it is today:a totally re-design,colorfuland quality magazine.I thoughtit would havebeeneasier to follow in his footsteps,havingbeeninvolved

for sometime by writing variousarticlesfor the magazine,but beinga writer andthe Editoraretwo totally differentthings.I realize now how muchtime and effort it takes,and I fully respectChris,for the job he did, while makingit look easy! SothanksagainChrisfor excellentjob, I now haveto try to follow in his footstepswithout disappointinghim. FortunatelyChrishas agreedto remainin the EditorialTeam,so I will be ableto draw on his experienceif and whendifficultiesarise. With any new team comenew ideas,and some of whichare alreadyintroducedin this issue, the remainderwill be graduallyintroduced. Somethinghowever;that is important,for the magazineto continuein its presentform, (i.e. 36 pagesin color4 timesa year)is your continuedsupportas readers.Yourideas,and of courseyour articlesor lettersand moneyin the form of subscriptions are essentialif we

..&.Philippe Domagala, Editor also needyour support.Placingadvertisements in the magazinewill help us.Ourworldwide distributionis uniqueand it touchesthe real world of ATC.

USdollar,we must increasesubscriptionsand advertisingrevenue.if we areto survive. Now enough moneytalk, let me introduceyou the to new Editorialteam:

In thesetimesof financialcontroland a weak

Editor:

PhilippeDomagala

Corporateaffairs:

KevinSalter(Germany/UK)

Contributingeditors:

TerjeDahlsengEide(Norway} Website: PhilipMarien(EGATS} ChrisStock(UK)

Regionaleditors:

MoetapeleD. Matale(Botswana) AI-KadurAcosta(DominicanRepublic) Phil Parker(HongKong) PatrikPeters{Europe)

Photographs:

RafaelReca(Argentina)

Weare startinga new web site:www.the-controller.net . It will be operationalin the coming weeks.It will direct peoplesearchingthe web to our site,while keepinga link with the IFATCA site.

areto continue. A specialsimplifiedSubscription form and new (mostlyreduced}subscriptionratescanbe found on page34 of this issue.If you want to receiveyour personalcopyat home,eitherfill in the form and sendbackto Tatianain the Office,or, if you are an IFATCA member,ask you own Associationto increaseits subscriptionorder.

Thisissueis a specialAustraliaissue.Firstly,becausethe Conference was held in Melbourne but alsobecausea lot is happeningin Australia,and I felt this country,the sizeof a Continent,deserveda specialedition. I hopeyou find this issueinteresting.It is a beginning,we havemoreideasfor the future,but let us know your comments,wishes and evencriticisms.Youcan Reachus at: ed@ifatca.org.

Forany CorporateMembersreadingthis,we

THE CONTROLLER

Australian Special

IFATCA2005 CONFERENCE and AUSTRALIASPECIAL IFATCA MELBOURNE 2005 IIIEBIAIIOIALFEIERAIIIN DFAIRTIAffICCIITIIIIEIS' !ISOCIAIIOIII

Welcometo IF.ATCA 2005

.._ Welcome to Melbourne poster

FATCAreturnedto Melbourneafter 30 yearsof absence... Thistime it was over 750 delegatesfrom 110countriesthat attendedthe event:Realproofthat IFATCA is moreand morepowerfuland activethan ever. TheOrganizingCommittee,in the handsof ScottShallies,did a wonderfuljob and should be praisedfor their organizingskillsand trouble-freerunningof a perfectevent.Even NicolasCage,the famousHollywoodactor,did

not manageto disruptour proceedings (*) Beingin Australiaat a time when we slowly moveawayfrom our old Radartechniqueto ADS,and in a placewherethe first ADStrials were performed,is no coincidence. Welcometo the 21st Centuryandto the Asia Pacificregion, wherethingsare movingfast. Youwill find in this issuea smallsampleof what wasdiscussedduringthe Conference and

someinterviewsfrom prominentpersonsin AustralianATM. Theviewsof the pilots and controllers operatingin Australiaare alsoincluded. (') Duringtheconference, themainfootbridge acrossdowntownfromthe Conference Hotelwas blockedthe wholetimeby a Hollywoodfilm crew pretendingtheywerein Texas,whowereshootinga new40 Millions$Filmcalled"GhostRider"with NicolasCagethatshouldbe out in Augustnext year.

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Australian Special

AIRSERVICES AUSTRALIA VIEWS:

Interviewwith HishamEI-Ansary ActingChiefExecutive OfficerAirservices Australia beingpreparedto embracenew waysof doing things.I'm surethe storyof other providers aroundthe world is no lesscompelling.

usingsatelliteswill enableus to be able to reducea largeportion of our ground-based navigationaids,leavingonly a back-up networkfor reservecapability.

Ph:What are your conclusionswith the ADS-Btrials you recently completed?

Ph: Do you also foresee a reduction in the number of controllers with ADS-8?

H: We are delightedwith the experienceof our recenttrials in Queensland wherewe were able to analyseboth radarandADS-Bdata at the sametime and found that the ADS-8

Philippe: Which challenges do you see coming for Australia in the ATM field? Hisham EI-Ansary:As we know,airlinesare operatingin a fiercelycompetitivemarketplace, and manyare strugglingto remainfinancially viable.In this environment,we ANSPsas major supplierscannot ignorethe situationfacingour customers,becausetheir realityis alsoour reality.

informationwas actuallymoreaccurate.Based on thesetrials we were then ableto convince our safetyregulatorto approvea 5 NM separationstandardfor ADS-8. We are so pleasedwith the systemthat we are now in the processof putting in placethe necessary groundstationsthat will enableus to haveADS-Bcoverageoverthe whole Australian continentabove30,000ft by the beginningof 2006. I think this will be the largest deploymentof this technologyanywherein the world.

Our biggestchallengethereforeis to be flexible in our approachand preparedto constantly look for better waysof doing things in the face of rapidlyincreasingdemandfor air travel and similarlyrapidtechnologydevelopment. Thisis the only way we can continueto be relevantto the needsof our customers. As I said in my addressto the Conference, thoseneedsare reallyquite simple- get their passengers to their desireddestinationssafely,efficiently(on time) and economically(minimumcost). Thehistoricalexperienceconfirmsour ability to undertakechangesuccessfully. In our own case at AirservicesAustralia,our operatingcosts today are lessthan they were a decadeago.At the sametime, we are processingover40% moreaircraft movementsand havereducedour pricesby morethan 30% in real terms.Thisis no doubt a tribute to the preparedness of our air traffic controllers,our engineers, technicians,fire fightersand supportstaff

THE CONTROLLER

Our next challengewill be to introduceADS-B in the lower airspacedown to the ground.This will take moretime and requireresolutionof the keyissueof who will fund the costsof equippingour GeneralAviationpopulationwith at leastmodeS transponders. Realistically, I

think we will seea progressiveintroduction leadingto wide scaledeploymentand useof the technologyby 2010-2012.Simultaneously, comparabledevelopmentsin areanavigation

H: No. ADS-8will enablea superiorseparation serviceto be provided.Our aim is to usethe enhancedcapabilityprovidedby this and other new technologies,to improveour capacityto processwhat hasbeensignificantlyincreasing traffic volumes,with our existingworkforce. Ph:What is Australia planning to do beyond your current system (TAAATS)? H: Theinitial businesscasefor TAAATS assumeda 15-yearlife for the system.This would imply replacementin the earlypart of the next decade,althoughcertainlyour ongoinginvestmentin updatessinceits inceptionwould haveprolongedits life to some extent Thekeystrategicquestionfor us is how do we approachthe next acquisitionto ensurebest valuefor money?I believethere are reallyonly two fundamentalapproaches. We couldgo througha processsimilarto the one we followed last time and approachthe marketfor a competitivequoteon a completenew system.Alternatively,we couldgo for a 'piece meal' approachwhich recognizesthe growing prominenceof compatibleand interoperable sub-systems.What I meanby this is an essentially'opensystem'approachwhere users collectivelydefinerequiredsystemstandards which could be met by a varietyof different products,built by differentmanufacturers, but are ableto inter-operatewith eachother.Some suppliersmight not necessarilylike the idea, but on closerexamination,it doesprovide somebenefitscomparedto the current'all or nothing' approach.

Continued on page 24 7

Australian Special

STAFF SHORTAGE ISTHE BIGGEST ISSUE

SAYSMichaelHaines,Presidentof CivilAir,the AustralianAir Traffic ControllerAssociation

the USA.Manycontrollerswill retire in the next five years.In the two majorcentresin someof the operationalgroups,the shiftsthat controllerswork are juggledon a daily basisto keepairspaceopen.It is reportedto me that this it is the biggestissuefacedin the Centres.

What is your experience, from the perspective of the Controllers association on the ADS-B issue ? ADS-Bis definitivelymoreefficient but also producesmoreworkload.

What are the problems for Controllers in Australia today? Themain issueis overtime.Our employerhas decidedto resourcesupervisorypositions from activeoperationalstaff and,someof thesesupervisorypostsinvolve administrativetasks.We operateto the bare staff minimumsin manyplaces,ensuring normaloperationscan only be guaranteedby the extensiveuseof overtime.Although overtimeis not mandatory,staff are often rosteredsix dayson and a singleday off, and evensometimesin extremecases1Ostraight daysand a singleday off. Single-manoperationsis alsoan issue.Our employerhasdecidedto rosteronly one controllerat night periods.In certainplaces (like PerthTMA),the controlleris not only the only living personin the APPbuilding,but also the only humanin the whole compound.This controllerhasalso no effectivebreaksfor six hoursin a row.

How bad is the staff shortage ? We havea conflictwith our employerin determiningthe exactnumberof controllers postsnecessary to run the systemsafely.But the truth is they actuallyrely heavilyon overtimeto makethe systemwork. We also havean aging controllerpopulation, and find ourselvesin a similarsituationas in

If the plan is to replacewith ADS-Blargeareas whereproceduralcontrol is currentlyused;we will needmorecontrollers.As a typical proceduralareacoveredby one sectornow is 1500 NM across,if you decreaseseparationto 5NM you will needto dividethosesectorsinto muchsmallerones,meaningmoreworking positions,meaningmorepeople.

Do you think the system is becoming unsafe? Commercialmanagersare alwayslookingfor that extra 1% of cost reduction.Theproblemis that no one reallyknowsthe long-term consequences of that reduction.Sothey are guessing,and squeezingfurther. Businesspeopleshouldlistento what controllershaveto saywhen it comesto the operationalimpactof the businessdecisions they take.Thisis not an industrialissue,this is a professionalissue,and our employer sometimesconfusesour position. A controllerhasto be confidentand comfortablewhen he works.Pressures often becomedistractionsin the workplace,and that affectssafety. Managersmuststudythe consequences of their proposalsand actions,they must be responsible for all outcomes,not just the positiveones.I am not surethat managersrealiseall the consequences of what they propose.We are enteringan unknownarea,alwaystestingthe systemby pushingthe limits further.

What does IFATCAmean for Civil Air? IFATCA is a greatorganization.Theresultsthat comefrom the efforts of a smallgroup of dedicatedpeopleis quite amazing.

How do you see the future trends of possibleconsolidationof commercialisedANSPsin your region? As an employeeof a commercialised company, I want my companyto be successful, becauseif businessis not successful, employeeswill suffer.To be successfulyou havesometimesto respondto commercial pressuresand ATCis not immuneto this. But thosecompetitivepressuresmust not affect safety.Theimpacton safetyhasto be consideredbeforeand after implementationof any measurepressedon economicalgrounds.

