IFATCA JOURNAL

OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

D 20418 F

In this Issue:

Management Facton in ATC

Russian Story International Aeradio Ltd.

N O . 2

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IFATCA JOURNAL OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

THE CO'NTROllER Frankfurt am Main, April/June 1969 Volume 8 • No. 2

Publisher: International Federation of Air Traffic Con­trollers' Associations, S. C. 11: 6 Frankfurt am Main N.O. 14, Bornheimer Landwehr 57a.

Officers of IFATCA: M. Cerf, President: J. R. Campbell, First Vice President; G. Atterholm, Second Vice Presi­dent; G. W. Monk, Executive Secretary; H. Guddat, Honorary Secretary; B. Riithy, Treasurer; W. H. End­lich, Editor.

Editor: Walter H. Endlich, 3, rue Roosendael, Bruxelles-Forest, Belgique Telephone: 456248

Publishing Company, Production and Advertising Sales Office: Verlag W. Kramer & Co., 6 Frankfurt am Main N014, Bornheimer Landwehr 57a, Phone 434325,492169, Postscheck Frankfurt (M) 11727. Rate Card Nr. 2.

Printed by: W.Kramer&Co., 6 Frankfurt om Main NO 14, Bornheimer Landwehr 57a.

Subscription Rate: OM 8,- per annum (in Germany).

Contributors are expressing their personal points of view and opinions, which must not necessarily coincide with those of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA).

IFATCA does not assume responsibility for statements made. a_n~ opinions expressed, it does only accept re­spons1b1lity for publishing these contributions.

~ontributions are welcome as are comments and criti­cism. No. pa~me~t can be made for manuscripts submitted for P_ubl1cat1on an •The Controller•. The Editor reserves the right to make a y d"t · 1 eh . • . . n . e 1 ona anges an manuscripts, wh1~ he b~l1eves wall improve the material without altering the intended meaning.

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

Advertis~rs i? !his lss~e: Elliott Space and Weapon Automation Lrmrted (Inside Cover); N.V. Hollandse Sig­naalapparalen (Back Cover}; Selenia S.p.A. (Inside Back Cover); Solarlron Electronic Group (2).

Picture Credit: CAWU ~9}; Endlich (6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18); Hamson (21, 22, 23, 24); Jeppeser. Co. (8); Royal Novy (19, 20}; Selenia S.p.A. (26, 27).

CONTENTS

Management Factors in reducing ATCS Stress · · · · · · · · · · · · John T. Dailey, Ph. D.

Russian Story ................. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Falconry in the Air Command of the Royal Navy · · · · · · · · · · · · Lt. Cdr. D. D. Fairweather

Automatic Enroute ATC Displays ...... · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · T. H. Harrison

New Radar System for Austria ........ · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · H. Brandstetter

International Aeradio Limited ......... · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

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19

21

26

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Management Factors in Reducing ATCS Stress Presented to the international Symposium on Air Traffic Control, March 1969, Stockholm, Sweden

Basic Nature of the ATCS Job

The air traffic control system is a man-machine system which places primary reliance on the human component, and the human operator is often the limiting factor in system output. The air traffic control system violates the first tenet of man-machine design - that is - "to design the system so the average man with on average amount of effort can carry out his part in the system." Unfortunately, there seems to be no feasible way to do this and so the system requires a controller who is highly selected and highly trained. The controller bears a heavy load on his memory and his ability to keep many things in his mind while arriving rapidly at well-reasoned solutions to com­plex problems under conditions of stress. Controlling air traffic is not necessarily a stressful activity, but in situations with a high traffic density the job of the air traffic control specialist becomes stressful because it requires pushing man's capability to its limit to maintain continuous peak performance.

A disitinctive feature of air traffic control under heavy traffic is that the individual controller does not directly control his rate of work. The aircraft just keep coming. With high traffic density, the controllers ore able to main­tain a high performance level but, as they do, the stress

Human Fadors affecting the rated Capacity of an Air Traffic Control System

1. Skill and maturity of the ATC crew or its ability to con­trol traffic under normal conditions.

A. Aptitude. The rated capacity or normal ability to handle traffic of an air traffic control system will be v~ry ~~eh affected by the aptitude of the operator and his ability to move traffic swiftly but safely. This is not necessarily the some as the aptitude he expresses on tes!s,. but is the aptitude he expresses on the job and in trammg by showing a high degree of ability to carry out the work. of t~e air traffic controller. Individuals vary enormously m this sort of aptitude and some controllers can do a great deal more than others. The rated ca­pacity of a given ATC installation will be greatly in­fluenced by the aptitude of its crew members.

B. ~ x P .e r i e n c e . Experience is a very powerful factor m this area and the ability of the air traffic controller to handle traffic increases markedly with experience for the first few years.

C. Ag~ .. While the ~ir traffic controller's ability to handle traffic 1.ncreases with experience for a few years, even­tually 1t levels off and at some point in time will decrease to the point where he warrants retirement. However, this point in time is very indefinite and depends a great deal on the type of management that

by John T. Dailey, Ph. D. Special Assistant for Psychology Office of Aviation Medicine Federal Aviation Administration

level rises accordingly. Ultimately the stress level that they can safely tolerate can become the primary limiting factor on the workload that the system can handle with safety. The system must strike a proper balance between maxi­mum performance and stress on the controller. This is accomplished by a complex set of rules for handling traffic under various conditions and by flow control and traffic restrictions when necessary to limit the overall volume of traffic handled by the system.

The capacity of an air traffic control system to handle traffic is difficult to determine with precision. The cha­racteristics of the hardware of the system set an upper boundary on the amount of traffic the system can handle but this level is rarely approached in practice for any sustained period of time. The capacity of the system is usually limited by the human factors and is affected by various management and staffing factors.

One cannot, of course, really speak simply of the controller or think of stress as any simple type of force. Controllers in different situations vary greatly in the work­load placed on them and any stress factors imposed by the job can be greatly magnified or minimized by management factors. Efficient management of an air traffic control system must be based on an understanding of the various human factors affecting the productivity of the controller and the stress level under which he operates.

has been exercised up to that point, and the amount of stress that has occurred. Management factors could be manipulated to increase greatly the age at which the performance of an air traffic controller levels off and declines.

2. Morale. The general level of morale of the controller and h~s

trust in management, both for present and in the future, is a powerful factor in influencing the rated capa~ity. of the controller to do work with safety. If his morale 1s high, h.e will be able to 9perate at a higher pro~uction level than 1f his morale is low, with safety factors bemg equal.

3. Anxiety - fear of mistakes. A very important stressful factor on the c~nt~oller is

fear of the consequences of mistakes tha~ he is like.ly to make or fears that he might make. The ultimate of this, of course, is a collision with fatalities, but in many. cases mistakes happen without a crash actually occurring. In many such cases, the consequences are formal reprimands or criticisms of the controller. How the management hand­les these can affect the rated capacity of the system and the stress on the air traffic controllers in it. The co.ntroll~r has a very special set of skills that ore rewarded highly m air traffic control, but there is little market for them other­wise. Worry about premature termination of his career by loss of health or as a result of his mistakes can create a great deal of anxiety. This con become a major stress

factor.

3

4. Fatigue. A. Each operator has his own individual normal rated ca­

pacity for carrying out air traffic control work for a prolonged period without undue stress. He can operate at a higher capacity for short periods of time, but after fatigue begins; he has--to rest or else endure increasing stress. If staffing is inadequate in a high density in­stallation and adequate rest schedules are not possible, the stress on the air traffic controller is increased greatly and the capacity of the system ultimately is reduced. This will be reflected in a higher rate of flow control restrictions. Chronic fatigue can eventually reduce the rated capacity of the controller for carrying out work. In a sense, the air traffic control specialist is a "per­ceptual-motor or psychomotor athlete". These athletes differ enormously in their capacity for performance just a other types of athletes do. Athletes can maintain a much higher level of performance for a short period than they can for a longer period. If he maintains a high performance more often or longer than an optimal schedule, an athlete's fatigue mounts rapidly, stress factors increase, and eventually his performance suffers seriously. Whenever extremely high performance is re­quired in athletics in a crucial activity - such as a relay race or pitching in a big league baseball came - the principle of the relay team is used to maximize the rate of performance that can be expected by a team of individuals engaged in such activity as running a long race or getting batters out in a crucial big league game. This principle is, of course, being used informally to some extent by many Towers and Centers, but there has been no study of optimal schedules for this and the manning of the Stations or Centers has not been adjust­ed to enable them to use this relay principle most effectively. Even with an overall shortage of controllers in a system, it might still be possible to allocate ?d­ditional experienced personnel to a .ve~y few k.ey High Density Centers to use the relay prmc1ple to increase the ability of the system to handle traffic with a mini­mum necessity for traffic restrictions.

B. 0 p t i m a I a I I o c a t i o n o f o p e r a t o r' s t i m e. How an operator's time each week is allocated could have a marked effect on the amount of stress on him and the amount of work he is able to handle. Many studies of similar situations such as radar watch standers, submarines, space ships, long-range aircraft and the like, indicate that optimal work-rest schedules can do much to increase the amount of work that can be ac­complished by a given crew in a given amount of time. It is important that we learn the best length of day a~d best schedules for alternation of work and rest to main­tain maximum productivity of the air traffic control specialist without undue stress and with most efficient

4

use of personnel. . . . In a bottleneck situation, such as a high density airport, it may sometimes be desirable to maximize the system's rated capacity to handle traffic. The increased capa­bility could come from controllers working in relays with individuals being replaced at intervals for appro­priate rest. This is equivalent to preventive maintenance on a system which is working at its maximum capacity and this is made possible by replacing its tubes or other components on a regular schedule before failure. The analogy here is that a man has the capability to re-

cuperate during a rest period so that after proper rest he becomes essentially a "new tube". In the usual world of work, it is expected that the work schedule is such that man reports for work every day as essentially a "new tube" and operates at his normal rated capacity throughout the day. However, if the system is to be able to operate safely at a higher level, it is necessary to work individuals in relays. The question to be establish­ed here is the most Eiffective way of using extra staff so rest periods during the day can make the man es­sentially a new tube after each short rest period. The exact best schedule here is as yet unknown, but interviews with air traffic controllers indicate that in most high density situations an adequate rest schedule would be a regularly scheduled lunch period and a short scheduled coffee break twice a day. In a few ultra-high density areas, it might be necessary to go beyond this and to limit the length of the workday for individuals on the line on extremely hot spots. It is important for the rest periods to be regularly scheduled and staffing would have to be adjusted to permit this.

5. Shift rotation pattern.

One of the distinctive characteristics of the air traffic control system is that it is a 24-hour system where the man have to work around the clock at one time or another in shifts. In recent years it has been found that flying across time zones or changing shifts has o powerful effect on many of the biological or circadian rhythms of his biological functions. These functions rise to a maximum and then decrease to a minimum in a regular 24-hour pattern. Among the things that vary on this 24-hours schedule are: A. Pulse B. Respiration C: Blood pressure D. Temperature E. Electrical skin resistance F. Excretion of:

(1) Water (2) Potassium (3) Phosphorus (4) Sodium (5) Magnesium (6) Chloride (7) Numerous hormones (especially the stress hormones)

G. Mental alertness and performance (including errors) H. Mood I. Motivation J. Hunger and appetite K. Quality of sleep L. Many other aspects of performance.

Whe~ the. individual changes to a new daily schedule by crossing time zones or changing work shifts these bio­logical functions begin to adjust themselves to a new 24-hour rhythm with a new starting point. However, they do .so at unequal rates and so, for several days, the bio­logical rhythms are not in proper relation to each other and this results in biological instability with too much of some functions and too little of others.

