THE
CONTROLLER March 2010
Journal of Air Traffic Control
4 ATC IN RUSSIA
INTER-
TION OF AIR TRAFF ERA IC C FED
LLERS’ ASSNS. TRO ON
NATIO NAL
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Contents
THE
March 2010 1st quarter 2010 Volume 49 ISSN 0010-8073
CONTROLLER THE
CONTROLLER March 2010
Journal of Air Traffic Control
Photos:
4 ATC IN RUSSIA
Russian Air Traffic Controller at Work Photo credit: Andrei Dubovik (Khabarovsk, Russia)
Also in this issue: 4 CANSO 4 TCAS RAs Downlink update
NATIO NAL INTER-
LLERS’ ASSNS. TRO ON
TION OF AIR TRAFF ERA IC C FED
An Antonov 148 Photo credit: Nikolay Ustinov (St. Petersburg, Russia)
PUBLISHER IFATCA, International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations. EXECUTIVE BOARD OF IFATCA Marc Baumgartner President and Chief Executive Officer Alexis Brathwaite Deputy President Alex Figuereo Executive Vice-President Americas (Henry Nkondokaya) † Executive Vice-President Africa/ Middle East Raymond Tse Executive Vice-President Asia/Pacific Patrik Peters Executive Vice-President Europe Dale Wright Executive Vice-President Finance Scott Shallies Executive Vice-President Professional Andrew Beadle Executive Vice-President Technical Jack van Delft Secretary/Conference Executive EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Philippe Domogala Editorial address: Westerwaldstrasse 9 D 56337 ARZBACH, Germany Tel: +492603 8682 email: ed@ifatca.org Residence: 24 Rue Hector Berlioz F 17100 LES GONDS, France DEPUTY EDITOR AND WEB SITE Philip Marien (EGATS) CORPORATE AFFAIRS Kevin Salter (Germany/UK) REGIONAL EDITORS Africa-Middle East: Mick Atiemo (Ghana) Americas: Doug Church (USA) Phil Parker (Hong Kong) Patrik Peters (Europe) COPY EDITORS Paul Robinson, Helena Sjöström, Stephen Broadbent, Brent Cash and Alexis Brathwaite PRINTING-LAYOUT LITHO ART GmbH & Co. Druckvorlagen KG Friesenheimer Straße 6a D 68169 MANNHEIM, Germany Tel: +49 (0)621 3 22 59 10 email: info@lithoart-ma.de
In this issue:
Editorial by Philippe Domogala ……………………….…………...................... 4 Foreword by Marc Baumgartner ..……..….….…………......…......…................. 5 Greece VFR Flying in Greece by Philippe Domogala ........................................... 6 Russia English Training and Testing in Russia by Roman Bondarenko .................. 8 Russian Traffic-Table vs Strips: No Winner by Eduard Kolodnyi ................. 9 Interview with Sergey Kovalev, President of Controller’s Union in Russia (FUATC) by Eduard Kolodnyi …...................……............... 10 European Union Safety and Politics do not Mix by Marc Baumgartner ........................ 7 TCAS RA Downlink – An Update by Philippe Domogala ................................................ 12 EUROCONTROL and SPIN work on RA Downlink by Stanislaw Drozdowski ........................................................................................ 13 CANSO CANSO and IFATCA Cooperation on Safety by Philippe Domogala ................... 14 Delivering Safety Improvement in Air Traffic Management by Gretchen Burrett ............................................................................................... 15 1st CANSO Caribbean & Latin American ANSP Conference by Jean Robert Dumfries ....................................................................................... 16 Interview Alexander Ter Kuile, Outgoing Secretary General CANSO by Philippe Domogala ........................................................................................... 17 ERM Kos European Regional Meeting by Philippe Domogala …......................................... 18 Performance The 2009 IFATCA Perfomance Seminars by Philippe Domogala and Alexis Brathwaite ...............…................................................................... 19 AFM African Middle East Regional Meeting by Philippe Domogala ................................... 20 Discussing Morocco Problems with IFATCA President .............................................. 21 Book Review Going Up Sir by Martin Leeuwis ............…................................................... 22 ASECNA Interview Meissa N’Diaye, Operational Director ASECNA by Philippe Domogala ...........…......................................................................... 23 Spain ATC and Management by Pedro Contreras Blanco .............…............................ 24 Brief & News .……….……....……………..........….........…........…................................ 26 USA News ATSAP: A Voluntary, Non-Punitive Safety Reporting System for Controllers by Gini Briggs ...........…................................................... 27 European News Working on the Executive Board by Patrik Peters ...........…...... 28 African News Ghana Aviation Training Academy (GATA) by Mick Atiemo .....…................................................................... 28 An Emergency Landing at Lome Airport (Togo) by Togue Nyntche Ouro-Sama ....…............................................ 29 Asian News A New Year Full of Meetings by John Wagstaff ............. 30 Spotlight Spotlight on Corporate Members by Kevin Salter.......... 31 Philip Marien Feature Crew Egress Systems by Philip Marien.. 32 Charlie‘s Column .……….……....……....…........…............... 34 Advert Germany DFS Improves Controllers Scheduling with an Integrated Quintiq Solution by David Hillis .............................................. 35
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this magazine are those of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA) only when so indicated. Other views will be those of individual members or contributors concerned and will not necessarily be those of IFATCA, except where indicated. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this publication is correct, IFATCA makes no warranty, express or implied, as to the nature or accuracy of the information. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or used in any form or by any means, without the specific prior written permission of IFATCA.
VISIT THE IFATCA WEB SITES:
www.ifatca.org and www.the-controller.net
Editorial
Editorial Safety and Cost Reduction Financial Targets Philippe Domogala, ^ by Editor This will be my last editorial as Editor of the magazine. I will pass the work to Philip Marien, who has been Deputy Editor for some time already. But you will not be completely rid of me, as we are simply swapping jobs and I will be Deputy Editor for the next few years. This will enable continuity in producing The Controller, and also allow me some more free time which is a rare thing these days.
Emperor´s Throne During the African regional meeting in Ouarzazate, Morocco (see pages 20-21) a fantastic dinner was served in the local film museum, and we dined on one of the sets used for many “Roman“ films (like “The Gladiator“ or “The Life of Jesus“). During the dinner, I was allowed to sit on Julius Caesar’s throne and feel the power of an Emperor overlooking hundreds of people gathered at his feet (okay they were mostly eating and not paying much attention to me, but that is not the point!). This position of power reminded me of a good old wise lesson I was told a long time ago – that when one sits on top, one should remember the work is really done by the people you command. You can give directions, but the humans under you are what make the world go round. Treat them well, and you’ll be allowed to remain on the throne – treat them like numbers costing money, and you’ll be gone. Maybe a good reminder for some of our managers who put costs and productivity ahead of “real life“.
A Wake-up Call? In Sept 2006, a UK RAF Nimrod was lost in Afghanistan after suffering a catastrophic mid-air fire, leading to the total loss of the aircraft and the death of all 14 crew on board. The accident report, just out and available on the internet, points to a series of “significant failures and negligence“ in the way the aircraft safety case was made.
4 Philippe in Julius Caesar Throne. Photo credit: Thierry Carquet / FATCOA
The authorities responsible for that safety case “assumed“ the aircraft was “safe anyway“ because the airframe it was based upon (a DH Comet 3) had already flown for 30 years, so the task of drafting the safety case became essentially a “tick-box“ paperwork exercise.“ The report says: “It was a lamentable job from start to finish, it was riddled with errors and missed the key dangers“. The report also concludes that there was: “… a shift in culture and priorities in the UK Ministry of Defense, towards “business“ and financial targets at the expense of functional values such as safety.“
ing to see if the “processes“ are in place, and there is no such thing as business or financial pressure in ATM today, right?
But this would never happen in ATC with an ANSP of course. All our risk analysis and safety cases are far more stringent than just ticking boxes. Our regulators are all watching real operations and are not solely check-
It has been a real pleasure to work as Editor for the past 5 years. Enjoy reading this ed@ifatca.org issue. ^
It is time to make sure that we are not reduced to mere “cost factors” figures by aggressive “new” management techniques.
The world is changing, and not only in ATC. Cost benefits and analysis are a standard today. But “we“ the people are what make the (ATC) world go round. It is time to make sure that we are not reduced to mere “cost factors“ figures by aggressive “new“ management techniques. Aviation, and ATC in particular, is a people-centred business in which common sense should always prevail.
Philippe
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Foreword
Foreword from the Executive Board Is a New Moral Approach Required for Air TrafďŹ c Control? Marc Baumgartner, ^ by President and CEO IFATCA While some aspects of air navigation are being hit severely by the impact of the financial crisis, voices have noticeably become louder that the business model of ANSPs requires change. Some of the more commercialised and business-like Air Navigation Services believe that they are unable to react to improve the quality of service if they remain in a government controlled environment. Has the industry reached the point of not being able to progress further without rethinking completely the approach to the management of ANSPs. As an observation, well functioning and peaceful societies in the past, and currently, have shown signs of exhaustion before imploding. Has the industry reached this point, and is it time to invent a new business model? Over the last 2 decades, IFATCA has observed all the various evolutions of ATC service provision from government owned or government regulated being released to some form of independence. Something which has not changed though is the financial side. Airlines or in certain cases government have continued to finance the infrastructure we use. A question that is never asked however is if they were contributing enough to make this public service a modern one with reserves built into the financial model to provide for the lean years. Many of the systems (equipment/people) at national, regional and continental level have normally reached a degree which had always been 3 years behind the actual demand and very seldom matching it. Currently traffic figures in most areas of the world are back to 2005 levels which mean that the delay figures have never been as low as currently being experienced. This means that the systems are now 2 years
ahead of current demand. With airlines going bankrupt in the name of the free and liberalised market, air navigation service providers are being urged by these customers to cut the cost to levels never before imagined. What we see is the usual knee jerk reaction by curtailing recruitment, reducing training, putting on hold capital expenditure, and/or postponing their investment to a hopefully more profitable time. A long term failing of the system has been the lack of staff, the shortfall of which has been resolved by the use of overtime. Overtime has always been seen as cost saving as it does not require additional recruitment and training. It does however rely on the staff to be amenable to having less time off which was recognised in some cases by generous payments. However in these difficult times some air navigation service providers have now commenced reducing their cost bases by attacking the major cost factor of ATM – staffing. This has lead recently to a very strange phenomena, where CEOs and Ministers have started to blame the controllers who work the overtime as the cause for a potential shortfall in budget. Personally I find it strange that the same people who looked at overtime as a saviour now see it as curse. That overtime which is now only seen as a benefit to the controller is withdrawn and that other benefits to the same managers who offered these overtime rates have continued to be paid a lot of fringe benefits, bonuses (usually collectively) costing more than the overtime budget and who after an average of 5-6 years have moved on to another company leaving the controller as the common element to pick up the pieces. Maybe one day we will see the governments starting to draw up regulation to limit the bonuses of the top execu-
Photo credit: Oman Amahmoul
4 Marc speaking tive of ANSPs in an analogy to the financial market. In which world are we living, I ask myself sometimes. Europe under the fast track approach of the European Commission is trying to introduce a performance driven ATM system. The European Commission has managed to convince Ministers and the European Parliament that a system which delivers every day 33,000 or more movements with a punctuality rate of not lower than 92% (show me any commuter traffic on the road with such a punctuality score) at worst is broke and fragmented and has created the need to move to a performance based air traffic management system. ... continued on next page
Overtime has always been seen as cost saving as it does not require additional recruitment and training.