Also,comingfrom an Economically Fortunate Countrythat operateswith leadingedge technologyin ATC,I think that CivilAir should be an assetto IFATCAand its members.Over the yearsCivil air gaineda great understanding of IFATCAbut perhapswe do not alwaysuse the full output of IFATCA to the full benefitof CivilAir. Thereare largeproblemsin Europewith airspaceand congestion,but the great work IFATCA and its membersdoes,is in the assistanceto controllersin the lessfortunate countries.

THECONTROLLER

Australian Special

THECONFERENCE WHATHAPPENED IN THEWORKING COMMITTEES THETECHNICAL BITS(or what happenedin CommitteeB) By ChrisStock. NEWTECHNOLOGIES:

ICAOprovidingoperationalexperienceand

recommendations and that the outcomewas

Althoughmanyof the so-callednew technologieshavebeenin existencefor a

judgment.Theyshouldbe commendedfor their contributionson the Federation's behalf.

satisfactoryto all concerned.Oneof the most contentiousissueswas indeedthe functionality of STCAin that it was arguedthat this system

numberof years,it is only now that the conceptsare beingput into practice.Thisis particularlyrelevantwith ADS-Bwhich,as manyof you will be aware,is reachingan advancedstateof implementationin Australia. Forthis to happen,it is necessary for the

couldbe usedeitheras a safetynet and thereforeto be usedas a risk mitigationin the safetycaseor as a controllertool when it could be usedas supportin a safetycase.In my opinion,the debatedealingwith these proposalswas CommitteeB at its bestsensible,rational,argumentand not resorting

standardsand recommended practicesto be establishedby ICAO.Therepresentative to SASP(SeparationandAirspaceSafetyPanel)

to committeerulesand protocolthat so often cloudthe core issues.As I said,a satisfactory outcomefor all concerned.

confirmedthat 5nm separationhad now been approvedfor ADS-Balthoughsignificant caveatsare attached.Anotherimportant developmentis the useof GNSSin placeof DMEto establishlongitudinalseparationfor which the safetycaseis in the final stagesof

OneissueI would like to highlight is the useof the term 'safetycase'in muchof the Federation terminology.I believethat 'safetycase'should be clearlydefinedso that it is clearly understoodwhat we are trying to achieve

completion.Anotherdifficult problembeing dealt with by the SCRSP (Separationand

TheTechnicaland OperationsCommittee(TOC)

ConflictResolutions SystemsPanel)is the issue of pilots and controllersaction after a TCASRA hasbeenreceived.In manycases,the RAis preventive- do not climb or descend- which has raiseda numberof issues,particularlyin high-densityairspace.It is clearfrom the

produced10 work studiesand 12 policy statementswere adopted.Theseincludedtopics dealingwith surveillance, ShortTermConflict Alert (Stackain Australiaterminology!),RT frequencyusage,UnmannedAerialVehicles (UAV)and RouteConformanceMonitoring

whenwe use'safetycase'in policyand other areas. Forexample,in the STCApolicy discussions, the safetycasewas centralto the

reportspresentedduringthe Conference that our representatives performa vital function in

Systems.It would be fair to saythat therewas considerablediscussionand debateon the draft

discussedwith TOCand hopefullythere will be clarity by next conference.

THE PROFESSIONALS (CommitteeC) Nieil Vidler It is patentlyobviousthat IFATCA continuesto be relevant,timely and aheadof the gamein professional& legal matters.A good example of this was the debateon NormalOperations SafetySurvey.NOSS, the ATCvariationof LOSA, hasn't actuallycommencedbut we now have

soughtto ensureminimizationof SinglePerson Operations. Anothersubjectto provokeintensediscussion was EnglishLanguagetraining.Recentmoves

policyon the issueplacingit integrallyas an elementof the SafetyManagementSystemand definingconditionsto protectthe controller.

by ICAOto introducedefinedlevelsof English languagecapabilitywere closelyscrutinized and againwe are at leastup with the game with new policyproposedas to training requirementsto meet ICAO'sexpectationsand

TheFourEyesPrinciplenotion provoked considerabledebateas delegatesfurther

careerprotectionfor thosecontrollershaving difficulty reachingdefinedcriteria.

THECONTROLLER

argumentbut what safetycasewerewe referringto and indeed,was it relevantif we reallymeant'risk mitigation'?Thishasbeen

All together,CommitteeC passed13 Recommendations, of which four went to new policyand a furtherthree providedGuidance Material. Followinga most revealingpresentationfrom the JapanAssociationon the criminal proceedingsagainsttwo of their membersas a resultof the nearmid-airincidentin Japanin 2001,we decidedto expresssolidaritywith their colleaguesvia a FormalStatement. Againthis year,we had valuableinput from the Observersfrom the other professional organizationsrepresentedin Melbourne.I mentionhereparticularlyMr Alexander

Australian Special Skoniezkifrom Eurocontrol.Hispresentation and generaldiscussioninput were material contributionsto the successof the Committee. JoeMageefrom the InternationalTransport Workers'Federationwas again presentand he highlightedthe increasingdifficultiesairlines are visiting uponother facetsof the industryin theseproblematictimes.Hispresentationwas mostappreciated.Thepresentationon English

fashion,avoidingduplicate effort. It is an arrangement that generallyworks well evenif it doescausesome problemsfor the organizing committeethrough uncertaintyof timing for the logisticalrequirements. The numerousreportsprovided

languagefrom Mr BrianDayof ICAOresulted in considerablediscussions. Thedegreeof discussionit raisedtestifiedto its reception, relevanceand its importance.

valuableinformationon specificactivities.

Some of the subjects discussed were done jointly between the technicals and the professionals:

investigationintoRemote AerodromeControlconcepts A Chris Stock and Nieil Vidler, chairmen of Committees provokedconsiderable BandC discussion.IFATCAis not comfortablewith this conceptand it was are investigatedsomemore.

This combinedsessionthis year was a little moreextensivethan normal,stretchingover two days. Suchan arrangementallows us to cover mutuallyinterestingtopics in good and quick

TheTechnicaland OperationalCommittee's

gratifyingto learnthat IFALPA supportsus in this.Thereare difficultieswith the conceptand not just operationallyspeakingand it seemsto havebeenput on the backburneruntil these

THEADMINISTRATORS (CommitteeA) PaulRobinson economicallystrongerMemberAssociationsof their desireto assisttheir colleaguesin the developingworld. Manyof the controllersin someareasface problemswhich seemquite uniqueto thosefrom the so-called'western countries'.Whilebelongingto the globalATC family can bring somefinancialdifficulties,the assistanceIFATCA can providehopefullymakes suchmembershipa valuedcommodity. Indonesiaprovidedan interestinginsight into the Chrismas2004Tsunamiin the Asia Pacific regionfrom an ATCperspective. Theinflux of

A Paul Robinson, Chairman Committee A

airborneassistancecreatedsignificant logisticalproblemsfor controllersin Indonesia.

TheConference approvedapplicationsfrom

IFATCA2006 AND BEYOND

eight new associations - Algeria,Armenia, India,Iran,Fiji,ThePhilippines,RobertsFIR(in WestAfrica),and Spain.Therewere no

Congratulationsare due to ROCATCA Taiwan who wereconfirmedas host for the 45th

terminationsthis year.It is gratifyingto seethe globalATCfamily expandingto accommodate thesenew members.

RunwaySafetywas highlightedthroughan excellentpresentationand resultedin 'Runway Incursions'beingplacedon the TOCwork programmed.

hasbeenelectedto host IFATCA 2007 in Istanbul.Twoexcellentpresentationswere madein CommitteeA by Turkeyand Nigeria, and the closenessof the vote indicatedthe Directors'confidencethat both Associations couldprovidean excellentvenueand organisationfor the 2007 Conference. Unfortunatelythere can only be one venue,but we thank Nigeriafor their graciousoffer. Forthe 2008AnnualConference, expressions of interestwere receivedfrom Jordan,the DominicanRepublic,Tanzania,and Senegal.

'Y Peter Chen, Chairman of Kaohsiung 2006 waiving the flag for the next Conference.

AnnualConference, to be held in Kaohsiung, Taiwanfrom 27th to 31st March2006. THE CONTROLLER magazine,with PeterChen and his team will providefurther informationin the Decemberissue.

In ClosedSessionthis yeartherewas againa cleardemonstrationby manyof our

TheTurkishAir TrafficControllersAssociation

THE CONTROLLER

Australian Special

IFATCA2005 TECHNICAL PANEL: Commercialised AirspaceResourcemanagement - The future of ATM?

the USA it is 67 centsor 47% less.Thisis an areawith great prospectsfor savingsand it will be pursued. Hebelievesthat geographicallyremote provisionof ATSserviceswill be usedand contractswere going for tenderverysoon.. Hecounteredthe ideathat lesssafe (cheaper) operatorswill get thoseFABscontracts.He said:"Youcannotbe successfulas an ANSPif you compromiseon Safety".Heuseda comparisonwith a UKrail companythat saw its sharesplunderafter somesafetyincidents leakedto the press.Thecompanyalmostwent bankruptas a consequence. WalterDollmann,talkedabout the transferof separationfrom groundto aircraft.He mentionedthe term ElectronicVFR.He dreamedof allocationof 4D trajectories,fully

£ The head table during the Panel with Andrew Beadle, chairing in the middle Thepanelwas chairedby Andrewbeadle,EVPT Speakers were AlexanderSkoniezkiof Eurocontrol,JasonHarfield,HeadAir Traffic Controller,AirservicesAustralia,JohnSwift, Director,AviationStrategyfor SERCO and WalterDollmann,an independentexpertwho presentedthe airlines'view.

Hesaidthat ACASmust no be usedfor airspace designbut advocatedthe useof flexible routings,and more userspreferredroutes wherethis was possible.He usedthe example of the long Dubai-Melbourne route flown by Emirates,which,becauseof newlyestablished flexible routessavedup to 40 minutes.But he agreedthat airportswill be the bottle necksin the future.

Alex of Eurocontroldetailedthe current performanceofthe EuropeanATMsystem, showingwherethe problemswere,and expandingon the future solutions,like the famous FunctionalBlocksof airspace(FABs). Hesaidthat FABswill affect individual controllersas they will haveto adapt rapidlyto changesin their working environments.FABs will also bring demandson mobility,changed employmentand working conditions,human

de-conflictedtracksprior departure,guaranteed arrivaltimes and unrestrictedflight paths.But he acknowledgedthat airspaceresources managementwill be the future of ATM.On the negativeside,he notedthat peoplewill talk about 'affordablesafety',as commercial businessis becomingthe primarydriverof everything. In the following debate,Daliborfrom Slovenia saidthat Corporatisationwill not magically solveall of the problems. SESis morepoliticalthan operational.Hesaid: "ForyearsI havedrivenmy car across Europeanborderswithout showingmy papers, not evenstopping,so why are there still FIR boundariestoday?"

T Karin Anghus, presenting the remote TWRpaper in Committee B

factorsand culturalaspects. Onthe technicalside,he predictedthe future will be basedmoreon trajectoryprediction, movingawayfrom currentradartechniques, wherecurrentpositionis known but future

JohnSwift of SERCO also advocatedthe useof Functionalairspaceblocks.It was mostlya positionshaveto be mentallyextrapolated. sovereigntyissueand will havesocial challenges,but he predictedthat mostof the JasonHarfield of AirservicesAustralia job losseswill be in the operationalsupport reviewedthe problemsfacinga commercialized area.Currentlyin Europefor 1 euro spenton companywith regardto airspace(re) design. an ATCO,1.19euro was spenton support.In

THECONTROLLER

Australian Special

InterviewMELBOURNE CENTRE Controllers:

WORKING WITHADS W

e went to find out what it is really like to work with ADSas a controller.Justbeforedeparting Australiafor Europe,I went to visit the MelbourneCentreand interviewedtwo controllersworkingADSin TheIndianOcean. Meganand Nicolaare working on the far end cornerof the centreon a positionnot unlike thoseof their colleaguesworking radararound MelbourneAirport.Thedisplayis a standard 2000x2000Sonytype,and the targetson it look very muchlike radar-derivedones.