Whenever the controller changes shifts, his biological rhythms are thrown out of equilibrium and take some time to re-establish themselves in a new stable 24-hour pattern after the shift has been mode. When shifting is frequent, the individual will spend a considerable proportion of his time in a condition of biological instability. There is

evidence, such as in 20-hour flight crews on long-range bombers, that young healthy individuals can grow ac­customed to rapid changes of shifts and apparently func­tion satisfactorily for some time. However, there is no in­formation regarding the effects of many years of such rapid changing of shifts. There is much reason to believe this would be an unfavoroble health factor and no ground~ whatever for thinking it would be a fovorable health factor. It is likely that changing shifts too often places additional stress on the already stressed air traffic controller. Over a long period of years this could be a really major factor in placing stress on the controller.

Attention should be given to ways of reducing the rapidity of shift change of air traffic controllers. One pos­sibility is to give more choice in whether they shift or not. Some men prefer night work because they like to golf, fish, garden or perform other daytime activities and would prefer not to shift. To the extent this is done, the others might not have to shift as often. It might be possible and would be highly desirable to have the late shift staffed by semi-permanent volunteers and by men who on rare occasions stand several months duty on this shift. The re­mainder of the controllers could then rotate shifts without major changes in their sleeping patterns and avoid disturbing their circadian rhythms.

Very rapid shift rotation is often preferred by the con­troller because it helps squeeze out a few more extended periods off duty. Some extra staffing to avoid this would be a good investment so that too rapid shift rotation might be discouraged. This should be considered a top priority at those few ultra-high traffic density installations where all of the other stress-inducing factors are at a maximum. Another way to avoid these rapid-shifts might be to have shifts of controllers on duty on a work-rest basis for sixteen hours. The late shift requires very few people and need rotate very infrequently. There is much evidence that work as demanding as that of the controller could be carried out on a work-rest basis in 16-hour shifts with as much as 12 hours on the line and the other four hours being devoted to appropriate rest periods. Thus it would only require three days on duty to put in 36 hours on the line. Such a schedule would enable everyone to maintain a normal ~4-hour routine. It should also lessen the need for stand-by hme and minimize call in. The saving in driving time of the controller. could be appreciable. Other advantages of such a shift pattern would be to permit the controller to have an active part in community affairs, attend college classes off d~ty, and have regular programs of exercise.

Rese.arch ~s needed on how to change shifts with mini­mum d1srupt1on of the 24-hour Circadian rhythms. We need to know not only how often to change but also the best w~y to change. It would be possible to train the con­troller m methods of changing shifts with minim d" _ t. . b" I .

1 um 1srup ion m 10 og1ca stability.

Summary

1. The air traffic controller is a psychomotor athlete possessing an unus~~lly high level of development percep: tual motor and dec1s1on-making abilities. 2. Like other athletes he is subject to fatigue and cannot maintain his highest level of performance indefinitely. 3. Maximum levels of safe productivity of air traffic control teams can be achieved by working controllers in relays with optimal work-rest intervals.

4. The controller is subject to many stress-inducing factors and management practices can increase or decrease the stress to which he is exposed. 5. Stress on the controller can be reduced by increased staffing with proper allocation of rest periods during his shift on duty. 6. The present practice of rapid shift rotation is medically undesirable and should be modified.

Reducing air traffic controller stress and increasing produc­tivity (long-range recommendations) 1. It is recommended that action should be taken to deve­lop a set of long-range objectives to work toward in order to minimize and equalize the stresses imposed on the con­troller. 2. The long-range goal should be to equalize stress on the air traffic control specialists in the various installations by such means as adjusting the work to the level of activity of the facility and by rotation from one facility to another. Staffing of the high density facilities would have to be made adequate to facilitate free rotation. Of course, a sophisticated index of activity level would need to be used for this purpose which includes weighted combinations of several of the relevant factors which are most important in establishing the true work level of the facility. Perhaps a reasonable base schedule for all air traffic controllers would be a 40-hour week with a scheduled lunch break and two short rest periods a day. This would give a net of about seven hours on line with 35_ ho_urs of active control per week. Where found necessary m high density installations, extra staffing should be provided to permit extra rest time so high productivity could be m~in­tained at a constant and reasonable level of stress. During temporary periods of personnel shortages, the work week could be extended with adequate safety and no damage to the health of the controller, but this should be avoided as much as possible. . . 3. Acceptable ways of minimizing rapid shift ~otatron should be devised and adopted after proper trial and evaluation. 4. After taking the above steps to equalize stress and to reduce it to a reasonable level, the optimal length of care~r for a controller could be estimated and retirement provi­sions adjusted as needed. It is anticipated that mana~e­ment changes could do much to lengthen the productive career of an air traffic controller.

1 · · t ffic contro -The long-range goals for changes m an arr ra . . ft t ff g and mod1frcat1on ler personnel system, a er proper s a '" h b

in coordination with employee groups might well td en. ~ adopted as a long-range set of goals to work tower mini­mizing the stress imposed on the controller ~n.d at fthehsom.e

ff . · d roduchvrty o t e air time maximize the e 1c1ency an P traffic control system.

Short-range recommendations 1. Top priority action should be taken t~ expe~im~nt with bolsterring one or more ultra-high traffr~ density mstoll~­tions with more experienced top-quality controllers '" order to see to what extent this enables th.e~ to ho.n~le more nearly the volume of traffic possible wrthm the limits established by the hardware of the system. 2. Air traffic controllers should be mode aware of the. un­desirability of rapid shift rotation in order that they might take advantage of any present opportunities to slow down the pace of rotation.

5

Russian Story Impressions from a visit to the Soviet Union

V. K. Mishink in (left), M . Cerf (centre), B. Ruthy (right)

The Lomonossov University

6

Introduction

Following an invi tation by V. K. Mishinkin, President of the Soviet C.A.W.U., an IFATCA Delegation visited the Soviet Union from l Sth to 25th September, 1968, to study the Russians ATS system.

After a 31/ 2 hour fl ight with llushin 62, col ls ign CCCP 86661, IFATCA Presiden Maurice Cerf, Treasurer Bernhard Ruthy and Editor Walter Endl ich arrived a t Moscow Sheremetjevo airport. President Mish inkin a nd some of his immediate staff had come out to the airport to welcome the delegat ion and - big surprise - waiting with them on the tarmac was the apparently "omn ipresent" Herbert Brandstetter, fo rmer Honorary Secretary of I FAT CA and now Consultant to SELENIA, one of IFATCA's Corporation Members. Herbert happened to be in Moscow a t the time, representing his company at the Ital ian industrial ex­hibition.

CAWU

The Russian ATC staff do not have an A ir Tra ffi c Controllers Association as such. They are al l members of the Civil Aviation Workers Union (CA WU), together with pi lots, navigators, stewardesses, me teorologists, mai n­tenance personnel and a ll the o ther staff engaged in aviation.

The CAWU has about 450.000 members, a "Central Committee" and regional bra nches. The present Central Committee was elected at the 1967 CA W U Congress. It consists of 92 members, 17 of which are Aeroflot pilots. About o ne thi rd o f the C.C. members are women.

The Central Committee e lects a Board of 9 O fficers (the "Presid ium"), i.e. a President, a Secretary and the Heads of the fo llowing seven departments: -

Crowd quening of the Red Square to visit the Lenin Mausoleum

- Management; - Sa la ries;

Professional and technical matters, safety regulations, etc.; Cu ltural affairs, education, sporting activities ; International relations; Social Security; living accomodation, housing projects.

The schedule of the tour

President Mishinkin, fatherly host to the I FAT CA dele­gation, had prepared a very comprehensive program. Despite of his many other commitments, he made it a point personally to accompany his visitors on the ir study tour whenever this was possible. In these endeavours he was very effective ly assisted by the Secretary of the CA WU Presidium, D. I. Tiou rine, by Eugenia S. Voitenka, charming Secretary for International Relations, by Andre lvanovitch Plouzhnikov, ond by the untiring, multilingual interpreter Valerie.

The emphasis of the program was on a visit of the ATS facilities at Moscow Wnukovo airport, supplemented by trips to Leningrad and to Sochi on the Black Sea, where working sessions with local ATS staff were held.

. . . . ·;:~·.: . .:'.;.:-:·'\ \ ··

... • .. j

Strolling about the Red Square

Quite frequently these working sessions started at breakfast, when the IFATCA delegates were joined by the airport commandant or his deputy, or the chief controller of the ATC facility. Over the evening me al shop talk would sti ll go on.

Between the meetings no time was wasted either. Our Russian hosts had worked out a clever itinerary which, on the way to the various ATS faci lities and offices, brought us close to many monuments, places of historical events, museums, etc. Thus we obtained, more or less "en passant" a condensed lecture of Russian history a nd culture. High­lights of this "spin off" were a visit to the Hermitage a t Leningrade and a performance of "Sadko" in the Kreml in Th eater.

Further on in the program were visits to social institu­tions. At Wnukovo, for instance, we saw a camp of the "You ng Pioneers", which is supported by the civi l aviation workers, at Leningrad we were invited to visit the airport Kindergarten and at the Black Sea, lubov Kalachova, the Foreign Department Manager of the "Sochi regional council for the administration of the trade union health resorts" provided the IFATCA delegation with a thorough introduction to this Russian recreation area.

One could write a book about these "side activities " alone, but as we must stay with in the terms of reference o f the IFATCA magazine, we have to confine our report to Air Traffic Control which was, in any case, the ob jective of the study tour .

The Bolshoij Theatre

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6 JUN67

r­si--11 .... 118.SO

llB.?O ?31.SO 121.00 126.00

+··

.,:

Jet: Cnm NOB between 5100-'iOOOm STD. Piston: c..,.1 NOii not above 2700m STD.

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UVlSEO 6 JUN 67 MolCOW VOR, routingi.

MOSCOW APPltOACH

ONE 127.20

g:, TMAI

Moscow Area Chart (With kind permission of Jeppesen & Co.)

Moscow

Four airports are serving the Moscow area: Sheremet-jevo, Wnukovo, Domodjedovo and Bilkovo. . .

Sheremetjevo is mainly used by international flights and by flights to the Northern part of the USSR. Domod­jedovo handles traffic to the Southe~st .and to the East. Bilkovo is the airport for General Av1at1on. Smaller type aircraft such as the AN2 AN24', ll 14 operate from here.

Wnukovo is the olde~t of the Moscow airports. Domestic flights to the Southern holiday resorts, to the Mold~via region and to the Ukraina originate from here. Occasion­ally there is also some traffic to the Northern a.nd Eastern ports of the Soviet Union, and finally, Wnukovo 1s the gate-way for all government delegations. .

In the future Wnukovo will probably mainly be used by flights to the Southern holiday resorts. This category of traffic is steadily increasing. Traffic from Wnuk.ovo to Sochi, for instance, has gone up about 25% during the past year.

Currently the daily movements average 400. Wnukovo is the home of Moscow Approach Control

and Moscow Area Control.

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MOSCOW AREA

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The Approach Control Area has a diametre of about 200 kms, with no upper limit. It is sub-divided into the Sectors North/West, South, South-East and East.

The Wnukovo CTR extends from GND to 1200 mtrs. It is of irregular shape, the horizontal dimension varying between abt. 30 and 60 kms.

The jurisdiction of the "ACC" extends to approximately 5?0:-700. kms around Wnukovo, the entire area being sub­d1v1ded into 9 sectors. Each Sector is accomodated in a separate room. This segregation would reduce the noise level in the operations room we were told. Sector to Sector coordination would, in any case, be effected by telephone, so that there would not be an urgent reason for grouping all Sectors together in one big operations room. In most Sectors the work is shared between an "Upper" and a "Lower" controller. The dividing line between their respect­ive areas of responsibility is at 4,500 m.