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4 Foreword/Greece
Foreword Executive Board (Continued from previous page) This should show the way to the rest of the world how the ICAO ATM Concept with the aim to move from CNS/ATM to performance based ATM should be organised. Four out of the eleven key performance areas ICAO has identified have been chosen to drive the performance. Safety, cost-efficiency, environment and capacity are the 4 areas. The Commission wants to set targets at the national level to achieve an overall improvement of the performance. The approach chosen will open Pandora's box. The ANSP will lose complete control over their possibility to plan and invest in the future capacity trig-
gering measures. This could lead to a system where all the actors are simply getting lost and at a certain stage the air traffic controllers might have to play again (like in the 80s and 90s) the boogie man. This is certainly not a favoured scenario, and at the performance seminars during the IFATCA Conference the need to set up an ethical standard and or a new moral for providing a so-called (socially or professionally) sustainable development of ATC has been identified. How could such a new moral for providing, modern, efficient and forward looking ATC which would put the human factor (numbers and quality) in the centre, look like? As professionals we are being challenged by such an undertaking. It does have to be constructed in a way that it becomes a commonly accepted ethical code, which becomes as important for
an Air Navigation Service Provider to achieve as any other quality and safety standards which are currently being transposed. The Executive Board will pick up this challenge and try to give guidance in the form of a code of conduct or a human factors label to be achieved at the highest level, ideally endorsed or supported by ICAO. Until then, all the air traffic controllers should keep their ethics high by trying to present the IFATCA and ICAO policies and recommendation to the management and the government and foster the need to invest into the Human Factor or the Human Capital which will be the only pillar which will guarantee a long standing survival and a continuation of the efficient air traffic control system. ^
pcx@ifatca.org
VFR Flying in Greece Philippe Domogala, ^ by Editor
4 Yannis and Philippe One of the controllers in the Greek island of Rhodes, Yannis Stavlas, is also a pilot-instructor in the local aero club. I arranged
to get a flight around the island in the club’s old Piper PA28 Warrior. Flying VFR in Greece is different: firstly, the fuel is imported from Italy and is sold there at 4,10 Euros a liter (yes that’s more than 22 US$ a gallon!). Then there is the old bureaucracy at its best: before you start anything you have to fill a “General Declaration of Intentions“ with the airport authority. Just telling them you are going to fly an hour with 2 on board. The form has to be brought to an office where a nice lady behind a desk full of telephones will put a big stamp on the form. This then allows you to go to the airport police, who will examine your passport, send you to a metal detector and points you towards ATC, where you have to file a flight plan – mandatory in Greece for all flights, including VFR. The flight
plan has to be approved by ATC of course… The rest is easy. Main reason for all of this is the proximity (less than 5 NM) of the Turkish border, where the Turkish Air Force F16s are likely to come to say hello if by error you enter their airspace, even as relations between Turkey and Greece have greatly improved. The Turkish Airport of Dalaman is temptingly close, only 15 minutes away in our PA28, but the landing fee (140 Euros for a VFR) is off-putting. The Rhodes Island coast is very populated but there are no real noise abatement procedures, so you can fly everywhere at any altitude basically. We do so at 600ft and admire the landscape and the coast. Despite the price of fuel and the bureaucracy, flying VFR in Greece is indeed a very nice experience. ^
4 The PA 28 Photo credits: Gunther
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4 European Union
Safety and Politics don´t Mix Accident and Incident Prevention Regulation Ignoring Annex 13
Photo credit: Council of the European Union
Marc Baumgartner, ^ by President & CEO IFATCA In the past IFATCA has been one of the global actors to get Just Culture introduced as a basis for the future growth in a sustainable and safe way for ATC. We have introduced the essential notion of Just Culture with a myriad of articles being published by our organisation detailing why it is essential to have a bottom up approach, the only way to improve safety. Safety in aviation is at such a level that an accident occurs (luckily) very seldom, but that gives the problem of learning from accidents unlike for example in road transport, where accidents regrettably are numerous and the development of cars and trucks can be made to be safer as a result of the knowledge gained. ICAO has published in Annex 13 a chapter 8 and the Attachment E which introduces the necessity to make accident prevention part of the daily job of all the actors involved in aviation. The European Commission has a directive on Accident and Incident Prevention which was published in 1994 and was supposed to be revised during the Single European Sky 1 process around 2000. During the discussion in the revision process IFATCA was able to contribute with a significant number of results from research and recommendation from ICAO’s Air Navigation Commission and Assembly in order to explain to the politicians at the Commission that it was important to take Annex 13 as a baseline and to build on this to have a safe and sustainable growth being made possible in the framework of the Single European Sky. Several initiatives have been created to bridge the gap between aviation and the judicial world. Safety and politics do not mix – even if this is a “bon mot“ we were however deeply concerned by the latest move of the Commission which proposes in December 2009 a new Implementation Regulation (stronger than a directive) which completely ignores Chapter 8 of Annex 13, fails to mention Attachment E and talks about the overarching interest of public interest against protection of information. This approach ignores
the real issues and proposes an option which is against the common good and more importantly safety. Now this proposed Implementation Regulation will go into the normal review process of the European Union with the European Parliament and the European Council of Ministers having to decide if the proposed text will become a binding Implementation Regulation. The European Commission has not only ignored the views and opinions of the major stakeholders and experts, but has introduced notions of competence to organisations such as EASA which are already covered by Annex 13. By introducing this and other proposed articles the Commission enhances the fragmentation of transposing ICAO recommended practices and annexes into Europe. This text does not mention in any article the prevention of accidents (as does Chapter 8 of Annex 13) and does introduce anti-constitutional and an anti- basic human rights article. IFATCA has commenced coordination of activities with other stakeholders to convince the politicians of the European Parliament, The Commission and the Council of Ministers, that this proposed text will negate all the efforts made by aviation in the past to improve safety by having a blame, punitive free (just culture) reporting system in place. As our policy states we believe that reporting shall only be possible if it is voluntary and anonymous. The European Commission proposal is counterproductive and potentially hazardous to the essential reporting requirements in the following categories: - against or differing from ICAO Annexe 13 in several principles
- public interest is higher than protection of information - anonymity only granted to actors if no other interests prevail - self incrimination is favoured by imposing a penalty - EASA becomes an accident investigator – however where it could be against EASA – as an authority of design, certification and/or endorsement, then it will not be investigated - victims rights are being put at a higher level than the involved actors rights (basic human right – not to self incriminate themselves) This proposal is short sighted, unfair, lacks understanding of what is at stake and will lead to a proliferation (if accepted) of states filing a difference and will stop reporting of the actors involved. It undermines by this the very nature of accident prevention. Clearly a proof that politics do not mix with safety. Unfortunately for the actors in ATM the political process does not allow prevention of this – but only to improve where agreed (politically). In the end the safety of the travelling public will suffer, because of a so called political initiative. ^
pcx@ifatca.org
This proposed text will negate all the efforts made by aviation in the past to improve safety by having a blame, punitive free (just culture) reporting system in place.
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4 Russia
English Proficiency in Russia Roman Bondarenko, Head of Training ^ by Center Rostov-on-Don, Russia Over the past years, the Russian Federation has significantly expanded its international airway network and airports. Consequently, Russian air traffic controllers deal with international flights using English more often than before. At the same time, more stringent ICAO requirements have been placed on the reliability and quality of such services. In order to satisfy demand and requirements, a linguistic training system for air traffic controllers was adopted in May 2002. Basically, it implements ICAO Doc. 9835. There are two paths to obtaining a license to handle international flights using the English language: after finishing basic training in college or after passing English language courses in the Institute of Air-navigation which handles refresher training for already qualified controllers. After on-the-job training or simulation training, a final examination (both practical and theoretical test) determines whether you get a license. As
an incentive, this license entitles controllers to 15% more salary… In 2002, the air-navigation service of the Russian Federation adopted a plan to improve the language training system for air traffic controllers. The plan outlined the principal steps to ensure a strong growth of the language competence level of Russian controllers and a time frame for the implementation of those steps. Firstly, the plan defined the unified tests and exams. It was important to initiate a national testing system for controllers, even more so because of our “regional features“: our national ATS rules differ from standard and recommended practices of ICAO. Furthermore, there was no requirement at that moment for students entering the ATC college to know any English. Also, because of the way they were trained, flight crews in Russia strictly applied the radio phraseology. This impacted the English language refresher courses, which all controllers licensed to control international flights were obliged to pass regularly. Since 2008, after each refresher course, we have been testing language proficiency in accordance with the ICAO scale. Authorities of the Russian Federation have chosen two tests – the Australian RELTA and a national testing system ELPET. In my humble opinion, the latter one is more suited for us because
4 Antonov and Yaks in Russia Photo credit: Sergei Vasiliev
4 Roman Bondarenko Photo credit: Eduard Kolodnyy
of the “regional features“ which were explained above. At the present time we have a contract with M.L.S. College (England, Bournemouth) to train Russian controllers that have level 3 up to level 4 of the ICAO scale. When a controller achieves the third level on the ICAO scale, his salary is increased not by 15% but by 25%. For level 4 and above, this bonus increases to 50%! We also give great attention to examiner training. They all have higher language education and have passed extensive training in aviation English. All of them, about 100 in total, have trained in foreign colleges. Periodically they hold meetings and workshops at which they align the test procedures and the order of level assessment. Unfortunately (although maybe not for subject matter experts), our examiners have refused the expert assistance from air traffic controllers during the test procedure. Basically, this is wise, because we very meticulously selected examiners’ candidates and all of them have a long-term operational experience as teachers of aviation English language and even general English. Controllers from upper airspace centers and from busy international airports (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Pulkovo, etc.) get priority in the language training system. If an ATC unit has two controllers working simultaneously (radar and procedure control) we aim to have at least one of them to be level four at the moment. Overall, I believe Russia will meet the 2011 target of controller’s language training, at least in those parts of our huge airspace where there is constant flow of internationally operated flights. ^
romio2000@mail.ru
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4 Russia
Traffic-Table vs Strips: No Winner Eduard Kolodnyi, ATC Instructor of Training Center ^ by Rostov-on-Don, Russia This article deals with an eternal discussion or rather, a never-ending battle. For reasons explained later, it only takes place in Russia or republics of the former USSR. This discussion, as a rule, begins with the words: “I haven’t worked with strips, but I think a traffic-table is better“. Occasionally, the argument is reversed. There are a few people who’ve worked with both methods, but they are fed up with the discussion and try to avoid it. For outsiders to understand the discussion, it is necessary to explain a few things. There are 97 ATC centers in Russia and traffic-tables are used in each one except in the Moscow centre, which works with strips since 1981, when a Swedish ATC system was installed there.
4 Russian traffic table Photo credit: EK
But what exactly is a traffic-table? It is in fact quite simple: it’s a transparent roll of paper that’s overlaid on a table or board. Flight details on each flight are written on it and then a line is drawn from the flight’s entry point to its exit point. A traffic-table displays the progress of moving aircraft in a Cartesian coordinate system: the axis Y – is the time axis and the axis X – is the distance axis. Vertically, lines mark periods of 5 or 10 minutes. In the horizontal plane, the different reporting points are marked at the relative distances to each other. At the end of each hour, you can scroll up transparent paper forward. This explains why we generally need the information about time and entrance point firstly. When working with strips, the callsign is the first things that are needed, in order to retrieve it from the computer or to find it on the strip display. One advantage that strips have is that it probably takes less time to mark information compared to doing so on a traffic-table. There are many additional special symbols to show a climbing, descending, conflicting traffic, speed, icing, turbulence and so on. The ultimate aim of all of this is of course to help the air traffic controllers maintain separation in case of radar failure. Personally, I think this is more self-evident using a traffictable. One major drawback however is trying to handle a lot of traffic handed over from your colleague with illegible handwriting.
Some years ago, after having worked with traffic-tables for a long while, our centre in Rostov-on-Don installed a new system with strips. Before it was put into operation however, we replaced the strip system by the traffic-table again. Today we are using a system from the Spanish company “Indra“. This uses neither strips nor traffic-tables, but just shows lists of pending and ‘under-control’ aircraft. While it has a definite advantage over strips and traffic-tables, like highlighting conflicting traffic in red, it would not allow to cope very well with a system or radar failure.
ally requires extensive training. That is probably why we are not going to change anything. And after all, you know, also electronic strips exist. But I would not like to be the one who starts the discussion with the words “I did not work with electronic strips, but a traffictable is better…“
kolodnyi@mail.ru
Now, looking back, I would like to say that all systems have their own place, both with their own advantages and disadvantages. There are no major problems with either of them. Some difficulties can arise when transiting to a new system, and overcoming this usu-
Photo credit: EK
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4 Russia
Interview Sergey Kovalev, President of Controller’s Union in Russia (FUATC) Eduard Kolodnyi, ATC Instructor of ^ by Training Center Rostov-on-Don, Russia Q: Was 2009 difficult for FUATC compared to previous years? A: Yes, it was actually the most complex for our trade union, but not due to the global economic crisis or financial problems for the air navigation system. We encountered much more difficult economic problems before, in 1997-1998 and 2001-2002 for example. Back then we had financial problems connected with low income and a pressing need for technical modernization. The direct result was strikes each of which resulted in a substantial pay rise. But I can say that all those complex periods with strikes now look less complicated in comparison with present situation in 2009.
4 Sergey Kovalev President FUATC Russia
Q: Could you describe and comment on the problems between FUATC and administration? A: The “State ATM Corporation“ of Russia was created in 2004. In 2007, a collective agreement between FUATC and “State ATM
Corporation“ was agreed. This defined a remuneration system, social guarantees and indexation of wages twice a year for employees. That same year, the transfer of military air traffic controllers to the civil side began. This entailed some serious political decisions: a former Air Force general became the Director of the “State ATM Corporation“ of Russia. He appointed former colleaguesgenerals as his deputies. The 2007 agreement stipulated a pay increase of 5% in April 2009, but this wasn’t respected. FUATC of Russia tried to force the employer to comply with the collective agreement: we appealed to office of Public Prosecutor, the government, the Russian President and the International Labor Organization. Based on this, the management of the “State ATM Corporation“ began to see FUATC as a hindrance. With support from a military lobby, they continue to violate the collective agreement and thereby Russian law.
