IFATCA The Controller - 4th Quarter 1980

D 21003 F

JOURNAL OF AIR

In this Issue:

OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC

CONTR:OLLERS

FEDERATION ASSOCIATIONS

4/80

Technical Panel of the 19th IFATCA Conference Development of Commercial Aviation In Argentina Effects of Automation in the Field of Air Traffic Control

FRANKFURT

AM

MAIN

4th QUART

ER 1980

VOLUME

19

D M 4,-

STILL USING FIRSTGENERATION ATCEQUIPMENT? J>r\•Cf'dl1r.1l

Control

'A1atch supervisor. ..__ trying to decipher

(n11 r.H.l.1r,

rccrntly arrived flight plan

-

l'n.:p.1ring tlight pn,gn ..·,, ...trip, (~trip printer)

Bril'11ng dt·,~ vvith -All'&I\OTJ\~I,

No reason.

Automated Air Traffic Control systems used to be something for big airports and resourceful administrations only. Only they had the knowledge and money to specify and buy them and the skilled staff to operate and keep them running.

Not so any more. In these days of soaring aircraft operating costs you will be surprised to find that prices of modern. reliable ATC systems-probably the most efficient tool for reducing flying times-are in fact going down. And they are as easy to maintain as to operate. Reason: standardization.

Introducing Datasaab's AIRWATCH Automated ATC systems Datasaab's new series of AIR WATCH systems-based on many years· experience from tailor-made centres-are designed to suit all types of traffic anci environment. AIRWATCH standardization also means modularization. allowing adaptation to specific needs and ensuring system expansion at low cost as traffic grows.

Al!H,VATCH ~y~ll'm~ r.rn~e tnml .1 ~in~lt..·!'PI systl'm to l.irgr crntrr~. Tht..·ylt..·dtun.-,r,1l'\.', !-yndwtic t,r mixed prt'~t..·nt.1tionl,I PSR .1nd SSR ~i>;nal~trom onl' or nh1n ..• r,H.l,H ,1ati1.,n-. .1nd nunwn,t..1, ('t1ntr\11l(•r l.icilitics, inclrnling tull labt·I~.

• AIIH>VATCHl000 i.:;,1n ,lt..il1.1n1.111wus. lovv•O.)">l r.1dar display

sy,;tC'm with <l built-in

micn_,-pron•s-

..,or. It j.., dc-~i>,:.nrd!or f.mall ATC n•ntrc-s. ,)nd n,ntn\l toWl'r~.

• 1\IR\t\'1\TCH 2000 i:-.Jni}:.nvd tt,r snMll and nwdium--.ilt>d et•ntrc:,. IJu;il Ct1mplitcrs, oprr.itin~ in p ..uallel, rrlwidl· vC'ry hi>,:hn:liability.

• Ail{\,V,ATCH .3000i:, <.it-s1~ncdtor mcdiw11 to l<H!-,;t'-.iled ATC n~ntn.::i-.Sy:,ll'm architecturr i:, t.>xtremely tkx1bk, Out::-tanding operation.11 [r----'--------..]

tratun ..•:-includl' trad.,ing ol all

~~A A~

typC's ot tli~ht and nwsaic prC'scn-

~-~

t~)tit,n

trom multiplr

r,1dar :,ourct•s, ~----------~

-jt,intly owned by tfw Swedish Govl'rnmC'nt and Saab-Scania Ail

For more information contact: Datasab AB. Interactive Data Systems, S-17586 Jarfalla. Sweden. Tel. lnt + 46 8 362800 • Telex 17892 datsaab s

IFATCA

JOURNAL

OF

AIR

TRAFFIC

CONTROL

THECONTROLLER Frankfurt am Main, December 1980

Volume 19 • No. 4

Publisher: International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations. P. 0. B. 196. CH-1215 Geneva 15 Airport, Switzerland.

Officers of IFATCA: H. H. Henschler. President, Daniel Oudin. Vice-President (Technical). A. Avgoustis.

Vice-President (Professional). Pat O'Doherty, VicePresident (Administration).

H. Wenger, Treasurer.

E. Bradshaw, Executive Secretary.

Secretariat: 6 Langlands Park, Ayr KA7 4RJ Ayrshire, Scotland. United Kingdom Tel.: 0292 42114 Editor: A. Avgoustis 5 Athens Str .. Ayios Dhometios Nicosia. Cyprus Tel.: (021) 48786 Managing Editor: Horst Guddat POB 600 209 D-6000 Frankfurt/Main-SO Telefon (06 11) 21 08 86 22 Publishing Company, Production, Subscription Service and Advertising Sales Office: Verlag W. Kramer & Co ..

Bornheimer Landwehr 57 a, 6000 Frankfurt/Main 60.

Phone 434325 and 492169. BHF-Bank No. 3-03333-9.

Postscheckkonto Frankfurt 1105-601, Rate Card Nr. 7.

Printed by: W. Kramer & Co.. Bornheimer Landwehr 57 a, 6000 Frankfurt/Main 60 (Federal Republic of Germany).

Some of the Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 737s on the apron at Buenos Aires-National-Airport. The Tower in the background is the busiest in the country. Very often the number of movements at Aeroparque exceeds 70 per hour. Argentina·s commercial aviation history is depicted on page 19.

CONTENTS

Subscription Rate: OM 6.- per annum for members of IFATCA; OM 16,- per annum for non-members (Postage will be charged extra).

The Corporate Members Technical Panel

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

The Myth of Raw Video

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

Standardisation

Contributions are welcome as are comments and criti• cism. No payment can be made for manuscripts submitted for publication in "'The Controller". The Editor reserves the right to make any editorial changes in manuscripts, which he believes will improve the material without altering the intended meaning.

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

...........................

.

5

Monopulse SSR Stations for Airways Control .........................

.

6 8

Emulation and other Computer Applications

...........................

- An Alternate Approach to ATC Automation

...........

Basic Requirements for ATC - A Man System .........................

.

11

.

14

.

16

18

IFATCA News Development of Commercial Aviation in Argentina Effect of Automation

.....................

.

in the Field of A TC

Maximizing the Capacity of a Single-Runway

19 28

Airport

...................

.

30

How to learn from our mistakes

32

News from Corporate Members

34

ICAO Technical

Assistance

36

The Controller

in Accident/Incident

Projects Investigation

39

Cartoons: Helmut Elsner.

Photos: Archive. Aerolineas Argentinas. Aeropostale, CATCA, Egypt Tourist Office, Datasaab, H. Guddat, McDonnell-Douglas, Selenia.

Advertisers: Datasaab (inside cover). Thomson-CSF (page 2), AEG-TELEFUNKEN (page 4), IAL (page 7).

Ferranti Computer Systems (page 10), Philips ELA (page 13), IFATCA 81 (page 17), Philips in Aviation (pages 24/25), Selenia SA (back cover).

ATC Occupational Universal News

Health Project

41

....................................................

Spotlight on a new Corporate Member (Sanders)

......................

.

42

.

44 47

Book Review Letters to the Editor

................................................

.

48

f

\

1

far andwide THOMSON-CSF has demonstrated its abilityto design,devise,supply and installconsistent, effective, highperformance air traffic control and air space surveillancesystems.

CONSISTENT- becauseTHOMSONCSF,leadingEuropean group in the field of professional electronics, develops and manufactures almost all thecomponents which make up the completed

Countrieswhich use THOMSON-CSF air traffic control,navigationaland landingaid equipment:

~

systems, including<letection, transmission, communications and information processing units.

EFFECTIVE - because the experience we have acquired over 20 years of profile design in the most varied contexts means that we can offer tried and true solutions for your every need, however complex or exacting.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE- because THOMSON-CSF's research laboratories and technicalexperts are in the forefront of all important research into aeronautical and defence networks.

Our active development policy ensures that THOMSON-CSFproducts set the pace in their respective fields.

~

THOMSON-CSF DIVISIONDllS-TVT

= 00

M

40, rue Grange-Dame-Rose- BP 34 92360 MEUDON-LA-FORET (F)TEL.(1) 630.23.80

Instead of Editorial

by A. Avgoustis

With this issue, IFATCA's quarterly journal, THE CONTROLLER closes an era and is soon to enter a new one it is now 19 years old, published for the first time in winter, 1961/62. The closing of the year marks another important event: its printing house is changed from "Kramers" in Frankfurt, Germany, to "Bund Verlag" in Bern, Switzerland.

This latter fact compels me as Editor, to make a brief review of what has been achieved so far and perhaps ponder briefly into what I aim to achieve in the years to come. Historical necessity creates a personal obligation upon me that I pay tribute to those persons who kept the Journal's continued appearance (even though irregularly at times) in their effort to enlighten worldwide, the air traffic controller and aviation officials of developments in both the technical and professional fields.

I would first like to recall to the readers' memory THE CONTROLLER first issue which appeared in winter 1961 and its first Editor Walter H. Endlich of Germany. Apparently, this issue was in fact a combination of THE CONTROLLER - as it was indicated on its blue front cover and the DER FLUGLEITER, the Verband Deutscher Flugleiter Journal in yellow center pages. Walter's first Editorial speaks briefly of IFATCA's establishment a few months earlier and continues to outline the objectives of THE CONTROLLER. "The Journal," Walter says, "serves an important purpose. It is the voice of the majority of the European Air Traffic Control personnel. One day, if IFATCA continues progressing as it does presently, THE CONTROLLER may well represent the Journal of the ATC Associations all over the world."

Walter continued to Ge the Journal's Editor for one decade, until he announced in its special anniversary issue (December, 1972) that he was postponing publication.

The new CONTROLLER appeared a few months later with a new front cover, fated to remain the same until todate. The reconstructed appearance brought also a new Editor, Ge J. de Boer of South Africa. Walter's presence in Germany and proximity to the printers was a luxury that could no longer be afforded and Ge found it impracticable if not impossible to supervise the Journal's layout and advertising from his distant home. The alternative solution was soon found in the presence of Horst Guddat (former Vice-President Administration) in Frankfurt who acted as Managing Editor until this present issue.

Ge J. de Boer was succeeded in 1977 by Brian C. Jones. Brian's retirement from the Royal Air Force soon after, forced him to give up the editorship of THE CONTROLLER for an editorial post with the British Civil Aviation Authority.

Throughout these 19 years, which have seen IFATCA rising from a small European Organisation of Controllers to a truly International one - counting altogether a total number of 60 Member-Associations from an equal number of nations, THE CONTROLLER could not but follow the historical advent of the mother-Federation reaching readership distribution in 107 countries. The quality of the articles and its entire appearance had to be worthy of its name.

Its continued increase in readership must naturally be credited to the efforts of the Journal's Editors; the layout and all out appearance of THE CONTROLLER go to the Managing Editor and the Printers, W. Kramer & Co. To the Printers, I must indeed pay tribute to, for being most understanding to the demands of the Journal's not-so-profes-

Andreas Avgoustis

sional Editors. To Kramers IFATCA owes the tolerable costs of printing THE CONTROLLER. Before concluding, I must permit myself a few lines in which briefly I outline what I aim to achieve, knowing full well that the task is difficult and burdensome, yet confident that these aims should and could materialise with the co-operation and collaboration of all concerned. The world of Controllers are entitled to an up-to-date Journal that will relay their problems and keep them informed of developments in their fields of interest; the Corporate Members have a forum and a medium by which they can publicise their manufactured equipment and transmit their technical knowledge to the readers and potential customers; and, finally, the aviation authorities will have an endless source of technical information by which they can derive the necessary knowledge and experience to better their countries' aviation safety standards.

It is my ambition that the new issues of the Journal will bring you a satisfactory layout and a CONTROLLER highly valued by all.

With this let me welcome you all to the next CONTROLLER that will be in your hands in March, 1981.

■

Dr. W. Kramer in the printing room of his publishing house in FrankfurVMain.

3

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL - an important sector for communications and data systems.

Through the use of automated data processing AEG-TELEFUNKEN ATC systems assure optimum safety in air • traffic.

£

~~►

...,.

641,006

ATC Systems made by AEG-TELEFUNKEN

The Corporate Members Technical Panel Toronto '80 The Corporate Members Technical Panel was incorporated as part of the business sessions of the 1980 Conference and due to the efforts of the Organising Committee and the IFATCA Board of Officers was extremely well attended by an audience of approximately 200 delegates.

At a meeting held prior to the Panel the Corporate Members present unanimously appointed Mr. Arnold Field of Plessey Radar to act as Chairman of the Panel.

The Technical Panel was divided into two parts - presentations on specific topics followed by questions on these presentations and related subjects.

Six presentations abbreviated to 5/6 minutes duration were delivered as follows: COSSOR Monopulse S.S.R. for Nigel Ross Airways Control The Myth of Raw Video Peter Jorgensen SELENIA Emulation and other Com- Robert N. Harrison FERRANTI puter Applications Manual S.S.R. Systems Frank Lewis CARDION Standardisation, an alter- Hakan Westermark DATA SAAB native approach to A.T.C. Automation ANSA Frank W. Fischer It's a Man System

Technical Vice-President Daniel Oudin introducing the speakers sitting at the head table.

Following these presentations there was a lively exchange between the Panel members and the audience and the following sub-heads indicate the main-flow of discussion.

(1) The learning process The need for ATCO's to be trained adequately in new techniques and procedures associated with the introduction of equipment particularly those associated with .,Systems".