Remote R/T and radar stations provide for the coverage of the comparatively large area. Attempting to compare these units with a similar Western facility, one would pro­bably think of a Forward Radar Station. They have direct

Reception at the Office of the Wnukovo Air­port Commandant

communication links with the "ACC" and, in addition to monitoring position reports and relaying clearances, they provide radar separation to selected traffic, if so requested by the ACC. The responsibility for the setor, however, if so requested by the ACC. The responsibility for the sector, however, rests with the ACC controller.

Moscow Centre moves on impressive amount of traffic. About 1800 operations are controlled per day out of which some 1500 are arrivals and departures for the 4 Moscow airports, the rest are overflights.

Unlike their Western Colleagues the Russian Air Traf­fic Controllers utilise a distance-time graph as a traffic display. It consists of something like a small plotting table of about 50 x 50 ems., across which a band of paper can be moved.

The reporting points are listecl-on the horizontal axis of the display, the vertical axis carries the time, in ACC Sector with distance-t ime graph

5-minute intervals. Each movement is represented by a 111111~!13~~~~~-diagonal line along which ore written details of the flight-plan. As time passes the controller moves the band of paper across the plotting table with a thumbwheel.

We had some doubts as to the suitability of such a dis­play system in a Western European environment with the rather complicated route network and the high percentage of climbing and descending traffic.

In the Soviet Union with its vast distances, however, the system seemed to work quite well. Its application is further facilitated by the fact that all domestic flights in the USSR are bound to operate in accordance with a very strict schedule. Precise flight plans are notified well in advance to the units concerned and a central coordinator assigns on appropriate slot to each flight. The pilot who misses Distance-time g raph, blow-up

his slot, for instance by not taking off at the prescribed if:il•~~==irioi~~!!fi~~\11 departure time, might as well cancel his flight until a new slot is assigned to him.

Naturally we were curious how international flights fitted into that system. Apparently these flights do not present any problem. First of all they only constitute a small percentage of the overoll traffic. Furthermore, the aviation administra tion can regulate the approximate arrival and departure times when issuing the diplomatic clearances. Should, however, an international flight ever clash with a domestic operation, our Russian colleagues do not hesita te to delay or even divert the domestic flight.

Radar is heavily used both in Approach and in Area Control. It was interesting to notice that the entire radar equipment is available in dupl icate, from the antenna to the scope.

9

.. .

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:: ,. " . .. " M " " ~ .. . ... .. . . . ~ " •. !!

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The Wnukovo " Flight Pion• wi th 5-minute-slots

" '

... . ..

...

..

., ., .. ...

Separation minima hove been said to be 20 kms "on approach" and 50 kms "en-route".

The A ircraft approach minima ore slightly higher than most of the Western minima. For the pilots with the highest

qualifications (Rating I) they ore Turbojet 120m (400feet) ceiling Turboprop 80 m (260 feet)

Centro! Flight Pion Coordinator Position

10

1500 m visibi l ity 1500 m

TMA Approa ch Control Sector; Control ler (left) and lnterprc!c r (right)

TMA Approach Control Sector

Take-off minimum, for instance for the IL 18, is 700 m RVR, and 1500 m for the TU 104_

Small ~ircraft are not allowed at Wnukovo, except heli­copter tax i operations.

TMA Approach Control S t R ec or; odo r scope, Communica tion panel a nd a ltitude/level ta b le

... Altitude/level toble

Approach Control Operations Room. PAR work­ing positions in the background of the upper right hond picture

11

Grease pencil traffic patterns on APP scope

, n O IM ff IC 6 bi C 0 T Y f nPMHATMll PEUI EHMA• -- -::-::::-•-*-·-· - ... ··--::-:; ' . ' ••• . ,. ,... . .... - .... - ....

Watch your altitude! Poster indicating minimum heights,

Operations Room

in the APP

Dote-time indicator associated with PAR scopes for recording purposes

12

PAR control unit

Automatic cameras fo r record ing approaches off the PAR scopes

Training

The very timely subject of Controller training seems to be given due attention in the Soviet Union.

Our guides told us that the central school for air traffic controllers is somewhere in the Ukraine, but there ore also local training establishments at the larger airports. The Aeroflot training centre at Wnukovo, for instance, provides extensive facilities for the indoctrination of pilots, navi­gators, radio and radar operators, stewardesses, mainten­ance personnel and air traffic controllers.

Each c lassroom is equipped for one particular subject. There ore for instance, individua l laboratories for the various types of aircraft e ng ines, ground and airborne radar installations, rad io equipment, novoids, aerodyna­mics meteorology, cabin crew, air traffic control, etc.

We were quite impressed by the extensive use of high­quo lity teaching aids, such as full size turbo engines, as­sembled and apart or cut into various cross-sections; a whole range of radar sets; a complete cockpit mounted to the outside of the building and connecting through a hole in the wall to one of the training rooms; and on abundance of large-scale, multicolour training posters, flip charts and diagrams.

A big simulator room with, inter olio, a TU 104 simu lator is also occomodoted in the building, which is already gett­ing too small for all the training activities. This is not sur­prising, for the school hos a considerable turnover. In ad­dition to providing basic and advanced training, refresher courses ore frequently held at the school. We were told that even the fully qualified pilots must hove at least one month refresher training per year; on important subject of this training is the discussion and evaluation of recent aircraft accidents.

Construction work is in progress to provide for ad­ditional occomodotion.

The ACC training suite is on exact replica of one o f the Moscow Sectors. Rodar information is live, video-linked from the Wnukovo radar. Training in such on environment is probab ly very realistic. On the other hand it must be

. . .. " /

... Diagram o f Wnukovo movement a rea

<Ill W nukovo Tower

W nukovo Tower, parking position ind icato r ...

·­·­·­·-n llllllll

• 11111» ..

· - •.-XU ·- ·-.. -..-.. _ ·­,,_ .._ ...- ._ ·-L­a_,_ .. -.. - ··­·- ·- ·­·-·- ··­--.. - ·-

rP.-~rR-" ~m:m • ll:c::

•Riii .. _ .. _ •mm n­,.-·- .. -~-·- n-·-·­-­·-

13

Lecture room "Turbo Eng ines"

Lecture room " Rodionovigotion"

TU 104 Simulator

14

AeroOot Training Cen tre; Lecture room " Hydraulic Systems"

far more expensive than radar simula to r training, and the operation of the target aircraft requires close coordination with the local ATC units.

Until recently control lers have been se lected from form­er Aeroflot pilots, but to an increasing extent Controller Cadets ore now recruited from high school graduates. The entry age is between 17 and 24 years. A thorough medical check is compulsory upon entry. The candidates are mainly selected on the basis of thei r academic qualifications. Apti­tude tests ore not used. The ab initio train ing lasts three years, the greater port of which ore spent at the central A TC School mentioned above.

This schoo l must have an extremely good record; our Russ ian colleagues said there had been only one o r two failures among the 300 students who have been tra ined rece ntly.

After completion o f the theoretical training, the future contro llers are a ssigned to fie ld units for on-the-job train­ing. OJT successfully completed, controllers are issued a licence which entitles them to exercise their task. Al l con­trollers ore employed by Aeroflot. During their tra ining they are for a certain time assigned to a fl ight crew and must extensively fly throughout the region with in which they are expected to work after the ir training.

TU 104 Simulator; night recorder with chart of Moscow oreo

In order to maintain the knowledge thus gained on the flight deck rated controllers ore requi red to make frequent route experience flights.

Every two years each controller must go bock to the school for about th ree weeks refresher training.

Controller status and working conditions

In the Soviet Union Air Traffic Controllers enjoy a con­siderable status. When we asked for a standard of com­parison it was sugested to compare a controller with a wel l-experienced e lectronics engineer holding a university degree.

This recognition is reflected in the controller's salary, which was said to be about 30-400/o higher than tha t of a doctor or a high school teacher.

The overage controller wages ore outlined below.

High density Medium density facility facility

Controller First Closs 160 Rubels 140 Rubels

Controller Second Closs 150 Rubels 130 Rube ls

Controller Third Closs 140 Rubels 120 Rube ls

In addition to their basic salary, Soviet controllers ore entitled to certain a llowances.

400/o of the basic salary may be granted as on addition­al bonus if a controller hos not been involved in any accident or inciden t. A 13th month' sa lary may also be paid.

At Moscow and Leningrad controllers obtain a 100/o facility bonus.

In the Easte rn USSR on allowance of 50-1000/o of the basic salary is granted because of the difficult working con­ditions.

Fringe benefits include free flights with Aeroflot and . . th very reasonable roles at the CA WU sonotorio in e

Southern holiday resorts . Although a controller's salary compares handsom~ ly

whit that e arned in many other profess ions in the .so;1~t Union, applying Western standards he will still find it diffi­cult to make ends meet.

To obtain an impession of what a contro ller.can buy.for his salary, we were given the following approximate prices for food and other necessaries of life.

kg butte r kg b read kg meat kg potatoes dress coat car (Wolga)

- 31/, Rubels - 14 to 16 Copecks - 2 to 31/2 Rubels - 10 Copecks - 50-100 Rubels - 100-150 Rubels - 5000-6000 Rubels (?)

The rates for gas, water, electricity and rent appear to be rather low.

The rent is calculated on the basis of 13 Copecks per square meter. ,, ,,

Li ving occomodotion is still a bottleneck. The pion foresees 9 m' per person. Standard apartments for a family of three or four persons ore now constructed in large numbers. The surface area of these apartments is 30 square

Lecture room · c ommunications·

In the Moscow area contro llers ore us ually working three shifts from 14.30-22.00, from 08.00-14.30 and from 22.00-08.00, fo llowed by a rest period of 56 hours. During the shifts breaks of 20 to 30 minutes ore granted every 11/ 2 hours .

Controllers ore entitled to at least 24 days annual leave; in the Eastern and Northeoste rn regions this is increased to 3Q-36 days per year.

Except for young staff who hove just completed their ATC training controllers may choose the faci lity a t which they would like to work. Young controllers must serve th ree years at the uni t to which t hey o re a ssigned before t hey o re permitted to transfer.

The earliest re tirement age for controllers is 55 years, provided they ore work ing with radar. A controller con, of course, be compulsory retired at on earlier a ge for medica l reasons. Stoff not medically fit for air t raffic con­trol work may be ass igned administrative tasks.

A controller's pension depends upon the number of years in service. Maximum is 600/o of the lost salary plus up to 100/o for specific p ro fessional quolificotio ns.

Aeroflot crew hostels Air Traffic Controllers a re a lso e ntitled to use the re­

creation facilities established a t al l Russian a irports for Aeroflot pilots.

metres and the re nt approximately 420 Copecks. Lecture room · Air Traffic Control·

15

Recept ion at the Leningrad station . " Krosnoia St relo" troin in the back­

ground

Leningrod, monument of Pe ter the G reo t

Leningrad, view from the modern "Sovietskaio" hotel

16

At Wnukovo we were invited to visit one of these recreation centres. It is o mixture between hotel ond sana­torium, managed by a woman doctor. The Wnukovo hostel hos sleeping occomodation for 450 people, gymnastics hall , library ond reading room, billord, hobby shop, etc.

All Aeroflot crews oway from base live in these crew hoste ls and even the local flying pi lots have to check in before they deport on a flight.

There are usually 4 to 5 beds in one room to occomodo­te one flight crew; a special wing of the building is reserved for the stewardesses.