Photo credit: FUATC
4 Russian winter Photo credit: Sergei Vasiliev
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4 Russia Moreover, they attempted to obstruct the activities of FUATC by submitting claims to the court, directing different complaints in office of Public Prosecutor and so on. They even went as far as blocking our access to the FUATC offices. Q: To what purpose are they taking these actions? A: There are several possible scenarios: 1. The general political situation in Russia develops in such a way that active public including trade union organizations are not welcome. It’s possible that the employer has a kind of permission from the executive branch to provoke a strike. This can then be repressed similarly to what happened in the USA in 1981, although I’m not sure that we have so many qualified military air traffic controllers who can take over. 2. By taking them to court, the employer wants to demonstrate that FUATC is unable to defend the interests of its members at all costs. This costs them about 3 million euro per year in legal fees! 3. The employer doesn’t want to sign a new collective agreement for the period 20102013. In all three versions, the employer benefits from making our organization as weak as possible. Q: How are going to force the employer to respect the conditions of the collective agreement? A: While our employer has broken the law regularly, we are trying to resolve the problem by taking legal actions. But FUATC of Russia can, if necessary, begin a strike at any time.
tive authorities urging them to call our employer to order. Unfortunately, our engineering colleagues – members of IFATSEA – have not yet expressed their support, despite being closely involved in the dispute. We have not yet asked for support abroad, but we’re sure we can count on support from our colleagues at IFATCA when required. Q: Could it be that financial problems of “State ATM Corporation“ of Russia are a reason why they don’t respect the agreement? A: There are no financial problems in ATS in Russia. Yes, we had a 16-18% fall in flights for the first three months in 2009 as compared with the similar period of 2008. But then the number of flights increased, and charges for air navigation services have increased. As a result “State ATM Corporation“ of Russia has made a higher profit level in 2009, some 10% more than in 2008! Q: Do you think ex-military commanders are good managers or is their appointment simply part of a policy? A: The civil-military integration was a difficult and long exercise: I think having ex-military as managers of “State ATC Corporation“ was one of the trade-offs of this integration and therefore a policy. They have never been top managers and, probably, never will be.
Photo credit: atcm.ru
Q: Do you meet with support from other trade unions in the country and abroad? A: FUATC of Russia gets strong support from other trade unions inside the country. They have written a lot of requests to the execu-
Moreover, in conjunction with the employer, we’ve set up a non-governmental pension fund which complements the basic pension scheme.
4 2 Tower controllers Photo credit: atcm.ru
Q: The situation between FUATC and “State ATM Corporation“ of Russia has escalated over the past months. How will it evolve? A: I think the employer will try to delay negotiations with FUATC to avoid having to implement the collective agreement and sign a new one. We are not going to wait until the current agreement expires: we’re ready to organize various forms of protest actions. But we hope with the assistance of the international organizations and particular from the International Labor Organization that we will be able to avoid a strike. Q: Are you satisfied with the work of your command? A: On the whole, yes. But I’d like to see more activity and initiative in time of critical events.
4 Caption: Moscow ATC Centre
- Work- and rest time regulations. - Managed to get air traffic controllers on a list of people eligible for early retirement.
Q: Can you list some of the FUATC achievements of the last years. A: There is course the collective agreement that was signed for the period 2007-2010 and which will expire on 01st April 2010. On top of that, FUATC of Russia has contributed to a number of improved working conditions: - Health working standards for air traffic controllers.
Q: In what areas was FUATC less successful? A: We still haven’t been able to secure an increase of the basic pension for air traffic controllers, and unfortunately, we were unable to defend the right to strike for air traffic controllers. But his right is not really necessary for us, it is more important for the employer. After all it is better to agree and discuss with us and not force FUATC to use the right to strike. Q: Do you have any wish or message for your colleagues abroad? A: I hope our colleagues are not facing similar problems and that they have a normal partnership with their employer. And that, if necessary, you can expect support from FUATC of Russia. ^
kolodnyi@mail.ru
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TCAS – RA Downlink Philippe Domogala, ^ by Editor The Eurocontrol Agency and the DFS (German ANSP) organised a workshop on RA downlink in Berlin last October, which was attended by 80 representatives from nearly every ANSP in Europe together with Japan and the USA. We learned that three States (Japan, Hungary and the Czech Republic) have already introduced RA D/L to their Controller Working Positions (CWPs) without co-ordination between themselves and utilising different procedures. These procedures are not in accordance with, and sometimes opposite to, the current ICAO recommendations on ACAS. We learned that there are still huge technical problems in the accuracy of RA downlinking, and that a survey shows that the correct response to RAs by pilots is still a major issue.
What is RA Downlink? – When you fit TCAS you include a Mode S Transponder. During a TCAS encounter, if the intruder is TCAS equipped, TCAS resolution messages are sent every second to the (one or more) intruder aircraft to ensure coordination between RAs on the aircraft. These messages can be received on the ground by fixed ADS-B antennas. In addition, there is an RA broadcast message on 1030 MHz using
Photo credit: DP
the bottom antenna (i.e. it is designed to be monitored on the ground, but does not use the normal ADS-B frequency of 1090MHz). This message is sent once whenever the RA occurs or changes and is repeated every 8 seconds until the RA ends. In the future, aircraft will become progressively equipped with transponders that broadcast details of RAs every second with an ADS-B message. This will enable fixed ADS-B antennas to better detect RAs that occur against non-TCAS equipped aircraft. During RAs, Mode S tranponders also indicate to ground radars that an RA is in progress. The details of this event can be read using the Mode S radar from a RA downlink message (BDS 3,0). In Europe, USA and Japan, radar Mode S antennas are currently more available than networks of ADSB receivers, hence the delay in receiving the information on the ground (due to the rate of turn of radar antennas). A Eurocontrol survey (FARADS) estimated that when using Mode S radar, 95% of RAs can be captured and seen by controllers within 10 seconds.
Technical Problems The main problem when listening to RA downlinks is that 96% of the messages are false (most of them are empty messages and thus easy to filter, but there are lots of other errors as well which are less easy to eliminate). Of the remaining 4%, only 17% of these are valid TCAS-TCAS encounters, 33% are on one aircraft only, 29% are mode C threats, 7% are ghost threats, and in the remainder either the TCAS was inoperative or they were “intentional RAs“ involving military, test, or photo flights, etc.
4 Workshop poster Photo credit: Eurocontrol
Pilots Responses to TCAS RAs a) The average delay by pilots in reporting RAs to ATC is 30 seconds (Eurocontrol FARADS). b) The NLR (Netherlands) studied 50 aircraft operators over 7 year for TCAS. Of the pilots reporting RAs to ATC: only 45% were reported correctly and in time, and 20% were reported but well after the event, thus of no use to ATC. c) According the same NLR survey, Some major airlines are instructing their crews to only report the RA to ATC after they are “clear of conflict“ The current ICAO-based training focus on the first priority for the Pilot Non Flying (PNF) is to look for traffic, not on contacting ATC.
Procedural Problem The danger of issuing opposite-direction clearances: 70% of RAs correspond to 1000ft high speed level-offs (PASS study in France over 6 months and 1.3 million flights). It is under those conditions that the danger is for controllers to issue instructions to confirm a level-off to maintain separation, an instruction that could be in contradiction of the RA issued to the pilots. With TCAS downlink, there is an increased possibility of such intervention, even more so if the direction of the RA is shown to the controller.
ICAO Recommendations Under the current ICAO regulations (Doc 4444 PANS-ATM, section 1.6, para 15.7.3.3), controllers are still responsible to provide separation, even with a RA downlink information displayed. This is reaffirmed in the ICAO ACAS Manual (Doc 9863) para 6.3.2.6, where it is noted that what controllers see on their CWP may not be the correct information and they should not assume downlinked RAs to be the behavior of the aircraft. The Eurocontrol SPIN (Safety nets: Planning Implementation & eNhancements) Working Group is in charge of RA D/L and requests urgently that rules and guidance material are issued. There is a need for harmonisation. They say that “RA D/L is not a safety net on its own and controllers responsibilities are to be clear
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4 ACAS The danger of issuing opposite-direction clearances: 70% of RAs correspond to 1000ft high speed level-offs. and unambiguous as practicable“. Many States (France, USA and the UK very strongly) indicated they have so far seen no evidence on the usefulness to display RA D/L to controllers. France even insisted that before continuing spending efforts on this, the usefulness of it
has to be demonstrated. Germany (DFS) is currently testing six low-cost fixed ADS-B receivers in which the display time to CWP time is expected to be within 1-2 seconds. But current plans are for monitoring only, not for display of the RAs to controllers. In the USA the FAA has also no plans to display RAs to controllers. In Europe, ACAS D/L research will be covered by SESAR (Project 4.8.3) with France DSNA as leader. They are expecting their first results around 2015 at the earliest. Many States said they would wait until that is available to make their decision whether or not to implement RA D/L.
Conclusion A formal report of the workshop will be made by Eurocontrol that should contain recommendations on the way forward. In the meantime, IFATCA will go into an information campaign to its Member Associations warning them of the dangers of current local RA Downlink uncoordinated procedures, and urging them to stick to ICAO procedures. ^
ed@ifatca.org
EUROCONTROL and SPIN work on RA Downlink Stanislaw Drozdowski, ^ by SPIN Chairman SPIN is a EUROCONTROL Group that stands for Safety nets Performance Improvements Network. Automatic notification of ACAS RAs to controllers as they occur has been contemplated for many years. In Europe the Überlingen mid-air collision gave additional impetus for a number of organisations to implement what usually is referred to as RA Downlink. EUROCONTROL involvement started in 2003 with a launch of a feasibility study (commonly known as a FARADS project). It consisted of technical and safety studies and a series of simulations. Some 50 controllers from several European States participated in the simulations. and provided valuable feedback about the usefulness of RA Downlink. The results were presented during a first RA Downlink workshop in May 2006 which concluded that although RA Downlink seemed technically feasible and operationally useful, insufficient data regarding ACAS behaviour in European airspace was available to draw firm conclusions. Sufficient progress was made to justify the organisation of a second RA Downlink workshop in October 2009 in Berlin, but this time not limited to Europe. RA Downlink is already available in commercial systems and diverging operational practices are already emerging. The workshop brought together over 60 participants.
Before the Berlin workshop, the issue of RA Downlink was reviewed by the EUROCONTROL SPIN Sub-Group. SPIN is an expert group dealing with safety nets that was created in 2005. Currently, SPIN consists of active or former air traffic controllers, engineers, safety experts coming from 19 service providers and several industry suppliers. The mission of SPIN is to develop standards, and support the implementation and use of “classic“ ground-based safety nets (STCA, MSAW, APW, APM). RA Downlink, although not a safety net in its own right, falls in the remit of the SPIN Sub-Group as a bridge between the airborne safety net (TCAS) and the ground systems. SPIN recognizes that the feasibility and usefulness of RA Downlink will depend on local factors. Valuable experience has been gained in the Mode S environment, including some experience on RA downlink operations. In the light of the emerging implementations of RA downlink, SPIN believes there is an urgent need to establish a harmonised concept of operation and develop a detailed safety case and operational procedures. Most importantly, controller responsibilities must be made as clear and unambiguous as practicable. Changes to ICAO provisions should be proposed, if deemed necessary. Any interactions with the ground-based safety nets, es-
4 Stan Drozdowski Photo credit: eurocontrol
pecially the STCA, need to be taken into account. SPIN Sub-Group has the required competencies and will undertake the work. Any contribution from IFATCA to SPIN work will be appreciated. For more information visit EUROCONTROL websites: RA Downlink Workshops and studies: www.eurocontrol.int/ ra-downlink SPIN Sub-Group: www.eurocontrol.int/safety-nets ^
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4 Gretchen Burrett, CANSO Director of
NATIO NAL INTER-
TION OF AIR TRAFF ERA IC C FED
LLERS’ ASSNS. TRO ON
CANSO and IFATCA Cooperation on Safety
Safety, Philippe representing IFATCA, and Alexander Ter Kuile, CANSO Secretary General CANSO in Krakow (Poland) last November. / Photo credit: DP
Philippe Domogala, ^ by Editor Relations between CANSO and IFATCA took a sharp turn towards cooperation last November when CANSO invited IFATCA to participate at their Safety Committee meeting in Poland to present a plan for active combined efforts on safety. CANSO, which has existed for 10 years, initially concentrated in regulatory issues but is now getting more involved in direct operational matters. They decided, among other things, to work in partnership with global aviation stakeholders in order to drive significant improvements in safety performance and culture.
To put this into practice, CANSO invited four major stakeholders (IATA, ACI, ICAO, and IFATCA) to their Safety Standing Committee (SSC) in Krakow. The main points debated there were Human Factors, Resilience, and the introduction of Just Culture on a worldwide basis. IFATCA has the same objective regarding Just Culture, and this item was chosen by both organisations to be the first area of cooperation between them. One important point for both CANSO and IFATCA is to recognize and agree at all levels that there is a clear distinction between industrial issues and professional ones. There might come a time in the future where both organisations will disagree on industrial disputes, and each organisation might defend and support its own membership on the
issue involved during the dispute, but cooperation on professional issues should remain unaffected. We have many common goals in the professional field, especially on safety matters where it is obvious that there is much to gain in cooperation. The first stone of that cooperation was laid in Krakow, where IFATCA and CANSO representatives discussed together future strategies with the Safety Directors of 20 ANSPs present at the meeting. The ambiance was excellent, and we are confident that progress will be made. Further details on this cooperation will be reported and discussed during the annual meeting of both organisations in the coming months. ^
ed@ifatca.org
What is CANSO? The Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) is the global voice of the companies that provide air traffic control, and represents the interests of Air Navigation Services Providers worldwide. CANSO members are responsible for supporting 85% of world air traffic, and through their Workgroups,
members share information and develop new policies, with the ultimate aim of improving air navigation services on the ground and in the air. CANSO also represents its members’ views in major regulatory and industry forums, including at ICAO, where they have official Observer status.
organization also supports Regional Offices in Brussels, Jeddah, and Singapore, in addition to a representative office in Montreal, Canada to support their work with ICAO. Other CANSO regions are Africa, the Americas, and Eurasia, which comprises many of the countries within what was formerly the USSR.