(2) The use of Digitised Radar The need to further eliminate track jitter and the tendency for ATCO's to continue to favour primary radar for the "Approach" function.

This year a full house was honouring the contributions Members of the Federation.

made by the Corporate

The presenters made a skilful! and entertaining task of telescoping their subjects which was well appreciated by the audience.

(3) The communications gap between the ATCO and the manufacturer The ATCO tends to feel himself isolated from the decision making machinery which exists between the manufacturers of equipments and the purchaser. This was considered to be more

The Technical Panel consisted of (from L. to R.) Mr. Fischer, ANSA, Mr. Jorgensen. Selenia, Mr. Ross, Cossor. Mr. Field (chairman), Plessey, Mr. Harrison, Ferranti, Mr. Westermark, Datasaal and Mr. Lewis, Cardion.

5

the fault of the concerned national authority than the manufacturer although the latter could assist in closing the gap.

(4) The need for manufacturers to be more aware of operational requirements It was considered that as equipment and systems technology becomes more and more sophisticated there exists a greater need for manufacturers to be better informed in regard to the operational A.T.C. system towards which their equipment/systems are being applied.

(5) Man/Machine Interface The need for manufacturers to appreciate the role and limitations of the A.T.C.O. in the control function loop.

(6) The need to cater for the less sophisticated environments A plea was made that in large areas of the world the equipment in use are still very basic and in need of improvement and further that such improvements when made should be capable of step by step evolution towards sophistication.

Finally, the organisers of the Technical Panel, the Corporate Members and the audience acknowledged that the morning sessions had been more instructive than those held at previous conferences.

Following are the various presentations (full text) made at the Technical Panel by the representatives of the Corporate Members. Unfortunately, the text of the presentation on behalf of CARDION ELECTRONICS, by Frank Lewis. on Manual S.S.R. Systems has not been received in time for this issue and therefore it will appear in issue 1/81.

Monopulse SSR Stations for Airways Control

by Nigel P. Ross Cossor Electronics Limited, England It has often been said that if there were only two aircraft flying in unlimited airspace, it is certain that they would wish to be in the same position, at the same height at the same time.

Air Traff"ic Control exists to prevent this coincidence with sophisticated Air Traffic Systems developed over a number of years providing an efficient and safe monitoring and control service.

A range of aids have also been developed to assist Air Traffic Control Officers and these aids have become increasingly complex to meet the stringent requirements that the continuing growth of Air Transport demands.

Sixty years ago semaphore or lamp signals were sufficient to indicate that it was safe for an aircraft to take-off or land at an aerodrome.

Wireless and Radio Telegraphy were later introduced as aircraft speeds and densities became higher.

Thirty years ago primary radar was installed at busy airports to control traffic in the terminal area.

Airways, routed over navigation beacons linked the terminal areas.

The introduction of Secondary Surveilance Radar gave controllers valuable assistance in maintaining aircraft identity on radar displays. This together with the ability of SSR to provide height monitoring allowed a higher utilisation of airspace. Identification turns and unnecessary avoidance action were greatly reduced. Today it is accepted practice for busy airports to have both primary and secondary radar installations. The limitations of airport usage are now usually caused by lack of runway capacity and not by the ability of controllers to sequence aircraft in the terminal area.

There are today, however, restrictions on the free flow of air traffic between terminal areas. Airways are having to cope with higher peak traffic demands than were conceived when the airways system was introduced.

Procedural control offered an adequate service, but being dependant on height or time separation, severe restrictions on traffic flow may need to be imposed if separation standards, necessary for safety, are not to be jeopardised.

Lateral separation standards for procedural control tend to be generous in order to allow for a margin of navigational error.

Radar equipment provides a controller with a clear picture of an airway so that separation standards can be greatly reduced whilst providing a much higher degree of safety through more positive means of control. Airway utilisation can therefore be greatly increased.

The advantages and indeed necessity for radar control of airways are widely known, with Air Traffic Control Administrations 6

gradually increasing the numbers of long range radar stations for en-route surveillance in order to provide a safe and expeditious service. Historically the tendency has been to insta!I a primary radar with perhaps a secondary radar as well.

Secondary radar is able to provide the same positional information as primary radar without confusing weather and ground clutter, but more importantly SSR provides continuous identity and height information, essential for efficient control.

There is a growing awareness, that, for airways control SSR information is more valuable than primary radar information and it is thus logical to consider SSR as the major radar sensor with perhaps the addition of primary radar if required. It has been argued in the past that because SSR depends on aircraft carrying transponders occassional transponder failures could cause a loss of efficiency. In practice it has been found that where transponder failures have occurred these situations are easily and safely accommodated by a controller.

The new generation of monopulse SSR equipment developed

by Cossor Electronics provides very accurate tracking with advanced features reducing the previous drawback of mutual interference and enabling continuous tracking in garble conditions.

A significant advantage of SSR is its comparatively low cost.

It is a fact of life that investment in Air Traffic Control is not as high as it might be and the provision of long range radar facilities for monitoring en-route air traffic is often regarded as a low priority.

The capital cost of a combined primary and secondary long range radar station is approximately four times the cost of a terminal radar installation and this is often a deterrent to Air Traffic Control Authorities.

However the cost of monopulse secondary surveillance radar stations for airways control is approximately the same as that for a terminal radar offering a dramatic cost saving for a long range radar installation.

The ability of an SSR station to provide a highly cost effective service has been acknowledged by a number of administrations.

These administrations already have existing combined primary and secondary radar stations and are thus able to witness at first hand the cost advantages of an SSR service.

Paradoxically where nations have deferred the installatio11 of en-route radars because of the cost, the advantages of an "SSRonly" installation have not been readily appreciated.

With the availability of Cossor monopulse SSR with its in-built ability to be expanded for ADSEL operation, Air Traffic Control Authorities can proceed with confidence, in procuring accurate long range SSR stations for airways control at relatively low cost.

fn the hills surrounding Bath lies a fine 18th century manor. It's almost hidden by the green and blossom of the English summer.

But at Bailbrook College the air is full of drama. !AL is putting an ATC student through his paces.

It's all happening on our digital air traffic control radar simulator: A choice of96 different aircraft can be displayed.

Ranging from the smallest fixed wing or rotary to the largest and fastest civil and nulitary types, it can simulate any type of radar installation in the world coday.

At Bailbrook the student !cams to handle the unexpected with the same calculating precision as the everyday. Because one day many lives could be held in the balance of his judgement

In the past 21 years over 2,000 ATC students from 75 countries have graduated tlu·ough !AL Training courses include air traffic control services, electronic engineering and telecommunications, communications operations, meteorolog)I science and mathematics, teaching techniques and English language.

These courses are specially tailored to meet the individual needs of overseas governments and organisations.

At Bailbrook College, it's no accident we've built a reputation for happy landings. Can you think of a better pLn to developo skill'

IZl!

THE HIGH TECHNOLOGYTASK FORCE

AVIATIONSYSTEMS AND SERVICES· COMMUNICATIONSSYSTEMS· COMPUTERSYSTEMS AND SERVICES-WORLDWIDE Contact: ThePrincipal,!AL.BoilbrookCollege. London Rood West.Both.England. BAl 7JO.Telephone:Both (0225)858941.Telex:4441221AL G.

The Myth of Raw Video

by P.A. Jorgensen SELENIA S.p.A.

Display of Radar Data When designing an ATC system, an important decision to take is what type of video to present on the radar display. Many factors suggest the use of daylight displays, so the controller may work in a well illuminated environment. Technically it is easily possible to make such a display, using computer generated video, or other sophisticated means of presentation. A modern computerdriven graphic display with a P31 phosphor, and a refresh rate of 50 Hz (the number of times per second the radar picture is repeated) permit work with ambient light level at approximately 150 lux, bright working conditions.

Then comes the question: How safe is computer generated video? In air traffic control, would it not be better to use "raw video" i.e. not let the "pure" radar signal pass through a computer?

In En-route sectors, full synthetic presentation, using synthetic video from both the Primary and Secondary Surveillance radar, has been accepted for many years, but in the terminal area, most ATC people prefer a mixed presentation, i.e. raw video from the primary radar, and computer generated video from the SSR. Mixed presentation poses a difficult choice of a mixed phospnor, because the raw video requires long afterglow to be seen, but the synthetic video needs a fast phosphor not to cause smearing of the labels which include aircraft identity and mode C altitude.

If it was possible to use fully synthetic displays also in terminal areas, the controller could work under better conditions, and money could be saved, both on the displays themselves, and also on the radar transmission system by changing from broadband to narrow-band radar data transmission i.e. from expensive radio-link systems or coaxial cables, to simple telephone lines.

In order to analyse this problem, two questions must be asked How good is raw video really?

How precise can synthetic video be made to-day?

A modern radar is an extremely sophisticated device. It must have a very high sensitivity in order to ensure the necessary range even on small aircraft. It must have a very complex MTI system to ensure cancellation of fixed echoes, and many other devices to be able to detect the aircraft in presence of ground clutter, rain, interference, angels, anomalous propagation, etc.

Some numbers: The length of the pulse from the TMA radar is typically 1 microsecond, which corresponds to 150 metres, when considering that the pulse has to hit the aircraft and get back.

The beamwidth of the antenna is typically 1.4°, which allows the aircraft to be hit by the radar about 16 times each time the antenna passes the aircraft, a requirement of the MTI circuits.

A "raw" echo from a big aircraft nearby may show a returned pulse of 3-4 microseconds, and an angular size of even 2-2,5°.

Where is the aircraft in this echo cluster? Once it was thought that the real position was simply somewhere within the echo, i.e. a Boeing 747, which is 60 x 50 m must be found inside the echo shape, which could cover an area of 2000 m x 500 m (a large echo 30 N.M. from the radar).

A small echo would be assumed to be even more precise, say 3 hits occupying 150 m in range.

When you carefully analyse the radar signals and the delays and distortions even a simple radar receiver causes on the raw video you realize that the aircraft may not even be inside the radar blip, and that the position depends on the strength of the returned echo.

Conclusions from these considerations for raw video must be: "Raw" video, as the purist understands it, no longer exists, if it really ever did.

Any raw video is presented with a margin of error bigger than normally thought.

New Extraction Methods The Nature of Raw Video Raw video to-day is really a myth. Raw video would be a nonprocessed video, which faithfully reports the position and maybe even the size of the aircraft. Let us try to analyse what that would mean.

r tsponse

teadrno edo• • aircraft

positron

t0£AL RETURN

._ __

delAy introduced

by filter nc.

I

•

EffECT OF nLTEII ON RANCE MEASUllEMENT

Now let us turn to the second question: how precise can synthetic video be made to-day? Synthetic video used to be produced by processing the raw video signal in a so-called digitizer, or extractor, outside the radar, followed by transmission of the plot data into a computer. This method was not better than presenting raw video, because the extractor only processed the raw video with all its errors, without any possibility of correction, and in most cases adding other errors. This explains the natural reluctance to use computer driven video in areas with intense traffic and reduced separation minima.

Recent studies, however, have shown that if the extractor is incorporated in the radar, a very high degree of precision may be achieved.

A well studied system takes into account all the available information about the radar, including: the delays in signal processing, the specific signal processing used for each single echo, MATCHED .,;.f';,,;ILT£R the total number of echoes processed in order to keep the numRESl'ONSE ber of false echoes (false alarms) very low and constant in the most convenient way, while always maintaining the maximum detime tectability of the radar.

The built-in extractor performs pattern recognition, reveals the aircraft, and controls the function of the radar from the antenna on through the radar by complex control loops in order to obtain the best possible overall result.

The accuracy of the radar system is shown in the following table:

8

Range

Azimuth

Pd

average

RMS

average

RMS

800/o 90%

0 0

0,135 T 0,132,

0 0

0,0720 0,069 0

Translated to a terminal area radar, this becomes, at 30 N.M. distance, and independent of the size of the aircraft: Range

Pd where Pd is the probability of detection (blip/scan ratio). average is the average (constant) error, RMS (root mean square) is the precision, , is the pulse length, 6) is the antenna beam width.

Fig. 2: Radar responses and extracted positions

Figure 2 shows as crosses the plots produced by the new type of extractor in synthetic video after the computer processing, superimposed on the raw video. As can be seen, the plots are corrected, and indicate the true position of the aircraft, verified by position reports and by landings and take-offs.

Figure 3 shows a photo of one of the class of radars on which this type of exact processing has been implemented. These radars are also equipped with a Built-in-test Instrument which constantly checks the whole radar to maintain the necessary reliability of the system. The digital Bite display will show a number if a radar failure is detected.

Conclusion To-day it is not only technically possible, but may even be better and safer to use a fully synthetic display even in terminal areas and in the approach sector. The advantages are: More precise radar position reports Full daylight displays Narrow band transmission It is of course appreciated that some period of familiarization may be required for this technique, but one should bear in mind that the step from "raw" video to full synthetic video is not so big, because all modern radars anyway make large use of digital processing to present the video and, in practice, the original "raw video" no longer exists.

average

Azimuth

RMS____

average·---

RMS-

~~ '~Ef'l,1'.,J, _

80% 90%

0 0

20m 20 m

0 0

100 m 93 m

Fig. 3: ATCR-33 installed at Budapest

Malaysia National Airport Plan and Development of Airports at lpoh, Pulau Langkawi and Tawau British Airports International (BAI) has been awarded a contract to produce a national aviation system plan and master plans for several individual airports by the Economic Planning Unit of the Government of Malaysia, based in Kuala Lumpur.