This is a very healthy environment. No alcohol, no smoking, and before each fl ight all crew members hove to take a thorough medica l check.

Crew members are not permitted to fly if they did not have at least 8 hours sleep within a reasonable period of time before the flight.

Another interesting feature: duty ros ters ore pre pored so os to a llow pilots to alternate between destinations in the North ond in the South of the Soviet Union.

Leningrad

There is a saying that a visi t to Russia is not complete without a ride on the "Krasnaja Strela".

The journey from Moscow to Leningrad in this fast and comfortable train is, indeed, very pleasant. Frillies, thick upholstery and the humming of the Samovar crea te a cozy atmosphere.

We boarded the " Red Arrow" at midnight and some seven and half hour later we arrived ot Leningrad, on o beautiful, crisp ond sunny morning.

The re is, alas, not enough space in the context of this artic le to d escribe the beauty of this city on the Neva, to which we were so expertly introduced by our kind hosts.

Leningrad is the second busiest airport in the Soviet Union. The lost count indicated 1.6 million passengers per yeor, transit passengers not included.

100 controllers in four shift ore moving about 220-250 flights per day; the rush hours ore between 08.00-10.00, 15.00-18.00 and 22.00-23.00, during which approach inter­vals ore two to three minutes. Two IFR runways ore avai l­able.

Leningrad connects to oil big cities in the Soviet Union. To Moscow alone there ore 15 fligh ts per day. About ha lf that number ore doily shuttling between Leningrad and Sochi.

The international quota of traffic is steadily increasing. Leningrad hos regular services to Amsterdam, London, East Berlin, Prague, Warshaw, Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen.

In addition to the norma l passenger flights, o number of specia l flying activities originate from Le ningrad, for instance geodetic surveys, fishing survey and fish t ransport, agricultural flights and helicopte r operations. The inte­gration of these movements into the normal traffic does not cause ony difficu lties. Anyhow, air t raffic control is not the bottleneck in Leningrad, but the limited capac ity of the te rminal building. A new building is now und e r construction. By 1975 the ai rport autho rities expec t 20 mil­lion passengers pe r year.

Unfortunately, we did no t hove o possib ility to visit the ATC fa c iliti es at Leningrad. O ur hosts a ssured us that they would be a lmost ide nt ica l to the installations at Mos-

Leningrad Chief Controller L. V. Rassochine expla ining the ATS system

cow. It would hove been interesting though. Allegedly ex­pe riments ore now in progress to study the application of automatic data processing techniques in ATC, in accord­ance with a directive by the government.

Bernhard Ruthy asked whether Leningrad airport has encountered any problems of snow removal. This seems, indeed to be the case. The system being used most effect­ively is to blow hot air on the runway with obsolete tur­bine engines which ore mounted on trucks. Experiments with chem ical treatment of the runways look very pro­mising. As to the many smaller aerodromes in the area, these ore not cleared from snow in the winter. The small aircraft serving them ore equipped with wheels and skis and con land almost anywhere.

So chi

5° at Le ningrad, 30° C - CAVU at Sochi, di stance in between about 2100 kms. The llushin 18 CCCP No. 75859 hos brought us safely from the Gulf of Finland to the Block Sea. Enroute we sow many aircraft. Indeed, Leningrad -Moscow - Sochi seems to be the doily milkrun. Incident­ally, one of the aircraft we sow, I guess it was on AN 12, was probably on a VMC restriction, or else there must have been something wrong with the distance-time graph .

Sochi-Adl e r airport is located very close to the seaside. A few miles inland commence the coucosion foothills.

When we approached the wind was from the sea, we hod to come in from the land. That was quite in experience. One can not soy that the I L 18 is a small aircraft, but the skill with which the pilot manoeuvred her across the ridges almost mode one think so. Thermicol turbu lence didn't make things e asie r for the crew.

Naturally, one of the fi rst questions we asked the commandant of Adler airport was related to the IFR a p­proach procedures. In IMC approaches con only be made from the sea. Does this imply that the aircraft must land down wind ? Fortunately, weather s ituations which would require this ore re lative ly seldom.

The problem will soon be solved anyway, because a new runway is being built. This will not only facilitate the a pproach in genera l but will a lso enab le the big jets to land at Sochi -Adler airport..

Sochi traffic is highly seasonal, at the time of our visit

Smolnij Pa lace, the Headquarters of the Revo lution

Briefing session at Len ingrad a irport

the peak was about 250 movements a day. Sochi·Adler airpo rt

17

The sanatorium o f the Meta ll urgists a l Sochi

A good-bye toa st of the Sochi s taff

Ho liday reso rt a l Cop Pidzuno near Gogro , Georgia

18

60 Controllers o re providing opproach and aerodrome control service.

There is no ILS at Sochi, but the corner reflectors along the runway seem to indicate that PAR is available. Judging from the antenna installations an a small hill near the air­port, the Sochi controllers must also have a medium/ long range and a short range radar at their disposal.

Sochi is the most popular Soviet balneological and climatological health resort. The city of Sochi, located about 35 kms NM of Adler airport, is the administrative center of a creation area called "Greater Sachi", which extends some 145 kms. a long the coast o f the Black Sea.

The va rious holiday resorts along the coast a re linked by train and by a dense helicopter service.

The Foreign Department Manager of the "Sochi region­al cyounci l for the administration of the trade union health resorts" is an attractive lady, Lubov Alexejevna Ka latchova.

Lubov Ka latchova was a charming host and knowledge­able guide to the IFATCA delegation. During visits to the various centers of activity in the "Greater Sochi area", she gave us a comprehensive briefing on the management of this huge project.

Most of the un ions have their own Sanato ri um at Sochi, and when the workers go down there on their annual holi­days, it is not for " living it up" but in order to recharge the batteries. Hence one would probably look in vain for alcohol ic beverages in the sanatoria. Instead, The "holiday package" includes comprehensive medical treatment, comprising cl ima to logical methods, seawater baths, phy­siotheraphy and regular visits to the Matsesta springs near Sochi, which contain a high level of fre e hydrogen sulphide, a variety o f mine ra l salts, dissolved Methane and Nitro­ge ne.

The "Regional Council" is ve ry intereste d in attra cting foreign tourists at Sochi. The re are already INTOURIST faci lities and a number of big hotels, one of them with 2000 beds, are presently being built for the speci fi c purpose of accomodating international visito rs.

Some 120 . kms. South east of Sochi, at Cap Pidzuna, a completely new complex with seven big hote ls and various periphera l facilities has been built in a beautiful forest of pine trees right by the seaside. Cop Pidzuna is also open for fore ign visito rs. It occured to me that it wa s not sa much "health o rienta ted" as Sochi. Perhaps this is one of the re asons fo r meeting a far gre a te r number of young people a t Pidzuna tha n at Sochi . They obvious ly d id not yet need the Sochi "Sanatorium Packa ge".

Conclusion

The visit of the USSR by the IFATCA de lega tio n wa s undoubtedly most interes ting, pa rt icularly in view of the fact that until now the Soviet Union ha s been so mething like a ''white spot" on our ATC ma p. Not o nly did this study tour e nable us to learn something about the ATS system in Russia , it was also a catalyst fo r es ta bl ishing frie ndly co n­tacts with Soviet contro llers and to o bta in a fi rst hand im­press ion o f the ir wo rking and living cond itions. Moreover, a part o f any professional aspects, the persona l confronta­tion with this va st country, which constitutes one of the greatest powers of the world, is an expe rience no visito r of the Soviet Union will ever fo rget.

BREH

Falconry in the Air Command of the Royal Navy

By Lieutenant Commander D. D. Fairweather, Royal Navy

Before March 1966 the average number af birds that could be counte d at any time of the day on the airfield at the RN Air Station Lossiemouth was about 650 and bird strikes by aircraft occurred at the rate of one every two weeks. Six months late r the average count ha d reduced to 10 but of greater significance was the fact that day­light bird strikes in the vicinity of the airfield were reduced to nil. The reason - the Peregrine Falcon.

In Morch 1966 a trial was started in the Air Command of the Royal Navy in which Falcon s were used to scare

Fig. 2 The "prob lem engine ".

birds off the airfield. Previous attempts to scare birds from the duty runway, its approaches o nd overshoots using acoustic devices were at first found to be effective but the birds gradually become accustomed to these dev ices and latterly were observed to be sitting on the loudspeakers evidently de riving some masochistic experience by listen­ing to the alarm call. It was therefore necessary ta find other means of scaring the b irds. It was for this reason that Falonry was introduced.

The problem of birds on a irfi e lds within the Naval Air Command was found to be worst at Lossiemouth because of its proximity to the Moray Fi rth fishing grounds. As the town of Lossiemouth itse lf is centred around the ha rbour and the main industry is fi shing, the types of bi rds which settle on the airfield are seabirds, mostly G ulls and some of these, notably the Black Back Gul l, are very large, weighing as much as 5 lbs (2.27 kgs) w ith a wingspan of 4 feet (1.22 m).

It was with some reservation that Falconry was con­s idered as a possible method o f scaring off these large birds, for a Fa lco n weighs an average just under 2 lbs (0.91 kilograms) with a wi ngspan of a bout 26" (0.66 m). However, doubts were qu ickly dispel led when the first kills were achieved. The Peregrine unhesitatingly attacked and knocked down bi rds more than twice its weight.

At the end of a six month tria l period the records show­ed fewer than 10 birds coun ted an the airfield and no bird strikes in daylight by aircraft, this situatio n remains un­altered.

The Peregr ine Falco n, and the female of the species at that! , is one of the few birds which has the tenacity to attack these large Gulls, and as can perhaps be appreci ­ated, it is not simply a matter of flying one Falcon for bird scaring duties, nor for that matter is it simply a ca se of deta iling off someone who can be spared from his other duties to loo k after the bird.

Four Petty Officers have been trained as Falconers and they are assisted by fou r Naval Airmen. Two Petty Officers and two Naval Airmen are drafted to Lossiemouth for a two year per iod of duty as Falconers and Assistants whi lst the others employed at sea in their primary trades, main-

19

taining and handli ng a ircraft. They then change ove r at the end of two years.

A Mews has been built at Lossiemauth capable of ac­commodating up to e ight birds. Six to eight is the idea l number to have on the strength and the Falconers and their Assistants a re responsible for the care of the b irds, the upkeep of the Mews and the manufacture of falconry gear (bells, hoods etc.).

The w eight of each falcon is recorded daily and it's behaviour noted. From these observations it has been found that whenever a falcon is below it's optimum weight and is in the process of gaining weight, it wil l make a kill o n or near to the day on which it's weight again reaches the optimum .

Other factors in the falcons behaviour have to b e take n into account; for examp le it cannot be flown e ffective ly w he n it is in moult and so it is necessary to keep a suffi­cien t stock to ensure tha t several sort ies can be flow n throughout the day by "operational " birds. It goes without sayi ng perhaps that a falcon is not interested in ki ll ing when it has just fed.

The re are several days in the year when conditions ore unsuitable for flyin g falcons, for example in gale force winds. On these occasions shell crackers (shot gun cart­ridges with a double explosive charge but no shot) are fired a t irregular intervals in the v icinity of the duty run­wa y. In addition, carbide charges are placed around the airfield and these too go off at irregular intervals. The overa ll effect is to dissuade birds from settling in the vici­nity of the runways, approaches and overshoots.

Two problems remain unsolved ; firstly, how to scare birds at night w hen the falcons cannot be flow n and secondly, how to maintain the stock of falcons at the re­quired numbers. From time to time falcons are lost, fo r­tunately not often, but replacement is difficult.

Fig . 3 The • problem airframe" .