Whilst CANSO HQ is based in the Netherlands, just outside Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, the
For more info visit their (very well done) web site: www.canso.org ^
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Delivering Safety Improvement in Air Traffic Management Gretchen Burrett, ^ by Director of Safety CANSO Managing Delivery
Safety is at the heart of Air Traffic Management and there is a constant demand to reduce ATM risks whilst improving service quality and reducing costs. However, advancing safety in what is already a very safe industry can be difficult, particularly in today’s uncertain economic climate. To help focus improvement activities on the things that can really make a difference, NATS has introduced a new safety benefits management process. This is similar to the benefits management process already used within NATS for capacity. It aims to ensure that new systems and operational concepts deliver the improvements in safety performance that we need.
Understanding Existing Risks The first step is to understand the current risks in the operation. To do this we have used data from incident investigations and from our voluntary open reporting scheme. However, data on the things that have gone wrong in the past may not give the complete picture. To address this issue we have introduced an operational safety survey programme called day to day safety observations. This involves recording positive safety indicators from the operation during direct observations. For example, an observer will collect information on the use of defensive controlling techniques that help to ensure that a situation remains safe even if an error does occur. This technique has given us much better information that helps us to understand the underlying safety performance of our operations.
4 Figure 1: Day to Day Observations help provide a complete picture of safety instance, airspace design changes may have the potential to reduce risk from level busts by simplifying flight profiles. Also, groups of pilots and controllers were set up to identify any additional actions that could address the key risk areas. Examples included reviewing aircraft and ground procedures and changing them where necessary, introducing new training requirements and developing new safety nets. This activity resulted in a programme of improvement actions that addressed each of the key risk areas.
Quantifying Benefits To assess the improvement programme we estimated the potential benefits from each activity. The benefit assessments were made at workshops that included operational experts and safety analysts.Taking into account forecast traffic, we then made a prediction of the overall effect of the work on future risk. In some cases, we found there was a need for additional actions.
All of the safety related information has been assessed by operational experts, including both controllers and pilots, to identify key risk areas for improvement activities. These priority areas are a combination of event types (e.g. airspace infringements) and causal factors (e.g. air-ground communication errors).
The reliability of the forecasts was, to some extent, a surprise. The methods used were relatively crude and there were examples of both over and under estimation. But it has proved possible to identify and deliver a programme of work that delivered measurable safety benefits. Our safety strategy has now been reviewed and updated using the same techniques and an extended programme of work out to 2016 has been developed.The method is relatively simple but has proved very effective, so we are working to develop it to support the future harmonized ATM system being developed by the SESAR Joint Undertaking. This should help to ensure that the focus on delivering improved safety is sustained through to the delivery of tomorrows ATM systems. ^
Gretchen.burret@nats.co.uk
Identify Improvement Actions To identify potential improvement actions, we looked at all of our existing activities to see where these might help reduce risks. For
The identified benefits were then tracked through to delivery in our operations. This included periodically reviewing the estimated benefits to build confidence that they would in fact be delivered. Safety performance was also monitored and compared against our initial predictions to ensure that the expected benefits were being delivered. Figure 1 shows the forecast benefits from the programme of work identified in our 2007 strategic plan for safety. The achieved safety performance (measured using a risk index calculated from a weighted sum of safety significant events1) is also shown.
1
4 Figure 2: Comparison Between Forecast and Actual Risk
=The NATS Safety Significant Event scheme classifies incident severity according to the degree of separation loss and the effectiveness of the resolution in the incident.
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1st CANSO Caribbean & Latin American ANSP Conference Jean Robert Dumfries, ^ by Regional Correspondant The event, held in Curacao on November 10-12 2009 and hosted by Netherlands Antilles Air Traffic Control (NAATC) attracted more than 100 delegates from across the Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as representatives from the world-wide aviation industry, including ICAO, IATA, ALTA and IFATCA. The response to the debates and workshops was strong and there was overwhelming support to return for a second conference in 2010.
The Conference discussed the significance of continuous training to prepare staff for future challenges.
The conference program and exhibition was designed to give ANSPs in the region access to as much best practice and CANSO’s leading thinking as possible. The theme of this conference was: ‘building ANS capability in the Caribbean & Latin America’. The keynote speakers expressed their hope that the Conference could mark a crucial milestone in promoting regional cooperation, by engaging all stakeholders; States, Air Navigation Service Providers, Airlines, Airports, Suppliers, and their respective Associations, in
constructive solution-oriented dialogue and activity. Today – the situation in various regions is characterized by a high degree of fragmentation with a lack of communication between ANSPs and their Customers. In the Future – ANSPs will form an integral part of the Aviation Value Chain working together with all the other partners in our industry. Concepts like Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) will support decision making processes leading to “better decisions“ and System Wide Information Networks (SWIM) will become a crucial enabler of seamless ATM. ANSPs are in the PEOPLE Business and their highly professional staff will always be a key success factor. The Conference discussed the significance of continuous training to prepare staff for future challenges. Delegates also listened to operational examples from ANSPs, and touched on regional issues and potential solutions. CANSO Members strive to transform into performance-based and customer-oriented organisations. The speakers on the Benchmarking Panel discussed the value created by identifying appropriate KPIs for ANSPs and using them to measure performance on a regular basis, comparing themselves with industry leaders, while taking informed decisions to improve service delivery. Benchmarking helps to not only learn how to ‘do it better’, but also to learn the reasons why things do – or do not – work well, and then find right means for improvement. However, exchanging data calls for a solid trust base. Despite this, there is only so much that ANSPs can do to improve themselves. ANSPs are entrusted by the States, the owners of airspace, with the provision of Air Navigation Services. Therefore ANSPs are very dependent on appropriate institutional frameworks and governance structures to support optimal performance.
4 The conference Photo credit: JRD
For many ANSPs, this Conference provided a first opportunity to compare regional models like COSECNA or the Eastern Caribbean Cooperation with other regional cooperation models, such as the European Single European Sky regulations. Separation between Regulation and Service Provision is a fundamental principle for optimised service provision and a recommended ICAO Standard. There are many studies that give evidence to the fact that separation leads to more efficiency, which in turn leads to value-creation for society. As monopolies ANSPs share the responsibility with States to serve national societies – but also to contribute to the well-being of their region as best they can. The consensus was that the State-ANSP relationship is a crucial factor for success, and that there is urgent need to work on improvement. In the third focus area of the Conference, ANSP Excellence, where everyone gave insight into best-practice examples and shared experience, with concrete methodologies which ANSPs can use to continuously improve their performance. ANSP Customers very clearly articulated their expectations: the economies in the Caribbean & Latin American region are growing, and airlines need to accommodate this economic growth with their own expansion strategies. It is well known that Aviation is an economic driver and ANSPs have to play a more active role in the future. The conference also learned of the many great initiatives of ICAO in support of the region, to improve Safety and optimize the use of Airspace with RNP or RNAV. As CANSO, just like ICAO, does not accept the status quo, CANSO initiatives and Work Group activities are complementary to ICAO activities. Through cooperation and exchange they built a foundation for mutual trust. It is now up to each participant to continue and develop this trust into a solid bridge strong enough to carry cooperation into the future. Otherwise, to draw on another image that was used in one of the workshops – use the strong Voice of CANSO, find the right song and create a powerful choir consisting of all stakeholders in the Aviation Industry. ^
jrdumfries@hotmail.com
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Interview Alexander Ter Kuile, Outgoing Secretary General CANSO Philippe Domogala, ^ by Editor Philippe: You have been so successful as Secretary General over the last years that you are known all over the world as “Mr CANSO“ why have you decided to leave the organization? Alexander: “Mr CANSO”? That is exactly the reason why I like to change . I have spent 9 years as Secretary General and this always was the objective I had set myself. If I stay any longer I might as well continue forever. I need to move on with my career and do something else. It is also healthy for CANSO, it is good management practice to refresh the leadership at regular intervals. Philippe: What are you going to do now? Alexander: First I haven’t had a holiday in 9 years and I badly need one, and it is going to be a long one. Then I will see. I have no definite plan yet, I might even leave this industry altogether. Philippe: What would you say was your biggest achievement in those 9 years? Alexander: We successfully raised the position of the ANSPs in the Aviation community, 10 years ago the new corporatized ANSPs were seen a pariahs, CANSO gave them a collective voice and today we have proved the world that ANSPs can be pro-active, reliable, and work together with others. In my years as Secretary General we have made huge steps forward in that recognition.
Philippe: what would be your outgoing message to us? Alexander: The world is dynamic and aviation moves very rapidly. So accept the changes we all face and work with us to boost the positive while containing the negative aspects of change – it is as simple as that. I think the ATM sector is in a long transition towards a whole new model that will be defined by SESAR and NextGen. There will also be a new institutional model, we need to step away from “One State – One Airspace“ – regionalisation and globalisation are a must. The transformation of ANSPs towards performance-based entities cannot be stopped, and we need to work with external partners such as IFATCA that are going to be affected by these changes. Acceptance of change by everybody is a necessity in my opinion. ^
4 Alexander ter Kuile Photo credit: DP
The transformation of ANSPs towards performancebased entities cannot be stopped, and we need to work with external partners such as IFATCA that are going to be affected by these changes.
Photo credit: CANSO
Philippe: What about the relations CANSO-IFATCA? Alexander: The relations started in Europe with the social dialogue and the personal relations I enjoyed with your President Marc Baumgartner right from the start. At the beginning CANSO concentrated its work on regulatory & policy issues, such as separation of regulation and provision. It is only very recently that CANSO started to address true operational issues. Co-operating with external partners such as IFATCA on these issues is s necessity. We have started to involve you with our HR, our Seamless Airspace and our Safety Standing Committee for instance, and we look forward to more fruitful cooperation in the future.
Since mid December 2009, Graham Lake is the new CANSO Director General to replace Alexander Ter Kuile. Graham has 30 Years experience in ATC, a former ATC Controller he held management roles at SERCO, SITA and ARINC. I have known Graham since many years when we worked together in the ICAO FANS II committee. We will meet again in ATC Global in Amsterdam next march, and there will be an interview of Graham in the next issue of The Controller. ^
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European Regional Meeting
Economic Downturn and Criminalization Philippe Domogala, ^ by Editor Last years’ IFATCA European regional meeting took place last October on the Greek island of Kos. 250 controllers attended, from 35 of the 44 European member associations, showing the continued dedication and interest to share information among Air Traffic Controllers in Europe. The meeting was extremely well organized by the Greek Controllers association, Especially Dimitris Daniilidis, Leon Tournavitis and Effie Papadopoulou but also many others controllers of the association went through great effort to make sure everyone felt at home. The Hotel management of the Kipriotis complex in Kos was exceptional and special thanks to Tatyana Ratkevich, the hotel conference manager. Everything was perfect.
Controllers Shortage... The Eurocontrol agency and the European Safety Agency EASA made several statements during the meeting, indicating that even though air travel has declined in the last 12 months, their expectation is that traffic will soon rebound. If sufficient numbers of controllers are not catered for, serious capacity problems will occur. With the economic downturn, the Air
Controller shortages remain an issue in the region and could affect safety.
4 Hotel / Photo credits: DP “duty of care“ (Linate, Thessaloniki, Caligiari, etc..). Normally in order to prosecute someone a court has to prove the facts and the “intent“ or intention to cause these facts. If the facts are easily established, with a controller or a pilot, proving the “intent“ is far more difficult.
4 Greek delegation Navigation Service Providers of many states are suffering from reduced revenues since fewer aircraft are using their airspace and airports. This prevents them from recruiting more staff, which in turn increases overtime for current staff. “Controller shortages remain an issue in the region and could affect safety“, says Patrik Peters, IFATCA Executive Vice President Europe.
Prosecutors have circumvented this using the so-called “conformity to the standard of care“ where the notions of “endangering offences“ and “negligence“ are used. The aim of the prosecutors is to send a signal to other ATC staff. But she showed that regarding safety, theses verdicts were in fact detrimental to the objective. Sofia Michaelides demonstrated that not only did sending controllers to prison did not improve safety, but her study shows that criminalization of controllers had also negative effects on current incident reporting schemes and lead to extra stress. This even can result in poorer decision-making. In fact criminalization did do bring any positive effect at all.