BAI is leading an international consultancy team consisting of Sir William Halcrow and Partners; Alan Stratford and Associates; Halcrow Fox and Associates, together with Malaysian professional consulting engineers based in Kuala Lumpur.

The studies should be completed in early 1981 and will give the Malaysian Government a long-term plan for aviation infrastructure in Malaysia and preliminary designs for the first stage of development of the designated airports.

BAI provides a full range of consultancy and management services for airport operations of any size or complexity. The experience of the company derives from a unique involvement with Britain's profitable aviation sector, and from carrying out national airport planning in many parts of the world.

BAI is owned jointly by the Britsh Airports Authority and IAL, the international aviation and communications systems and services company.

9

_,.,

,.., I~

,

/----~.

s-,.

,..,., c'<

/

/" _,._(..;

/' :/· __

;,, '

.4-✓-

·.

I

(

' .'

.,

' ' .):

t·1 I ·I

!..:. \~'

This meanscollecting,processingand :1/ Wecanalsodotheotherkindof simulation-for displayingit. training,validationandevaluation-something we havebeen Weare not in the data acquisitionbusinessbut we will doingfor manyyears. take datafrom whoeverhasit-from civil for military,from If youareintheairtraffic managementbusiness militaryfor civil and from the countrynextdoorwhereradar Ferranticanhelp.Andthe peoplewhopayyourroutecharges coverageoverlapsan FIRboundary.Datadoesn'thaveto beon will almostcertainlyappreciateyourusingus, the spot. It can be extractedand fed overlargedistancesand Askyourself,areyouusingthe dataavailableto the bestadvantage? then co-ordinatedwith the datafrom yourownsensors.

ContactFerrantiComputerSystemsLimited, If the data is not available,we can synthesizedisplay BracknellDivision,Western.Road, Bracknell; informationfrom flight plansand positionreports.

BerkshireRG12l RATelephone: 0344 3232

CSO21081119 [ill}

10

Emulation and other Computer Applications

by R. N. Harrison FERRANTI Computer Systems

In some papers presented at this conference, Corporate Members have been asked to reconcile basic requirements for ATC with the considerable technical possibilities now open to the industrial nations. When this theme was decided upon we were due to meet in South America in an area where development has been limited. The fact that we are now in North America perhaps serves to highlight the problem. How, in countries which are still developing, can air traffic control requirements be met using less sophisticated equipment? And how should we go about designing such equipment so that eventually we can build it up into a complete and comprehensive system?

What sort of advantage is there in such a process, and how accurate are the results likely to be? Because it depends on extrapolation - that is to say the projecting of an event forward - there is obviously room for error. In radar, which also depends on successive data returns - the interval between the inputs of information to the system, perhaps ten seconds, is small enough to preclude significant error. In an emulation system where the interval between data inputs is the interval between two reporting points - say twenty minutes - the opportunity for significant error is much greater, and the error might be compounded by an inaccuracy in the positional report in the first place.

The phrase "les$ sophisticated equipment" comes from the address of the Vice President Technical. To my mind this does not exclude the use of computers though it may well mean that they operate in an environment where there is only the minimum of radar, or perhaps none at all. The computer stays in because of its capability in handling data, and its ability to arrange and present information so that it is easily assimilable by the controller.

As far as positional accuracy is concerned we are in a situation where standards are steadily rising. The crews of most aircraft flying in controlled airspace can be expected to know their position to within a mile in most circumstances. If they do not either because of deficiencies in airborne equipment or ground facilities, and these deficiencies can be logged in any computer system. In an emulator an increase in the area of uncertainty for a particular aircraft is simply a matter of record - a record incidently which is referred to every time the computer is dealing with that aircraft. We can therefore start with the premise that position reports can be treated as accurate unless we have been warned to the contrary, and that the overall accuracy of our emulation will depend on how precisely we calculate the position change along track and in the vertical plane.

The developments in data handling have been largely a response to the needs of the big radar data processing systems.

Because of this association, people in situations which handle less traffic tend to look at computers warily. They fear they may be saddled with something that is complex to operate, difficult to maintain and expensive to man. In fact computers have been operating throughout the seventies in an ATC role which frightened nobody. As the basic element in simulators in many parts of the world they have provided a means of training, validation and evaluation. In countless numbers of exercises they have demonstrated their ability to handle the same sort of ATC data as is handled in real life.

My Company has recently been looking at a situation - indeed is currently continuing to do so - where an Air Traffic Control Centre is responsible for an area approximately 500nm by 600nm, handles six hundred movements a day, and has only one radar.

A lot of the movements are on overflying routes, but arrivals and departures form a significant part of the traffic. There are some nasty airways crossings, and the traffic peaks badly at certain times of the day.

This is a situation where under procedural control the controller finds it difficult to keep a clear traffic picture in his mind. The country concerned has suggested its own solution to the problem.

Why not use normal reporting procedures and simulation techniques to generate a CRT picture? Reporting, which at this stage would be by RT in the normal way, would be supported by the aircraft's flight plan which would be one of the data entries into the simulator processor. Other entries would be the performance data for different aircraft types and loads, environmental data such as airways, reporting points, airport facilities, and of course weather data, particularly wind. This is exactly the same sort of information as is fed into a simulator for exercises, but because what is being discussed here is not a simulated situation but is in fact quite real it is useful to define it in some other way. We have called it an emulator.

The Consise Oxford Dictionary defines "emulate" as "try to equal or excel; rival; imitate zealously". The concept of emulation is not at all new, it is in fact one of the oldest mechanical processes in the form of water clocks, and before that people burned marked candles. As a clockwork or quartz crystal device there is an emulation machine on everyone's wrist. Now we are considering extending emulation from the movement of the earth around the sun to the movement of aeroplanes around the earth.

At this point it is worth.Jooking at the sort of accuracy we are seeking in an emulation device, and as this is something which depends on the purpose of our emulation we ask how we are going to use the information. The primary concern here is with separation standards. One aircraft in a piece of sky is safe, two aircraft in the same sky are potentially dangerous. With radar control we can establish that two aircraft are not in the same volume of sky because their relative speed is insufficient to allow them to infringe separation standards in the time between sucessive sweeps of the aerial. With emulation we do not aim so high. We are looking for potential conflict and a means of prompting the controller to ask the right questions at the right place. For instance in a situation where two aircraft are arriving simultaneously at an airway crossing but are well separated vertically, the controller needs to know either when he may expect a report or when he should ask for one. If he is able to watch the tracks of the aircraft and see when they are going to cross and know when they actually cross, he can plan his strategy comfortably. But because he does not assign a new flight level until he has had position reports he is asking for no more accuracy out of the system than he would normaly ask for in a procedural system without emulation.

In other circumstances the demands on the emulation system might be greater than with a straight procedural system. Take the case of two aircraft in trail proceeding along the same track with a time separation between them. In such a situation the blanket instruction to the controller might be to maintain a separation of twenty minutes. Such a separation - possibly 180nm - takes up a considerable stretch of airspace which imposes constraints on other aircraft in terms of climbing to requested levels, speed, fuel consumption, delays in departure. Suppose however that the factors affecting the maintenance of separation between those aircraft could be presented to the controller in a self-evident manner so that he was alerted either to a lessening in separation when it occurred, or to a potential reduction. It is likely that his control authority would allow him to reduce separation to, say, ten minutes knowing that he would be alerted long before the occurence 11

of risk of conflict. We have a situation here which fits in with current thinking on control, that it should conform to the control-byexception concept. It is poor management to attempt to control things which are going well. Control should be limited to the situations which demand it.

If we accept this and the fact that effective control demands adequate presentation of information, our next step must be a decision on the form the presentation should take. This is not really new ground because we are really asking whether the forms of presentation currently used with radar data processing are the best for the job. On the basis that we want to present a "synthetic" picture consisting of symbols, labels, trail dots, video map and perhaps Met data, the answer must be that they are, otherwise something different would have been developed. And since this sort of display is commonly fed from a simulator we know there will be no difficulty about using it in an emulation system.

Looking at the other major aspect of emulation, we have to have input positions for feeding into the processor the changes in and up-dates of flight data as they occur. In conditions of light traffic it would be possible for the controller to do this, but for ordinary operation it is envisaged that there would be two people manning each console, one being the executive controller actually handling the aircraft, the other being the support controller providing the input and output links with the computer.

For the executive controller the console hardware would consist of a near-vertical display, a smal1°•keyboard and rolling ball for picture control and marking, and a minimum number of analogue controls in the form of knobs and switches. There would also be a communications control panel. The support controller would have a larger keyboard with a full set of alphanumeric and function keys. Above this would be a VDU (visual display unit) showing brief details of all aircraft in the sector like callsign, reported level, assigned level, last reported position and time, ETA for next reporting point. Below the "all aircraft in sector" field would be two lines for more details of a particular aircraft, then "amend", "input" and "readout" lines. The support controller would also have a communications panel but in the ordinary way his headset would be slaved to that of the executive controller so that he would hear all messages either way on RT. The method of operating would be as follows: Aircraft: Exec C: Support C: Aircraft: Exec C: Support C:

Reports overhead RP and time. Also present level and level to which climbing.

Acknowledges. Asks ETA for next RP. Enters data.

Gives ETA for next RP. Acknowledges.

Enters data. Notes any discrepancy between ETA given by aircraft and ETA calculated by his computer.

In emulation the wind will constitute the major variable in calculating leg times. It is likely that there will be variations between forecast and actual winds, and this may vary with height, so that some met winds will be very good and others inaccurate.

Controllers will be able to see the trend of the variation between ETAs and ATAs and to make their own assessment of whether aircraft are likely to be early or late. This is exactly what happens without a computer in the loop. In an emulation system, the fact that the computer also has the same data will allow it to make its own assessment assuming that its program makes provision for this. We then have a situation of competition between controller and computer in which the controller will probably win at first, but in which increasing situation information will allow the processor to estimate the rate of change in the light of forecast trends. Hopefully, and this is quite unproven, it will be possible for the system to determine actual winds for different areas at different levels, and by feeding data back to the forecaster to improve the quality of the service he can give.

Other variables affecting aircraft performance are weight, temperature, and Company operating instructions. It may also be necessary to take into account the variations within a single air-

12

craft type - for instance same airframe, different engines - in compiling the aircraft data which the emulator has to keep in store. Accuracy in the emulator depends on a lot of small things being right and adding up to produce the correct final answer.

However, assuming that the concept goes ahead, the emulator will start being useful long before it reaches its maximum accuracy. The fact that it allows the controller to see his traffic is a great step forward, and the advantage of this is enhanced by the fact that he can now put a question to an aircraft at a time when the answer is most useful.

The airway crossing point has already been used as an example of this. Obviously too frequent requests for position up-date are not going to be welcome, but crews quickly pick up a feeling that they are being looked after well by ATC and are willing to co-operate. The ideal up-date, of course, is one that is as frequent as radar and is transmitted automatically from the aircraft management computer to the ATC computer over an air-to-ground data link. This sort of system, technically possible today, will probably not be in general use until the year 2000, but the emulator can reasonably be considered a forerunner of it.

One of the questions we have been asked is whether it will be possible to combine radar with the emulator. In other words, could radar data be used while the aircraft is flying in radar cover giving a flying start to the emulation process as the edge of the cover was reached. This is the sort of question that it is perhaps as well to leave for the moment. The difficulty is that every additional facility introduced into a computer system increases the complexity and the cost of the software. This is particularly true when a concept is new.

We have therefore suggested the use of radar display repeaters. At the side of each executive controller position where an emulation sector adjoins a radar sector there will be a radar display which is slaved to the radar sector controller's own display.

The executive controller will be able to watch his traffic coming up to the hand-off point and equally to see his departing traffic coming into radar cover. It will probably be possible to arrange for inter-console marking between the two systems, but anything more than this will be out as far as the initial scheme is concerned.

For many people here the sort of situation that has been described is more complex than their own. It is easy for them to feel that their system falls outside the area where any sort of computer system would be worthwhile let alone justify the cost of providing it. If this is your position I would ask you to ignore for the moment the question of cost, and where the money is coming from, and ask whether there is anything a computer could do for you. The sort of thing I have in mind is the throwaway remark in one of the papers presented to this conference. It says: "Fortunately we had estimated approach times from the computer".

Wouldn't it be easier if everyone worked in the sort of system where this sort of calculation was provided - and all the other simple calculation too.

The reason the girl at the checkout in a supermarket is given a till which does everything including calculating change is the need to ensure accuracy. Should not the controller have commensurate facilities to ensure both accuracy and safety?

What are your plans for May 1981?

Join us from 4-8 May for the 20th Annual IFATCA Conference in the Cairo Hilton Hotel, Egypt!

IN 1954PHILIPS INTRODUCED THEIRFIRST GENERATION VOICELOGGING SYSTEM FORAIRTRAFFIC CONTROL

AVIATION HASPROGRESSEDSINCE THEN ANDNOWTHERE ·sA FOURTHGENERATION PHILIPSVOICE LOGGING SYSTEM 1954: Flying was still.an adventure. Pilots had to look at stars and constellations to navigate across continents and oceans, sometimes with a little help from non-directional beacons - or none at all. But at least we had ears and voices in the skies. And, of course, on the ground we had Philips' first generation Voice Logging System - that very first multi-channel recorder for added security in air traffic control.