20

Fig. 4 Two solutions to lhe problem.

Fig. 5 The mews.

The falcons at present in the Mews have been purchas­ed, for about £ 60 each, from places as far apart as the T rucia l Oman and Tripoli. The search for a fresh source is constant and any assistance in th is matte r would be great­ly appreciated by the Commanding Office r, RN Air Sta­tion , Lossiemouth Moroyshire, Scotland.

A sum of£ 500 is allocated annually to cover the pur­chase of new birds, vete rinary fees, the upkeep of the mews etc. This s um does not of course include the wages of the Falconers, but even if the wages of the Falconers were included, it would be a small price to pay for the saving which has been effected in damage to ai rcraft, wh ich, before the introduction of falcon s, was reckoned to be several hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.

There has bee n some criticism of employing falcon s to kill o the r b irds but the answer to th is must be that it is natural, death is quick compared to the suffe ring of some birds w hich have been winged by aircraft and die s lowly, p robab ly in pa in and finally it is now merely suffic ient to fl y the falcons regula rly, with an occasional kil l, in order to keep the airfield clear of birds. In the last analysis the falcons may have bee n responsible fo r saving human life. Th is cannot be proven, fortunate ly, but one thing is cer­tain, falcons have made a va luable contribution to acci­dent prevention in the Air Command of the Royal Navy.

Automatic En-route ATC Displays*

During the last 20 years, in spite of the large increase in cruising speeds, cruising levels, rates of climb and de­scent, and traffic density, there has been very little change in the methods of displaying essential information to an air traffic controller.

He must have a display which is accurate and syn­chronous relative to the traffic situation in the airspace for which he is responsible. In general, the world's air traffic is still basically controlled using a manual system, although this is occasionally supplemented by dynamic displays e. g., plan position raw radar tubes, plan position second­ary radar tubes and secondary radar for identification purposes.

The nucleus of the manual display is a strip of paper showing essential details of a particular flight, usually relative to a particular reporting point. This flight progress strip (Fig. 1) can be inserted in a strip holder which in turn can be located in a flight progress board (Fig. 2).

The strips can be stacked on the progress board in flight level, chronologically or geographically according to the demands of the particular sector. Such a display is updated by the controller based on information received from airfields, other sectors, radar and aircraft RfT reports. Quite obviously in a busy sector a controller spends a lot of his time merely keeping his display up to dote, there­by giving him less time to assess the display, give ex­ecutive instructions, and ensure the separation of aircraft.

However, so long as the controller's lines of commu­nication are maintained this system cannot break down due to a systems fault, always assuming he has on ad­equate supply of pencils or ball point pens. It is probably this advantage that is responsible for the perpetuation of the manual system coupled to the generally high reliability factor of the human computer resolving fairly quickly all the problems posed by any traffic situation.

Fig. 1 (top right) Boy with stripholders on a fl ig ht progress board.

Fig. 2 (rig ht) Fl ig ht p rogress board .

Reprinted from "'World Aerospace Systems", with kind permission o f t he Edi to r.

By T. H. Harrison

21

Probably the best known automatic display available today is the simple raw radar plan position indicatorwhich shows the horizontal progress of air traffic picked up by the system's aerials. However there is no continuous auto­matic identification of aircraft, nor is there information on the height of the aircraft on the bulk of displays of this type in current use.

Many controllers will have to wait a long time before their radar displays have electronic information displays available on the face of the PPL Obviously this type of display is subject to interference from electronic sources, weather and permanent echoes, apart from the total black­out possibility due to a systems failure. In such circum­stances there is no inherent failsafe facility, nevertheless future planning appears to cling to the idea that the deve­lopment of an automatic display for domestic airspace should continue to be based on a radar PPI.

But without detracting the tremendous importance of radar I believe the use of it for enroute purposes to be fallacious as a basis for an automatic display except in a limited role. Radar should be used for monitoring purposes and the resolution of plan position problems within its cap­ability in this context. The radar controller's function is executive in character and should remain so. Any attempt to load him with the full planning responsibility for a sec­tor must ultimately fail because information is presented to him in plan position only; any other "call down" infor­mation or updating of an adjacent flight progress strip is a nuisance generally and distracts from the prime task.

This is particularly the case during peak traffic periods when the radar controller must concentrate on the tac­tical situation which can only be solved by climbs, descents or radar vectoring in a space of ten or twenty minutes. There are, however, high density traffic sectors beyond the range of any known radar - for instance, the North At­lantic, which, from a display aspect, is the main theme of this paper.

However the system proposed is easily applied to domestic en-route control displays as will be seen. The "Black Box" is opened at last and controllers are offered some hope that the actual display they might be looking at in the future can at least be described, and that their acceptance and transition to the new system will cause them little disturbance.

Display Priorities

Inevitably, when considering an ATC display con~ept, the constriction of the four basic parameters - height, length, breadth and time - becomes apparent and gene­rally a decision has to be made as to which one will have to be discarded.

Since the environment we are concerned with is air routes and well defined tracks it is possible to present the controller with a "side elevation" display which can show dynamically all four dimensions at once. There is no better way to do this than to adapt the existing flight progress strip - in itself already a "side elevation" display - into an automated form acceptable to the controller. He is vitally concerned about the progress of the flights under his control and wants to continuously compare them when making decisions.

In Fig. 1 it can be seen that the strip holder runs up and down its own "bay" on plastic or wooden rails. At one time both the strip holder and the rails were made of

22

metal but the noise generated during busy periods by the clatter as holders were changed in their positions or dis­carded into the /1 dead" bin ultimately became too great for everyone's nerves, so the change to something quieter was made.

But if now we return to the metal rail, retain the /1 quie­ter" plastic strip holder and make the part of it which touches the rail into an electrode it becomes possible to pass electric current or impulses into the strip. It can be arranged, of course, to have more conductors and more electrodes if necessary depending upon the requirements or complications of conveying movement information to the strip to activate some form of indicator.

Experiments have proved this possible and make it obvious that impulses from airborne navigational aids could be data linked to the ground, "gearboxed" through a computer and fed directly into the display. With present day miniaturisation techniques it should not be difficult to stow away the necessary circuitry within the body of the strip holder whatever the size, oceanic or domestic.

As was said earlier in this article strips can be stacked on the progress board in flight level, chronologically or geographically according to the demands of the particular sector; from which it becomes logical to use the physical length of the strip holder to represent longitudinal move­ment of an aircraft over short stages (say 20-200 nm) or an oceanic crossing of more than 3,000 nm. The former could be accomplished in the present domestic strip holder which is eight inches long and the latter fifteen inches.

Figure 3

Aircraft 'I ----~ S S R R T '-r--- -- -

Com1at link

Radar

Identification 1

Nov. Doto Digital

lnitruction$

__L)

r Goaund : Link

: k ) L.~

Computer ~°'

l _ _j

I r··- ---}[--r· . J - -0 . ---1 fe(aphonei I Controller ~'. A.ncollary --.._

· Information

L__ ·---- _ J - _)

Block diagram of electronic self-indicating strip display system.

Fig. 4 shows a simple indicator which can move along the entire length of an oceanic strip holder. An oceanic type strip is shown in the holder but a different design of strip w ith miles or some other longitudinal graduations wi ll be required for this kind of display in future.

Recapitulating so far it can be seen that the possibility of feeding pu lses or curren t into a self indicating strip will enhance the acceptance of telemetered information from aircraft in flight and that it wil l be necessary to use a com­puter as a conversion unit for this purpose.

Fig. 3 illustrates the resulting very simple block dia­gram. In a non-radar environment such as the North At­lantic air d erived information via a digital data link can be used as the principal updating source for an ATC com­puter and a dynamic display. Communication satel lites will a lso be of considerable use in relaying the progress of aircraft back to the display when they become available. Briefly the computer is required :

a) to convert the received telemetered data into the ener­gy necessa ry to take the indicator across the strip­holder and provide extensions of aircraft tracks at wi l l for comparison purposes;

b) to provide any required coded channels of information to match strip-holders precoded to accept such infor­mation ;

c) to permit the introduction of new strip-holders into the system or the repositioning of those already in use; when strips are moved about for any reason and are not therefore in contact with the board the computer wi ll update the indicator automatically when any strip­holder is replaced.

Modifying Strips

These ore just three of the main requ irements; there ore however many more aspects to be covered from a con­trol point of view and these wi ll be referred to later, but some consideration will now be given to some of the ways in w hich strips can be modified so that collectively they become on automatic display system.

After the pointer indicator method it is possible to arrange in o second system for the underside of the strip to be marked in such a way that it wi ll show the longi­tudinal position of on aircraft through to the front of the paper strip. This con be done by heati ng o moving pointer underneath the strip at the some time permitting the con­troller to write on it as usual. The paper will requi re to be sensitive to light, warmth or heat. The technique is already used in copying machines so it is not expected that the paper strip wi ll burst into flames ! See Fig. 5.

A third but simi lar method could be copied from the Decca Flight Log system and varied slightly to provide a dot underneath the strip which again will show the longi­tudinal position of an aircraft through to the front of the strip. Here it will be necessary to use an absorbent type paper for the strip. Fig . 6 shows the k ind of thing in mind.

It should be noted that both the last two methods lend themselves to the display of cross track error as shown in Fig. 7. The degree of cross t rack erro r could be assessed by the displacement of the aircraft track from the centre line e. g. ' /• in. would equal 30 nm, ' / • in. 60 nm o ut to a maximum of 120 nm.

Fig . 4 Simple indico lor which would contain electronic package in proposed system.

Fig . 5 Heat sens itised paper strip for use with moving slylus on unde rs ide.

Fig . 6 Absorbent paper strip for al ternative use with Decca n ight log type do t indication.

Fig . 7 Coupling methods to disp la y cross track e rro r.

23

'/ E

I 370 Fig. 8 Altitude presentation - digital counter linked by telemetry lo the a ircraft's altimeter - with room on strip for pencil-written record.

However in the present oceanic track system the need to display lateral errors seems rather remote as the onus is upon the pilot to regain the assigned track as soon as possible, but in any case not later that 100 nm from the position at which the heading was altered to regain track. Nevertheless when ATC hos the appropriate tools, and aircraft have the requisite navigational and communica­tion ability, the tactical form of control may well come into its own.

For the ocean the proposal affords a long range radar a spect when aligned to an accurate navigational aid, whilst on the domestic control scene we would have com­patible procedural and radar displays which would greatly a ssist controllers to handle t he traffic of the future.

Progressing to a fourth suggestion a simple Pe rspex aperture one quarter of an inch dee p can be fixed to the top of the present day stripholde r. This aperture cou ld be backed by a cathode ray tube w hich is behind the st rips and, by means of coding at the e nd of them, the back-up equipment knows the ide ntity and position of each strip on the board and can direct the information o n the CRT representing the position of the aircraft and data to cor­respond with the appropriate strip.

The strips can thus be used in conventiona l manner with the electronic display information fo llowing the strips a s they ore moved from one port of the board to the other. This suggestion comes from indust ry and is the refore vi­a ble, but there may be daylight viewi ng and cross track indication probl ems to be solved.

The fifth, and lost, system to be suggested for the moment is o type of equipment frequently used in industry and consists of on e lectrochemical e lapse time indicator which would expand o n the appl ication of direct current. This, of course, is almost the simplest form of function that one could wish for. All that is required is the mount­ing of the electrochemical indicator a s in the previous suggestion, and the display the n shows the progression o f on aircraft by the position of the e lectro lyte gap.

The arrangement is similar to the tube and bubble of o spirit level. The provision of the necessary direct current is o simple matter and the variation of the current con be contro lled by the computer to cause the "bubble" to move along in unison with the data link informatio n.