Criminilisation of ATCOS The meeting reviewed recent accidents, including the New York Hudson River collision, where mainly Italian tourists were killed. Legal protection for controllers remains a top priority for IFATCA. A lawyer, Sofia Michaelides delivered an interesting presentation: she explained the recent prosecutions and heavy prison sentences of Air traffic Controllers after incidents and accidents based on the
4 Hippocrates oath Hippocrates Oath Ceremony
4 Patrik final words
To close the meeting we were all transported by bus to the nearby ruins of Asklepion, where Hippocrates oath ceremony took place. Hippocrates was born in Kos on 460BC, he is considered the father of western medicine and his oath is traditionally taken by doctors swearing to ethically practice medicine (photo). Maybe we should consider ed@ifatca.org a controller oath? ^
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The 2009 IFATCA Perfomance Seminars Ph. Domogala, Editor ^ by and Alexis Brathwaite, Deputy President IFATCA For the 2nd time the IFATCA Executive Board presented a Seminar at its 4 Regional meetings in Kos (Greece), followed by Miami (USA) and Ouarzazate (Morocco) and Bali (Indonesia). This year’s topic was Performance. The goal was to raise awareness and educate controllers and other aviation personnel on the specifics of performance and on the new ICAO Performance-Based Navigation (PBN). IFATCA aims with these seminars to confirm its commitment to assist a global approach on a rapid introduction of PBN for the improvement of flight efficiency everywhere in the world. Marc Baumgartner, President and CEO IFATCA, delivered a well structured and extremely informative series of presentations that explained what was behind the term “performance“ and what was expected from controllers. He explained that a set of metrics will be used to measure performance and controllers should ensure that their expertise is used to apply those metrics. Controllers need to be involved and make sure operational common sense is applied. Often data is misleading because it is either incomplete or incorrectly interpreted. He also warned that performance should not be linked to the salaries of individual controllers. He clearly stated that: “ IFATCA is opposed to bonuses paid on the basis of performance, as this has the potential de decrease safety“. Performance is about all ICAO’s Key Performance Indicators – one of which is safety. “Performance is not only for high density areas, but is applicable everywhere “ said Alexis Brathwaite, Deputy President of IFATCA. Performance is necessary most especially for safety and for ensuring appropriate facilities and procedures are implemented (that is a Performance Based Approach to improvements to ATM). All the recent ICAO work is being done using a performance based approach and using special ICAO performance forms.
Performance is not only for high density areas, but is applicable everywhere.
as a region. It has always been important for us to be good professionals and we pride ourselves on that. But as the world of civil aviation has evolved, what it means to be a professional has also evolved. The knowledge we need to have, the information we need to be familiar with, has increased tremendously. It is incumbent upon each of us to be proactive in seeking this knowledge. As fulfilling and satisfying as it is, talking to planes and ensuring that they land safely, is no longer enough. Those of us who have made the effort to come here are already aware of this. We need now to make our colleagues aware of this so we can push our associations and our employers to make our job just a little bit easier. By developing our associations and making them more effective, we will make our regions more effective and more influential. From this we will be able to influence how Air Traffic Management evolves rather than just reacting to the dictates of other stakeholders who may not always have the full picture. Our seminar is but a start from IFATCA to make us more knowledgeable and more effective as air traffic controllers and as leaders in our organizations. This seminar will only get better and will become an integral part of the education of air traffic controllers. That is the promise from IFATCA. The promise we wish from you is the commitment to continue participating and providing the interest and feedback that is necessary for this to be a reality. The promise we ask of you is the commitment to continually improve your individual performance, the performance of your association and to contribute to improving the performance of IFATCA in all regions so that the profession of air traffic control becomes
4 Poster Seminar Photo credit: Patrik Peters
important and well known and understandable to even those who don’t talk to planes“. Regarding the introduction of Automatic Safety Monitoring Tools (ASMT), IFATCA policy is that's such tool should not be used to monitor the performance of individual controllers, neither should it be used to measure capacity and should not be used as a punitive tool. The introduction of PBN will bring more changes in our profession and it is essential that everyone is prepared. Therefore these global seminars are extremely useful to increase controller awareness. More information on these seminars, as well as copies of the presentations can be obtained by contacting the IFATCA office (office@ifatca.org). ^
dp@ifatca.org
4 Performance Seminar in Kos Photo credit: DP
Alexis continued: “We need to think about our own performance as air traffic control professionals, as associations or unions and
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African Middle East Regional Meeting Ouarzazate, Morocco
^
by Philippe Domogala, Editor
The 20th Regional meeting for Africa and the Middle East was held in Ouarzazate, Morocco. It’s an extraordinary small city at the foot of the Atlas mountains in the Sahara desert. The meeting was held in the “electricians village“ in fact a luxury hotel that belongs to the Moroccan electricians trade Union. It has excellent facilities and was just opposite one of the city’s most visited monument: the Kasbah Taourirt. 120 controllers, from 17 Associations, attended the meeting. Two International organizations (IFALPA and ASECNA) were also present as were two large ATM manufacturers, Indra and SELEX. Many sub-Saharan associations could not travel mainly due to economic reasons. It is really a pity. The Governor of the province and the Directors General of both Air Navigation and Civil Aviation Authority opened the meeting. The meeting lasted 3 very long days and many subjects were discussed and, as it is customary for this region, a series of rec-
4 Vicinity Ouarzazate Photo credit: DP
ommendations issued. The first of those was to call on ANSPS in the Region to improve communications, a real issue especially when using RVSM procedures. The meeting also pleaded for investment in training in order to increase the number of controllers to alleviate the current staff shortage in the region. Preparations for the world football cup in 2012 in South Africa already show that the acute controller shortage in that country might seriously disrupt the predicted increase of traffic foreseen during that period. IFALPA was represented by its Vice President Africa Middle East, Capt Hassoun from Lebanon. From his interventions it was clear that there is a need in the region to improve co-operation with airlines and pilot associations. IFALPA and IFATCA gave a series of presentations on the current problems with TCAS system. They demonstrated that pilots and controllers responsibilities where still not clear, especially when pilots do not follow RAs. Adhering strictly to SOPs was a must and both organizations should do awareness campaigns to their members on this issue. The IFATCA Executive Board also promised to provide guidance for managing crises and provide the framework needed to report ATM deficiencies. Human factors issues need also to be reported and was placed high in the list of priorities by the meeting. ASECNA, who was represented by its Director of Operations, and IFATCA have agreed to have standing cooperative meetings on a more regular basis.
4 Ouarzazate city
The late Henry Nkondokaya, IFATCA EVP AFM, who died unexpectedly last September, is to be awarded a certificate of distinction in recognition for outstanding support for ATC profession in the Region. A system of donations will also be put in place for his family, as it is customary in Africa to do so in order to offset the costs involved in the funeral. Commenting on the results of the seminar held the first day, Alexis Brathwaite closed the meeting by stating that performance is a broad term, not to be mistaken as only meaning capacity. On the contrary, one of key performance indicators is safety and safety remains one of the most important things for Africa today. ^ ed@ifatca.org
4 Alexis Photo credit: DP
4 Head table Photo credit: Omar Amahmoul
The Meeting pleaded for investment in training in order to increase the number of controllers to alleviate the current staff shortage in Africa.
Photo credit: DP
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4 AFM 4 Abdellatif Photo credit: Thierry Carquet/FATCOA
Interview Abdellatif MATOUAL, Chairman Organizing Committee AFM Regional Meeting Philippe: What difficulties did you encounter in organizing this regional meeting? Abdellatif: It was very difficult to find sponsors. An event of such size needs sponsorship to be financially viable. The other problem was that our airports and ATC were involved in an ISO certification and most of us were involved in this as well. So we had to work double, sometimes up to 18h a day recently.
Philippe: Are you pleased with the results? Abdellatif: Yes, entirely. This meeting proved that the whole Middle East and Africa is a big family. It leads to a real South-South cooperation. It was also an opportunity to show what Morocco has to offer. Philippe: What advise would you give anyone wanting to organize such an event?
Abdellatif: You need to clearly define your objectives beforehand and stick to them. No improvisation. It has been a very rewarding experience. I have gained a lot of organizing skills, but also learned about re-enforcing human contacts. I’m ready to help again and use what I have learned. ^
4 Samir Photo credit: Thierry Carquet/FATCOA
Interview Samir BERRAKHLA President Moroccan ATC Association Philippe: What are the Moroccan Controllers Association expectations from organizing such a meeting? Samir: One issue was to show our membership that we, as a new association, are present on the international field. We do a lot of work, but it is not always visible to the average controller. With this regional meeting we also wanted to educate the Moroccan controllers on this international experience.
And this was a success: some of our controllers even drove 800km by car to be here. Philippe: Is the status of Moroccan controllers today still as good as a year ago? Samir: Still very good. Our Director General has still a very positive attitude towards controllers and he announced here that the first promotion of Controllers-Engineers will start in the coming months in our Academy.
This will further elevate the status of the controllers in our country. This was one of our demands since the beginning. But this took a lot of time and efforts. Compared to our colleagues further south we are definitively showing the way in Morocco. ^
Discussing Morocco Problems with IFATCA President The Moroccan association approached IFATCA to assist in the introduction of CISM. Marc Baumgartner, used the opportunity to discuss the needs and the possibilities for the best and sustainable introduction of this needed CISM in Morocco. ^
4 Marc with Moroccan delegation Photo credit: Omar Amahmoul
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Book Review
Going Up, Sir Cartoons by Artists from all around the World and published by Martin Leeuwis. ^ Compiled Review by Philippe Domogala, Editor Martin Leeuwis is an active airline captain with more than 15.000h under the belt. His hobby is to publish aviation humor cartoons. His first book “SAY AGAIN“ with Dutch cartoons from Ton van Andel, was so successful that it has now be reprinted 10 times and still remain very popular. The
Say Again series was followed by 6 more books including the famous “SAY COFFEE OR TEA“ and the “SAY HEADING“. Martin has been approached by many aviation artists to publish their work and “GOING UP, SIR“ is the second collection of cartoons from various artists. In this book, 21 aviation artists have drawn over 350 cartoons, all about aviation, mostly ATC, including some of the famous ATC drawings of Martin Germans, a controller in Maastricht UAC (Eurocontrol) which we published a long time ago in The Controller Magazine.
Gary Clark’s famous Australia “SWAMP“ ducks series are also included, as well as the American “CHICKEN WINGS“ of the Strasser brothers. This is a very funny book, which would make an excellent present to anyone who likes aviation in general and it can be highly recommended. The book is available in most aviation book stores or you can order it directly on the internet at www.goingupsir.nl at 12,50 EUR plus postage. GOING UP SIR 160 pages, 350 illustrations ISBN: 97894 9000 8024
Photo credits: M.Leeuwis
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4 ASECNA
Interview Meissa N’Diaye, Operational Director ASECNA Philippe Domogala, ^ by Editor Mr N’Diaye attended the 3 days of the IFATCA AFM regional meeting in Ouarzazate and I had the opportunity to interview him there. Philippe: Can you confirm that all the sanctions that were taken against the ASECNA controllers who organized the “Radio Silence“ action last … have been lifted as promised? Meissa N’Diaye: Yes absolutely. All sanctions have been lifted now except for one person, the former President of the Cameroon Association, who was transferred to a very small airfield as a disciplinary measure (Ed note: his story was covered in the June 2009 issue of The Controller). He has now been re-instated as a full controller and we are currently negotiating the possibility for him to work as an expatriate in Brazzaville ACC in Congo, with a substantial salary raise. Once this is resolved, there will be no more sanctions left. Philippe: What is the situation regarding the ATC licenses? Meissa N’Diaye: We have now reached an agreement with our member States and we are currently in the process to grant every ASECNA controller who is medically fit an ATC license by the end of 2009. After that date they will need to have an ICAO level 4 English proficiency. To attain this we will prepare English courses, send some people to the UK etc in order to meet the objective.
Philippe: Will this license allow controllers to move from one country to another within ASECNA? Meissa N’Diaye: Yes, this is already the case even without a license. ASECNA is one big community. Today for instance, 1/3 of the controllers in Senegal are not from Senegal, but expatriates. Expatriation means better salaries (extra allowances) and tax advantages. All these transfers are done on a voluntary basis. We do not force people to work in another country and have no intention in doing so in the future. Philippe: You mentioned during the meeting that you intended to introduce Just Culture in ASECNA. How are you going to achieve this? Meissa N’Diaye: This is indeed one of our priorities. I have pushed for a voluntary incident reporting system to be applied in ASECNA. The aim is to improve by learning from mistakes and ensure that controllers who have made and reported such mistakes will not be punished
Philippe: You mentioned during the meeting that you were investing 0,5 Billion USD to improve ATC conditions in Africa. Could you be more specific as to what is planned with this money? Meissa N’Diaye: These 500 Millions are our investment for the period 2009-2013. We already spent 228 millions. The top priority is to improve communications, mostly VHF but also HF over desert, forest or oceans. ADS-CPDLC is planned to be introduced in all continental airspace. We will also invest in training, Energy/ power supplies and last but not least in fire fighting equipment. Because you can still operate an airport with many technical facilities down but without proper firefighting you have to close down. ^
ed@ifatca.org Philippe: Will this include full protection in case a controller is taken to court following an incident or accident? Meissa N’Diaye: Yes for the civil responsibilities. That is ASECNA as an employer will take responsibility and pay for damages done if any. But the penal, it will be the responsibility of each state. Generally everyone has to answer for their own actions.