Nowadays astro-navigation is fast becoming a thing of the past. And air traffic control has developed into an ongoing, complex operation with· planes arriving, manoeuvring and taking off

OVER25YEARS

-

from distant terminals and runways. We've even got eyes in the skies. And air traffic control communications are still being clearly recorded

by Philips' Voice Logging Systems at over 120 airports all over the world.

Now we're introducing our fourth generation VLS. Because technology has kept on advancing. And wasn't it Philips who started progress in voice logging in aviation?

For further information write to: Philips Industries Electro-Acoustics Division Prof. Ree. Dept. HBS-2 Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

OFPROGRESS Voice LoggingSystems

PHILIPS 13

STANDARDISATION An Alternative Approach to ATC Automation

by Hfikan Westermark, Datasaab

Summary

Why invent the wheel - again?

The use of automated ATC systems with a varying degree of sophistication is becoming increasingly common. Buying and producing these systems still tends to be a very long and involved process, based on the customer's often very detailed technical and operational requirements.

Maybe the controllers at West Drayton would be happy for that system which is totally unsuited for Paramaribo, and maybe the CAA in UK would. Maybe, but most certainly not even if the level of sophistication is right. London is probably one area for which an ATC system will have to be "tailored" to meet precise demands. The CAA would certainly have the competence to specify the operational and technical requirements for such a system, and to evaluate bids for it. It actually requires as much knowledge and experience to purchase an ATC system as it takes to operate and maintain it. This is a serious dilemma to many administrations, and not only those in developing countries.

The solution is, as I see it, standardisation. Long (and successful) experience from designing and producing "tailor-made" ATC systems has led Datasaab to the conclusion that despite differences between centres - by size, type of traffic flow and operational procedures - there is a common thread running through the requirements, and that a standardisation is possible, and indeed desirable.

The use of automated ATC systems is becoming increasingly common throughout the world. Buying and producing them still tends to be a very long and involved process, based on the customer's often very detailed technical and operational (often less so) specification. In fact, the wheel has been invented many times in this field, and numerous mistakes are being made. In theory, precise tailoring should result in a system which exactly matches the operational requirements of the centre and maximises its performance. In practice, it frequently fails in its objective of producing an optimal system to meet the operational needs - which finally is the sole reason for implementing the system.

It is against this background that Datasaab designed the AIRWATCH series of ATC systems. These systems are sufficiently modular in size and facilities to meet operational requirements of a very wide range of ATC environments without tailoring. Local variation of demands can usually be met with standardised addon hardware and software.

In short, standardised ATC systems and, as we believe, in particular the AIRWATCH series of systems, offer the following advantages compared to custom-built systems:

Long experience from designing and producing "tailor-made" ATC systems has led Datasaab to the conclusion that despite differences between centres - by size, type of traffic flow and operational procedures - there is a common thread running through the requirements, and that a standardisation is possible, and indeed desirable. This conclusion is, of course, especially valid for ATC centres in developing countries, but probably also for the great majority of centres in other countries.

This paper primarily deals with the philosophy behind Datasaab's basic ATC system, the recently introduced AIRWATCH 1000 and how flexibility and modularity - necessary to match standardisation - are applied in the design of this system. The AIRWATCH 1000 is designed for small ATC centres and control towers.

"Basic Requirements" means different things The theme for the Technical Panel of this year's IFATCA Annual Conference is "The Basic Requirements for ATC to Meet Technical Progress". This title is less than clear unless one has some background to it. As we all know, this conference was until just a few weeks ago intended to be held in a developing country, and the theme was suggested and adopted with this in mind.

I would propose the following interpretation of the theme: "Adequate means and methods for Air Traffic Control to keep pace with the rapidly growing air traffic, the revolution in airborne equipment and the increased demands for efficiency by aircraft operators caused by soaring fuel prices". "Means" can be interpreted to mean many things: Training, skill, equipment. The word "adequate" puts universality to it; it implies that ATC in developing countries often does not have the same requirements for these things as in industrial countries, and that "basics" in ATC means one thing in London and something quite different in Paramaribo, to take one example. The theme is then indeed a universal one, and well worth a discussion at this conference. ATC in Canada or the UK as well as that in Surinam or the Sudan has its "basic requirements", but it certainly does not mean the same thing, whatever meaning you apply to it.

For obvious reasons, this paper deals with equipment for ATC and ATC training. It will concentrate on equipment suitable for developing countries, which was the original purpose of the theme.

For many reasons, the requirements for radar processing and display equipment vary between countries as well as it varies between ATC facilities within a country. I am sure that the controllers at Paramaribo agree that they would not require a multi-radar, multi-computer, double back-up radar processing and display system with fully integrated and automated flight plan processing and a capacity to handle 1000 flights at any one time - just because they do not need it. And their administration would be totally unhappy about such a system because it would require a very skilled staff to operate and maintain it, and these people are simply not available. In this case, the "basic requirements" for equipment is something much less advanced; it means equipment sophisticated enough to provide the capacity for controlling the actual amount and type of traffic in an efficient and safe way. It also means that the maintenance requirements must not exceed possibilities and that the system can be easily expended to meet tutu re growth of traffic.

14

• • • • • • •

Lower price. High development costs can be spread out over a number of identical systems Simplified procurement process Shorter delivery time and installation Well-proven operational facilities Very high reliability from first minute of operation Simplified maintenance Well-defined expansion possibilities.

The AIRWATCH series of automated ATC systems The remaining parts of this paper deal with Datasaab's recently introduced series of automated ATC systems. In particular, the basic system, the AIRWATCH 1000 is described in some detail. This system, which is designed for small ATC centres and control towers, clearly illustrates the leading principles in the design of all AIRWATCH systems.

The AIRWATCH systems have been designed to suit all types of traffic and environment. AIRWATCH system architecture meets requirements ranging from a single PPI system used in an APP/ ACC or TWR application to large centres. Modular design also allows adaptation to individual needs within wide frames and ensures system expansion at low cost as traffic grows. All systems are truly controller-oriented, with numerous useful operational facilities and simple man-machine interaction.

Three different ATC systems are available today: AIRWATCH 1000, 2000, and 3000. A Radar Simulator is currently being developed along the same guide-lines.

For local training, software packages have been developed which allow the ordinary computer system and working positions of any AIRWATCH system to be used as a "Training Module".

This low-cost addition to the system can be used for training controllers on the new equipment and for refresher training. With AIRWATCH 2000 and 3000 which have duplicated computer systems, training may be carried out on the back-up computer without interference with actual operations.

The AIRWATCH 1000 A standardised ATC system must be ilexible enough to meet varying requirements for environment and performance and it must be modular to allow for system expansion. At places where skilled labour is scnrce, the administration is likely to put simple installation, operation and maintenance and, most certainly, economy high on the "wanted" list. The AIRWATCH 1000 is designed to meet all requirements.

The AIRWATCH 1000 is a member of Datasaab's well-proven Display System 8500 family which is also used in air defence and marine applications. The special software package developed for ATC provides the AIRWATCH 1000 with a surprisingly comprehensive range of controller's functions.

An AIRWATCH 1000 operator console is a fully autonomous unit, which means that no central processor is required. Instead, all processing is carried out independently by a sophisticated micro-processor built into each console. In addition to the PPI and micro-processor, each console includes a keyboard and a rolling ball for controller-processor communication. Two or more such AIRWATCH 1000 consoles can be combined to create a multi-console system.

In the basic system configuration, the AIRWATCH 1000 console (or consoles) will accept extracted (digitised) signals from one primary and one secondary radar station. Radar returns are displayed as plot symbols showing the type of return; primary, secondary or combined. Since plot trails ("history plots") are displayed, it is possible to work on a fully synthetic PPI picture, i.e. without the conventional raw video and afterglow. However, introducing a low-cost sweep compression device into the processor, raw video can be displayed together with synthetic plot information, maps and vectors in a mixed mode.

Additional building stones may be added to make the system accept signals from up to three PSR/SSR stations and one direction finder. OF data is presented on the PPI as a vector starting at the geographical position of the station and extending into the direction of the transmitting aircraft. Numerical QDR/QDM values are instantly calculated and displayed.

A label showing callsign, mode C level and attitude (climb/ descent indication) is displayed for all aircraft carrying a working 4096-code transponder, provided that the code-callsign relation has been entered by the controller. In a multiconsole system an additional building stone may be added to provide for input and distribution of code-callsign pairs to all consoles from one central data terminal.

Operational include: • • • •

•

features,

other

than

those

mentioned

earlier,

Unique symbols for PPI, garbling and distress codes Active and passive decoding PPI list with entered code-callsign pairs and character-bycharacter tellback of current inputs Hold function, i.e. label contents are transferred to the PPI list while aircraft flies in holding pattern or other high-density area Vector function, controlled by the rolling ball, for displaying a line between two arbitrary points on the PPI and measuring the bearing and distance

Fig. 1: AIRWATCH 1000 Console Front plate removed

•

High-precision digital maps and runway extension lines.

With low cost, short delivery time, simple installation, operation and maintenance the AIRWATCH 1000 is expected to be a realistic alternative for many administrations - resourceful or not - to meet demands for more efficious and safer control of air traffic at small ATC centres and control towers.

Viewing Uni1

K('ybo.ird

01

------~\_"'!'""_

..cit.., .. ----1

Display St-lector

lfoll1nr.

8.1II

Oit-rl.ly PrOC"cs..-.or

Fig. 2: AIRWATCH 1000. Full system configuration. consoles may be used.

An arbitrary

number of

15

The Basic Requirements for A.T.C. to Meet Technical Progress

by Frank W. Fischer

Advisory Group Air Navigation Services Inc. (ANSA)

- A Man System Basic Components of a System

Our Objectives and Operational Requirements

An Air Navigation Services System like any other system consists of HARDWARE SOFTWARE LIVEWARE Liveware is defined as people and procedures directly engaged in the operation of a system. They instruct and control the system by overriding or making decisions, which the system either has not made or are unsatisfactory.

Now, what is a system?

A system in the commonly accepted understanding is defined as a composite of equipments, skills and techniques capable of performing or supporting an operational role or both.

A complete system therefore includes all equipment, related facilities, material, software, services and personnel required for its operation and support to the degree that it can be considered a self-sufficient unit in its intended operational environment.

The Air Navigation Services System Such a system consists of machine and man. It should be the major task of this yet incomplete machine (i.e. the different equipments in their proper configuration) to expedite the flow of data in the system.

In order to fulfil! his system function and operational tasks man needs information and data. More traffic means more data. Equipment is manufactured to accept much more data than man can handle himself.

Therefore these data must be presented to him in a suitable way to enable him to act as a human interface, besides his major role of COMMANDING and CONTROLLING, i.e. MANAGING the system.

Every system concept proposal should therefore contain an operational part and a technical part.

Essential subsystems of the total system should be able to automatically detect and indicate malfunctions as soon as they occur to allow corrective direct human intervention.

The Air Navigation Services Subsystems When planning an extension or upgrading of an air navigation services system one should consider a few basic facts and rules.

Put the Man in the Centre of the System.

Make yourself a complete Picture.

Do not look at new Subsystem Functions in Isolation.

Consider that the Man in the System is the Heart of the System.

Consider that all vital Information on Pilot and Controller Intentions and Decisions is being negotiated by Voice Communication (R/T or Landline).

For economic System Operation the Air Navigation Services System must form an Entity like Pieces of a Puzzle make a Picture in putting the Subsystems together.

In order to give a Guideline in this Direction, the basic Pieces of the Air Navigation Services Puzzle should be put together as follows: PER/ TRG / SIM SMC and LOG RADAR and FPP AID MET and D/F and NAV and NOTAM Voice & Data COM. 16

Our Objectives are to maintain the present level of safety to increase capacity to adapt to changing user requirements to make optimum use of the available airspace to improve civil and military coordination to improve environmental and working conditions In fulfilment of these objectives the following constraints must be observed: airspace user types of aircraft defense concept feasibility traffic demand resulting in commercial, private and military user requirements; safety matters - international commitments - defense requirements resulting in political constraints.

Modern Tools in Air Traffic Control These tools must be differentiated by system functions equipment supporting tools and should be valued according to their effect and importance; to the controller to the technical environment to the organization.

MODERN TOOLS IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL Air Traffic Controller FCB RNAV COLOR DISPLAYS CURT CONFLICT PREDICTION CONFLICT ALERT

FPS REPLACEMENT SIMULATION DABS/ADSEL IPC ACAS DATA LINK GPS/NAVSTAR ATARS BCAS SEVERE WX DISPLAY METERING & SPACING AIRBORNE STATION KEEPING AIDS MLS VAS LLWSAS ASTC ACTIVE FLOW CTL GRPAHIC DISPLAYS MONOPULSE RADAR

Technical Environment

COLOR DISPLAYS CURT CONFLICT PRE· DICTION CONFLICT ALERT RADAR TRACKING SMC FPS REPLACEMENT SIMULATION DABS/ADSEL IP.G ACAS DATA LINK GPS/NAVSTAR ATARS BCAS SEVERE WX DISPLAY METERING & SPACING AIRBORNE STATION KEEPING AIDS MLS VAS LLWSAS ASTC ACTIVE FLOW CTL GRAPHIC DISPLAYS MONOPULSE RADAR

Organization FCB RNAV

SMC FPS REPLACEMENT SIMULATION DABS/ADSEL IPC ACAS DATA LINK ATARS BCAS

METERING & SPACING AIRBORNE STATION KEEPING AIDS MLS

ASTC ACTIVE FLOW CTL

SYSTEM VALIDATION MSAW

Operational Requirements for System Extension and Upgrading -

ACCELERATION OF THE COORDINATION PROCESS INCREASE OF FLIGHT PROGRESS DATA ACCURACY

CAIRO '81 The 20th Annual Conference of IFATCA provides the unique opportunity to experience the flair of the ancient world while receiving an update on latest aviation technology.