"Data link, when it works is Fantastic", saysNicolawith a laugh.Theonly problemis that there doesnot seemto be a clearinternationalstandard. Australiahas its own and it doesnot alwaysfit with what the pilots haveon board.We get all kindsof messages that we cannotprocess,talking for instance about Cruiseclimbsand pilot discretion which we do not use.Thereis currentlya debatein BrisbaneCentreon whetherto useData Link in VHFcoverage.Those VHFControllersare not necessarily familiar with the useof data link.

In the first line,call sign,wakecategory,a symbol(+) if the aircraft is data link equipped are displayed,Altitude,clear FLand calculated GroundSpeedon the secondline and the third line givesdestination,aircrafttype and a letter

On the staffing issues,Megansaysthat they dependa lot on overtime,but that

for the nav equipment.

haveto.

herein MelbourneCentre,thosewho do not want to performovertimedo not

THELARGEST SECTOR IN THEWORLD

Thetrack symbolcan either be an empty triangle,which becomea full triangle when a recentupdatehasbeenreceived.

I am now sitting in front of what I believeis the largestATCsectorin the world (if I am wrong, let me know,I will happilycomeand visit your sector).It is calledthe 'Indian' sector

Separationstandardappliedwith ADSis 10

(for IndianOcean)and not a referenceto the remarkmadeearlier.Thissectoris 5200 NM by 3600 NM,goingfrom Mauritiusto NewZealand

Min for RNP10aircraftand 15 Min overoceanic airspace.In fact it is the standardProcedural control separation.Thisis of courseADS-C (contract)and not ADS-B(Broadcast). Data link communications are achievedvia SatcomDatalink. Are they happywith it?

and the Arabianpeninsulato SouthPole.It is controlledby oneADScontrollermost of the time, but can be divided into five 'smaller' On the transitiontowardsa corporate employer,they saythat the transitionis still going on. "we were promiseda settledown period,but we are still experiencingconstant

variousisolatedminesin the WestCoastof Australia).

changesgoing in manydifferentdirections. Lookslike too manychiefsand not enough Indians"saysNicola... We would like to see moreoperationalpeoplein operational management,and viceversa,moremanagers in the ops room.

Thelongestflying routein that sectoris six hours(thedaily Dubai-Melbourne directflight with an EmiratesA340).Thelongestflights on the frequencyare the Qantascharters,visiting the AntarcticaaroundChristmas. Thoseflights

"The airlinesand the ANSPsare now business drivenand competewith one another.I do not think Safetyand profitsfit in the same basket,Most of our top managerstoday have no real operationalbackground",saysMegan.

sectorsif activity becomesheavy(duringsome periodsof the week when a lot of smallaircraft are changingcrewsand bringingsuppliesto

stay on your sectorand your frequencyfor 12 or 14 hours. Sothey take off with you,you go homeand when you comebackfor your next shift they are still out there...

THE CONTROLLER

Australian Special

Interviewof MoorabinTowerControllers:

GENERAL AVIATION IN AUSTRALIA No groundcontrol,It is free taxi here.Aircraft first listento ATIS,then monitora ground frequencybut shouldnot call in. Whenthey arriveat the correctholdingpoint (or at a stop bar to crossan activerunway)they switchto the TWRfrequencyand makea singlecall:'ABC readyfor departure35R.' Theyeither get a clearanceto line up and take off, or to wait behind.Thiscouldbe the only call from the controllerto that aircraft.

Generalaviationis extremelydevelopedin

conditionscombinedwith a relaxed administration,apparentlygearedto helpthe pilots insteadof bombardingthem with

then decidedto recruitin largenumbersbut the attention givento those new traineesis insufficientin my opinion.Theydo not have enoughknowledge. It took us two yearsof training and we startedat the bottom,building experienceas we movedto busierplacesand positions.Now it is 11 months'training and sitting in a busyACCor TWRdirectly.Theydo not havethe whole picture.Most of them also do not seeminterestedin aeroplanes, they just do this to get a (well paid)job."

The VFR controllers Australia,mainlybecauseof the huge distancesinvolvedand the limited ground infrastructurein the centreof the country. Also helpingare generallygood weather

for a while and we warnedthem that this would be a mistake,then suddenlythey come and say'oh dear!' We havea problem!They

Reportingleavingthe frequencyis not done hereeither.Therefore,this givesthe impression

And about movingfrom Governmentto corporatizedcompany?"Well it was either that or perhapsbeingsoldto privateindustry"says Tony." We movedfrom a publicserviceinto a Governmentbusiness.But,we are still in effect

of a veryquiet frequency,but it is in fact just a veryeffectiveRTmanagement.

governmentemployees, so our job security continues." he said.

rulesand regulationslike my homecontinent (Europe).MoorabinAirport is a mini Dallas with its set of six parallelrunways.Activity is almosttotally VFR,includingNightVFRtwo daysa week;Thenumberof movementsis impressive, between800 and 1300a day. Climbingto the small but modernControl Tower,I met Bill andTony,the two TWR controllerson duty that day. 'We are happyto be here',said Bill. No night shifts,good work ambiance ... Theyindeed seemvery relaxedseeingthe traffic humming out there. Thefrequencyis abnormallyquiet for the numberof aircraftout there.Twoparallel runwaysare usedsimultaneously, each controlledby one controller(EastandWest)on a distinctfrequency.

THECONTROLLER

Do theseguyshaveproblems I wonder?Well the main problem they seeis with the trainee controllers:"we havebeenflooded with traineesoverthe last three years",saysTony. "Our managementhad stoppedrecruiting

GENERAL AVIATION IN AUSTRALIA:

TheVFR Pilots PhilippeDomogala

any Pilots'schoolsare aroundin

Australia,and manypilots go throughthem to passor review their licence.Onthe adviceof a Melbourne Controller.I contactedone of them, MFS,with the view of validatingmy EuropeanJARlicence

proceduresand the complexityof the airspace aroundMelbourne,I decidedto do my old trick, that is,to tell the kid to do the R/Tand makesurewe do not enterany restricted

was quicklyaccepted,and the next Saturday, off we went to GreatOceanRoad,12 Apostles (a secret:there are morethan 12 of them in the sea)and somebushfield calledColacin

areas,and for the restthat I would fly around as I liked.

the middleof nowhere.No kangarooscrossing the runway,but biting flies and dust all

As the kid wantsto build hours,the compromise

around.That was almostthe placeI had in my dreamsaboutflying in Australia.

and experiencing'bush' flying. Here, I am flying in a brand-newwhite Piper WarriorIll (PA28)with a youngkid of 21 wearinga white shirt with two stripeson his

y 'Multi ~a'ri

imway system -at

Meorap·

shoulders.Not exactlywhat I expected.My dreamswere of an old wrinkledguy with a cowboyhat and a batteredheadset,taking me along on an old Australianmanufacturedbush aircraftand yelling: "watch out mate,for that Kangaroocrossingthe runwayfrom right to left". Instead, I found a kid dreamingof becoming an airline pilot, telling me to watch my heading(youpanned235 but it is in fact 234!) Theexperiencewas very rewarding,and listeningto the R/T,lookingat the local

THECONTROLLER

Australian Museum But the mostspectacularthing wasthe returnleg, returningto Melbourne,we descended1500 ft abovethe bay,went over Albert'sPark(youknow the

.._ The typical Australian VFR pilot

Formula1 GrandPrixvenue?) and holdingthereabovethe lake we contacteda frequencywhere the guy authorisedus to circle the city centreat 1500ft as we pleased.Wefound ourselvesin the middleof skyscrapers, at the sameheightas the top decks (andof the observationtower we went to the day beforefor a pre-farewelldinnerdrink)with the sunlightfading away,a wonderfulsight!

.._ Landing in the Bush: Short final at Colac airport

Whenaskedabouthis view on ATC,the kid replied:"Pretty good,the controllersheredo not want us to maketoo manycalls,so we don't botherthem much... We havea system herecalledSkywatch(sortof FISfor VFR) .._ VFR planning: Where are we going?

Thelandingfee systemwas innovative(see page32-33,CHARLIES COLUMNin this issue for moredetails)andwhen an aircraftlanded or departedthe cloudof red dust it lifted was far moreeffectivethan a strobelight. The'terminal'was a simplebarrack,the coffee shopa kitchentable with a coffeepot, some cups,a boxof instantcoffeepowder.anda note:"Youuseit: you cleanit andyou put it back". Simpleeffective.No messingaround. ThisisAustraliaafterall...

THE CONTROLLER

which is excellentfor weather,radarguidance, rescue,etc. .. But thereare not enoughof them,thereshouldbe more".

Backto our mini-Dallaswith its six parallel runways,and beingverylow and unfamiliar with the airfield,I was gladto havethe kid pointingmeto the right oneaswe immediately got clearanceto land behindsomemoretraffic.

Interestingto seethat whenATCrespondto the needsof the VFRpilot, theywant moreof it. WhereI fly (middleof Europe)ATCis seen as a restrictingfactor,not a help,and that is a real pity.There,our EuropeanMastershavea lot to learnfrom Australia.

T The magic VFR team happy to hav,e found Colac Bush Airfield

Australian Special

THEAIRBUS A380TAKES OFF 0

n 27 April the A380 madeits first flight in Toulouse(France). Thesuper heavyjet was flown by test pilot JacquesRossaywho said after landing:"The

Thefirst commercialflight is due in 2006

aircraftbehavedperfectlynormally.After take off we climbedto 10,000feet accompaniedby our chaseraircraft(an old Corvettebusiness

On the technicalside,the innovationson the aircraftare in the useof compositematerial (25% of it) and on the safetyside,the aircraft

jet). Theaircraft hasbeenfantastic.After retractingthe landinggearwe went to 13,000 feet over the Pyreneesand testedthe aircraft at variousspeeds."

hasa dual methodof producingpowerfor flight controlsand landinggear;two conventionalhydraulicssystemsbut alsotwo

Answerin our next

electricgenerators. Thishydroelectric

issue...

already,with SingaporeAirlineson its Singapore-London route.

combininationof two separatesystemswill increaseredundancy, and therefore,safety.

We hopethe A380will be at LeBourgetParis air show in June,and hopefullywe cantalk with its pilots and ask the questionthat every controllerworldwideawaits:will the A380 climb better than the A340?

Thelandingwas alsoaccordingto the book. F-WWOW(nicecall sign!) will bejoined by four other developmentaircraftthat will togetherperformmorethan 2,500additionalhoursof flight testing. Sofar 15 airlineshaveorderedthe 154 A380sincluding27 Freighterversions (theA380F)which will be able to carry 555 pax or 150tonnesto distances between10 and 14,000km. 0

MELBOURNE AIR;;;;";~";"; ;~•;~~~;h~O RECEIVE THEA380

elbourneAirport will be the first

passengers usingtwo levelsat the sametime.

Australianairport to be readyto acceptthe A380 next year, investing220 million dollarsin the project. Theydo this because5 of the 27 Airlines

2 years.Consultationwas extensivewith the airport,ATCand airlinesall being involvedto

Main work staredlastApril, (in fact duringour conference)and was chosenas one of the

ensurethat the impacton operationswas minimized.Most flights can still reach

monthswith better weatherand lesstraffic.

servingthe airport haveorderedthe A380 (Qantas,SingaporeAirlines,Emirates, MalaysianandThai)

destinationfrom 09/27 (exceptsomewith payloadrestrictions)however,flights direct to

Theairport remainsopens24h/7daysa week during the works but with a single(shorter

the USAand Middle Eastrequirea tech stop duringthe works."