I have pushed for a voluntary incident reporting system to be applied in ASECNA.
4 Meissa N’Diaye and Philippe Photo credit: Thierry Carquet/FATCOA
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4 Spain
ATC and Management Why should we be Different from the Rest of the World? Pedro Contreras Blanco, ^ by USCA (Spanish Air Traffic Controllers Union) Global air traffic has seen a decrease of up to 20% in some areas. Perhaps because of this, politicians appear no longer able to use steady increases in air traffic as an excuse to shun their responsibilities. For us however, life goes on. We shouldn't stop thinking about what is needed: plan today so we can ensure a better tomorrow and face new and renewed challenges. In times of crisis such as these, one should not simply hope for the storm to pass and for the
A joint study should be launched to evaluate the quantity and profiles of the various management positions that can be filled by controllers.
sun to rise on the horizon. Things do change: negotiations between airlines and their pilots for example are suddenly resolved with positive agreements for both parties. The same is seen in other sectors as well… Looking closer, one discovers that in addition to purely economic gains, there are a series of benefits ranging from social objectives and workplace improvements, to professional association quotas, technical proficiency functions and participation in activities that have a specific implication in the management of their organization or operation. In the belief that everything lasts forever, what benefit can be obtained from this kind of management these days? But what if we make an effort and reflect on the consequences in the short, medium or long term if we followed one or another indicator, or any gray cloud that suddenly appeared in the sky? When things change following the crisis, it’s likely we’ll hear things like “it’s no longer what it was“ or “it was better before“. It may well be that other have plans that don’t match union views and have other interests than those of air traffic controllers in mind. Shouldn't we be prepared for the situation after this crisis?
4 Spanish controllers Photo credit: Levante Angel Gutierrez
We must be prepared to think of new times, with new challenges and tasks, with a coherent involvement in operational management. This should be based on the quality and quantity of air traffic controllers that are required for our important professional work and with what is demanded of Air Navigation Services in the medium and long term development in mind.
What is Management? In different dictionaries and variations of the Spanish language, management is defined as the set of actions and measures, aimed at achieving objectives in the various activities of industry, commerce, finance or any other professional function. A coherent management must: • develop a company policy from an appropriate planning of services. • implement and commission procedures and structures. • set up training and education processes to ensure their staffs’ professional competence. • establish a way to manage safety at different levels and responsibilities. • conduct periodic performance verifications through audits to detect both strengths and deficiencies, so they can be respectively maintained or corrected. • take adequate measures based on the above.
Time for Reflection Although times and labor relations have changed, our union relation to our ‘company’ seems to be more negative than in other sectors. Any reference to the ‘company’ is almost always derogatory, without any loyalty the organization from which we receive our salary. We often talk about it as if it were the source of our ills and problems, a stepmother who does not understand us and whom we do not understand. What are we missing? Well, it may seem simplistic, but we often lack faith in the company. A true and full integration within the organization is missing. Input of air traffic control-
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4 Spain We cannot be reduced to being the people behind the microphone, as it will result in no controllers being present in the company’s management.
Photo credit: Philip Marien
lers (in quality and quantity) is needed, so that the objectives of the Air Traffic Control Services (ATS) are as efficient as required. In recent years there have been important contributions by professionals, mainly consultants coming from various European air navigation service providers. But the number of controllers involved in this for the moment is only around 10, and within a few months could possibly be reduced to 5. While it is widely recognized that our engineering counterparts are indispensible contributors, there are certain functions where the know-how, of both the controller and pilot, cannot be ignored or replaced. Doing so, e.g. for cost saving reasons, leads to undesirable situations due to the lack of sufficient knowledge and operational ATC experience. This is easily solved by daily collaboration, just as is and was done for years on many joint projects and jobs. It seems incredible how quickly one forgets that the existing systems are often the result to a successful symbiosis between professional competence and technical expertise of aeronautical engineering teams and air traffic controllers. Furthermore, like it or not, in the navigational environment there are two major players: the controller and the pilot. Undoubtedly, they are competent to fill those positions where technical or operational decisions (that directly affect them) are made, and as stated earlier, are those with the capacity, experience and professionalism to plan, implement, verify and work as ATC operational managers.These positions also represent the future of the air traffic controllers union. We cannot be reduced to being the people behind the microphone, as it will result in no controllers being present in the company’s management.
Improvable Aspects Already submerged in this crisis, we must take another step forward, think of a new future, and plan the resources to provide the appropriate and sufficient representation of controllers. It should cover those areas that are essential to our role and thereby be of direct benefit: • Airspace organization: should ensure broad collaborative skills within PANS OPS, and technical approval before being published in AIP. • ATC Operations: ATM procedures, to improve and update. Competence and participation in both operational processes and in letters of agreements, modifications of technical manuals, internal policies, etc.. • ATM Safety: participation in incident and accident investigation, audits and safety inspections and ATS safety management. Incredibly, quite often safety administration does not even involve controllers let alone is it managed by one. This often results in negative connotations it has for our profession. • Air Navigation Systems and their operational structures: vital competition in the process of new systems or structures, and implementation and deployment of new technologies, risk analysis and the acceptance and implementation of new units, structures and systems. • ATS Internal audits: essential to our active presence since the controllers are those who have the knowledge and experience of the ATC operational role. • Participation with international organizations: insure the participation and presence in European organizations and trans-nationals (i.e., Eurocontrol, EASA, ICAO, EU, etc), where debates and decisions are taken for technical issues in air navigation and ATS on new technologies and regulatory or operational procedures (which are later ap-
plied by Member States, and directly affect us in the short to medium term). Achieving all this may seem difficult in the current economic work environment. Perhaps in the very near future, experienced air traffic controllers with a wide and recognized reputation would like to perform such duties in the ACC or Central Air Navigation Services (ANSPs), if they were given the information and requirements to access these management positions. A joint study should be launched to evaluate the quantity and profiles of the various management positions that can be filled by controllers. They should additionally define and establish a formal and standardized process for initial access to management positions and the filling of subsequent vacancies produced by attrition over time. Except for (elected) political office positions, purely technical management positions should be filled through a selection process ruled by technical and economic conditions. This would be subjected to an agreement a service provider and union representation. After all, why should we be different from the rest of the world? ^
atcmagazine@usca.es
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4 Brief & News
2009: One last Flight and 2 First Flights First Flight for the Airbus A400M After many years delay, the Airbus A400M military airlifter finally took off on December 11 2009 for the first time from Seville (Spain). It was a successful maiden flight lasting 3h 47min without any problems. For its first flight, the aircraft took off at a weight of 127 tonnes carrying 15 tonnes of test equipment including two tonnes of water ballast, compared with its maximum take-off weight
4 First landing Photo credit: BoeingCo.
of 141 tonnes. As planned, the six-man crew extensively explored the aircraft's flight envelope in direct law, including a wide speedrange, and tested lowering and raising of the landing gear and high-lift devices at altitude. After checking the aircraft's performance in the landing configuration the crew landed back at Seville. In the first half of 2010, this prototype will be joined by two other aircraft, with a fourth by the end of the year. A fifth aircraft will join the program during 2011. This fleet will be used for some 3,700 hours of test-flying between now and first delivery to the French Air Force at the end
Take-off for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Also after many years of delays, the Boeing 787 finally took to the sky for the first time a few days after the A400M, on December
4 A400M taking off Photo credit: Airbus
of 2012. This will be followed by additional military development flying, and the type will be certificated by both the civil and military authorities. A total of 184 aircraft have so far been ordered by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Subsequently big discussions about the financing of the delays and the extra costs of the aircraft (+25% on the original price) are shaking the partners of EADS, the parent company of Airbus. A decision on the program future was expected at the end of January 2010. ^
15 as it departed before an estimated crowd of more than 12,000 employees and guests from Paine Field in Everett near Seattle. The newest member of the Boeing family of commercial jetliners, shown here landing at Seattle's Boeing Field, flew for approximately three hours, landing at 1:33 p.m. local time.The flight marks the beginning of a flight-test program that will see six 787s flying nearly around the clock and around the globe, with the airplane's first delivery scheduled for fourth-quarter 2010. Boeing has received 851 orders for the 787 so far. Despite 59 cancellations, Boeing received 24 new orders for the plane in 2009. ^
Berlin, but last year it was decided to have only one airline name and LTU had to go.
Last Flight – LTU LTU, the old German airline founded in 1955 which flew long range all around the world, was absorbed by Air Berlin in 2007. LTU-painted aircraft continued to fly under Air
The last LTU-painted aircraft (an Airbus A330200, D-ALPF) took off in August from Dusseldorf, its home base since 1961, to Abu Dhabi to be repainted in Air Berlin colors. The flight number for that last flight was BER699P, but all German controllers from DUS Ground, TWR, APP and Langen Radar changed the R/T call sign and called it LTU699P to show respect. The crew was touched and emotions were felt through the frequencies. During the taxi to the runway, the A330 was also sprayed over by the Dusseldorf airport firefighters as a last salute.
4 Last LTU flight / Photo credit: GDF A sad moment as LTU had been one of the last truly ATC-friendly airlines, and many crew and controllers especially in Dusseldorf socialised as a result. Remarkably LTU never suffered any fatal accident in the 54 years of its existence. ^
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4 USA News
ATSAP: A Voluntary, Non-Punitive Safety Reporting System for Controllers Gini Briggs, NATCA National Safety ^ by Committee, Central Region, and member
Photo credit: NATCA
of the ATSAP National Training Team United States air traffic controllers now have the ability to improve the safety of the U.S. National Airspace System in the current environment without fear of retribution. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to create the Air Traffic Safety Action Program (ATSAP) – a voluntary, non-punitive safety reporting system where controllers can report events that could be caused by factors including human error, equipment, procedure, etc. ATSAP is concerned with the “what,“ “why“ and “how“ of an event rather than on the “who.“ When a mistake is made, there is a root cause. No one sits down at the scope to make a mistake. ATSAP compiles all extenuating circumstances and looks at the incident from every angle in an attempt to discover the cause. Each incident is broken down into quantifiable data points that are tracked for patterns that can be used to show systemic problems within the NAS that can then be modified to mitigate future issues. ATSAP is a solution to the biggest obstacle in any safety reporting system: a lack of reports triggered by fear. A safety culture is impossible to achieve under the outdated “name and blame“ error reporting system that exists in the FAA. A safety culture is one in which communications are founded on trust by shared perceptions of the importance of safety. It presumes that errors are events from which we can learn. The concept of a “just culture“ is more complex to convey. Dr. Sidney Dekker (PhD, Ohio State University) says, “A just culture protects people’s honest mistakes from be-
ing seen as culpable.“ He further states, “Responses to incidents and accidents that are seen as unjust can impede safety investigations, promote fear rather than mindfulness in people who do safety-critical work, make organizations more bureaucratic rather than more careful, and cultivate professional secrecy, evasion, and self-protection.“ Without ATSAP, the FAA’s quality assurance process to investigate errors allows only three hours to conduct an investigation and find a “guilty party“, not the cause of the incident. When the result is decertification the parties involved have no motivation to contribute to the process. The fact that the problem may not have been caused by a person but by an unsafe situation such as a bad policy or procedure is rarely unveiled within a three-hour investigatory window. The agency rolled out the Safety Management System (SMS), with fanfare – the premise being that safety issues can be examined in a proactive manner and mitigated prior to an incident. This concept looks good on paper but without a comprehensive reporting system and input from controllers it is worthless. If you report an honest mistake and are punished for it, you’ll stop reporting it. The mistake may not have been your fault. There may have been a policy or procedure in effect that you didn’t understand. The failure to report the unsafe situation may exacerbate an unjust culture. ATSAP removes the fear of being punished for an error, encouraging a more honest informational flow from the system. Will this happen overnight? Will the implementation of ATSAP compel management to do the right thing? No. This is a new process and a shift from the reporting system currently
Honest error reporting without fear [of punishment] is one of the best ways to contribute to safety.