I FATCA '81 4-8 May 1981 at the Cairo Hilton and 9th May for an optional tour to Luxor

Make the Cairo Conference your Rendezvous for 1981 The Cairo Hilton from across the Nile.

17

INTRODUCTION OF A FLEXIBLE ROUTE SYSTEM ACTIVE AIR TRAFFIC FLOW CONTROL IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTROLLER FUNCTIONAL UNITS OBEYANCE OF THE UNITY OF CONTROL PRINCIPLE AUTOMATIC CONFLICT PREDICTION (NON-RADAR) CONFLICT ALERT (RADAR) TAKE-OVER OF ROUTINE FUNCTIONS BY ADP MACHINERY to

Rigidity Decision Making FAILURE MODE OPERATION Failure Recognition Failure Recovery Failure Operations.

Conclusion

REDUCE CONTROLLER WORKLOAD IMPROVE CONTROLLER WORKING CONDITIONS INCREASE SAFETY resulting in - GREATER SYSTEM CAPACITY.

Human Factors JOB SATISFACTION AND MOTIVATION Achievement - Work Alignment Recognition Responsibility Control Authority Utilization of perceived Skills Challenge - Discretionary Flexibility Interest MAN/ MACHINE INTERFACE Vigilance Stress Intricacy Restrictiveness

THE CONTROLLER IS THE HEART OF THE SYSTEM THE CONTROLLER IS NO TYPIST THE CONTROLLER IS NO COMPUTER OPERATOR THE TASK WITH THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OF A CONTROLLER IS TO CONTROL AND SEPARATE AIRCRAFT THE CONTROLLER MUST HAVE CLEARLY DEFINED OBJECTIVES AND A VERY DEFINITE JOB DESCRIPTION THE CONTROLLER MUST BE MOTIVATED THE CONTROLLER IS A SYSTEM MANAGER SPLIT RESPONSIBILITIES ARE UNSAFE AND COST MONEY SPLIT RESPONSIBILITIES INCREASE LEGAL PROBLEMS ATC IS A COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM CONTROL RESPONSIBILITY MUST BE EQUAL TO AUTHORITY THE CONTROLLERS INTEREST MUST BE MAINTAINED UNDERUTILIZATION OF CONTROLLER SKILLS CAUSES NONRECOVERY FROM SYSTEM FAILURES WE MUST HELP THE CONTROLLER TO ENABLE HIM TO HELP THE SYSTEM REMEMBER REMEMBER - IT'S A MAN SYSTEM!

IFATCA NEWS SC IV Meeting

IFATCA at the 33rd Congress of the ITF

Standing Committee (SC) IV, Human and Environmental Factors met in Amsterdam for 3 days (1 to 3 September) to study the Committee's Work Programme as it was resolved by the 19th Annual Conference at Toronto, in May this year.

Main items of SCIV Programme for the year until the Cairo Conference in April, next year are: Continuance of updating the Committee's questionnaire in relation to the IFATCA Handbook (IHB); operation of SCIV Library: evaluation of the answers on the SCIV Questionnaire regarding the results of the ILO Meeting of Experts on ATC: medical research on ocular diseases; working conditions in ATC from the medical point of view; contacts with national and/or international Institutes, Administrations or Organisations regarding the identification of profession-related diseases and their promulgation.

(International Transport Workers' Federation) Miami, USA, 17-25 July 1980.

This Congress, the first since 1977 when the 32nd Congress was held in Dublin, Ireland, was attended on behalf of IFATCA

by President, Harri Henschler, for a two-day period, 18 and 19 July. The President of PATCO, R. E. Poli, attended throughout.

Approximately 1400 delegates, representing a large number of transportation employees' organizations from 64 countries, were registered. This group is made up of members of many facets of transportation and its specialties, from marine, road, rail, through air. Also in attendance were a large number of observers from international organizations, agencies, and governments.

Portions of the first two days and all of the last four days were dedicated to Plenary Sessions. During the ITF Congress the various sections, such as Seafarers, Road Transport, Railwaymen, etc. hold their own Section Conference. The Civil Aviation Section took place on 19 July 1980.

Concerns discussed, and Policy Statements and Resolutions voted on, were wide-ranging during the Civil Aviation Section Conference and covered such topics as "Use of Microelectronics in Civil Aviation", "Deregulation of Air Services (airlines)", "Cabin Crew Licence", "Flight Crew Complement", "Flight Data and Cockpit Voice Recorders", "Flight and Duty Time Limitations on Safety Grounds", "Air Transport of Hazardous Materials", to name only a number.

No items of imminent concern to air traffic controllers were discussed during the Civil Aviation Section Conference. However, reports on ITF involvement in the ILO Tripartite Meeting and the ILO Meeting of Experts on Air Traffic Controllers were tabled, as well as a report on a follow-up meeting of the ITF on the latter ILO Meeting, held in Geneva on 10 and 11 June 1980.

The ITF appears to be developping a greater interest in air traffic control. It has established a representative at ICAO. Of interest is an ITF Policy which would see international industrial action against countries harbouring aircraft Hi-jackers.

Following discussions on the Work Programme it was agreed that members of SCIV should make a study of the New Zealand's Tribunal decision to compare the salaries of the Controller with that of the New Zealand Airlines captain. Furthermore, the Committee will consider as a future agenda item the effects on the eyesight of the Visual Display Units (VDUs) and also the hearing effects of the modern headsets being used.

The Executive Board were represented by the Vice-President Professional, Mr. Andreas Avgoustis.

SCIV LIBRARY Member-Associations are reminded that SCIV Library functions and Associations may borrow books and other literature available for their members' benefit.

18

The Development of Commercial Aviation in Argentina The Way to Aerolineas Argentinas, Argentine's World Airline

by Horst Guddat

Argentina - a young and demanding country Looking at a map it doesn't need very much imagination to figure out that this country with 3.761.274 km 2 of continental, island and Antarctic territories is requiring an efficient communication and transportation system.

Apart from Greater Buenos Aires, where over 12 million people live, the 28 million total inhabitants of Argentina are widely spread. Among the few other commercial centres are Cordoba and Mendoza.

The country could easily afford 500 million people, but this is still in the stars and a long way to go. Argentina hasn't exceeded the youth age as yet and offers a wide spectrum of possibilities. It is still developing and you would be surprised to see some of the promising talents and prospects currently in the process of materializing.

The beautifully presented Aerolineas Argentinas Flight Magazine VOLANDO ARGENTINA is a fine introduction to the country, its artists, attractions and achievements. A country that has always had a certain "faible" for aviation and, of course, a vital interest in and need for this means of transportation.

Surface travel, as everywhere else in South America, was and will always be a very difficult, costly and time consuming venture.

Hence the natural interest in aviation, which was first documented in 1809 when the Argentine government received a proposal of a watchmaker from the Province of Mendoza to build a dirigible. Detailed plans for this project are preserved in the National Archives as are documents about the first successful balloon flights of an Argentine citizen from 1842 to 1844.

Balloon flights became very popular at the turn of the century and on 13th January 1908 its pioneers founded the Aeroclub Argentina which in December 1910 affiliated with the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI), seated in France, thus documenting the start of impressive aeronautical activities that brought forward many officially recognized record flights and remarkable aviation firsts.

The first airplane In 1909 the first airplane was imported to Argentina by the "Sindicato Aerea Argentina" for exposition in Buenos Aires. One year later, on occasion of the "Centenario Patrio", the Century of Independence, the Italian Ricardo Ponzelli made the first flight in a French Voisin airplane, but unfortunately crashed during landing. One week later, on 6 February 1910, the first successful flight according to FAI regulations by the Frenchman Henri Bregui was recorded. This was the beginning of a remarkable development where initially known and unknown pilots of the European countries became involved but where later on many sons and daughters of the country climbed up into the sky of the famed flyers to become the idols of an enthusiastic air minded nation.

The first air transport company - the first airport the first flying school As the "Sindicato" grew bigger the "Compania Aeres Argentina" was established, which built up an own aerodrome at "El Palomar" and opened an own flying school, the first in Argentina, on 20July 1910.

Some French pilots were hired for flying and instructing, the first passenger flights conducted and the first night flights performed over distances up to 4 kilometers.

Florencio Parravicini, the first Argentine June 1910 in Buenos Aires.

pilot,

in his flying

machine on 17

During 1910 already ten international pilots licences "Brevets" were issued according to FAI regulations to Belgian, French, Italian and also Argentine pilots.

Across the national boundaries and the start of commercial aviation The same year saw flights to the neigbouring countries. Steps were initiated to build up the national airplane industry, and one year later, in 1911, the first Argentine built airplane, a Castaibert, was exported to Uruguay, starting with it the history of military aviation of that neigbouring country. Also in 1911 the first airmail was carried. Commercial aviation was born.

A rapid development was to follow. Already on 16 January 1913, the first FAI recognized world record flight with passengers was noted for the German pilot Lube for his return flight to Montevideo on that very date.

Worth to note also the first pilots lincence issued to an Argentine woman. Amalia Figeredo got her "Brevet" on 1 October 1914, but she was not destined for a great flying career, possibly because kitchen work and raising children still were the prime tasks of women in those days.

As of 1917 regular air mail services between Argentina and Uruguay began and in the interior of the country several pilots started aero taxi enterprises between various points of commercial interest.

19

The invasion of foreign aviators After the end of World War I several delegations of pilots came to Argentina on friendly missions, bringing their aircraft with the idea of establishing airline services with regular passenger and cargo flights.

The war in Europe had produced a great number of pilots and flying machines now waiting for peaceful commercial use.

First to arrive were the Italians with 32 airplanes and 7 seaplanes. They started individual sporadic services in March 1919.

Next in the line were the British. The De Havilland Company sent Major Kingsley with a fleet of 16 airplanes in June 1919. Supported by some Argentine aviation pioneers, among them the first pilot of the country, Aaron de Anchorena. Major Kingsley founded the "River Plate Company" in August 1919 and managed to establish quite regular services on various routes throughout Argentina. In the first year this, what you may call the first functioning commercial air transport enterprise flew 8.175 km without accident, carrying a total of 12.224 passengers.

In September 1919, a French group under Lt. Col. Maurice Precardin arrived with 20 airplanes, 4 seaplanes and 4 gliders.

Among the 32 officers, pilots, technicians and staff was a young Argentine fellow who later on should become famous in the Argentine aviation business, Vicente Almandos Almonacid.

Already in October 1919 the newly formed "Compania Franco Argentina de Aviaci6n" started operating scheduled flights, and in December 1919 international scheduled ~lights were inaugurated to Montevideo.

Services to Mendoza followed in January 1920. For the 1.100 km about 12 hours were needed, using the Breguet to La Carlota and from there the Farman 50 to Mendoza. Service stations with hangars and other facilities established in Pergamino, Rio, Cuarto, Villa Mercedes and La Carlota.

This was an absolute necessity for the rapidly progressing air transport system. Over 80 airplanes were operating in Argentina in 1920. They required servicing, maintenance and shelter from often adverse weather.

The two functioning companies of English and French origin soon found that working together was much better than senseless, hindering competition. They were meant to serve the same purpose, hence it was wise to agree on a merger. In September 1921 "River Plate" and "Franco Argentina" formed the "Compania Riopla1ense de Aviaci6n" with a capital of a million Pesos and some 40 aircraft. General Manager was Shirley Kingsley. In the Executive were managers and stockholders of grea1 Argentine en1erprises. A clever approach to promo1e aviation in the country. More people had to be convinced that aviation was the key to the development of national economy.

In June 1924, the German Junkers group arrived in Argentina, introducing the best aircraft of the time, the modern and economic allme1al single 185HP engined F-13L airplane with four seats plus 2 crew, and !he A-20L with a 235HP engine, both convertible into seaplanes. Later on the 3-engined G-24 with a capacity

of 12 passengers and the A-50 "Cadete Argentino" followed. Regular, three times a week services to Montevideo were started on 1 March 1926. Until October 1927 a total of 436 flights were carried out, 1.420 passengers, 6.153 kg baggage and 3.512 kg of air mail flown over 93.740 km. The regularity achieved was outstanding, 97,3 0/o, a figure that even today would give pride to many an airline company.

The beginning of "La Linea" In those days the French Airline operator Pierre Latecoere started thinking about extending his enterprise across the Atlantic beyond the most southern point in Africa he already served, Dakar. He sent Captain Roig to Buenos Aires to study the extension from the north of Brazil down to Argentina.

Roig got in touch with the meanwhile well-known captain Almonacid, who had already quite some experience in airline operations and who got famous because of his night flights over the Andes.