Besidesa new terminal,and sometaxi ways

runway)(Melbourneairport hastwo runways09/27 2286mand 16/343657m).

T Melbourne runway

and apronwork, the most spectacular innovationis the wideningof their main Runway(16/34)by 15m overthe whole length

BrianJoiner,the OperationsManagerMelbourneTCUsaidto us: "Both runwaysare

to providejet blast protection. TheA380 hasa wingspanof 80 metres, comparedto only 64m for the Boeing747,and its outer enginesare significantlyfurther away from the main body than thoseof the 747. Also,two new doublegateswill be constructed in the terminalallowingthe disembarkingof

45m wide but only runway16/34will be widened.Theworks havebeengoing now for almosta yearwith mostoccurringat night but it was necessary to shut 16/34for a periodof 4-6 weeksto do the blast protectionand lighting.Thiswas determinedto providethe leastamountof inconvenience on operations as the alternativewas ongoingnightly works with 16/34shut everynight for a periodof 1 -

THE CONTROLLER

Spotlight

~1 JIUD-( I \,II' j) __/ ~J ~ ~ on CorporateMembers J_J

KevinSalter - ContributingEditor, CorporateBusiness Welcometo our popularCorporate MembersfeatureSpotlight In this issueI havechosento look at a small,but verydynamic,companybasedin the southof Englandwho are at the forefrontof ATMsystemsupport:

MICRffl\VI ABOUTMICRONAV: Micro Navhavea 16-yeartrack recordof developing,deliveringandsupportingATC simulatorsandtrainingsystems. Theyare a leadingspecialistcompanywith a reputationfor innovation,customersupport and understanding what usersneed.Over the pastsix yearsthey havelaunchedand establishedBEST, their modernrangeof simulators. BESTstandsfor Beginningto Endfor SimulationandTrainingand it hasproved that it deliversall of that. BESTcoversall typesof trainingapproach, area,radar.non-radar,tower and ground operations.BESTcoversall levelsof trainingfrom ab initio throughrating and validationto conversion,refresherand TRUCE training.It can be configuredto meetdifferenttrainingapplicationsfrom classroom, part task and skillsto full-scope operationsroomsandtowers. Thereare militaryvariantsof the radarand tower simulatorsthat allow usersto cover militaryoperationswith confidential performance data and specialfacilitiessuch as PAR. Thepowerandscopeof BESTallow it to be usedfor design,testingandevaluation work aswell astraining.Newdesignsand procedures aretestedand refinedbefore beingtrainedusingthe samesystem. Upto 1998MicroNavmarketedtheir previoussimulatorsknownas FIRST throughan exclusivelicensingdealwith RediffusionSimulationwho becamepart of HughesAircraftCompany. MicroNav

providedthe simulatorswith the necessary customization, trainingandsupport servicesas FIRST becameoneof the world leadingproducts.Over400 units in some 20 countrieswere in useby some25 authorities.BESTis alreadywell on the way to exceedingthe achievements of its predecessor. BESThasone softwarebaseso that all the differentimplementations run fully together.Multipleairspaces, exercisesand sectorscanbe run simultaneously and independently. All the runsare recorded and canbe replayedandresumedinto live workingfor debriefingor separate teaching.TheBESTaudiocommunications systemcoversradio,intercomand telephoneoperationswith a digital recordingcapabilitythat canbe replayedin synchronization with the exercises. Voicerecognitionandsynthesisusingthe latestindustryproductsgivescostsavings and addedself-teaching opportunities. MicroNavhavecreatedan ATC customizationenvironmentso that users caneasilyadaptfor their localrealnames, phraseology andaccents.MicroNavhave extensiveexperience of developing interfacesso that BESTcanstimulatereal ATCsystems. Thistechniquegivesthe ultimatefidelityof on-consoletrainingand experimentation. Bothindustrystandard formats,suchasAsterix,RDIFandOLDI, and customversionsare used. BESTis usedto driveseveralproductsfor differentoriginalequipmentmanufacturers. TheBIM,BESTInterfaceModule,handles specialphysicalinterfacerequirements.

MICRONAVAND THALES ThalesATMhassigneda Teaming Agreement with MicroNavfor the useof BEST with their Eurocatproductfor projectswherea simulatoris requiredto workwith operationalsystems.BESTis beingdeployed by ThalesATMin someof its European programmes aswell as beingusedin a test environmentfor a programmein the MiddleEast. Thecombinationof Eurocatand BESTgives the highestfidelityfor on-consoletraining

with full controloverthe ATMenvironment, traffic loadsandthe weather.The combinationis usedfor testing,designand evaluationtasksas well astraining. Similarly,the BEST VisualGatewayallows BEST to run a rangeof imagegeneration systemsfor realtime 3D tower simulation. CurrentlyMicroNavare deliveringthe new PCimagegeneratorswith the fast-evolving commercialgraphicscards.Whencombined with the growingrangeof displaysand projectorsa solutionthat matchesthe users requirements, constraintsand budgetcan be tailoredquickly.

BESThasa numberof specialcapabilities including:useraccessto the underlying relationaldatabase;facilitiesfor usersto createtheir own HMlsand a comprehensive scriptinglanguage. Scriptingwith wild cardsand conditional actionsallowssectorsto be automated accuratelyand localprocedures to be simulatedwithout progamcodechanges.

UNITEDKINGDOM - NATSATC COLLEGE: In a demandingrapid-response programme the radarsimulator,that was orderedin

Spotlight

November1998,was deliveredin December and went into operationin January1999.Thefirst userswere Dutch traineecontrollerswho weretrainedby NATSfor the LVNL,the Netherlands ATC Authority,in a seriesof radarapproach courseswhich ranfor severalyears.The BESTsystemhasfour radarcontroller workstationssupportedby four pseudopilot andfour mastersimulatorpositions. Theflexibilityof the designallowsthe roles and groupingsof the positionsto be changedeasilyto suit differenttypesand levelsof training. TheCollegerunsseparate,simultaneous exerciseson groupsof eitherthreeor six positions.Thelargergroupingsallow the traineesto coverteamworkingandsector co-ordinationtasks. BESTwas selectedfor its: • modernradardisplays; • powerfulnew pilot facilities; • rapiddelivery; • useof off-the-shelf computertechnology; • effectivesupport; • scopefor future developmentand ability to preservethe College'ssubstantial investmentin exercisedesignand data.

testing.Micro Navproducedspecial softwarefor readingin the traffic samples for the trainingexercises and a Sector LoadingInformationMonitorfor displaying and recordinginformationon traffic loadingsat eachsectorto assistin applying realisticconditionsto the trainingexercises. Testingconfirmedthat BESTcan handlethe largeexercisesrequired.Typicalexercises last up to eight hoursand include2000 flights with peakloadingsof 500 active aircraft. BESTcanrun over200 simultaneous tracks at a rate in excessof five timesrealtime while updatingthe radardisplays.BESTcan alsojump in time at a rate in excessof 10 timesrealtime when running200 tracks. ThesepowerfulabilitiesenableNATSto test andtune the manyexercises needed muchmoreeasilyand in a fractionof the time. Scriptingallowsmanysectorsto operate automaticallyaccordingto their co-ordinationprocedures so that controllerscanrun andtest the keysectors without needingexpensivesupportstaff.

NATSHEATHROW AIRPORT

NATSNEWEN ROUTECENTRE:

BESThasbeenselectedto be the new ATCtrainingsystemfor LondonHeathrow Airport.It was chosenfor its abilityto representboth existingandfuture equipmenttogetherwith its capacityto handlethe hightraffic levelsat Heathrow. The2D tower and radarsimulatoris being customised to meetNATSrequirements and will be usedto meetthe simulationand training requirements generatedby the manynew operationalfacilitiesand procedures beingintroducedat Heathrow. Theseinclude:the NewControlTower Building;electronicflight strips;Terminal5, MicrowaveLandingSystem(MLS)and Airfield GroundMovementRadar(ASMGCS) procedures; andthe manyother airportdevelopments beingsupportedby NATSat Heathrow.

Theinitial projectwas completedin only threeweeksto providethe simulation facilitiesfor an internationaltraining contract.A networkof four radarsimulator workstationswasdeliveredand commissioned in 10 daysfrom order.Users weretrained,the ATCdatabasewas built andtrainingexercises werecreatedin just 11 moredays.Thesimulatorwent into immediateusein December 2001was first usedto deliverconversiontraining- from arearadarcontrolto approachradar controloperations- for experienced controllersfrom Slovenia. ASTACprovidesa rangeof competitive aviationtrainingcoursesthat havebeen approvedby the SafetyRegulationGroup of the UKCivilAviationAuthority. Twenty-onemoresimulatorpositionswere addedin a newbuildingin 2003.Theroles of the positionscanbe selectedto suit differentteachingrequirements. Theycover tower,ground,radar,approachand area ATCoperationsaswell as self-teaching, data preparationand debriefingactivities.

WARTON In 2001BEST wasselectedas part of a new trainingcapabilityfor Warton Aerodrome,UK.It was enhancedwith a stimulationlink to an Oracleradar workstationso that controllersbenefit from trainingwith the completerealism of the realdisplayand interface.BEST simulates:the airspace;the operating environment; the weather;othertraffic in the areaas well asthe aircraftbeing controlleddirectlyfrom the airfield.The staff canexamine:future traffic loadings; specialflying operations;airfieldchanges and new procedures. It alsoincludesthe BESTvoicerecognitionand output software.Thisallowscontrollersto learn and practiceon their own - reducing supportcostssignificantly. Thesimulator supportson-the-jobtraining,refresher trainingand competency checks.

LIVERPOOL

NationalAir TrafficServices orderedBESTto supporttheir conversiontraining programmes for the UK'sNewEn-Route Centreat Swanwickin Hampshire. In a turn-keyprojectMicro Navdeliveredfour completeradarsimulationworkstations plusspecialsoftwareto assistandspeedup the developmentand testingof large exercises for the conversion trainingof controllerswho will be workingat the centre.Eachworkstationcanbe used for differentroles,including:data importing;exerciseediting;test running of exercisesandthe exportof data.

Theeight powerfulBEST workstationshave multiplescreensandtouch input to match closelythe operatinginterfacesof the controllerdisplays.Theycanbe configured easilyto performdifferentroles,suchas: tower;ground;supervisor andradarapproach. Upto eight differentexercisescan be run at the sametime to meetdifferenttraining needs.All the exercises are recordedand can be replayedand resumedto live simulationfor debriefingand evaluation.

A BESTradarsimulatoris usedfor a range of unit training.It is alsousedto evaluate newairspacedesignsand procedures.. It has.a 2K displayto matchthe operational system.

ASTAC

GERMANY

Thestationscan run dual screensto increasetheir flexibilityfor editingand

ASTACuseBESTradarandtower simulatorsin their aviationcollegeat RudloeManorin the UK.

DeutscheFlugsicherung (DFS), the German nationalair traffic control(ATC)authority, selectedthe BESTsimulatorfor new

BESTsimulatorprovidesspecialisttraining at a unit level- coveringon-job-training support,refreshertrainingand competency checks.It wasinstalledin 2001.