So much then for some of the ways in which the longi­tudinal side presentation method co n b e effected on o display. There ore many othe rs, no doubt, w hich con be built onto the basis system of bringing the progress of on a ircraft to the controller's display, be it oceanic p roce-

24

dural, or domestic procedural, with radar, secondary radar and/or navigational information data link to the ground.

These thumbnail sketches of a selection of automatic display systems wou ld not be complete without examining some of the possible ways of showing altitude, and alti­tude changes to the controller. The first one is a small motor-car type mileomet presentation linked by telemetry to the aneroid capsule, or radio-altime ter, of a n aircraft. Fig. 8 illustrates the kind of display required.

It is necessary to hove the surrounding flight progress strip cut away as shown to allow the numbers to be seen but there is still plenty of room to record altitude change~ in pencil if necessary. Generally speaking the flight pro­gress strip wi ll require several changes in design, but this a spect of the system is comparatively straightforward and need not be discussed now.

The next type of altitude indicator could be arranged by grouping three pygmie neon type numeric va lves to­gether similar to the illustration shown in Fig. 8 activated as before by telemetry. If the progression indicator is of the electro-chemical kind it now becomes possible to ale rt the controller by visual means and show whether an air­craft is climbing or descending by changing the colour of the indicator in addition to the altitude numbers.

Assuming level fl ight to be coloured blue it could be arranged tha t the colour changed to red whe n the aircraft was climbing, and green when descending. A tolerance factor of soy, 300 feet, would have to be provided in the computer to allow for smal l vertical changes in the air­craft's flight to obviate unnecessary colour, or number, changes. Colour comparison con therefore be used to direct a controller's attent ion to just those areas of his disp l~y where changing levels need ·to be watched thereby reducing the amount of scanning normal ly required.

Benefits

The foregoing gives on outline of a proposal for an automatic enroute air traffic control display with some variations in the method of presentation. However there is sti ll plenty of room for further invent ion to improve the function and d isplay elements. To date a successful feos ­ibi li_ty study hos been completed and the next step is 0

design study to prepare for limited opera tiona l trials with suitably equipped aircraft. Some of the benefits to be de­rived from the system I hove described above are as fol­lows:

1. The conti nuous presenta tion of the longitudinal pro­gress of on aircraft to the control ler wi ll, once he gains confidence in the system, reduce the amount of writing and sca nning he needs to do now.

2. In due course of time it wi ll be accepted as normal t~at it is un~ecessary for on aircraft to make 0 posi­tion report in a system employing te leme tered infor­mation to the ground from the navigational devices in the aircraft. In the domestic e nvironme nt the need to splash secondary rada r responses on a radar P.P.I. will give way to the American Beacon Alpha Nume­rics {BAN) system which could derive its information fro m the computer output of the proposed automatic disp lay.

3. ~he contr.o lle r's capab ility to visually assess the posi­tio n of aircraft along a track will g reatly reduce the problems associated with recleo ronces.

4. In the event of display system failure the procedural system is immediately available in front of the con­troller.

5. If the telemetry system is working satisfactorily then "overdue" aircraft on the North Atlantic, i. e., those who fail to report their position within a specified time, will become a thing of the past.

6. In the rare event that an aircraft requires to "ditch" for any reason an accurate position report based upon the last automatic transmission could be printed out by the computer and used by rescue craft and aircraft to home onto.

7. The system lends itself to the addition of simple lon­gitudinal position prediction of aircraft in flight by the computer, which in turn will be of considerable assistance in reclearing aircraft to other tracks and flight levels.

8. The control problems at present associated with super­sonic aircraft, which accentuate the need for lateral and longitudinal display rather than vertical, are readily accommodated. On the other hand the system provides for the telemetering of altitude information directly onto the display which would enable a con­troller to segregate also in altitude. This might be considered acceptable when height information is de­rived from radio altimeters operating over water.

9. The presentation of the display to controllers should not pose any great transition difficulties as it is based on the present strip system, but in any case there is a team of controllers ready to demonstrate it when necessary.

10. In its domestic and oceanic role the new display is compatible with radar and with all forms of naviga­tional aids, but I am in favour of an area navigation aid for this purpose to ensure that all aircraft can be shown accurately in relation to one another.

11. The oceanic display strip could be made two or three inches longer to show the progress of aircraft through the domestic areas, from which it should be possible to derive a much better Boundary estimate than we have today. The computer can do this automatically of course. Alternatively the strip could remain the same size, but for oceanic planning purposes a grea­ter portion of the strip could be allocated to the domestic sector tracking indication leaving sufficient room to show an aircraft out to, say, 20 W.

12. The display can readily be used separately for syn­thetic or live training purposes.

13. The display strip will give early warning that an air­craft is airborne whilst it is in the suspense bay, pro­vided the bay is linked to the system and the aircraft is within telemetering range.

14. The display can be viewed in daylight. 15. The altitude presentation arrangements on the strifJ

will be of inestimable value in preventing, inter al.ia, aircraft flying at the wrong level unknown to Air Traffic Control.

16. The interchange of strips to anywhere on the display board is the same as now. If for any reason it is neces­sary to take a strip out of the system for any time it can always be immediately updated by replacing it.

17. Modern miniaturisation techniques should make it possible to manufacture a reliable system with rug­ged components, particularly the stripholder.

18. There is no need to "call down" any other informa-

tion, it can all be contained on the strip- and radar PPI with BANs in the domestic system.

19. In its oceanic role the system if used with one type of navigational aid for all aircraft, preferably an area coverage aid, will provide a quasi long range radar facility for the controller, and in any case assist mate­rially in the search for a method to reduce separation standards in the North Atlantic and domestic areas.

20. The computer could provide a print out of a whole day's traffic, domestic or oceanic, thereby drastically reducing clerical effort. The evaluation of any requir­ed statistics could be accomplished automatically dai­ly with the necessary programming. The strip itself, depending on the type of display chosen from those suggested above, would be a record of the aircraft's flight path in time and position.

21. Navigation is retained, as it should be, on the flight deck.

22. Only information required, or for planning purposes, need be displayed.

23. In domestic areas the system amalgamates digital data link with radar information and provides a "fail safe" back-up strip system in the event of failure by one or both.

24. The coding self-identification of aircraft will make a contribution to safety at least by resolving the pro­blem of similar call signs and trip numbers.

25. The system will expedite the introduction of auto­matic signalling of air traffic control instructions and overcome controllers' objections to routine messages being handled this way, because they will be able to see what the pilot is doing. Nevertheless R/T should be retained for other purposes but its use should be re­duced to a minimum.

26. Groundspeed can be displayed similarly to altitude if necessary.

27. The employment of a computer will make it possible to improve control safety by writing in a program interlock which ensures that clearances operate with­out confliction in accordance with the current separa­tion standards, now or in the future.

28. The proposals are compatible with existing world enroute systems and future plans so far as they have been publicised.

29. The price range of Centre Equipments should be with­in most national budgets throughout the World where enroute problems exist.

30. Operating companies will in future no longer require to know from the control or communicating agency the whereabouts of their aircraft if they flt the receiver element of the system. This can be done by direct on line working from the nearest Centre or by means of their own data link installation. Indeed such an instal­lation could be adapted and used to actuate the Sche­duled Arrival Board at Airport Terminals to show the public the progress of aircraft with an up to date E.T.A.

31. Air traffic will still be controlled by a human being who, in turn, will be served by the latest computer and electronic techniques which provide him with more thinking time to do the job in a quieter mental en­vironment. The controller's capacity to handle more traffic thereby becomes dramatically enhanced and an increase of twice today's figure may be possible.

25

New Radar System for Austria

Introduction

The ATC radar program of the Austrian Federal Office of the Air ranges probably among the most advanced in Europe. The aviation development plan, which was intro­duced some years ago, is still in progress and o new order of magnitude has recently been added to the program through the incorporation of two additional Selenia radars and display systems.

The contract for the two ATCR-2s, associate Radar Links and a complete Digital Display System was placed in late 1966. Radars and links were delivered in 1968. Meanwhile work progresses on the automatic system.

Like in many other ATC environments, increasing the number of sectors or working positions did not provide a solution to the ever increasing traffic over Austria. Pro­gressive automation of Air Traffic Control was considered to be necessary for meeting the rapidly increasing demands on the system.

The efforts taken in expanding the Austrian ATS System ore outlined below.

En-Route and Terminal Surveillance Radar

The "position acquistion back-bone" of the Austrian Air Traffic Control System are two Selenia high-powered L-band ATCR-2 radars which include such advanced fea­tures as switchoble ci;cular or linear polarization, extra high lobe antenna, dual canceller MTI, diversity operation, and built-in performance monitor. The ATCR-2 is designed for both en-route and terminal control.

Instead of using one radar for terminal approach and terminal departure control, and a second radar for en­route control, one ATCR-2 can thus be used for both pur­poses.

Both the "Buschberg" and "Kohlberg" stations have an average PRF of 400 pps; thus allowing a maximum display data range of over 170 nautica l mi les, which is adequate for any present en-route considerations.

The radar can operate in single-channel (for mainten­ance purposes), or dual-diversity operation; in the latter case both channels radiate simultaneously at s lightly dif­ferent frequencies into the same antenna. Hen ce the num­ber of pulses per target is doubled and target fluctuations are le ss pronounced. The improvement in overal l coverage is about 33 per cent, at 80 per cent probability of detection, thus allowing detection of even small targets at the maxi­mum displayable range.

26

Digital Display System

by. H. Brandstetter Selenio S.p.A. Rome, Italy

In radar data processing systems, there is frequently a requirement for presenting raw radar together with other information generated by computers or introduced manu­ally by the controller. This information is generally in the form of symbols or alpha-numerics which ore superimposed on the display at defined positions relative to the raw radar data.

Selenia Automated Air Traffic Control Display Systems comprise digital computers, display central units, radar extractors and digital displays. Some of the displays may be used to present synthetic data only. Since the renewal rate for the synthetic data can be set above the eye-flicker­rate (above 20 per second without special persistence phosphors), off-cenlering or change of range scale without

Buschberg (Austr ia) en-route o nd term inol surve illance radar. A rodome is recomme nded where wi nds of more than 80 knots o r severe ic ing are expected.

smearing is still possible whenever desired by the operator. The synthetic data thus appears continuous and the display can be used in normal ambient room lighting. Use of this type of "bright display" reduces operator stress.

The Civil Aviation Authorities in Austria have chosen the Selenia SPD-1 Digital System which has been designed for complex ATC centers where informotion from many external sources such as search radars, secondary radars, ADF and video mappers, or in the later expansion also digital computers, has to be presented in a suitable manner to the air traffic controller.

The SPD-1 System consists of completely micro­miniaturized digital equipment. The digital design concept provides a higher quality of performance when compared with conventional display systems, giving at the same time the benefit of improved equipment reliability and simpli­fied maintenance.

The 16-inch ID 16 indicators provide an interlaced dis­play of raw and synthetic information. Time sharing bet­ween radar and synthetic display is performed in an asyn­chronous way with respect to radar trigger, to avoid systematic loss of radar data, and the technique used for radar synthetic switching allows the loss of radar informa­tion to be reduced to a minimum, since the loss for each display is limited to the time required for writing the sym­bols selected by he operator.

The raw display is made up of any combination of the following: one of five radar videos, range marks, angular marks, one of two video mappers, SSR video and MTI video; MTI video may be displayed simultaneously with normal video by dividing the complete range in two con­centric regions continously adjustable from 0 to 320 nautical miles. Six range scales are available and on each range scale off-centering up to the full radius can be ob­tained. Offcentering is controlled by the track-ball.