Often referred to as "El Condor de la Roija" Almonacid was also mentioned in the famous Argentine aviation book "La Ligne"

by J. G. Fleury. Without him it hardly would have been possible to establish in 1926 regular services to the north of Brazil, from there to continue by ship to Africa and from there "Lineas Latecoere" took over again by air to Europe. Quite a long way to go, but it worked and cut the former travel time by ship considerably. In the beginning, however, this new connection was mainly used to carry air mail.

In September 1927, Lineas Latecoer was bought by Mr. Bouilloux-Lafont, a powerful businessman who owned some industry and enterprises in Brazil and Argentina.

Under the new name "Compagnie Generale Aeropostale" operations were continued and expanded. Almonacid became General Manager of the Argentine subsidiary "Aeroposta Argentina", and also took part in the foundation of "Aeroposta Uruguaya" in the neighbour country. His efficient leadership was reflected in the inauguration of a number of new connections and the modernization of some airfields. Pacheco airfield, for instance, was equipped with the best facilities available, such as radio communication and lighting. Aeroposta Argentina made quick progress. On 1 March 1928, the complete air link was established between Buenos Aires and France.

On 1 January 1929, regular mail and passenger services were established between Buenos Aires and Asuncion del Paraguay, with stops at Monte Caseros and Posadas.

On 15 July the route Buenos Aires-Mendoza-Santiago de Chile followed. On 1 November the line Bahia Blanca-Rivadavia followed with stops at San Antonion, Oeste and Trelow.

1929 was a successful and important year for the Company, in fact the first year of normal operation, producing a considerable profit, without any loss of man and equipment.

Unfortunately during 1928 some tragic accidents had occured, wherein a lot of brave French pilots lost their lives trying to conquer the ocean, the desert, mountain, endless forests and jungle. Their small Breguets, Lates 25/26 and Potez 25 simply were not fit for the adverse conditions that arose during their o!ten lonely flights, as impressively described by a famous pilot of those years: Antoine de Saint-Exupery. (Author of The little Prince, Night Flight).

More input, more professionalism, more safety

A 4-seated LATE-25 of Aero postal in front of the hangar at Buenos Aires

20

Another significant input from a foreign country came from North America, starting in June 1929, when Mr. Ralph O'Neil introduced his "Trimotor Safety Airways Co. Inc." to Argentina. He founded a subsidiary company called "New York-Rio-Buenos Aires (NYRBA)" to open the line Buenos Aires-Montevideo-RioBelem-Puerto Rico-Miami. During 1930 he extended his service to Mendoza and Santiago de Chile. NYRBA was operating a total of 22 mostly modern aircraft; 10 seaplanes, one Sikorsky monoplane, 6 Ford trimotor, 2 Lockheed Fleetstar and 3 Continental biplanes.

The tri-motor Junker Ju-52 "Pampa" of the late thirties.

Next to arrive was PANAGRA, a subsidiary of Pan American Grace Airways. In October 1929, their first flight from Santiago de Chile landed in Buenos Aires. They were to open some "diagonal lines" to the North West territory, and to Bolivia and Peru.

Initially all flights of PANAGRA to the USA followed the West Coast, having Santiago de Chile as the most southern centre and collecting point.

To the Argentine aviation personnel PANAGRA brought some valuable assistance. Operations control, flight dispatch, aeronautical meteorology, operations manuals and procedures were introduced or perfectionized by PANAGRA experts. A lot was done to make the equipment more reliable, the personnel more efficient and skillful, in short, flying safer.

In September 1930, PANAGRA took over the defunct NYRBA, which could not get an extension of their concession by the US government because of financial problems. All flight equipment and services were taken over by PANAGRA.

Difficulties to overcome Financial problems were also experienced by the Compagnie Generale Aeropostale which still operated as parent organisation to Aeroposta Argentina. After April 1931 Aeroposta Argentina gradually had to suspend some of its services. However, the airline survived. In May 1932, the company recovered again, supported by the Argentine Government and a few individuals. In the same year services were reinstated, and in September even flights to Rio Grande on the island of Tierra del Fuego were inaugurated, using the 8-passenger Late 28. This aircraft stayed in service until February 1937, when three 14-seated Junkers JU-52 trimotors (Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Pampa) took over.

The thirties saw a lot of activity on the Argentine aviation scene originating both in foreign and domestic sources.

PANAM, through PANAGRA and PANAIR, extended services into Argentina. The German Sindicato Condor connected Argentina and Germany through a line via Brazil and Montevideo.

Domestic enterprises tried to get a share on the regional market, there were "Valles Calchaquies" (Salta Province), "STA-Sociedad de Transportes Aereos" (Tucuman Province), "Transportes Aereos Ranqueles" (Cordoba Province), "SANA-Sociedad de Navegacion Aerea" (Rio de la Plata), to name but a few.

Also the Argentine Army tried to get into the commercial air transport business. Starting the experiment with home built aircraft in February 1934 (SETA), continuing with remarkable success into the mid-forties. In 1940 the Army established LASO, which in 1944 merged with the LANE company set up in 1943. The combined "Lineas Aereas del Estado - LADE" operated a total of 1.440 flights, carrying 20.905 passengers, 17.432 kg of mail and 13.072 kg cargo.

Again the areas of activity and preference were distributed among existing companies, and new names of consolidations appeared. The southern part of Argentina was assigned to "Sociedad Mixta Aeroposta Argentina", the north and northeast to "Sociedad Mixta Aviacion del Litoral Fluvial Argentino - ALFA", the northwest and west to "Sociedad Mixta Zones Oeste y Norte de Aerolineas Argentina - ZONDA" and the international services to "Sociedad Mixta Flota Aerea Mercante Argentina FAMA".

The latter company is considered to be the immediate predecessor of the international Argentine carrier of today, "Aerolineas Argentinas".

FAMA soon gained international experience and a good reputation. For the first President of FAMA, Miguel Miranda, it was not at al I easy to get things started. New aircraft had to be acquired, because regular services necessitated modern and reliable equipment.

Some Douglas T-169, later a few DC-3s, Sandringham Flying Boats and the DC-4 carried the company flag on expansion course to various countries. Here the highlights.

On 22 March 1946, a T-169 took off at 3:30 in the morning from the base of Palomar on its inaugural flight to Santiago de Chile. With the raising sun in the back pilot-in-command Jose F. Badin and his crew saw the fabulous spectacle of the gradually developing cumulunimbus climbing over the mountain peaks of the Cordilleres de los Andes. As the flight was supposed to be carried out in visual meteorological conditions to allow for visual navigation, it became more and more difficult to find a way clear of clouds through the montainous region with peaks up to 5.000 meters. Only the high skill, discipline and knowledge of the pilots made it possible to finally reach the destination, where the crew and passengers received an enthusiastic welcome by the President and people of Chile.

On 11 May 1946, the first flight to Rio de Janeiro was carried out with the Flying Boat "Brasil", and on 4 June of the same

P'l..0TA

A1!:REA Ml!RCANTE

AR<Jl!NT1NA

F. A. M.A.

Reorganisation of commercial aviation On 27 April 1945 an aviation law became effective that regulated and protected commercial flights of Argentine enterprises both on domestic and international routes.

The 22-seated Vickers Viking of FAMA of the fifties.

21

--

~--•h••

-

-•

•

•

•

'°

-----

• --

The first FAMA York to land in Dakar was under the command of Capt. Kment!, with 27 years not only the youngest pilot of the company in those days, but also one of the most experienced (3.800 flying hours at that time). His co-pilot was the then 36 year old Edgardo Nanini, who had already over 6.000 flying hours in his log book.

According to Kment! approach and landing at Dakar in those days was always exciting and at times even dangerous. Poor ground facilities, frequent fog, sandstorms and other adverse conditions left air crews in a rather awkward position. Arriving over Dakar with minimum fuel, there often was no other chance than to attempt even a dangerous landing - they had to land, be it within the airfield boundaries or on the beach. The next airport was too far away. Once Kment! himself was faced with such a critical situation. It must have been in late 1947, he recalls,

.

The AVRO York of FAMA in the mid-forties.

year - the day when General Peron took over the Presidency of the country - another event produced headlines in the local and international press.

FAMA goes intercontinental It was the inauguration flight to London, which attracted the public interest. The Sunderland Flying Boat LV-AAQ "lnglaterra" took off from Puerto Nuevo with Capt. Charles MacDonald in the left hand seat of the cockpit. Among the passengers were two young pilots who later on should get quite some reputation, Luis C. Kment! and Edgardo P. Nanini. The flight via Rio, Natal, Bathurst Lisboa, Biscarosse and Poole took over 36 hours and was quite an adventure, as Luis Kment! remembers. Operational handling was poor and air traffic services along the route practically nonexistent. And this is how the journey looked like: Buenos AiresRio, 8 hours, night stop; Rio-Natal, 9 hours, night stop; NatalBathurst, 13 hours, night stop; 2 hours to Lisboa and from there 5 hours to Poole, south of the British capital from where a short bus trip closed the link to London. A few months later services were inaugurated to Paris, Madrid and Rome. The fourengined Avro York and Tudor, later the DC-4 were used on the routes to Europe reducing the flying time Buenos Aires - London to 32 hours.

In the first year of operation already over 1.700 passengers and 5.000 kg of freight were carried over a distance of 5 million flying kilometers.

After 8 November 1946 all regular flights to and from Europe went via Dakar, a strategically important airport promoted by the French Airlines of those days. It became an equally important hub for FAMA.

-The DC-6 was introduced the DC-4.

22

on the routes to Europe in Summer 1953 to replace

Capt. Lu is Kment! in front of a DC-6 parked on the apron of Frankfurt Airport

that he arrived over Dakar, almost no visibility, preceeding aircraft, in an attempt to land, had crashed on the landing strip and caught fire, airfield closed. Kment! didn't have enough fuel to make it to another airfield. Circling over Dakar, where meanwhile a few other aircraft got trapped in the same way, Kment! prepared the passengers and crew for the worse - the emergency landing on the beach. The ground staff was rotating too. One of the fellows, however, kept quite calm and produced a real bright idea.

He managed to convince his fellows to position oil barrels along both sides of another landing strip, which were lighted to disperse some of the fog. With the indication of his fuel gauges vibrating near "empty", Luis came in as number one. No radar in those days, no Instrument Landing System, just a squeeking intermittendly operating radio range and a lot of background noise.

Kment! remembers that uneasy feeling when he was diving down into uncertainty, the eyes concentrated on the instruments and at the same time scanning the area dead ahead through the small windshield windows to find the helping light of the oil torches.

Lower and lower the York sank, the sound of the engines still normal, precious fuel was still running through their veines, seconds extended to breathless minutes, than the first two flik-

kering licr.ts, tt:e powerful engines roared up tremendously while Luis furiously applied some last minute course corrections to bring the ex-battleship into the best possible position for a safe landing, and down she was - perhaps somewhat rougher than usual, but circumstances also were somewhat unusual. They had made it, and that is what counted.

Under normal circumstances a flight instructor would probably have inhaled the air through his teeth aloud and produced a sigh of relief when the bumping aircraft had quietened herself into a slow landing roll. But there was nobody to count the days of the week and a roaring applaus from everybody on board the plane burst out instead. Well done, captain!

"Ey the way all other aircraft came down safely as well and ,jid not have to chare the ill-fate of the fatal crash that had cal!sed the who'.e dilemma, Kment! added, as if he wanted to say that this keen approach was nothing special as everybody else had made it too.

Events like th!s one naturally added to the good reputation of FAMA, which al~o i::. reflected in the rapidly increasing passenger numbers. In the first year of operation (6 months during 1946) the company carried about 1.700 passengers and 5.000 kg cargo over roughly one million flying kilometers.

During 1947 already over 10.000 passengers and 27.000 l<g of cargo were recorded on routes covering 5 million kilometers.

FAMA then had a fleet of 12 Douglas DC-4s, 3 Avro Yorks, 5 Vickers Vikings and 2 Lancastrians. Later 6 more modern DC-6s for intercontinental flights to New York and San Fransisco (since 21 October 1949) and Europe, and 5 Convair 240s, for regional services, were added to the fleet.

Aerolineas Argentinas DC-3 at Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport.

International cooperation The late forties also saw activity with regard to international cooperation. Programmes of mutual support and assistance were found to be of increasing importance in the air transport world.

Hence cooperation contracts were concluded with a number of foreign international airlines. In addition the need for an international body to coordinate all civil aviation matters internationally was recognized, and the idea materialized in the foundation of IATA, the International Air Transport Association. FAMA became one of the first members, whereas at about the same time the air minded Argentine government became one of the first contractors of the then establishing International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Argentina thus became an enthusiastic supporter for the application of standard rules and procedures in all fields of civil aviation, and ever since has taken an active part in the international coordination of aviation matters.

The AVRO 748 of Aerolineas years during the sixties.

served on domestic

routes for a number of

lished on 7 December 1950. Equipment and most of the personnel was taken over from the then existing companies. After some reorganisation had been applied, services continued with practically no interruption.

International routes were even extended gradually despite growing competition, increasing costs and some stagnation in air travel. Tourist travel in those days was still a sleeping market. Until the mid-fifties the company struggled along as good as possible. Then evolutionary developments in Europe were recognised and immediately acted upon.

After the introduction of the first civil jet transport aircraft, the legendary DeHavilland Comet by Britsh Overseas Airways (BOAC), the purchase of one Comet 4 was decided by the company and steps initiated to train sufficient crew and staff for the entry into the Jet Age. Beginning of 1959 Capt. Leslie Amos was the first Aerolineas pilot to fly the Comet. He and all the others flying the "Beauty" enjoyed very much that new feeling of higher speed and altitude.