JERSEY

Spotlight trainingprogrammes at their Academyin Langen,Germany. TheDFSwereone of the earliestand biggestusersof Micro Nav'sprevious simulators. Theypioneeredseveralnew applications,including:the useof distributedsimulatorsat their radarunits; runningteamtrainingwith Lufthansaby linkingATCandflight simulators;the evaluationof new operatingprocedures andthe useof simulatorsin courses deliveredremotelyin Russia,Croatiaand elsewhere. TheDFSwere ableto preserve their investmentin ATCtrainingdata by convertingtheir libraryof exercisesand simulatedairspacesto run on BEST. The DFShave24 work positionsthat are usuallyrun on two networksfor basic trainingand for OJTI.The12-position network.isusuallyrun as singlepart task trainers.Theyare plannedto be usedin a classroomenvironmentas part of a new regimewheresimulationis integratedwith computer-based trainingand lecturesfor studentsin the earlyphasesof training. Thework positionscan run different exercises simultaneously. Everyposition canplay differentrolesandtheycan be linkedso that controllerscanwork with pseudo-pilots. TheBEST facilitiesare easy to learnenablingstudentsto work efficientlyas pseudo-pilots, gaining training benefitsin the process. Thesystemallowsfor an instructorto join in any studentexercisefor monitorand intervene.Everyexerciserun canalsobe recorded.Theinstructorstationcanrun any recordedexercisewhile projectinga largescreenversionof the radardisplayso that all studentscansharethe benefitof debriefsand workingexamples. TheDFShasrecentlyimplementeda new BESTdonglefacilityso that software licencescanbe movedand usedfor remotetraining.Also,they arecurrently runningan evaluationprojectassessing the benefitsand capabilitiesof the BEST voicerecognitionand synthesissystemfor OJTItraining.

SWITERLAND Skyguide, the civil and militaryATC authorityof Switzerland,acceptedsix new BEST ATCtower trainersin 2002. Thenew generationof multi-roletrainers givesgreatflexibilityand coverstower, groundand radarcontroloperations.Micro Navpioneeredthe designof these versatilesystemswith the Swissin the 90s and havenow increasedtheir powerand facilities.A largescreendisplaysa two dimensionalview of the circuitarea aroundthe airport.Multipleotherviewsof

the groundsituation,traffic data,radar screensand informationpagesare presentedon integrateddesk-mounted displays.All of the viewsarewindowed so that the usercan moveand sizethem at will to suit differenttraining requirements. Eachsimulatorcan accommodate a studentwith an instructor supportedby pseudo-pilots and an exercisesupervisor. Thefour systemsin the trainingcenterare networkedto give more configurationoptions.Theothersare housedin two vehiclesofferingmobile simulationto customersin Switzerlandand abroad.During2004Geonovadevelopeda PC-based imagegenerationsystemfor Skyguideto add a 3D 4-channelvisual displayto eachof the BESTsimulators. Thetower cabview is presentedon LCD displays.Thestudentcancombinethe twoand three-dimensional views.Realistic visualdatabasesof Swissairportswith librariesof 3D modelsof aircraftand groundvehiclesare beingaddedto expand the rangeof trainingbeingdeliveredat the centreand on the road.

BESTis alsobeingwidely usedby Skyguide as a stimulatorin their trainingand developmentsystemsfor their new operationalradarworkstations.Micro Navhavedevelopedinterfacessothat BEST stimulatesthe Skyguidesystems with radardata,flight information,AFTN and OLDImessages that matchthe operationalstandardsandformats.A new type of 'adjacentsector'workstationhas alsobeendevelopedto supportOLDI transactionsandassociatedcontroller training.Theapplicationof BESTgivesthe highestfidelity for on-console trainingwith full controloverthe ATMenvironment, traffic loadsand the weather.It is usedfor testing,designandevaluationtasksas well as training.

IRELAND- IRISHAIR CORPS A 2-positionBESTradarsimulatorentered servicewith the IACin 2001.It is usedfor PARtrainingand hasvoicerecognitionand synthesisto savesupportstaff time and costs.BESTincludesfull PARtraining facilitieswith a selectionof realisticHMls and specialpseudo-pilotfacilities.

IRISHAVIATIONAUTHORITY TheIAA placeda majororderwith Micro Navfor BEST ATCsimulatorsin 2005.A 10sectorradarsimulatorandtwo 3Dtower simulatorswill be commissioned in August 2005.Thesimulatorswill be usedfor a rangeof in houseandthird party commercialtraining.

MALAYSIA- ROYALMALAYSIAN AIR FORCE TheRMAFselectedMicroNavLtd in the UKto supplyits advancedBEST ATC simulatorproductas part of a co-operative contractwith SapuraTechnologies. The systementeredtraining in 2002.It providescomprehensive trainingat all levelsfrom ab initio up to site-specific conversionand refreshertraining.The operationswill cover:procedural(nonradar);radar;approachand area.The nationalairspacehasbeensimulated.Six studentcontrollerworkstations,four exercisesupervisorstations,eight pseudopilot and a systemmanagerstationare networkedtogetherso that selectable combinationsof singleand multiple-sector exercisescanbe run simultaneously. Theaudiocommunications system simulatesradio,intercomandtelephone dialedcallsusinga colour,touch-screen operatordisplay.Theuserhasa suite of softwaretools for editingandconfiguring the displays,their functionalityand interconnections. An interfacewith the simulatormakesit easyfor the userto selectdifferentconfigurationsand to controlthe recordingand playbackof any of the controllerconversations in synchronisation with the replayof the simulatorexercises. In 2003BESTwas chosenfor the newATC

DENMARK Naviairis usinga largeBESTnetworkto driveits trainingand development systemas part of the DATMAS programme. BESTinputsa rangeof radar.flight plan and informationdata includingAsterix, OLDI,AFTNand CPDLC.

Spotlight AudioVisualTrainingSystemfor the Royal MalaysianAir ForceAir TrafficTraining Centre.Thesimulatorsare usedfor ab initio, basicskillsand part tasktraining in a rangeof ATCdisciplines,including: procedural;radar;aerodromeandground and precisionapproachradarcontrol. Tenstudentworkstationsin a classroom settingare networkedwith an instructor workstation.Eachstationhasmultiple displays,an audiocommunications unit andvoicerecognitionand outputfacilities. Eachstudentcanruntheir own independent exerciseand airspace. Theycanalsowork ascontrollerand pseudo-pilotpairsor in biggergroupsfor moreadvancedand multi-sectortasks.Theinstructorcanjoin any runningexerciseto monitorprogress and interveneif necessary. All the exercises are recordedand canbe replayedfor debriefingandgroupteaching. Specialself-teachingfacilitiescombined with the voicerecognitionand output capabilitiesgreatlyincreasethe scopefor practicewhile reducingthe work load on instructors. Thisis particularlyvaluablefor taskssuchas R/Tpracticeand basicskills rehearsal. Theworkstationsalsorun multi-media computer-based trainingprogramsfor topicsin the ATCsyllabussuchas aircraft recognitionand aviationEnglish.

BAHRAIN- CAA In 2003 BEST was selectedby the Bahrain CAAto provideboth stand-aloneand onconsolesimulationtraining.Interfaces havebeendevelopedso that BEST stimulatesthe ThalesVBSradar

workstationsto givefull fidelity training. An additionalcontract was awardedin 2003for the provisionof the BEST IntegratedCommunications Simulatorat all positions.In addition,the simulator was enhancedto coverRVSMoperations for both BEST-only modeand integrated modewhen drivingthe Thalesradar workstations.

DUBAI - DCA BESTwasselectedby the DubaiDCAto provideboth stand-aloneand on-console simulationradartraining.Interfaceshave beendevelopedso that BESTstimulates the FlightRefuellingRDS1600radar workstationsto givefull fidelity training.A fully integrated1a-positionBEST Communications Simulatorhasalsobeen installed,to providecustomizedsimulated communications facilitiesat all positions. It was installedin 2003.Thisyear,2005, the DCAhaveordereda 2DTower simulationcapabilityto be addedto the existingsimulatorfor LowVisibility Procedures Training.

choseBESTin 2004for a majornew trainingproject.MicroNavareworked with a selectedgroupof Koreanspecialist technologycompaniesled byTelematics Co.Ltd. TheadvancedBESTradarsimulatorand 3D tower simulatorwas installedin the KoreanCivilAviationTrainingCentrein Cheongwon-Gun, earlyin 2005.Theradar simulatorhasfive controllerandfive pseudo-pilotworkstations. Thetower simulatorhasthreecontrollerand three pseudo-pilotworkstations. Thesimulators are networkedtogetherand integrated with: simulatormanagerand instructor workstations;a versatile18-stationBEST ATCaudiocommunications systemand full recordingand replayfacilities.Powerful voicerecognitionand output facilitiesare incorporatedto providea wide rangeof teachingoptionswhile reducingsupport staff work loads. Thesystemhasbeenacceptedand entered trainingin April 2005.

KAZAKHSTAN- ASTAC ASTAC employa multi-positionBEST ATC simulatorat their trainingfacility in Kazakhstan. It is usedfor both radarand tower trainingand canbe easily configuredto suit differentlevelsof training.At both their UKand overseas facilitiesASTACbenefitfrom the flexibility and economyof the Micro Navtime-based licensingoptions.

KOREA- KOREANAIRPORTS CORPORATION TheKoreanAirportsCorporation(KAC)

Thisconcludes the first featurefor 2005. I would liketo takethis opportunityto thank SilkeGrahamandTomHowardJonesfrom MicroNavLtdwithout whose helpthis featurewould not havebeen possible. Toour corporatemembership readers, rememberif you would likeyour company to be the focusof Spotlight, and likewise to any readerwho would likefurther informationon anytopic that was covered, pleasedo not hesitateto contactme using the followingaddress: KevinSalter IFATCA ContributingEditor CorporateBusiness Flugsicherungsakademie Am DFS-Campus 4 D-63225Langen Tel: + 49 (0)6103707 5120 Fax:+ 49 (0)6103707 5177 E-Mail:kevin-john.salter@dfs.de or E-Mail:kevinjsalter2008@aol.com

American Region

Howto resolvea shortage of AirTrafficControllers in areas wherelabourconflicts are becoming the norm?

THEFEARFACTOR EI-KadurAcosta- ContributingEditorAmericanaffairs TheAir NavigationSystemundergoesconstant changes:theseare not only technological,but procedural,legal matters,policiyand sometimesevengeographicalchanges,when companiesare relocated. Throughoutthesechanges,the peopleinvolved (air traffic controllers,pilots and other aviation professionals) remainat the centreof the system.In particular,Air TrafficControllersare probablythe oneswho experiencemostof the changesin the aviationindustry.In additionto the high stresslevelsnormallyassociatedwith the job of an Air TrafficController,labour conflictsare veryoften an aggravatingissue.

LABOURCONFLICTS Thereare two waysATCcan makethe headlines:when an accidentoccursor when a labourconflictarises.Therole of ATCin the economy,nationalsecurityor the aviation industryin general,is very rarelyexposedin the media.We seenewsabout how passengers and airlinessufferfrom industrialactionstaken by air traffic controllersduring labourconflicts. No doubt the informationpresentedis often steeredby the civil aviationauthorities'public relationsdepartments,presentingthe ATCO's behaviouras horrendouslyunacceptable. Oncea conflict arises,it is difficult to makethe generalpublic realizeATCO'sare sometimes underpaidfor what they do, the employerisn't payingagreedamounts,refusesto renegotiate contractsin line with increasesin productivity (traffic growth),or worst of all, legal rights are not respectedat the time of an incidentor

DominicanRepublic,Guatemala,CostaRica, Kenya,Jamaica,Canada,and manyothers.It seemstheseconflictsare independentof how advancedor powerfulthe countryinvolvedis and that all caseshavestrongsimilaritiesin how they are fought. Sometime ago,IFATCApresenteda working paperat the ICAO's35th Assembly,expressing a deepconcernabout labourconflictsand how they affectthe provisionand safetyof Air TrafficServices. In the vast majorityof cases,ATCO'sattempt to negotiatebetter working conditions,careers and financialconditions.Socialunrestand actionsare only a last resort,often when employerssimplyignoreperfectlydecent requestsmadeat negotiations. It is not easyto gain legal,professional,social respectand an environmentwhich lacksthese is not what a controllerneedsto be safeand productive. No doubt a campaignto let everyoneknow what the ATCrole in an economyis,could greatlybenefitthe muchneededrespectour professiondeserves. Theefforts madeby the Federationto take beforeICAO,and elsewhere must be supported.