The synthetic display is composed of marks and lines, console cursor, and range strobe. Marks can be one of 12 different symbols representing interconsole markers, track-ball marker and reference point symbols. The lines, displayed in scale, are two types: extension lines and ADF lines.

Each ADF line is generated according to the signals received from eight OF-stations, originating from display points corresponding to the geographical coordinates of the stations. Both extension and DF lines are transmitted to all indicators, their display being individually controlled at e ach operator's console.

Such lines are presented even if the origin is outside of the display area. Azimuth position of the electronic cursor and range strobe along the cursor are controlled by means of two rollers. The origin of the cursor can be moved to any point of the screen by means of the track-ball which controls the movement along the x and y coordinates. A change of the range scale of the radar presentation will automatically affect the cursor origin setting in such a way as to maintain its geographical position.

A feature is provided for the integration of SSR equip­ment. Active interrogation can be performed by position­ing the track-boll marker on the selected target and press­ing the SSR button. When the x, y sweep coordinates cor­respond to the track-ball coordinates a trigge r is sent to the SS R equipment.

Each position con gene rate an interconsole marker which is a different symbol for each console a nd send it to any other d isplay pos ition. Th e marker is controlled by

ATC radar console with ID-16 d isplay unit, SSR panel, alphanu meric key· boards, tracker-boll, VHF/ UHF R/T, ond te lephone equipment

ATC rada r console, rear view

27

the track-ball, and the address of the receiving console is selected by activating the corresponding push-button. A reset is provided to delete the transmitted interconsole marker.

Microminiaturization of all digital circuits has made it possible to construct the SPD-1 Display System on the build­ing block principle, based on small rugged modular sub­units. In terms of hardware the SPD-1 Display System con­sists of a Display Buffer, Display Central Unit, and up to 32 individual Display Consoles.

On the front panel of the Display Control Unit a set of test points are provided, as well as lamps and controls for equipment test and maintenance.

The complete system is presently being installed at the Vienna-Schwechat airport and will be in operation during the course of 1969.

Future System Expansion

Digital technique provides practically unlimited expan­sion capability, hence additional units can be added when the need arises. A higher level of automation can be intro­duced on a step-by-step basis adding new units to those already installed with a minimum of down-time.

The need for such a design philosophy arises from the fact that specifications are generally different for each system and cannot always be met by a fixed design with­out heavy penalties either in performance, cost or both.

The SPD-1 system as described above can easily be ex­panded into the SPD-7 system, since the extensive use of plug-in printed cards provides extreme flexibility within the units themselves.

Such a future configuration provides bright display of radar data by presenting processed video plots at a high renewal rate. Synthetic video maps are also available and can be displayed on the indicators at the discretion of the

operator. For each detected aircraft a trail of plots is presented on the scope. The last extracted plot is represent­ed by a symbol instead of a dot, to provide for easy deter­mination of the aircraft's direction.

The amount of functions performed by the display system in this case is strictly dependent on the ATC com­puter programs. Air Traffic controllers can introduce any input order provided for in the system by means of an alphanumeric keyboard and the track-ball.

Track symbols, velocity vectors and alphanumeric labels are presented on the scopes as a result of the automatic processing of the radar plots.

These features, however, represent only a small portion of what the SPD -7 Automated Air Traffic Control System can do to assist the controller. A list of the main functions is given here as an example:

processing and display of tracks and flight data on PPI indicators; input/output of data necessary for coordination; detection, warning and solution of conflicts; computation and transmission of ATC clearances; coordination within the ATC center and coordination with adjacent ATC units; processing of current flight plan information and dis­play of relevant data on alphanumeric labels; processing and display on alphanumeric displays of traffic flow control data; data registration, and SSR active interrogation.

Among the many other functions of the expanded SPD-7 system which cannot be summarized in the above list, are display of meteorological conditions, descent cal­culations, etc.

As can be seen from the above, SPD-7 is a flexible, open ended system and the configuration chosen by the Austrian Federal Air Office provides all possibilities for an exten­sion, if this should become necessary in the future.

International Aeradio Limited One of the youngest IFATCA Corporation Members

The importance of good communications and sound air traffic control had become apparent by the end of World War 11 but the difficulties of providing these services for civil aircraft when the armed forces withdrew were con­siderable. At some airports several airlines each set ~p their own small radio stations to maintain contact with their aircraft and afford their pilots advice and information. It was to avoid this confusion that International Aeradio Limited (IAL) was formed in 1947 by BOAC and BEA to­gether with a number of other airlines to provide ground communications and navigation services primarily for the fast developing civil routes between Europe and the Middle East, Far East and Africa.

28

Out of that small beginning IAL has grown and spread. It now has 16 subsidiary or associate companies and ope­rates from Tokyo and Fiji in the East to the Caribbean and South America in the West. In fact IAL operates at some 124 locations in 58 countries with a total staff of over 3.000. The company's major shareholders are still BOAC and BEA but the list also now includes many of the world's inter­national airlines - Alitalia, Aeronautical Radio Inc., Air Canada, Air Congo, Air France, Air-India, British United Airways, Caledonian Airways, Central African Airways, C.A.A. of China, Cyprus Airways, Deutsche Lufthansa, East African Airways, Ethiopean Airlines, Ghana Airways, King­dom of Libya Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Laker

Airways, Middle East Airlines, Pakistan International Air­lines, Pan American World Airways, Qantas Airways, Sa­bena, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines Sy­stem, Skyways Cooch Air, Sudan Airways, Swissair, TAP Portuguese Airlines, Trans World Airlines, and United Arab Airlines. Directors from these various airlines are in turn elected to sit on the IAL Board of Directors.

At the outset International Aeradio took over staff employed by BOAC who were, through force of circumstan­ces, already providing air traffic control and communica­tions services for themselves and other international air­lines at a number of airports. At some of these original units IAL controllers worked alongside Royal Air Force controllers handling both civil and military traffic; this did not present any difficulties as practically all the IAL con­trollers had only left the RAF within the previous two years.

For some three years International Aeradio operated its air traffic control service without formal training or a licensing system although a Military/Civil Conversion Course was provided for the controllers at the end of 1947. This, indeed, was the general situation throughout the world and when IAL introduced its own licensing system in 1951 it was several years ahead of many government ATC departments. International Aeradio is basically a British company so it was logical that the licensing system it intro­duced for its own controllers was modelled very closely on the system adopted by the British Government.

The IAL ATC licensing system was introduced gently at first because it was appreciated that the controllers at that time had had little formal instruction. From then onwards, however, new controllers joining the Company received formal training. Until 1958 International Aeradio sent its staff to the British Government's ATC School but it became increasingly difficult to obtain vacancies on dates which were convenient to the Company. So in 1958 IAL establish­ed its own ATC School, still, it is believed, the only non-State School in the world. The school is equipped with simulators for both procedural and radar control and today has a staff of ten instructors.

In IAL there ore three grades of controller of which Grade I is the senior. At the present time the Company employs 169 controllers - 88 in Grade Ill, 67 in Grade II and 14 in Grode I. Grade Ill controllers are usually the watch-keeping controllers at aerodromes providing both aerodrome and approach control service and ore trained to provide both these services in line with the practise of the British Government. Grade II controllers are employed as controllers-in-charge at aerodromes and as watch-keep­ing controllers in centres and on radar duties. Grade I controllers are senior controllers at some aerodromes and centres, and are sometimes called upon to combine their duties with those of an airport manager at smaller aero­dromes.

Although the IAL A TC School was created for the pur­pose of training IAL staff, requests for training were very soon received from overseas governments, town councils and aircraft constructors with their own aerodromes, and even private individuals. To date some 800 students have passed through the School and about half of this number were non-IAL staff. Many of these non-IAL students have come to the IAL School as a result of training contracts arranged with their governments; others are sent under the auspices of the British Government Ministry of Overseas Development. The courses are approved by the British Civil Aviation Autorithy and the School is inspected annually to

ensure that the instruction is maintained to the standard set by this Authority. The School hos made it possible for non­State controllers employed in Britain at the many municipal and privately owned airports to study and successfully ob­tain the national British Air Traffic Control licence, which was introduced for non-State controllers in Britain in 1962. In 1962 the IAL ATC School was awarded the Hunt Trophy for its services to British ATC during that year.

International Aeradio conducts its air traffic service with the same high degree of professionalism, efficiency and responsibility that is expected from the ATC depart­ment of a large State. Examiners authorised by the British Governmen visit the IAL ATC units and conduct licensing examinations and station inspections, and sometimes a British Board of Trade examiner accompanies the IAL examiner to check that licensing standards are being maintained. IAL also maintains its own Manual of Air Traf­fic Control Instructions a copy of which is issued to each Controller.

When recruiting controllers IAL prefers candidates with some aircrew experience as it has been found that such candidates are more likely to complete successfully the primary training course in the ATC School which all trainee controllers take immediately on engagement. This con­centrated course lasts ten weeks and quite a large pro­portion of the time is spent on the procedural simulator. Following the course, successful trainees ore posted to aerodromes where IAL operates and here they continue training under the supervision of the senior controller. After a period of from three to six months, an IAL examiner visits the Station on the recommendation of the senior controller and examines them for the award of the Com­pany's licence. If successful they receive their licence and ratings for aerodrome and approach control. The process of validation for the specific aerodrome then follows and at the more complex approach control units the overall period before the new controller assumes sole responsibility can take up to six or seven months after leaving the ATC School.

At this stage the trainee has become an established controller Grade Ill and spends the next two or three years working at aerodrome and approach control not neces­sarily, of course, at the same aerodrome. In all probability at the end of this period he will return to the Training School to receive basic training in radar or area control centre duties. Once the Grode Ill controller has obtained a rating for ·radar or area control in addition to his aero­drome and approach control ratings, and has held this rating for at least one year, he is eligible for promotion to Grade II providing reports on his technical proficiency and character are satisfactory. Promotion to Grade I, however, is not so automatic and generally to achieve this the con­troller mus possess not only all ratings in his licence but he must also have shown administrative ability.

It is of interest to note that Air Traffic Controllers, be­cause of their experience in controlling live situations, have been found to be most suitable for dealing with the control decisions needed during the passage of a satellite and IAL is providing several as network controllers at the European Space Operations Centre.

Although this article has concentrated on Air Traffic Control, this is, of course, only one field of aviation techni­cal services which ore provided by International Aerodio.

Generally, International Aeradio acts as on operating agency and provides the staff to operate and maintain the

29

air traffic services, aeronautical telecommunications, radio and radar aids to navigation, and airport fire and rescue services. In this way the Governments or administration gains the full advantage of IAL's wide experience whilst maintaining control of policy, finance and general overall organisation. It frees itself of the worries of operational detail technical supervision and control; the supply of in­formation and advice; the provision of equipment and spares; and the recruitment, training and administration of staff. Under a contract of this nature IAL also unde.r­takes to train local staff to the standard required to ope­rate the services. In fact some 80% of IAL' total staff are local nationals.

At some places IAL staff are seconded to the govern­ment concerned. In these cases the IAL staff are, to all intents and purposes in respect of day to day operations, employees of the Government. In respect of administration, salaries, pensions and personnel matters they remain IAL staff and, of course, IAL retains the right to replace them. Naturally, the Company works in close co-operation with the government on such matters.

This extensive operational know-how acquired by IAL puts the Company in a strong position to provide con­sultancy services to governments and civil engineering consultants. There is really no substitute for experience in the fields of air traffic control and telecommunications and few professional civil aviation consultants actually employ controllers, electronic engineers and fire chiefs. IAL's wide practical experience does ensure that advice provided by the Company is not only expert but also prac­tical. IAL has been associated with the siting and design of airports and their terminal buildings as well as the design of air traffic control and telecommunications lay­outs of many international airports.