New dimensions were conquered both in terms of time and flying comfort.

On 6 March 1959, the first Aerolineas jet LV-AHN was baptised in Buenos Aires as "Las Tres Marias" and immediately started an extensive demonstration tour to Europe under the command of Capt. Guillermo Riis.

As a young controller in Frankfurt Approach Control, the author remembers the appearance of the Aerolineas Comet in Frankfurt and the tremendous effort on the side of ATC to accommodate the high performance aircraft. Special approach and departure procedures were composed which, after some time, were abolished again as the controllers found out that there was nothing special about the jets. This policy has survived into the

The foundation of Aerolineas Argentinas In following the substance of another civil aviation law, which called for the uniting of all Argentine air transport companies, Aerolineas Argentinas, Empresa del Estado, was estab-

The De Havilland Comet IV was the first passenger jet on the South Atlantic route. Aerolineas introduced this beautiful 87-seat jet plane in 1959. This was the beginning of the jet age in commercial transport. What a glorious start for LV-AHS ...

23

Keq,ingtrack

ofATCtechnology Keeping track of present and future requirements in air traffic control technology is a specialist task. And Signaal, Philips' specialist company in air traffic control, has been doing just that. The result?

A comprehensive programme of high-technology radar equipment which can be integrated to form a variety of customer-defined system configurations, and extended or upgraded as circumstances dictate.

The advanced LAR-II L-band radar, for example, incorporates a synthesizer-controlled coherent trans-

PHILIPS

mitter with a travelling wave tube final amplifier to provide a high mean power for long-range ( over 200 NM) surveillance. In addition, LAR-II features multipulse operation to achieve a very short minimum range performance of less than 0.5 NM, making it suitable for terminal area sites also. Pulse compression in the receiver ensures excellent range discrimination. Secondary surveillance radar for positive and instantaneous aircraft identification, acquisition of altitude information, etc, can also be supplied and

integrated. Processing the vast amount of incoming data and presenting it to the air traffic controller in the most suitable form is another Signaal speciality.

Software-based video extractors, for example. The primary extractor is capable of reducing thousands of plots ( caused mostly by "angel" activity) to aircraft tracks only, while the secondary extractor achieves gc1rble-freedetection of two interleaved pulse train responses. If required, the system can be configured for moving target detection by replacing the primary

Four-colourdisplayreduces mismterpretations. Comparative tests. canied out in cooperation with the Netherlands Institute for Perception. prnved that misinterpretations were considerably reduced when using Signaal"s new 2:3inch multichromatic (green. red, yellow, orange) b1ight display. Even under normal light eonditions, eolour presentation reduced the time taken to scan the screen for specific information, and less effo1t was needed to distinguish different elements on display. A multi-station system, each station equipped with a 4-colour display, a mmicomputcr and a touch mput device. has already been ordered by Aust1ia.

extractorwithan MTDsub-system.And to visualize this data, there'sa rangeof radarand electronicdata displaysextendingfromanalogthroughmixed analog/ digital,fully syntheticand fullybrightsynthetic to synthetic4-colour.

Signaal'sradarequipmenthas alreadybeen chosen to formthe nucleus of air trafficcontrolnetworks e.g. in Holland,Paraguay,Singaporeand the United Kingdom.But Philips'total capabilityin aviationgoes verymuchfurther,asthe followingexamplesillustrate.

lntci,,,-ated telecommunications.

AERO PP. a data ,;witching-and data handling system for aeronautical operation. permits gradual. eeonomic ,_,.,·owth:from a small installation routing low volumes or AFTN traffic to a powerful multi-user t-cntre providing-a complete range or aeronautical telecommunications services, including a link to the llight-plan prot:essing system. The system is based on the Philips DS-714 hardware. well pro,·en in switching centres of public. private. meteorological and aernnautical communications networks the world over.

If you want. to know mur<'. the hook·Philips in A\'iation' is yours forthP asking.Just send your business can.I or name

and address to: Philips lnclust1icsC.M.S.D..

Marketing Communication A,,, VOp.Room

Totalcapabilityfromthe ground up.

By comhinmg the know-how of our specialist companies we can offer a closely integrated programme of equipment.. systems and services to the Aviation Authority. The pro1,'l"llmmeincludes: specialised lighting systems for taxiing, take-off. apron positioning and mnway apprnach. as well as indoor and outdoor tcnninal lighting: navigational aids such as ILS. DME and VOR: HF /VHF /UHF and microwave radio communications: computer-based radar for air traffic control and airp01tsurface movement (ASDE): termmal son01isation and secuIity systems, and a range of services extending from advance study and evaluation of airp01t requirements to airp01t constrnction and commissioning. From equipment design, supply and mstallation to the supervision and trainmg of operational and technical staff.

22. Eindho,·cn.Holland.

PhilipsworkinginAviation

I

... and what a pitieful for a machine.

end after 10 years of service. Hard facts of life, even

present days where things have even turned the other way round - a piston engine aircraft like the veteran DC-3 or any of the 4-engined Douglas planes have to get the special treatment as they don't fit any longer into the almost total jet scenarium.

Aerolineas was the first airline to use jets on the South Atlantic scheduled services, thus cutting travel times between Argentina and Europe by almost 40 %, another pioneer effort that was underlined by a total of 240 officially recognized records established for the various routes of the company.

This naturally was encouragement for the introduction of more jets. Over the years the Boeing 707, 737, 747 and 727 as well as the Fokker F-28 were added to the fleet.

The 6 Comets operated by Aerolineas were gradually phased out in the mid-sixties to give way to the more efficient Boeing 707, which could carry more passengers at higher speed over longer distances. Some of the Comets were sold to Danair of Britain, where two of them still fly regular charter services.

The Fokker 28, Boeing 737 and the 727, which was purchased only recently (1978/79), serve domestic and regional routes.

Since the beginning of 1978 again new dimensions were opened up with the acquisition of the first B-747 for intercontinental flights.

A great effort - training and maintenance At the time the second 747 was due to arrive in Argentina there still was a lack of pilots. Training and resources couldn't keep pace with the urgent requirement for 747 pilots. At one time in 1978/79 only 13 captains were available when there was a requirement for 25. A heavy burden on the crews at that time and a great effort to have the shortage reduced in relatively short a time. Main resource for the 747 was the 707 pilot contingent, which in turn had to be filled up by new recruits.

The National Flight Training Center in Buenos Aires was filled to capacity at times (about 50 students at a time). This modern training facillity has a long history too.

Originally located at Moron (the first international airport of Argentina, situated some 12 km away from Buenos Aires, it was founded at the initiative of PANAGRA in the late thirties, and was already used by ALFA, ZONDA and FAMA. Many famous pioneers gave a helping hand to its successful operation. Among them Jean Mermoz, an ex-Air France pilot, who was the first to cross the South Atlantic westbound non-stop in 1930 with a single-engined LATE 28. Flying for Aeropostale Mermoz also used the Junkers Ju-52 and the Latecoere 300 Flying Boat "Croix du Sud" with which he unfortunately crashed into the South Atlantic at the age of 38.

Alike his friend Antoine de Saint-Exupery he died too early.

In 1949, the flying school moved to Buenos Aires to be reorganised under the auspices of Aerolineas Argentinas. Not only flying personnel but also ground operations and maintenance personnel were trained there. Since 1958 the school is located at Ezeiza Airport, to which in 1968 a modern training center with 26

simulators and training facilites was added. Simulators are available now for the Boeing 707, 727,737 and 747. Intensive training is still under way to recruit pilots for the steadily increasing fleet· of Aerolineas which currently consists of: 1 Boeing 747SP (extremely long range), 4 B-747, 8 B-707, 12 B-737, 4 B-727 and 3 F-28.

Since 1977 an all jet fleet.

At the flying school also pilots for a number of foreign airlines are trained, among them Avianca and Lan Chile.

The maintenance center operated at Ezeiza Airport is the most modern in South America. Since 1965 US-FAA certified, it carries out repair and maintenance for a number of airlines and employs around 1.850 specialists, deploys of 3 big hangars and a turbine test building.

On a side note it may be interesting to have a quick look at the development of air traffic control in Argentina. First introduced

by Aeropostale in the late thirties, it was extended by PANAGRA, which established the first control centres, meteorological stations and navigational services including maintenance.

As the need for efficient ground services grew with the increasing air traffic the government took action and in 1949 established the National Air Traffic Services System, to be operated as a government service since that time.

An own air traffic services school is operated at Ezeiza Airport, which the author had the opportunity to visit some two years ago. This is a high-capacity institute with modern training facilities for area control, approach and tower control, telecommunication and technical staff, including navigational aids maintenance. Also a flight simulator for PPL and CPL training is available as well as a language laboratory, which is of vital importance because the Argentine ATS personnel is generally in need of better knowledge of the English language. The schoor currently recruits all needed ATS personnel for Argentina and for a number of other Latin American countries.

The Anniversary Year and who is to be congratulated The 7 December 1980 marked the 30th Anniversary of what Argentine insiders proudly refer to as the continuation of "La Linea".

Aerolineas in their recently introduced new livery that is well received by spectators and users is to be congratulated for their pioneer work in civil air transport, which was highlighted again this year with the inauguraton of regular services over the South Pole Route to the Far East. In command of the first flight was Capt. Horacio Segura, a senior pilot with over 20.000 flying hours.

On 7 June, he took off from Buenos Aires, headed his Jumbo south towards Rio Gallegos, then the Argentine Antarctic Station Marambio, the South Pole, then north to Auckland, where he made an intermediate stop after 12 hours flying. Continuing to Hong Kong, he landed there after a total flying time of 24 hours and 10 minutes. The normal route would have required 32 hours.

One of the four Aerolineas

Boeing 747s that presently connect Continents.

With that successful venture Buenos Aires now is at the threshold of an interesting development which may well result in an important role as a hub for the South Pole Routes.

Distances are no criteria anymore, especially after the recent introduction of the Boeing 747 SP, an economic long range version -of the Boeing Jumbo. Flight times are due for reduction again and it is indeed amazing to compare, for instance, the times of the first South Atlantic services to Europe in 1946 with a total travel time of 72 hours, requiring 3 night stops on the way, with a less than 11 hours nonstop trip of today.

Many of you readers have witnessed this phantastic progress.

You will appreciate the efforts and achievements of those involved and especially of those who contributed to the pioneer work. Of the Aerolineas staff I unfortunately cannot mention all who were involved, although they all merit mentioning.

Let me begin with chief pilot Carlos Gho, who logs over 24.000 ·flying hours, gathered on DC-3, 4, 6, Electra, Comet-4, B-707, B-747. Carlos spent many years in the United States, an experience his company very much could profit from. Flying across the -South Atlantic with the first 747 of Aerolineas the author was impressed by the skill and calm determination of the chief pilot who handled all situations with the prompt and correct reaction required by the situation. The author also was invited to watch an automatic approach and landing. Quite impressive to see the big ship descending towards Madrid Airport without anyone of the cockpit -crew touching the controls. Rate of descent, speed, flaps, throttle, €IC. everything actioned by invisible hands, the runway coming closer and closer, gear down, more flaps, less power, nose up, wheels gently touching down, with the nose wheel running just about 2 meters left of the centerline down the runway. At this time Carlos took over the controls again to slow down the aircraft for 1,;rn off at a suitable taxiway.

'\:..:.-,)

In the upper lounge of a B-747 the author had the privilege of meeting Capt.

Luis Kmentt and to listen to some exciting stories of his exceptional aviation career. He is still the same dedicated, enthusiastic, yet discreet pilot.

Speaking about his pioneer work and merits makes him shy and uncertain if this is really worth mentioning. Aerolineas can be proud of having such an experienced and motivated Senior Pilot.

Congratulating an airline for its achievements at the same time means recognising the service of many individuals that make the system work.

Currently Aerolineas employs a total of 10.000, including 500 pilots. The company is represented in 88 cities, and has regular flights to 62 towns in 15 countries.

In the 20th Anniversary Year 934.123 passengers, 9.542.629 kg freight and 1.580.530 kg mail were carried on routes equalling 33.290.000 flying kilometers. These figures are expected to have doubled in the 30th year of operation. A promising development which is hoped to continue.

Acknowledgement The author is very much indebted to Terencio Emilio Oscar Spaini, Audi· toria General, Aerolineas Argentinas, Buenos Aires, who provided a wealth of material, and to Oscar Jose Donelli, who translated Spaini's excellent collection of historic events into English. Terencio Spaini is the holder of the Air Traffic Control Certificate No. 1 for Tower Operators in Argentina, issued in Buenos Aires on the 14 March 1947. He worked many years as a controller and still feels very much connected to the ATC profession.

Definitely his heart beats for aviation, it is touching to hear him talk about the old days. In appreciation of the most valuable cooperation the author further wishes to thank various Aerolineas crews, who so readily contributed with their personal experience and knowledge, and the Frankfurt represen:ation of the airline for their update information.

Capt. Carlos Gho in the left hand seat of the Boeing 747 cockpit.

Captains Carlos Pacheco, Antonio Torroella and Guillermo Riis already retired after many years of service. Capt. Riis, for instance, started flying when he was 17 years old, spent 42 years with various airlines, nearly 30 with Aerolineas, investing over 22.000 flying hours alone with that company. Valuable contributions also stemmed from the two instructor pilots Ronaldo Daintree and Feliciano Palermo.