ANOTHERISSUEIN CONTROLLER RECRUITMENT: MARKETINGTHE PROFESSION

accident.

Almosteveryonehasa prettygood ideaof the responsibilitiesof a pilot. However,the general public is far lessawareof what an air traffic controllerdoes.

Recentexamplesof the latter can be found in Japan,Italy,Mexico,amongstothers.More labourconflictsare presentaroundthe globe: somemorerecentexamplesincludethe

In mostcases,the employerpartly lacksthe visionto understandthat peopleneedto know what the professionentails,includingthe activities,responsibilitiesand benefits.

THE CONTROLLER

Somepeoplesay "we must cometo give our best.without waiting for anythingin return". I am afraid we are not in the times of heroes anymore.We live in an openworld, where marketsare commonlyknown;peoplego for a highereducationlevelknowingwhat will be obtainedin returnfor their job. It is not a matterof beinga mercenary, it is a matterof information:someonewantsto becomea lawyer,that personknows,mostof the time, the benefits- professional,economicaland social- of beinga lawyer,besidesbeing somethingyou like becauseyou havethe idea of what do you do in the practice. An attractivepromotionportfolio shouldbe prepared,choosingto catchthe eyesof the possiblerecruits,selectingwhat are the most relevantitemsthat can be includedin the marketingcampaign.

ATCIS THE MOSTSTRESSFUL PROFESSION Air TrafficControlis recognizedby the ILOas one of the moststressfulprofessions. Thispoint doesnot needa detailedexplanation.On the other hand,oncepeoplerealizehow stressful and challengingit is, the employersdo not get as manyapplicants:not everyoneis willing to take on a job with that levelof responsibility and a free packof conflicts. So,not knowingwhat ATCis about,possibly realizingthe job is very stressfuland giventhe exposuregivento labourconflicts,there'snot muchinterestto becomean air traffic controller. ATCOemployers(governmentsand private companieswhere it applies)must reconsider how to approachATCrecruitmentas a plain job opportunityand look carefullyat how to make the environmentmoreattractivein orderto eliminatethe FEARfactor.

European Affairs

SES-- Save Europe'sSkies? Is the SingleEuropean Sky(SES)initiativethe solutionfor Europe? Patrik Peters- A-(irspace)Teamleader & ContributingEditor EuropeanAffairs

acedwith fast-growingair traffic in one of the mostdenselypopulatedpartsof

the world, Europeis sufferingheavily from its multinationalstructure.A highly fragmentedairspacestructure,mostlybasedon nationalbordersand a largenumberof service providers,who are all promotingtheir technologyand servicequaIities are setting limitations.Air traffic hasgrown by morethan 50% overthe past decadeand is expectedto doubleby the year 2020.Air traffic delays incurredby the antiquatedlayoutof airways and the structureof air traffic control in Europe outgrow thesetraffic predictions.In the aftermathof the eventsof September11th, Europecouldtake a short breathand managed throughjoint efforts in streamliningflow

managementto reducethesedelays. But as the economyseemsto pick up somemomentumagain,and traffic figuresof up to 30,000flights per day underlinethis, somemoredrastic changeshaveto be envisagedto overcomethe bottleneckof capacity. Theideaof harmonizingthe airspace in Europeis not a new one.Foundedin the early 1960s,EUROCONTROL's task wasto createa single Europeanairspace,a harmonizedupperairspacecontrolledby a singleentity.But that was easiersaidthan done.Eurocontroldid not succeed- exceptfor the remainingMaastrichtUpperAreaControl centreresponsiblefor the provisionof ATSover the four statesupperairspace(Belgium, Luxembourg, TheNetherlands& northern Germany). Thenationalinterestsweretoo strongcombinedwith the conceptof sovereignty.Onecouldalso say- the pressure from outside- be it the airlineoperatorsor the customersthemselves- wasn't enoughto persuadenationalorganizationsto move closertogether. Now we are there again,the pressurehas increasedand everybodyis lookingfor a solutionto preventa collapseof air traffic. In the light of a singleEuropeanmarketand a

,._ Patrik Peters, Contributing Editor European Affairs

leadershipof the then actingVice-President and Commissioner of Transportand EnergyMs Loyolade Palacioof the·EuropeanCommission. TheCommission drafted a set of objectivesto tacklethe challengesahead:

t Torestructurethe airspaceaccordingto traffic flows t Tocreatecapacity

t Toincreaseefficiencyof the air traffic managementsystem In 2002 the EuropeanCommunitybecamea memberof Eurocontroland thus the European Commissionis in a positionto coordinatethe differentopinionsof their members'states. Eurocontrolin spring2004was taskedwith the developmentof implementingrulesbasedon mandateswith the following subjects: t Flexibleuseof airspace t Airspacedesign t FunctionalAirspaceBlocks t Chargingschemes

single(?) Europeancurrency,a singleEuropean skywould makesense.Theinitiative was

t Interoperability

launchedat the turn of the centuryunderthe

In additionto the mandatesabovethere will be

THE CONTROLLER

European Affairs socialimpactof the SESinitiativeis not to be underestimated and althoughthereare no reductionsin ATCOfiguresplanned,we are facedwith a changingenvironment,which demandsmoreflexibility from controllersthan we are usedto in the past.Safetywill still remainof paramountimportancebut one can clearlyreadthe messagebetweenlinesthat it also hasto be affordable. So- will the SingleEuropeanSkyInitiativebe the solutionfor our crowdedskies?Will the reinventionof the wheel('harmonizedEuropean airspace')help to get the carriageout of the dirt? Throughnumerouspoliticaldiscussions held betweensocialpartners,EuropeanCommission, Eurocontroland others,the basicgoal of creatingcapacityto be ableto copewith future traffic demandsbecomesblurredand one might evenlosesight of it. Importanttime couldbe lostwhich could havebeenbetter investedin operationaldevelopmenton a smallerscale. Also if the militarypartnerscannotfind a way of doingtheir part for a singlesky- then everythingfalls apart.

othersopenedup for consultationduring 2005,like for example'Air TrafficFlow Management'. Recognizing the importanceof the initiative, IFATCA decidedat the EURregionalmeeting at annualconferencein HongKongin 2004 to createa numberof teamstaskedwith the monitoringand activeparticipationin the plannedconsultationmeetingbetween Eurocontrol/European Commission and all stakeholders. Theconsultationprocesses on the mandates publishedso far havebeenbroughtto an end and are facingtheir final ratificationby the EuropeanCommission. Notsurprisinglythere havebeenmajordifficultiesin the legalsense with subjectsdealingwith militaryand thus sovereigntyissues.Onceagainit appearsto be a majorchallengeto respectand combine militaryrequestsfor airspaceusagein a panEuropeansystem.Althoughnowadaysin general,militaryoperationsrequireless

THE CONTROLLER

airbornetime, new technologiesdemand biggertraining areas,restrictingtheir civil use. Towhat extentcanthe EuropeanCommission decideabouttheseissues?Thisquestionand the needto find the correctbalanceput an additionalburdenon the initiative. Europeancontrollersare mainlyworriedby the aim of the initiativeto makeair traffic services morecostefficient. Efficiencyand defragmentationof airspace

IFATCA will continueto work on theseissues but we haveto focuson our roots.Weare a professionaland non-politicalfederationand we arealso a volunteerorganization.Weare to a majorextentdependenton the goodwill of our employersto be ableto copewith the immenseworkloadthat the SESinitiativeputs uponus.Thankyou to all thosewho participate and supportus in this work. Weshallsee...

might leadto consolidationof ANSPs and the closureof control facilities.SomeANSPs havealreadyclosed controlcenters,promote SingleMan Operationsor haveclosedor limited their training schoolsto be able to financially competewith others.The

European Affairs

Continued from page 7

costs.With the increasingcapabilityof new ATMsystemsandATCcentresto provide

Ph:Your Predecessor,Bernie Smith, had a very strong, provocative global vision, dreaming of 4 or 5 Global ANSPs providing ATM services over the whole world. Do you have the same thoughts?

serviceway beyondnationalboundaries,those

the economicrealitieswith the legitimate aspirationsof sovereignNationsto retain control over their airspace.It is not a caseof

airline groupsare goingto put a lot of pressureon today'sANSPsto also consolidate their servicesin someway.

one providertaking over another,but rather moreabout establishingpartnershipsand allianceswhich involvethe sharingof capabilityand expertise. Ph: Do you think that what is currently happening in Europe,with the "Single Sky initiative" will affect Australia, or does the Pacific Region have similar plans?

H: Absolutely!Bernie'svisionwas a collective one sharedby our whole executiveteam. Economicpressuresare driving us toward that kind of consolidation.Remember that as little as 10 yearsago,everycountrystrongly believedit musthave its own nationalairline. But we are seeingthat notion rapidly

H: I supportwhat is beingdonein Europe, recognisingin that respectthe SESis not a new idea. In fact, talk of this conceptdates

disappear.In the last year alone,Air Francehas acquiredKLMand Lufthansahasbought Swiss. I believethis trend will continueas it is the

backat least20 yearswith projectslike ECACstrategiesfor the 90's or EATCHIP for

only way for them to survivein an intensely competitiveglobalenvironment. Thesenew consolidatedgroupswill eventually turn their attentionto air navigationservice providers,recognisingthat we accountfor between3% and 7% of a typical airline's

Thebarrierwith this global vision is not technical,but political,and the challengefor us in the industryis to comeup with new businessmodelsthat enableus to balance

instance.SESis just a new impetusin that positivedirection.Clearly,it will be good for our airline customers;goodfor the Nationsinvolved;and providesa good model for other regionsas we movealongthe necessary path of consolidatingour future servicesas I mentionedearlier.

CHRISSTOCK RECEIVES IFATCA HIGHEST AWARD CHRISSTOCKwas awarded in MELBOURNE the IFATCASCROLLOF HONOUR.It was a total surprise to Chris; during Final Plenary,he was rewarded by The Executive Board with the highest IFATCA award: the scroll of honour. Chris had a very long and productive

career within IFATCA:

Chrisattendedhis first IFATCA Conference in 1977,in Nicosia,Cyprusandwas bloodedin CommitteeA. Hethen becamethe UKStandingCommittee1 member(between1983and 1986) In 1986 he was madePresidentof the UKGATCO, a post he held until 1990,he then became Chairmanof 5C1in 91 and 92, then IFATCAExecutiveVicePresident(Technical) of EVPTechnicalfrom 1992to 1997.Duringthat period,he was alsothe IFATCARepresentative of GlobalNavcomand was the Author of the IFATCA VisionDocument. Hethen rejoined5C1to becomethe UKMember(between1999and 2003).HeChairedConference CommitteeB from 1995to that day and last but not leastwas the Editorof THECONTROLLER magazinebetween2000 and 2005. A full job almostfor IFATCA and a scrollgreatlydeserved.CongratulationsChris,and mayyou find the time now to sort your office out a bit so that yoo can look at your scroll undisturbedby all those ICAOand working papersyou keptfor posterityall thoseyears...