in place for everyone, not just management. New performance monitoring equipment is being rolled out without any input from NATCA. We remember when 15 days as the amount of time the FAA keeps voice tapes turned into 45, but that is probably going to go away soon too. With everything going digital, voice data will be available indefinitely. Big Brother is watching and he’s waiting for you to make a mistake. NATCA’s advice to its members is, ‘take any ATSAP rumors with a grain of salt until you’ve heard the briefing firsthand.’ Ask questions. Talk to the people who have used ATSAP and ask how it’s working in facilities. NATCA members have an obligation to safety. Honest error reporting without fear is one of the best ways to contribute. Fearless safety reporting is what ATSAP is all about. ^
gbriggs@natca.net
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4 European News / African News
Working on the Executive Board ^
by Patrik Peters outgoing EVP EUR
Vacancies in the Executive Board of IFATCA need to be filled to guarantee the functioning of the Federation. It has become increasingly difficult to find volunteers for those posts. Some fear that the time required to fulfill the work exceeds their possibilities, some feel unsuitable for the work entailed and others are unsure about the support available. The daily work is carried out by e-mail, where some are “information only“, some ask for input others require a certain action to be carried out. This email exchange is in urgent cases complimented with phone conferences. The Executive Board meets four times per year to discuss progress and to align the Fed-
erations work with that of our stakeholders and external developments. Two meetings are fixed regarding their venue. The January/February meeting serves the preparation of the annual conference and is always taking place in Montreal (at minus 20 degrees), as we require the services of the office. The next time we gather a few days prior conference to review late working papers and deal with last minute arrangements/changes. New Executive Board members are introduced into their work at the end of conference in the “post-conference“ EBM. The two flexible meetings in June and October will be held on invitation of member associations, i.e. the EB offers associations to invite them to meet in their country. This occasion can be used to highlight certain issues of concern and the Board will assist by meeting with officials where deemed necessary. All Board members provide reports of recent activities to the EB meeting. These reports along with updates of ongoing projects are part of the agenda. Additionally, the next
4 Patrik Peters Photo credit: DP
conference, regional meetings and attendances are planned and work is divided between all Board members. The planning of more regional meetings is left to the respective Regional Vice-President. Naturally, the main objective of the RVP is the exchange of information between the associations and the dissemination of material from the Board, whereas the work of the VP Professional and Technical include the coordination/guidance of IFATCA committees like the Professional & Legal Committee (PLC) and the Technical & Operational Committee (TOC). Deputy President, EVP Finance and the President build the administrational and constitutional backbone of the Federation. Knowledge and experience are certainly helpful, but more important are motivation and dedication to serve the Federation. Many shoulders carry IFATCA. Teamwork is essential! Everybody has to decide him/herself how much time can be made available – but every helping hand is welcome and every evpeur@ifatca.org minute counts! ^
Ghana aviation Training Academy (GATA) Mick Atiemo, ^ by Africa Regional Editor GATA started in the 1950’s as the ATC School of the then department of civil aviation of the Republic of Ghana, which became Ghana civil aviationx authority in 1986. The school has a record of having produced most of the qualified controllers who have and continue to manage the Accra FIR since Ghana was given charge of the airspace.
school that became operational again as an academy in 2008. With the help of the Swedish ENTRY POINT NORTH TRAINING ACADEMY it was inaugurated in March 2009. Certification was granted in August 2009. The academy has two lecture rooms, an auditorium, a library, an English language proficiency lab, and a FIVE-INONE SIMULATOR (aerodrome, approach, nonradar area, and both radar approach and area). It is manned by both Ghanaian and Swedish instructors.
In 2003, SWEDAVIA and Ghana CAA reached an agreement to reestablish and refurbish the
GATA has since successfully conducted two area radar control, one aerodrome control, RVSM implementation training and area con-
4 GATA academy Photo credit: MA
trol non-radar refresher courses. In addition two foreign courses, area radar refresher for Nigeria and an aerodrome control for Liberia were held, as well as a team resource management course for some ATS personnel of GCAA. Future plans are to introduce other aviation courses for AIS, Airport operations, radio telephony, safety regulation and aviation English language proficiency in short term and in the long term affiliations that will offer aviation related degree programs. The management's aim is to establish a world-class aviation institute for the West African subegion and the entire continent. Kwapong05@yahoo.com
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4 African News Photo credit: Sean D’Silva
An Emergency Landing at Lome Airport, Togo ^
by Togue Nyntche Ouro-Sama, Tower Manager Lome Airport and IFATCA Africa and Middle East Regional Support Group Member
In the June 2009 issue, the ‘’ASECNA Controllers Motivation’’ article included an example of procedures with ‘’serious safety implications’’ referring to an emergency landing of an airliner on an international airport of the region. I was involved in managing this emergency flight as the Tower Manager of that airport. I’m therefore in the position to give some clarifications. On August 14th 2008, a Turkish Airlines’ Airbus A310 landed unexpectedly at Lome Airport. It did this without prior authorization of Lome ATC.
The Facts In the night of August 14th 2008, the controllers on duty at Lome Control Tower heard an aircraft noise while they were not expecting any traffic at that moment. The aircraft overflew and circled over the control tower and the city at low altitude. By observation, the controllers noticed that it was a big jet airliner. The controllers called adjacent ATC centers in Cotonou and Accra to inquire whether they’d sent them any traffic. The answer from both centers was negative. The controllers then tried to call the aircraft on Lome Tower frequency but there was no reply from the pilot. Since the aircraft kept flying at low altitude around the airport, the controllers concluded that it was an emergency situation and that the pilot was probably expecting an opportunity to land. The controllers decided to switch on the runway lights. When the pilot saw the runway lights on, he then made a final turn and landed safely at 21:38. After his successful and happy landing, the pilot in command said to Lome Control Tower: ‘’Thank you very much; God bless you’’. The pilot was invited to come up to the Control
Tower and explain what had happened. According to the pilot, they were flying from Istanbul, Turkey to Lagos, Nigeria. While they were descending to Lagos Airport, suddenly the navigation equipment of the airplane ceased to function. Then Lagos ACC handed them over to Accra Radar to be vectored to land at Accra Airport. Since the altimeter was operative, he kept flying in VFR at low altitude not far from the coast line. Thus when the crew saw a city, they thought it was the city of Accra. Then they started turning around what they thought is Accra airport. As soon as they saw the runway lights on, they told Accra ATC that they had the runway in sight and Accra gave them clearance to land. Once they had landed, they realized – through the communication with Accra ATC – that they were not at Accra airport. Accra ATC then told them that they had probably landed at Lome airport and advised them to contact us. After landing, they had about 20 minutes fuel left. There were 195 people on board.
4 Togue Nyntche Ouro-Sama
the chairmanship of the Minister of Transport with Director General of Togo CAA, the ASECNA Representative to Togo and the Director General of Lome Airport Company. A report of the management of the emergency at each level was made. It was noted that the controllers on duty prevented the aircraft from crashing. The Minister acknowledged the fact and on behalf of the government he congratulated the controllers for their good deed. A letter of congratulation was given to the controllers by the DG CAA during an official ceremony, where ASECNA, the ANSP that employs the controllers, celebrated the event to express its gratitude to them. ^
nyntchetogue@yahoo.fr NB: There is a published local procedure to switch off the runway lights when no traffic is expected.
The Aftermath The next day the crew had the plane repaired and took off for Lagos with its passengers. There had been a debriefing meeting under
4 The ASECNA Rep (Mr. Medezi) between the two controllers (Mr. Telou and Vitokpa) at the top table during the congratulations ceremony . Photo credit: TNOS
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4 Asian News
A New Year Full of Meetings John Wagstaff, ^ by Asia-Pacific IFATCA Representative One look at the calendar of any of the IFATCA officers, be they an Executive Board member, one of the Committee members, a Representative or one of the many other volunteers who generously give their own time, and you will see that for each month there are meetings scheduled. However, as a working controller what do these meetings mean to you and what does IFATCA do at these meetings? The following extract from my 2009 calendar may answer these questions – in the 7 weeks before Christmas I attended 5 meetings in the Asia Pacific Region.
ASP Regional Meeting (Bali 3-5 November) With the introduction of a Seminar Day at the Regional Meeting, an informative and education element has been added to each Meeting. This is a good opportunity for the ordinary members to learn why the way they do the job is changing and how it will change even more in the future. At every meeting it is often the informal exchanges that take place over a cup of
Photo credit: Phil Parker
coffee outside of the meeting room that are the most interesting. Having just listened to an IATA presentation on optimising ‘gate to gate’ efficiency and CDOs, I talked with an Indonesian controller from a small airport in Irian Jaya where Twin Otters and helicopters are the daily traffic and the passengers are mostly the film crews from Discovery Channel. I was reminded that PBN means different things to different people in different parts of the world – be it an RNAV approach with a CAT III landing or basic navigation through misty jungle valleys with cloud shrouded peaks.
IATA Safety Workshop (Singapore 24-26 November) IFATCA and IATA share many common goals, but we sometimes have differing viewpoints on how to achieve them. Because of the high incidence of runway overrun accidents IATA is promoting a Runway Excursion Risk Reduction programme. Although the ‘stabilised approach’ is now standard operating procedure for many airlines, information on a stabilised approach was only published in ICAO Doc 4444 in November 2009, therefore many controllers may not be aware of the practice. IATA analysed the different ‘threats and errors’ associated with a stablised approach, with many ATC actions considered as ‘threats’, including radar vectors to approach, numerous R/T transmissions, additional speed control, tailwind on approach and inaccurate reporting of runway contamination. It is essential that both controllers and pilots are aware of each other’s problems, limitations and restrictions.
It is essential that both controllers and pilots are aware of each other’s problems, limitations and restrictions. MET/ATM Task Force (Bangkok 2-4 December) Weather is one of the significant factors in the everyday work of controllers, no matter if they are located in a windowless radar control centre or a control tower with a 360º view. Therefore, it was surprising that this was the first ICAO meeting for over 2 years between the meteorological authorities and ATC. It was good that the meteorological representatives gave information on the new improved services they will be providing in the future, particularly with respect to Terminal Area airspace and Flow Management Planning. However, there are still many anomolies in the procedures between MET and ATM. These differences should be resolved to enable the forecaster and the controller to work in unison.
South East Asia Route Review Task Force (Bangkok 8-11 December) With the introduction of new automated ATM systems at many of the Control Centres and the impetus to adopt more environmentally effective practices, this route review exercise will have the opportunity to implement new routes and procedures that will resolve many of the problems and inefficiences associated with the current airspace structure and ATC practices.
East Asia Traffic Management Coordination Group (Taipei 14-16 December) The primary topic was the recent introduction of the Taiwan-Mainland China flights and the implementation of 3 new routes within the Taipei FIR that directly impact on some of the primary north/south routes. I have to advise you that my IFATCA travels and workload pale in comparison with many others who devote much more time and effort in serving IFATCA and ultimately you, the individual controller. It is important that IFATCA is seen and heard at all levels of meetings – from the ANC at ICAO Headquarters to a locally organised meeting by some Association. ^
john.wags@gmail.com
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SPOTLIGHT
Spotlight on Corporate Members
Ke v
in Salter
Kevin Salter ^ by Contributing Editor, Corporate Affairs Welcome to the first Spotlight article in 2010. May I wish everyone every success in the coming year. I have to start this issue with some sad news. I am sorry to announce that, due to my new managerial responsibility and role at the Academy in Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, I have had to make the decision to leave the position of editor and compiler of Spotlight.
Secondly, my request... HELIOS – Laurette Royer
IRISH AVIATION AUTHORITY Paddy Kennedy
AIRWAYS NEW ZEALAND – Ken Mitchell Over the many years of this feature I have been supported by numerous corporate members and I have made many friends. Therefore I would like to use this issue of `Spotlight´ to take the opportunity to thank them and make a request to you.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN PARK AIR SYSTEMS – Gemma Clements
Firstly the thanks... Many Press Offices have been involved in the copy that has been provided over the 21 previous issues of the magazine and my thanks goes to all of those that returned my calls, answered my questions and supported me by providing information, copy and photographs. In particular, I wish to say a big `Thank You´ to the following people and companies:
SENSIS – Beth Larson and Rob Conrad
If you would like to discuss the idea, can I ask you to please contact me using my details below. I would also like to thank you, the members of IFATCA, for your e-mails and questions over the years showing me that there was an interest in Spotlight and what we were trying to provide. And finally a special thank you must go to Philippe and Tatiana in our Montreal office for all of their assistance to me in helping me to provide you with this feature. I wish all those involved with `The Controller´ every success for the future. ^
ERA – Daniel Finke
CARNEGIE SPEECH – John Lucke
THALES - Joelle Lebreton, Fanny Coelho, Mathilde Bouchard and Danielle Pitel
I would like to ask if there is anyone within the IFATCA membership who would be interested in taking over this feature from me. It would be a great shame to lose such a valuable means of keeping in touch with what our Corporate Partners are developing and how they are supporting ATM.
It may be that some of those named have moved on within their company, or are no longer in position, but it must be said that without their support `Spotlight´ would have much harder to produce for you, our reader.
This concludes `Spotlight´ for this issue!
Kevin Salter IFATCA Contributing Editor Corporate Affairs kevin-john.salter@dfs.de
TERMA – Kasper Rasmussen and Hwee-Kwoon Li
A big Thank you to Kevin Salter. SERCO – Kathrine Stedman
MICRONAV – Tom Howard-Jones and Silke Graham
SKYSOFT – Laurent Courtois
When Kevin approached us some 7 years ago with the idea of doing a regular feature on Corporate members in the magazine Spotlight, we did not expect if would be such a success. In fact, before Spotlight we did not do much to give our Corporate members some profile on their activities on a regular basis. Kevin's enthusiasm has proven to pay, and in some issues the demand was such that we had 4 pages Spotlight!. While we respect Kevin decision to stop, we would like, on behalf of the Controller Team and IFATCA Executive Board to thank Kevin for his work during all those years . I know also we can still count on you in the future to help. Philippe Domogala, Editor The Controller
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4 Philip Marien Feature
Crew Egress Systems When Everything Else Fails Philip Marien, ^ by Deputy Editor Isn’t there an old pilot saying that a good landing is one that you come out of alive? I guess that would include the ones where pilots have used their ejection seats to escape a stricken aircraft. Although mostly available to military aircraft, it appears nearly as old as fixed wing aviation.