The IAL Production Unit near London Airport is parti­cularly experienced in systems ehgineering - the pre­fabrication of all types and sizes of communications systems. Generally speaking IAL is not a manufacturer of electronic equipment except for certain specialist items. However, an important item in which the Company has specialised is the design and production of ATC consoles and the associated control systems - although not all IAL consoles are made for ATC functions. The IAL Control Console is built on a modular principle using standard sections which may be assembled in straight line or angled configuration. The design permits great flexibility and con­soles may be built to seat any number of controllers or to fit multisided control towers or special floor layouts. Over 200 of these consoles have been produced together with the ancillary control equipment for use in some 50 countries. IAL is providing all the consoles and telecommunicatic:>ns equipment for lnstilux, the comprehensive radar simulation and data handling system for Eurocontrol's Institute of Air Navigation Services at Luxembourg.

If aircrews are to benefit from the network of communi­cations and radio and radar aids to navigation that extend around the world, if they are to know and understand th.e procedures for approaching the hundreds of airports their flights may take them to, if they are to be fully conversant with the alternative airports that weather or other con­ditions may compel them to use, they have to be provided with this information in a handy and standard form so that valuable time is not wasted looking through masses of miscellaneous pages presenting the information in many different ways.

30

IAL has helped to solve this problem by producing the Aerad Flight Guide. Covering the world with the exception of Siberia and China, the Aerad Flight Guide is divided into volumes, each covering a particular area. Each volume is then divided into three parts. The first part contains aerodrome information in a specially designed flat-open­ing plastic binder holding instrument approach charts, landing charts, and other charts and information relating to ground movement control, taxying, parking ramps, noise-abatement procedures, etc. The second part, again in a special binder, consists of en route radio navigation charts, arrival and departure terminal area charts, and Standard Instrument Departure (SID) charts. The third part is known as the Supplement and this is in the form of a bound book. There are separate supplements for Europe, Africa, Asia and the Western Hemisphere and they contain tabulated information on aerodromes, radio communica­tions, radio and radar navigational aids, and meteorolo­gical broadcasts. There are also sections on time signals, radio communication failure, air traffic control regulations, conversion factors, and other miscellaneous matter for use in flight and for flight planning. Much thought and rese­arch have gone into the format and presentation. The divi­sion into carefully considered sections means that the pilot does not have to struggle with bulky heavy volumes often when concentration is required on other matters.

The Aerad Flight Guide is sold on a subscription basis and each week subscribers receive reprinted charts to­gether with bulletins containing outstanding changes and other items of a temporary nature. These bulletins are cumulative each new one automatically replaces that issu­ed the previous week. The supplements are completely re­printed at regular frequent intervals, the Europe supple­ment, for example, being re-issued every 28 days. No tire­some replacement of pages is therefore involved as on re­ceipt of the new edition the old one is thrown away. Changes in the text are clearly annotated.

In addition to the standard Aerad Flight Guide, services tailored to individual airline requirements or individual services for single flights or flights over specific routes ore also available. An extension to this service is available to airlines using London (Heathrow) Airport where the Aerod Flight Deck Chart is provided. All documentation is listed, packed in bogs marked with the service number, and is placed on the flight deck of the designated aircraft shortly before take-off. On the aircraft's return to London the bogs are collected from the flight deck for up-doting and further use.

At London (Gatwick) Airport a special service is avail­able which relieves subscribers of the task of amending their documentation which often runs to many volumes. Subscribers based at this airport receive completely amend­ed Guides each week the old volumes ore collected for up­dating the following week. It is planned later to extend this service - known as APA (Aerod Physical Amendment) Ser­vice - to cover Luton and Stanstead Airports.

Of the millions of people who fly with the world's air­lines every year there must be very few indeed whose safety is not dependent for some period on the work of IAL. The activities of the Company are usually completely unknown to those who benefit from them but that does not make them any less important. IAL

The International Federation

of Air Traffic Controllers Associations

Addresses and Officers

AUSTRIA

Verband Osterreichischer Flugverkehrsleiter A 1300, Wien Flughafen, Austria, Postfach 36

President A. Nagy Vice-President H. Kihr Secretary H. Bauer Deputy Secretary W. Seidl Treasurer W. Chrystoph

BELGIUM

Belgian Guild of Air Traffic Controllers Airport Brussels National Zaventem 1, Belgium

President Vice-President Secretary Secretary General Treasurer Editor lFATCA Liaison Officer

CANADA

A. Maziers M. van der Straate C. Scheers A. Davister H. Campsteyn J. Meulenbergs J. Aelbrecht

Canadian Air Traffic Control Association 56, Sparks Street Room 305 Ottawa 4, Canada

President First Vice-President Second Vice-President Managing Director Treasurer Chairman IFATCA Comm.

DENMARK

J. D. Lyon R. Mcfarlane D. M. Diffley G. J. Williams A. Cockrem R.Roy

Danish Air Traffic Controllers Association Copenhagen Airport - Kastrup Denmark

Chairman Vice-Chairman Secretary Treasurer IFATCA Liaison Officer

FINLAND

E.T. Larsen 0. Christiansen E. Christiansen M. Jensen V. Frederiksen

Association of Finnish Air Traffic Control Officers Suomen Lennonjohtajien Yhdistys r. y.

Air Traffic Control Helsinki Lento Finland

Chairman Vice-Chairman Secretary Treasurer Deputy

Fred. Lehto Veino Pitkanen Heikki Nevaste Aimo Happonen Viljo Suhonen

FRANCE French Air Traffic Control Association Association Professionnelle de la Circulation Aerienne B. P. 206, Paris Orly Airport 94 France President First Vice-President Second Vice-President General Secretary Treasurer Deputy Secretary Deputy Treasurer IFATCA Liaison Officer

GERMANY

Francis Zammith J. M. Lefranc M. Pinon J.Lesueur J. Bocard R. Philipeau M. Imbert A. Clerc

German Air Traffic Controllers Association Verband Deutscher Flugleiter e. V. 3 Hannover-Flughafen, Germany Postlagernd Chairman Vice-Chairman Vice-Chairman Vice-Chairman Secretary Treasurer Editor IFATCA Liaison Officer

GREECE

W. Kassebohm H. Guddat E. von Bismarck H. W. Kremer H.J. Klinke K. Piotrowski L. Goebbels W.Goebel

Air Traffic Controllers Association of Greece 10, Agias Zonis Street, Athens 804, Greece President C. Theodoropoulos Vice-President N. Protopapas General Secretary E. Petroulias Treasurer S. Sotiriades

HONGKONG Hongkong Air Traffic Control Association Hongkong Airport

President Secretary Treasurer

ICELAND

A. A. Allcock R. L. Ayers R. Lo

Air Traffic Control Association of Iceland Reykjavik Airport, Iceland

Chairman Secretary Treasurer

IRAN

G. Kristinsson S. Trampe K. Sigurosson

Iranian Air Traffic Controllers Association Mehrobad International Airport Teheran, Iran Secretary General E. A. Rahimpour

31

IRELAND Irish Air Traffic Control Officers Association ATS Shannon Ireland

President Vice-President Gen. Secretary Treasurer Asst. Gen. Secretary

IS RAEL

J.E. Murphy P. J. O'Herlihy J. Kerin T. Lane M. Durrack

Air Traffic Controllers Association of Israel P. 0. B. 33 lod Airport, Israel

Chairman Vice-Chairman Treasurer

ITALY

Jacob Wachtel W. Katz E. Medina

Associazione Nazionale Assistenti e Controllori delta Civil Navigazione Aerea Italia Via Cola di Rienzo 28 Rome, Italy

President Secretary Treasurer

LUXEMBOURG

Dr. G. Bertoldi, M. P. L. Mercuri A. Guidoni

Luxembourg Guild of Air Traffic Controllers Luxembourg Airport

President Secretary Treasurer

NETHERLANDS

Alfred Feltes Andre Klein J.P. Kimmes

Netherland Guild of Air Traffic Controllers Postbox 7590 Schiphol Airport Central, Netherlands President Th. M. van Gaalen Secretary F. M. J. Mente Treasurer P. Kalff Member, Publicity A Vink Member, IFATCA-affairs B. H. van Ommen

NEW ZEALAND

Air Traffic Control Association Dept. of Civil Aviation, 8th Floor, Dept. Bldgs. Stout Street Wellington, New Zealand

President Secretary

NORWAY

Lufttraflkkledelsens Forening

E.Meachen C. Latham

Box 51, 1330 Oslo Lufthavn, Norway Chairman G. E. Nilsen Vice-Chairman K. Christiansen Secretary J. Kalvik Treasurer E. Feet

32

RHODESIA Rhodesian Air Traffic Control Association Private Bag 2, Salisbury Airport Rhodesia President C. W. Drake Secretary C. P. Flavell Treasurer W. Vandewaal

SWEDEN Swedish Air Traffic Controllers Association Fack 22, I 90 30 Sigtuna, Sweden Chairman H. Jelveus Secretary A. Karlahag Treasurer G. Kanhamn IFATCA Representative B. Hinnerson

SWITZERLAND Swiss Air Traffic Controllers Association P. 0. Box 271 CH 1215, Geneva Airport, Switzerland Chairman J. D. Monin IFATCA Secretary T. Roulin Liaison Officer for Zurich Airport J. Gubelmann

TURKEY Turkish Air Traffic Control Association Yesilkoy Airport, lstambul, Turkey President Alton Koseoglu

UNITED KINGDOM Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers 14, South Street, Park Lane London W 1, England Master Executive Secretary Treasurer

URUGUAY

A. Field, OBE W. Rimmer E. Bradshaw

Asociac;i6n de Controladores Aeropuerto Nacional de Carrasco Torre de Control Montevideo, Uruguay Chairman Secretary Treasurer

VENEZUELA

U. Pallares J. Beder M. Puchkoff

Asociacion Nacional de Tecnicos en Transito Aereo Venezuela Avenida Andres Bello, Local 7 8129 Caracas, Venezuela President Seer. General

YUGOSLAVIA

Manuel A. Rivera P. V. Alvarez. Jimenez

Jugoslovensko Udruzenje Kontrolora Letenja Direkcija Za Civilnu Vazdusnu Plovidbu Novi Beograd, Lenjinov Bulevar 2, Yugoslavia President A. Stefanovic Vice-President Z. Veres Secretary D. Zivkovic Treasurer D. Zivkovic Member B. Budimirovic

Schiphol. First airport in Europe

with· an automatic air traffic control

data-processing system:

Schipho/ Amsterdam SA TCO automatic air traffic control in full operation.

Main features of Signaal flight plan and radar data-processing systems.

Main operational features flight path calculation coordination clearance processing corre lation between radar data and fl ight plan data conflict risk detection conflict resolution electronic data display synthetic dynamic display daylight large screen display flight progress board stripprinting automatic transfer of data via data links to adjacent centres

$ SIGNAAL

Programming fea.tures modular design flexibi li ty reconfiguration capabilities on-l ine rea l-time programming software and hardware controlled multi-level programming

Computer features microminiaturization techniques high operating speed 1· microsec. memory cycle m13ss memories high rel iabili ty growth potential continuity of operation easy servicing.

for furl her informal ion please apply to N.V. Hollandse Signaalapparalen, P.O. Box 42, Hengclo, The Nelherlands.

radar, weapon control, data handling and air traffic control systems

N.V. HOLLANDSE SIGNAALAPPARATEN HENGELO