THE CONTROLLER

African Region

UGANDA: Fullsuccess after IFATCA Intervention ◄ (far left) Mr Zephaniah Baliddawa,

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Uganda CM addressing the IFATCA Conference in Melbourne ◄ (left) Albert Taylor,IFATCA EVP Africa

who initiated the support

r ZephaniahBaliddawa,chairman of the Boardof Directorsof Uganda CivilAviationAuthoritycame especiallyto Melbourneto delivera message to IFATCA duringthe first CommitteeA session: Followingthe petitionby IFATCA on UGANDA, after the dismissalof two controllersand their manager, after an airproxin 1998.The Presidentof Ugandaurgedthat the three personsbe forgivenand reinstatedin their formerpositions.(Thereal conditionsare legallybeingworkedout as at the time of eventhappened, ATCin Ugandawas a Governmentalinstitution,while CAAUganda today is a Corporatized separateentity). Mr Baliddawa,a formercontrollerhimself, reallyhelpedin negotiatinga positiveoutcome with the Government, whereit wasrecognised that a lackof correctinformationandthat assumptions weretoo quicklymadewhenthe originalincidentoccurred.It is a pity it took so longto rectifythe situation,but at last a positiveoutcomewasfound. AlbertTaylor,(EVPAfricanregion)dueto his insatiableenergyand persistence helpedin securingthis reinstatement. Thisis a goodexampleof what IFATCA can reallydo. Extractof the lettersentto HisExcellency, Yoweri Museveni,The Presidentof Uganda by IFATCA.

THE CONTROLLER

YourExcellency, Themeetingrecalledthe AIRPROX incidentof 1998involvingyour flight and that of EgyptAir whichresultedin the dismissalof three Ugandanair traffic controllersand the consequent court ruling of no wrongdoingby our membersconcerned.TheConferenceexpressedits concernthat theseUgandanAir TrafficControllershavenot beenpermittedto work as controllerssince 1998. Themeetingnoted that theseunfortunateincidentshavecreatedunduefear, induced additionalstressin the provisionof air traffic controlin Ugandaand hasstigmatizedUganda amongthe internationalaviationcommunity. Theinternationalaviationcommunitybelievethat the factsof the casewerenot fully understoodat the time of dismissaldue to the emotionsthat surroundedthe case.Delegates attendingthe 15thIFATCAAfrica and Middle EastRegionalMeetingherein Kampalaon this InternationalDayof Air TrafficControllershumblysubmitstheir plea to YourExcellency, appealfor mercyfor our colleaguesand urgeyou to pardon the threeair traffic controllers concerned. Themeetingbelievesthat our colleaguesand their familieshavealreadysufferedenough pain and hardshipand it would be appropriateto end their trauma. Werespectfullyrequestthat you grant the controllersthe opportunityto undertakeretraining and then demonstrateto the CivilAviationAuthority their competencyas controllers accordingto all applicableregulationsbefore resumingwork as controllers.IFATCAis preparedto sponsorthe tuition for their retraining. TheInternationalFederationof Air TrafficControllers'Associations(IFATCA) respectfully requeststhat you grant the reinstatementof three UgandanAir TrafficControllers.The controllersare : JamesKisembo- ManagerAir TrafficServices GeorgeEtongu- SeniorAir TrafficController MadinaNdagire- Air TrafficController

Side views

.6. A KLM 8747-400

n April 8th earlierthis year,in the middleof the NorthAtlantic,a Boeing 747-400from KLMwas told by ATCit

couldno longerproceedwith its journey. Theflight (KLM685)had departedAmsterdam for MexicoCity,on a great circleroutevia New Foundland,then following the USeastCoastto Mexico.Sometime after take off, following an agreementwith the USA,the Mexican authoritiesforwardedto the USDepartmentof HomelandSecuritythe list of the passengers of that flight. After three hoursover the Atlantic approachingGreenland,the USauthorities cancelledthe overflightrights of that aircraft and stipulated(viaATC)that the flight was not permittedto enter USairspace.Thecaptain then requestedto divert and land in Canada,

on boardthat KLMflight. TheDutchAuthorities apparentlydid not take this fact as sufficient to preventthe two Saudisfrom continuing their journeyafter their return to Amsterdam, as accordingthe Dutchpress,no formal chargesor evidenceexistedagainstthe two. Similarrefusalsby the USto enter their airspaceon suspicionof terrorismhadtaken placeon flights boundfor the US.What is new in this caseis the fact that the aircraftwas not USboundbut only overflyingits airspace. Anothercountry(Canada)also refused the aircraftpermissionto land. ATCis then forcedto act as a go-betweenfor

not fall into the trap of blamingcontrollersfor decisionstakenwell abovetheir levelof reponsibility. In Europethere is a currentdebatearound Communications failures,i.e.after how many minutesshall the (civil) aircraftbe intercepted, and evenabout the rulesof engagement(i.e. when can it be shot down).Controllerswill be askedto automaticallyinform military authoritieswhen an aircraft is in radio failure, following strict procedures. Somealreadyfear that pressurecouldbe madeon controllersnot to immediatelyreport radio failuresfor fear of consequences for the airlinesthey serveevery day.

the authoritiesof 2 Countriesand the pilots and crewthey are supposedto serve.Thereare legitimatefearsof terrorism,but the

Theseformsof pressureare incompatiblewith the performanceof our jobs, both as pilots

no other option but to returnto Amsterdam.

consequences of thosefearscan havea negativeimpacton our jobs as controllers.

What seemedto havehappened,accordingthe USmedia,is that two Saudinationalsthat apparentlyhad beenon the sameArizona Flyingschoolas one of the 9/11 hijackerswere

Refusingan aircraftover flight or landing permissionwhile overthe Ocean,and forcing the pilot to returnto his departurecould somedayhavesafetyside effects.Pilotsshould

and as controllersand we needto be strong when facingsuchcases.Unfortunately terrorismwill not disappearovernight,and measuressuchas the onesexplainedhereare likelyto be repeatedin the future.

but the CanadianAuthoritiesalso refusedthe authorizationto land.Thecaptainwas left with

THE CONTROLLER

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Film Review

FILMREVIEW:

AN EMERGENCY TR INI

PhilippeDomogala

was recentlyshowna very interestingfilm called"EverySecondCounts"that is used for emergencyrefreshertraining in the DFS

academyin Langen(Germany). TheDFSapproachto refresheremergency training includestheory and simulation,but the theoryelementis doneby giving controllersa distancelearningpackage,which containsa manual,somechecklistsand somecomputerbasedtraining (CBT)material,as well as a copy of this film.

emergencyat high cruisingaltitude.It then showsin detail the reactionsof the controllers,and pilots,all the way down to the airport,then finally througha crash (simulated).It showsthe responseof all involvedduring the emergency, evenfire rescuestaff,and how they cope,usingspecial checklists.

veryrealisticsimulator.Pilotsalsofollow emergencydrills and checklists,like the famous FORDEC one (Facts,Options,Risks,Decision, Execution,Check)and one can seehow they interactwith the controller'sactionsfollowing his checklists.It alsoplayson teamworkessentialduringan emergency.

Thefilm is madein sucha way that it demonstratesgeneralprinciplesand strategies which can be usedduringANYemergency situation. Thefilm is very realistic,and also hasan emotionalimpact,but I found the most interestingpart was the useof those checklists.Forinstance,controllersfacedwith an emergencyhaveto follow first the ASSIST principle(Acknowledge, Separate,Silence, Inform,SupportandTime);this is aimedat reducingor evenavoidingthe shockfor a controllerreceivingan emergencycall, and to

In fact I had heardof this film during a meeting

makehim reactin a structuredway.

sometime before,as everybodywho has seen the film is talking about it. This25 minutes DVDshowsan AirbusA340 havingan

Thepilots in the film are from Lufthansa training and are in an A340 latestgeneration

Thefilm is extremelywell made,selfexplanatory,and in my opinion,a must seefor everycontroller. ManyATCschools(includingthe Eurocontrol Institutein Luxemburg)haveboughtthe licence from the DFS(who producedthe movie).My adviceis that, if you havea chance.try to see it.

1c\-n:~s\,\\<..e

'comb \Na, ~,aV..e ?,o Commun E\ec\"<\ca

t.me,t;\~

THE CONTROLLER

Film Reviews

oingt th

■

OVI

PhilipMarien WARNING:this articlecontains'spoilers':it givesawaysomeof the plotsof the moviesdiscussed. If you want to seethemanddon't want to know what happens/how it ends,don't readon!

ne of the primeobjectivesof IFATCA

is the promotionof the job of Air TrafficControllerto a wide audience. As most,if not all of you know,it's not an easy job.A lot of peoplebelievethe job involves table-tennisbats,largequantitiesof illicit substances, stress,barrelsof pureadrenaline and whateverhaveyou.As the beststrategy usuallyinvolvesgetting to know what you're up against,we at THECONTROLLER thought it might be interestingto seewherethis imageof controllersas cocaine-sniffingstressballs comesfrom. Askingaroundin what shouldbe consideredas a highly unscientificsurvey,we didn't haveto look veryfar.As any doctorwil I telI you these days,the generalpublictakeseverythingthey seeon televisionor in a movieas gospel.In this day and age,patientsare talking backto their openheart surgeon,usingquotesfrom televisionserieslike ER.Indeed,for the majorityof peopleon this planet,Hollywood hasbecomethe primesourceof information.

Airplane!

who tries to determinethe causeof a mid-air

(1980by

collisioninvolvinga commercialflight and a cargojet, killing 185 people.Amongthe dead is the investigator'sgirlfriend(what are the oddsof that happening?). Air traffic controller HenryDrake(CharlesMartin Smith)in charge of the two planeswhen they collided,claims that the cargojet 'blackedout' (hencethe title)

Paramount Pictures- in Europeand Australiait was called Flying

High) confrontedmany peoplewith 'the air traffic control guy' Steve Mccroskey(LloydBridges).Givingus the immortalquotes'Lookslike I pickedthe wrong week to quit smoking/ stop sniffing glue / quit amphetamines'alsogavethe world what seemsto be a lastingimageof what an air traffic controllerlookslike and does... Strangelyenough,the *real* air traffic controllerin the movieis not Mccroskey,but two charactersbehinda radarscreen.In differentscenes,they are playinga computer gameon their screens,usingthe radardisplay as a washingmachineand commentingon the pilots' performance. The latter is possiblythe most accuratedepiction of a controllerin a movieever.Thequote'This

from his screen.Thepressis very quickto jump to conclusions, accusingthe controllerof deliberatelycausingthe deadlymid-aircrash to provethe ATCsystemis beingpushedtoo far.TheNTSBinvestigatortries to find out if there reallyis a flaw in the air traffic system. Thecontrollerinvolvedis somewhatof an irritating geekycharacterat first, but the overallimageof the operationsenvironmentis not without merit. Unfortunately,the second part of the movietotally derails:becausenoone believeshim,the controllerbuildsa device that will destroythe electronicequipmentof the ATCCentreby deliveringa strongElectroMagneticPulse.He hidesin the equipment roomand blackmailsthe Centre'smanagement into closingthe airspace,until the NTSB

guy has no flying experienceat all. He'sa menaceto himselfand everythingelsein

investigatorcan convincehim otherwise.They finally find evidencethat his screenwas faulty at the time of the accident.It turns out that

Havingestablishedwhere it comesfrom, all we

the air... yes,birdstoo' shouldbe in any coordinationhandbook,if not standardICAO

maintenancerecordswere evenforgedto hide faulty parts.

neededto do was to look at someexamplesof 'the' air traffic controlleras seenby script

phraseology.

writers,directorsand of course,actors. Therole of the air traffic controllerwas never prominent,not evenin the airport disaster moviesfrom the 70s.Eventhoughthe airplane in distresshad to be talked-downmostof the time,focuswas on the recentlymarriedcouple, the nun and/orpriest,doctorand of course crew,or ratherthe love-lifeof the crew of the ill-fated aircraft.Theair traffic controller remaineda backgroundcharacteruntil 1980 when the first parodyon those disastermovieshit the screens.