Early ideas As early as 1910, people started looking for ways to get the pilot safely out of a flying airplane. Although very little information appears to be available, these seemed to use elastic cords to propel the pilot from a monoplane. No easy solution was found for biplanes, as pilots would simply hit the top wing. Additional oddity seems to be that no one had yet attempted to parachute out of a moving plane before: only in 1911, Grant Morton made the first parachute jump from an airplane, a Wright Model B, at Venice Beach, California. His parachute was of the 'throwout' type, holding it in his arms as he left the aircraft (which
4 Early designs used bungee cords Photo credit: Unknown
was piloted by someone else). Quite how the ‘bungee’ seat of 1910 got the pilot to the ground remains a bit of a mystery….
Germans It wasn’t until the aircraft became faster and the cockpits needed to be enclosed, that serious research began into how pilots could safely leave a disabled aircraft. Unsurprisingly, during the 30’s, it was the German Luftwaffe that made the biggest advances: they were far more advanced in developing high-performance military aircraft than other nations at the time. The new Luftwaffe recognized the need for crew to be able to leave a stricken airplane safety. This was especially important, as they had a lot of highly experimental aircraft, including some of the first jet planes: with the propulsion system at the back, which would be hazardous to a pilot leaving his airplane by simply stepping out of their cockpit. Early designs simply tried to ‘guide’ the pilot(s) from the aircraft. One such design called for a boom, which would extend from the aircraft. Attached to this, the pilot would glide a safe distance beyond engines and airfoils. The Space Shuttle still has a similar system for its astronauts, although it’s never been used. Other designs used seats with compressed springs. More exotic designs had telescoping arms, which would bring the pilot, seat and all, out of the cockpit so he could cleanly leave the aircraft. By 1942, most of the Luftwaffe’s experimental aircraft were equipped with some sort of ejection seat using either compressed air or an explosive charge. At the end of WWII, it is believed some 60 German pilots had ejected successfully from their aircraft. Interestingly, towards the end of WWII, the British had, mostly independently of the German research, come up with very similar designs. As aircraft quickly became more powerful, the need for reliable crew egress systems also grew. Although there are several manufacturers around the world, British Martin-Baker became the market leader. A counter on their website (http://www.martin-
baker.com) keeps track of how many people survived their aircraft: to date some 7,500 pilots owe their lives to Martin-Baker seats, out of a estimated total of 12,000 ejections worldwide. It also means that well over 6,000 multi million aircraft were reduced to scrap metal – but that’s a different story. Also on their website are some amazing videos and animations, including one of a zero-zero ejection: from an essentially stationary aircraft, a pilot is ejected to an altitude of 200 ft – his parachute is fully deployed in about 3 seconds from the time he pulls his ejection handle!
Alternative designs Other designs have looked for so-called pod or capsule ejection: instead of the individuals to be shot out of the cockpit, the cockpit itself would be separated from the aircraft. This would be especially useful for aircraft with larger crews – it was even considered for the Space Shuttle after the Challenger disaster – but to date, only a handful of aircraft have had this fitted. Interestingly, a variation of this is generating a lot of attention in the past few years in private aviation: in case of a disabling emergency, the pilot can deploy a parachute that slows the descent of the aircraft to a survivable impact. Contrary to popular belief (and even subject of some quite crude cartoons) there are helicopters that are equipped with ejection seats: Russian Ka-50 Black Shark and Ka52 Alligator helicopters have a system that first fires explosive bolts to jettison the rotor blades. It then jettisons the canopies, allowing the crew to eject.
Club Surviving an ejection entitles you to membership of a rather exclusive club: the Ejection Tie Club. Established after the Second World War by manufacturer Martin-Baker, the club has over 5,000 members worldwide. Every club member receives a tie and pin, or a brooch for the women, which depicts a red triangle, the recognised international danger symbol for an ejection seat. The club only has about 10 female members – perhaps not surprising, knowing that the first female pilot* to eject was Lt. Linda Heid
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4 Philip Marien Feature Your Own Ejection Seat! Probably the largest aircraft to be fitted with ejection seats is the B-52 Stratofortress. Some versions have 8 ejection seats, including several downward-firing ones. Recently, MotoArt, based in California USA, have started converting these into furniture. The company specialises in recycling aircraft parts into furniture. One of the most impressive pieces is a B-52 Ejection seat that has been converted into an office chair. Their website (www.motoart.com) doesn’t give prices, but I assume they don’t come cheap….
in February 1991(!) She ejected together with the other pilot from their A-6 Intruder when the aircraft suffered a hydraulic failure and became uncontrollable.
F-15s stationed in the Netherlands. It eventually ran out of fuel and crashed into a house in the west of Belgium, killing an 18-year old man who was asleep inside. depEd@the-controller.net
Unlucky Sadly, there are also people who’ve lost their lives as a result of ejection seats. One of the more famous cases occurred in July 1989 overhead Europe: on a routine training flight. Colonel Nicolai Skuridin departed a Soviet air base near Kołobrzeg, Poland. During takeoff, the afterburner failed and the engine began losing power. At an altitude of 150 meters and descending, the pilot assumed he had a complete engine failure and ejected without incident. However, the engine had not failed completely, and the aircraft remained airborne, flying on autopilot in a south-westerly direction. The now-unmanned aircraft crossed into the airspace of East Germany and, as this was still very much the Cold War era, it intercepted by a pair of U.S. Air Force
* At least the first female I could find documented. There is little or no documentation available on former Soviet technology or ejection cases. ^
4 Thunderbird Pilot ejects his F-16 during an airshow in Idaho, USA in 2003. No one, including the pilot, was injured. USAF Staff Sgt. B.J. Davis III
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Charlie‘s Column
Charlie‘s Column Weddings in the air The low-cost British airline EASYJET was trying to organize weddings on board their aircraft. They sought permission from the local authorities to allow their captains to perform legal weddings, in a similar manner as sea captains can do on ships.
4 Wedding with Easyjet Photo credit: Easyjet.
The British Air Line Pilots’ Association (BALPA) had an article on this in their last magazine (The Log), even giving a suggestion as to the possible in-flight announcement: BING-BONG! “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking, can I have your attention please. We are gathered here in the London TMA and in sight of a power infinitely greater than ourselves (Swanwick ATC) to witness the union of Kyle Tracy Jordan to Kevin Barry Wayne. I now pronounce you man and wife, but before inviting you to make use of the hon-
eymoon suite, or rear passenger toilet as we call it, I’d like to say a few words to the happy couple.
OVERHEARD IN THE AIRPORT BAR:
the compass is unreliable too.“ Controller: “Do you need special assistance?“ Pilot: “No, it’s okay, but we have also lost our VORs now.“ After a few minutes, the Pilot comes back: “Ah, we have lost our altimeter as well I think.“ Before the controller can answer, a voice (from another aircraft) comes out of nowhere: “Come on, man, shut up and die like a man!“ --------------------------------------------------------------
Discussing the definition of a hard landing: TWR Controller: “A good landing is one that the passengers do not feel.“ Pilot: “It does not matter, they always clap and cheer afterwards.“ --------------------------------------------------------------
OVERHEARD ON THE FREQUENCY: Ground frequency major airport in Germany: Pilot: “Tower, ABC123 ready to start“. TWR: “Sorry we do not have your flight plan.“ Pilot: “To Berlin, like every Friday morning“. TWR: “But today is Saturday“. Pilot: “What! That should be our day off then!“ -------------------------------------------------------------En-route Frequency in Italy with CB’s A pilot transmits on the frequency after reporting having been struck by lightning. Pilot: “We have lost half of our instruments, now
I always feel that marriage is like a long haul flight – you start at full thrust, and at first the earth seems to move, but soon performance deteriorates and you settle into the long boring cruise, and then eventually, there comes a point where you start a long slow descent, and finally you end up with very little money in a place where you don’t understand the language, exhausted
One morning in Copenhagen ACC: AAL 123 is transferred from one sector to another within the Centre. The female controller working the radar can't see him on her screen, and thinking he is on the frequency by mistake she tells him to go back to the previous one. Her mistake is sorted out, and he is transferred back again, at which time the following conversation takes place: Controller: “AAL123, identified, sorry about that. You are of course very welcome!“ Pilot: “That's okay ma‘am, I'm used to being rejected....I've been married twice!“
and disorientated, arguing over who’s going to carry the baggage. Well on that note, on behalf of management and staff of EASYJET, I’d like to offer our congratulations and bring to your attention the very affordable range of wedding buffet options available on the menu card in your seat pocket. The Reception will take place in rows 12 to 17. Thank you and have a good flight with EASYJET.“ ^
charlie@the-controller.net
-------------------------------------------------------------Time when the TWR controller was also a Met observer. Coming to an airfield during the monsoon period: Pilot: Could we have the latest weather please? Tower: Visibility 1 Km in heavy rain, 9 octas at 1000 feet, etc…. Pilot: confirm 9 octas, surely you mean 8 octas? Tower: No, the whole week it was 8 Octas but today it is much worse! -------------------------------------------------------------AIRCRAFT TOILETS STORIES (continuing story) A toilet with a vengeance: A Boeing 757 from American Airlines from New York to Paris had a leak in one of the forward toilets last December. The “liquid“ transformed to blue ice, accumulated, finally got lose and hit the right engine during the cruise. The crew diverted to Bangor (Maine). A practical demonstration of the famous motto: “when the […] hits the fan. ^
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4 Advertisement
Germany DFS Improves Controllers Scheduling with an Integrated Quintiq Solution David Hillis, ^ by Quintiq Around the world, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) work in dynamic, complex environments. They need scheduling systems that can change and grow with the company, and they need round the clock support for their system’s administration.
personnel shortage,“ says Mr. Schlingmann. “During shift planning, planners can view on one display where there will be a shortage of controllers, a day, month or year ahead. The fact that the capacity is shown clearly in one display makes the planning much easier.“
When DFS decided to replace its legacy scheduling system they had high demands for the new shift scheduling software as it wanted a solution that could exactly meet its specific planning needs. As Ralf Schlingmann, Project Manager at DFS, explains: “The old system did not meet our software requirements any more. As a result, in certain cases, we had to use Excel sheets to complete some tasks. These processes were time-consuming.“ An additional requirement for the new system was that it would be able to integrate with DFS' IT environment.
DFS’s future vision is to benefit from the Quintiq solution even further. Using some of the most advanced planning algorithms available today, the Quintiq Workforce Optimization solution is able to exactly adjust the number of ATCOs to the flow of traffic and to position controllers in the right sectors to constantly ensure that safety regulations are strictly adhered to. Also, the solution is flexible enough to include different labor agreements for each control center and to take into consideration employee preferences. With every project milestone set, DFS and Quintiq strive in that direction.
Answering these criteria, the Quintiq Workforce Optimization solution was chosen to replace the former system. It was first implemented in the Bremen Control Centre and, over time, it will be implemented in all of DFS' Control Centers and Towers. The Bremen Control Centre is one of DFS' five national control centers and 16 Towers. Of the 1,800 ATCOs working at DFS, 270 work in the Bremen center together with 50 Flight Data Assistants, helping to direct more than three million flights that cross the German skies annually. For many reasons, planning and scheduling this large number of employees is an extremely complicated task. First, government regulations regarding the number of controllers and the licensing necessary to man each sector are very strict. Second, DFS has to deal with a complicated set of collective labor agreements which can even vary from site to site. Finally, for the past couple of years, Europe has suffered from a shortage of ATCOs, but the recent economic decline had a significant impact on demand. Short term scheduling and long term recruitment and training must take fluctuating demand into consideration“Quintiq shows us in a capacity chart where there is a
Another reason DFS chose Quintiq was because of the unique Quintiq capabilities which allows the system to be configured to meet DFS' strict planning requirements. Quintiq and DFS have been working closely together to develop the DFS-specific aspects of the system. “By the end of the iterative development process, the software design was exactly configured to our requirements. DFS has very rigid requirements, so this is a big benefit. Often, we find that contractors can't meet all
of the requirements,“ explains Mr. Schlingmann. “Working together with Quintiq has been a positive experience. Quintiq offers the possibility to come together to discuss solutions and recommendations in an open atmosphere. I am extremely happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with them to create a solution that exactly matches our needs.“ The DFS roll-out is continuing and will eventually include all of DFS' ATCOs and operational technical people in the Control Centers, Tower sites and Aeronautical Information Service Centers – a total of 2,700 people. Also, additional functionality including productivity checks, event handling in real time and controller training alerts will be included in the system at a future date. Together DFS and Quintiq will bring ATCO scheduling to new heights. ^ For more information visit: www.quintiq.com/atc Or contact: david.hillis@quintiq.com
4 So many positions to man (LBSF ACC) Photo credit: Philippe Domogala
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