THE CONTROLLER

We haveto wait until the BlackoutEffect (1997,produced by NBCfor televisionand broughtout on video as 747)

If this doesn'tsoundweird enough,the movie is riddledwith technicalinconsistencies. Althoughnot uncommonfor aircraft movies, someare particularlyfrustrating.Forexample the take-offsequenceof Global1025, eventuallybe involvedin the collision,shows the landinggearsof three differentplanes:a B747,a DC-10and an a B757.And it doesthis in lessthan 10 seconds ...

for what is probablythe first movie focusedon Air TrafficControl.It follows

Thefi Im is not veryflattering for the press, initially focusingon their intent to singleout a singleindividualthey considerguilty for any

NTSBinvestigatorJohnDantley(EricStoltz)

kind of accident.However,probablywhat most

Film Reviews bit tight, but they comeup with somemiracle peoplewill rememberis the completelyoverthe-top imageof the controller-turned-nutcase, solutionto let them land safely. intent on revengefor the injusticedoneto If you think this soundsfar-fetched,I can't him. evenbeginto describethe problemswith this Thesub-titleof the movie

movie.Oneexample:fuel calculationseemsto be the responsibilityof ATCnow, not only to

determinethe landingsequence, but alsoto keepthe aircraftfrom crashing.Additionally,it Vidmark/Trimark) seemsto be up to ATCto tell airline captains how to fly their aircraft in emergency is: "No Radar. situations!Traineesfreshfrom schoolare No Contact.No dumpedon positionson their own, supervisors Control."They visit controllersat hometo convincethem to clearlyforgot

Ground Control(1998,

"No Clue".The story:Jack Harris(Kiefer Sutherland)is a successful and acclaimed(aren'twe all?) area and approachcontroller.Hauntedby an accident,althoughnot through any of his wrong-doing,he quits the job and turns to programmingATCsimulators. Onefaithful day,all the other airports{!) aroundthe USAare forcedto closedue to weatherand Phoenixairport is left as the only one able to takeALLthe traffic. Shorton staff, old weatheredsupervisor(BruceMcGill)calls Jackbackinto action,despiteobjectionsfrom the overzealousSafetyManager/Incident Investigator!He'sput on strip distributionat first, but soonstartshelpingout a new controller (KristySwanson)on her first solo duty.Before you know it, he'sbackbehindthe screenhimself. Fightingthe weatheris one thing, but the centreis alsofighting budgetproblemsand outdatedsystems,maintainedby one engineer (HenryWinkler,yesthe Fonzfrom Happy Days1.Predictably, at the peakmoment,the systemgoesdown, and Jackcomesup with an alternative:usingoffice equipment(staplers, hole punchers,erasers... ), a map of the airspace,and a chronometerto time the requiredturns to the second,he re-invents proceduralcontrol and getsall the aircraft in beforethey run out of fuel.Thelast two are a

comeworking... Apparentlyit is also consideredbest practiceto controlaircraft standingup behindyour radarscreen. Themovieis a good exampleof how big Hollywoodnames- besidesSutherlandand Winkler,GroundControlalso starsRobertSean Leonard(asthe new hot shot controller)and KellyMcGillis(asthe Centre'smanager)- are by no meansa guaranteefor a good movie. Insteadof trying to makea moviewith top actors,it would havebeenworth employing someonewho knowswhat he is talking about when it comesto ATC!Toadd to the irritation, keepan eyeout for veryobviouscontinuity mistakes:apparentlywhen a B747crashes,it turns into a DC-10or an MD-11,gainingan enginein the tail! As for the imageit portraysof an Air Traffic Controller,it fortunatelydoesn'tdo as bad. Controllersare and indeedhaveto be very resourcefuland inventive.Theymust be ableto adapt quicklyto changingcircumstances and deal with unexpectedsituations.Sofor the generalpublic,it at leastgetsthat message across,which is important.Forthe 'seasoned' air traffic controllerhowever,the movieis so very irritating,it is a pain to haveto watch! Farless annoyingand farfetchedis

PushingTin (1999,20th CenturyFox). Nick'TheZone' Falzone(John Cusack)and his colleagueswork the hotspotof air traffic control in

NewYork.Theyare very impressedwith themselvesand testosteronelevelsare not of this planet,to saythe least.Theythrive on the no-room-for-error, fast-pacedjob and let it infecttheir lives. Nick'spersonallife getsthe sameshortattentionspanthat gets planeswherethey needto be in the nick of time.Thatis,until RussellBell(BillyBobThornton)transfersto the centre.With a reputationfor recklessness, but with a recordof pureperfection,he breaksthe existinghierarchyand challengesNick's positionas the top gun controller.Thegameof one-upmanship betweenthe two flies so high as to lead Nick into Russell'sbedwith his wife. Wheneventuallythe wanderingRussellquietly leavestown, Nickmustfind a way to regain his sanityand repairhis marriagebeforehe breaksdown completely.

Also packedwith big Hollywoodnames (AngelinaJolieplaysthe wife of RussellBell for example),the movieis not nearlyas irritating to watch as the previoustwo. Sure the vectoringis a bit overthe top - if controllersreallyspokethat fast, pilots would haveevenmoreproblemsunderstandingthem than they alreadyhave- but overallit portrays the ATCworld pretty accuratelyand certainly understandable for the non-aviationpublic. Althoughthe charactersare certainly exaggerateda bit, the moviedoesn'trevertto silly clichesabout what beingan air traffic controlleris all about.Althoughlabelleda comedy,the moviemanagesto capturesome of the control roomatmospherequite accurately,but it can be somewhatconfronting for realATCO'sat times... Toconclude:it is not hard to seewherethe generalpublicgets its imageof the Air Traffic Controlleras a stressed-outweirdo.Ninety minutesor lessof Hollywoodproduced 'information' is usuallywhat it takesto make peoplebelievethey are now an experton whateversubjectthe movie/ series/ documentarydealt with: plasticsurgery, nuclearfission,spacetravel,shippingdisasters, ... and of courseAir TrafficControl.Takingthat as it is, and with little controlover it. IFATCA's role in promotingthe job of Air Traffic Controllercontinuesto gain importance.

THE CONTROLLER

Meet the team

SOMEOFTHENEWEDITORIAL TEAM KevinSalter

n eachissuewe will showyou who is behindthe scene,as it is alwaysniceto put a faceon the peoplebehindthe authorsand photosin the magazine. Thismonthit is RafaelReca,the photographer,

not his realjob, like all of us here,but he really takesprofessionalpictureslike the one below. Welcometo the Team,and we lookingforward to seeingmoreof your photosin the future.

KevinSalterworkson the 'Spotlight' featureof THECONTROLLER for a long now,from the UKbut working in Germany.Kevinwill also be proofreadingthe magazine.Heis the CorporateEditorand everyIFATCA corporatemembershouldcontacthim at onestageor anotherto get coverageand coordinatepossible advertisements.

Charlie's Column

COLUMN CONTROLLER SONGS

called'Weare controllers')which is dueto

Our Finnishfriendsre-wrotea songaimedat the aviationcommunity.Forposterityand to gain fame,the lyricsare reproducedbelow:

becomean instantinternationalhiUmong our community.Moreon this in a forthcoming column.

Tobe sungto the tune of "Yesterday"by the Beatles.

NO DELAY! Lyricsby J Karila,K Koivula(FinlandATC)

FLYINGRABBITS

RYANAIRAGAIN:

I havehearda nicestorythat happenedin Francelast summeron an Alphajet (a smallaerobatictrainingjet usedby the FrenchAir Force aerobaticteam).

Thelatestfrom this low costairline is the recent orderfrom Managementthat prohibits its employeesfrom rechargingtheir mobile telephoneson companypremises,arguingthis is 'electricitytheft'. Howto win the mindsand heartsof your employeesthe Ryanairway.You remembertheir crewsalreadyhadto payfor their own coffee,so,besidesthe new thermos flask,theywill now haveto purchasesmall

Originalsongby J Lennon,P McCartney Duringa trainingflight, something explodeson the canopy,blood everywhere. Thepilot is questionedand swearshe saw a rabbit comingat him at 3000feet.

No delay,all my vectorstookyou far away Now it looksthat they"rehereto stay Oh,I provideyou no delay Suddenly,my radarscreenturnedoff to me Separationsunderminimi Oh,no delaycausedstressto me Whytheyhad to fly, I don't know, this awful day I clearedsomethingwrong,now I long for no delay No delay,it wassud1an easyjob to pl.ay Nmv,I needa place to hide away Oh,I promisedyou no delay...

Thesongwas performedlive by the FinishATC Choir,both in CommitteeD specialeveningand during FarewellDinnerand partyin Melbourne. TheChoiris currentlyworkingon a new version of 'WeAreTheChampions'by Queen,(to be

As I was lookingat it, one localcontroller stoppedand said:"Thisguy hassinceleft us to moveto Canada,to be a controllerthere".. . That'swhy he is smilingsaidanotherone.. .

Thepilot is sentto a doctor,but the pilot seemsto be sane,so further analysisis done,and indeedthey find rabbit piecesin the debris... After many discussions, the enquiryteam cameto the conclusionthat most probablya falconor anotherbird of preyhad caughta rabbit,and while carryingit at 3000feet,got frightenedby the noiseof the jet, and releasedits preywhich fell on the cockpit...

ATCADVERTISEMENT In the entranceHall of the MelbourneATC centrethere is a largeadvertisementbanner hangingfrom the ceilingwith the pictureof a controllersmilingon it.

solarpanelsand installthem on their hats,if they want to usetheir personalphones... Lowcostsmeansfighting the last cent whereit is... Lookingforwardto next monthsnew innovativeRyanairsavingexercises.

ATCIN AUSTRALIA Runways inspections Removingcrocodilesfrom the runwayis a normalduty in CairnsAirport (northof Australia). A specialteam madeof bravecontrollershas developeda localtechniquebasedon persuasionand flattery,which seemsto work fine,as the photo oppostiteconfirms. Theteam did not sayif the techniqueworks

THECONTROLLER

Charlie's Column

T Removing the Crocodile

equallywell with management ...

Heard on the frequency over there:

warrioris still on the runway.Doyou want us to makea go around?

R/T Phraseology

lWR: Jet 234 clear to land behindthe warrior

Thereare also in AustralianR/Tsomenice typical words used.Not exactlyICAO

TWR:Negative!Thewarrioris local traffic and

in short final. (Sometime later)

if he doesnot exit at the first left he will not get any take-offclearancesin the next few

Pilot jet: Er,areyou sure this will work, the

days...

phraseologybut effective. My favorite is: NIKE meaningof course:Just do it!

Landing fees Somehumor in the landingfee systemis also allowed: Landingin Colac(a Bushfield west of Melbourne)the sign (right) can be seen.Selfservice.Whenone knowsthe current complexityand bureaucracy of the European CentralRouteChargesOrganization(CRCO), I am suresomeEurocontrolguyscould learn somethingfrom the Australianexperience. Someairports(e.g.JandakotAirport near Perth)also havefunny charges: No-radioarrival-practice: 2.25 $ 9.50 $ No-radioarrival-real: long landing: My favorite is: Towervisit:

THE CONTROLLER

0.80 $

a chocolatecake.

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Future of ATC: the various visions Spotlight on the new Corporate members that joined IFATCAin Melbourne More on the new Controllers Associations that also Joined IFATCAin Melbourne Oceanic Operations: News from Shannon (Ireland) ECAC(European Civil Aviation Conference) 50th Anniversary: What have they really done? And much more...

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