Special tribute, however, has to be paid to Capt. Luis Kment!.

Already Number One pilot with FAMA, the predecessor of Aerolineas Argentinas, he also became Number One of the latter. Since 1 January 1946 he has been flying commercial aircraft. Starting flying with 16 years, he collected over 26.000 flying hours in his logs, more than 13.000 of them on jets. He piloted all types of aircraft of FAMA and Aerolineas and thus forms an active part in the history of the airline. A living example of dedication to the profession and of progress in aviation. Not many air!ines can boast of having motivated staff members like him and the ones mentioned above.

The CIPE Aviation Training Center at Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport.

27

The Effect of Automation in the Field of Air Traffic Control Introduction IFATCA has been grappling with various aspects of Automation since 1969. Until now, Conferences have considered no less than 15 Working Papers on the subject. The end result has been that IFATCA has a lot of Guidance and Information material but little worthwhile policy.

The 1979 IFATCA Conference consequently directed SCI to seek to wind up the subject by reviewing all on-going work, taking into account all previous Working Papers and putting the whole subject into perspective by preparing a very generalised paper. This would enable IFATCA to establish some useful broadbrush policy and, at the same time, remove the subject from the active SCI Work Study Programme - until such time as a positive requirement emerged for the development of detailed policy on any particular aspect.

This general paper, together with the Eurocontrol paper submitted separately on the specific subject of Conflict Detection, seeks to achieve these objectives.

The discussion section presents, in outline, an appreciation of the implications of the application of automation to existing ATC systems, highlighting these areas which are particularly sensitive when computers are used for this purpose. It further considers the implications of future developments in the more extended automation of Controller functions, particularly in respect of "total traffic management". This part uses as a basis the paper presented by the Eurocontrol Association on the subject to the 1979 Conference (WP 90/79).

Discussion General Assuming the need exists, the justification for automation is Improved efficiency. In the field of air traffic control, this covers Improved reliability and service, Increased safety, and increases In capacity and overall cost effectiveness.

When automated facilities are required their application to air traffic control may be divided into three stages.

The first stage is that which does not directly affect the controller or his task, although there may be resultant benefits in the reliability of service offered. This area includes such devices as communication switching systems, the decoding of SSR transponder signals, and simple strip printing systems. For the purpose of this paper this stage will be called "Background Automation".

The second stage is the automation of some of the tasks required to control aircraft and the provision of automated services which require the controller to have an active interface with the computer. This stage will be called .,Foreground Automation".

The third stage is the introduction of automation on a much wider scale with computers directly involved in the task of strategic and tactical traffic management. This stage which may also include active digital air-ground air communication, will be called "Total Traffic Management".

The following paragraphs discuss these 3 stages in the automation of ATC functions in more detail.

The First Stage - Background Automation The main objectives of this stage are to improve reliability, reduce maintenance and limit manpower cost. Automation in this field has effected some improvements for air traffic control: improved communications facilities provide a more reliable and efficient service with a consequent reduction in the frustration caused by inadequate facilities; decoded SSR readouts provide 28

improved identification and surveillance of aircraft. Few of these facilities require an active controller-machine interface, although the controller is able to use the results of the automated process to his benefit. New procedures are few and therefore there is no great change in the process of controlling.

Because the field of air traffic control, as a part of aviation in general, is governed by stringent safety requirements, new ATC facilities are not often brought into operational use until a significant period of development and proving has taken place. New devices are implemented only when the useful life of the old equipment has expired or overriding benefits result from the provision of new equipment.

This is particularly true in the next stage of automation, in which computers are used to provide more than just improved background tasks assistance.

The Second Stage - Foreground Automation Computer development had progressed a long way before automation was successfully applied to air traffic control operations. One of the reasons for this is that air traffic control is a most complex and interactive field. Although the final outcome of control results in a positive, safe instruction, the processes to arrive at that decision are based on a large quantity of data.

Much of this data is constantly changing - both as regards its content and operational importance.

Part of this data is derived logically over a period of time from a variety of sources, some of which may be considered individually as unreliable or irrelevant to the prescribed task. Although consistent reliable data (the food for all computers) is available it cannot often be separated from all the other types of information required to perform the service.

When automation is applied to air traffic control to take an active part in controllers' tasks, it is necessary to define all the computer's operations in detail and to ensure the computer can provide a result for each possible set of circumstances that it is capable of finding. An in depth understanding of the air traffic control system to be automated and an appreciation of the areas which can successfully be automated therefore is a prerequisite for those people involved in specifying required computer functions.

So far, automation has not significantly altered the style of the air traffic services being provided. During the process of studying the system in detail, some changes will undoubtedly be seen to be beneficial in order to take advantage of the speed, accuracy and data handling capabilities of the computer. This is one area which is most critical when implementing new systems. Any such changes made should however be easily assimulated by all staff and be of positive advantage. Improved reliability or overall costeffectiveness may be the advantage gained rather than a direct improvement for the controller. In this case, changes should in no way make the controller's task more difficult, or be implemented in such a way that the changes result in any distraction or frustration for the controller.

Controller training to accommodate changes is most important. The objectives of such training may be stated as: (a) to establish confidence in and to ensure acceptance of the modified system being provided, and (b) to ensure that controllers are aware of the implications of the proposed changes and are fully competent in operating the system.

The need for full training cannot be over emphasised. Controllers rely greatly on experience gained with the system through constant exposure to Iive traffic. If the system operated changes significantly, or the parameters on which the experience is based

are changed, then a period of retraining is necessary in order to re-establish confidence and experience. This is particularly relevant nowadays since manufacturers are changing from the role of suppliers of individual pieces of equipment to that of suppliers of complete systems.

Third Stage - Total Traffic Management Automation Until this stage automation in the field of air traffic control has concentrated on providing assistance for existing ATC tasks. To go further with the automation of the ATC system and provide greater scope for computers will require a revised outlook on the relationships between people and machines - in the air just as much as on the ground. If computers can eventually be relied upon to use their speed of operation to safely and efficiently compensate for the almost initiative logic of the controller, then the role of the human being may change significantly within the total system - though there will remain some functions which still can only be undertaken by the controller (or pilot) himself.

At this time it is possible only to speculate what the new relationships or tasks might be. More research, co-ordinated effort and development is still required before any such major reorganisation becomes a real possibility. Until then it is appropriate that effort be applied to maintaining an evolutionary progression in air traffic control, rather than a series of sudden and far reaching changes. Because the problems of air traffic congestion are unlikely to be solved quickly by the further development of active tactical air traffic control procedures and facilities, a greater emphasis on strategic air traffic management may supply a relatively speedy and progressive solution.

The provision of a suitable proposed traffic management flow plan in a given area is an obvious task for the computer. The computer cannot only provide a strategic flow pattern, but also alternatives, on request, so that the effect of revised parameters may be evaluated before acceptance by ATC. Such a system should cover as large an area as possible in order to gain maximum benefit. However communicairons would need to be the best possible, because they could be the limiting factor on the effectiveness of such an automated system. The size of area covered may in fact be determined primarily by the communication facilities available. Communication facilities for the transfer and updating of flight data on scheduled and nonscheduled flights will also dictate the frequency of production and updating of the strategic plan - which could be from once a month, to once a week or even daily. Interrogation of the plan and notification of changes require adequate communications, preferably on-line computer to computer. This naturally requires a common computer interface policy over as much of the region as is possible.

An obvious further development would be to monitor the strategic plan's progress continually and to provide information on anticipated over or under utilisation of available capacity and the effects of possible remedial actions. It is suggested that only with an automated strategic planning service will the best use be made of available airspace by today's tactical air traffic control systems and agencies.

Such a service would have the advantage of co-ordinating departure times, preferred routes and arrival times in advance, thus limiting the increasing number of unplanned delays and last minute changes of route. In cases where demand exceeds capacity, it must be anticipated that prenotified delays or changes of route may be experienced by a wider range of flights, in order to reduce the severe delays that would be experienced by the few to a minimum.

It is envisaged that the current tactical air traffic control services would operate much as they do now, while benefiting from this additional air traffic management service. IFATCA has had definitive policy on strategic planning since 1974 (Flow Control in the Western European Area and Flow Control-General Policy Statement), and automation is the most suitable means of achieving it.

Conclusions Background Automation This comprises facilities designed to reduce the workload of ATC staff in the processing and dissemination of flight plan data, to improve the quality of the flight plan and radar data displayed to controllers and to enhance their communications systems.

Their introduction is generally beneficial to ATC and should not adversely affect controller workload or result in any computer input commitments for the controller himself. No special policy is needed in this area.

Foreground Automation This comprises facilities designed to take over, or assist in, some of the controller's less complex decision making tasks without significantly changing the present day ATC System or the controller's tasks and responsibilities. The Eurocontrol paper on "Automation and Conflict Detection" includes a detailed examination of one such application - the automatic Conflict Alert facility.

At this stage of automation, providing that all implementation safeguards are maintained, the basic methods of air traffic control remain unchanged. The fact that some of the ATC processes may be automated does not affect established general IFATCA policy. The design and implementation of automation can be critical but each system, because of its complexity, needs to be considered separately.

The following basic policy statements should be adopted concerning the application of automation to existing ATC Systems: a) Automation of current ATC Systems should not significantly change ATC procedures or the tasks and responsibilities of controllers or related established IFATCA policy. b) The principles applied in implementing the automation of ATC systems should be in accordance with those specified in the guidance and information material adopted by IFATCA.

Total Traffic Management Automation This comprises facilities designed to take over, or assist in, more complex strategic and tactical decision making tasks of controllers. The Eurocontrol paper again includes a detailed examination of one possible application of such facilities for Strategic Conflict Detection and Resolution.

Extension of the application of Automation in this area will undoubtedly necessitate changes, some fundamental, to ATC procedures and the role of the controller in the total ATC system.

A number of the inferences of such changes have been dealt with in the Eurocontrol paper, which also proposes the adoption of certain related IFATCA policy. These need not be dealt with in this paper.

In respect of the wider aspects of the extended use of automation in a total air traffic management role the following additional policy should, it is suggested, be adopted: a) Although it is recognised that the application of computer facilities designed to improve overall ATC system efficiency will, in the long term, require new and different tasks to be introduced for controllers. it is essential that any such changes be evolutionary and that drastic changes be avoided at all costs. b) In order to achieve this objective emphasis should be given in the first instance to the development of automated support for strategic traffic planning, followed by the development of more sophisticated computer based support for the tactical ATC function. c) All automated system development for total ATC traffic management functions requires special consideration first to be given to the overriding need for adequate inter-unit and interstate computer communications, which may well prove to be the main limiting factor in the effectiveness of such systems. ■ 29

Maximizing the Capacity of a Single-Runway Airport Airport runways are the most expensive and critical timeshared components of the air traffic control system. In many regions, terrain problems or urban encroachment have made it difficult, if not impossible, to construct any more runways. Thus, in searching for ways to increase system capacity, it is important to consider methods of getting the most capacity out of the existing facilities.

by Tirey K. Vickers

The runway occupancy time of these departures can be further reduced by using a wide enough fillet to enable aircraft to taxi on to the runway and continue with a rolling takeoff if desired.

Dead-end runways present a problem for departures similar to those previously discussed for arrivals. If landing aircraft consistently overshoot the last runway exit and have to turn

In civil operations, only one aircraft at a time is allowed to use a runway. As a result, the traffic capacity of a runway is inversely proportional to the average time interval between successive aircraft operations (takeoffs and landings). Thus, the key to increased runway capacity is to find ways of reducing the average interval.

rig I

In the daily stream of runway operations, four types of intervals can occur: • • • •

takeoff followed by takeoff (T-T); takeoff followed by landing (T-L); landing followed by takeoff (L-T); landing followed by landing (L-L).

Fig2

Theoretically, each type of interval has an equal probability of occurrence. In actual practice, the number of T-L and L-T intervals are equal; but the number of L-L intervals usually exceeds the number of T-T intervals by a few percentage points, simply because landing aircraft are given the right of way over other traffic operations.

Fig.J

Generally, however, the percentages of all four types of intervals are so close together that a change in the average time of one type changes the overall average about one quarter as much.

For example, if a future type of approach computer reduces the average L-L interval by eight seconds, this will reduce the overall average of all intervals by about a quarter as much, or approximately two seconds. If the previous runway capacity was 44 operations per hour, the two-second decrease in the average interval would raise the capacity to 45 operations per hour.

The point here is that it is just as important (and sometimes more rewarding) to look for methods of decreasing the T-T, T-L, and L-T intervals as well. The following discussion deals primarily with possible modifications to the airport layout, to increase airport capacity by reducing the various types of runway intervals.

Fig4

Giide!Jooe antenna\

-+

\

t--("?""_------'ry------,-l '._

Entries and Exits One of the most important ways of reducing T-T and L-T intervals is to eliminate the type of situation shown in Fig 1, in which aircraft have to use the active runway as a taxiway, to get into takeoff position.

~20011

(6lm)

l

: >'cid : 'ire

:/

:E

\. =-----.----,"l .-120011·\366mJ-"""T"i

'-~l•OOlr--,

ma;c,1m•.1m

022m)

fig

5

The long runway-occupancy time, together with the uncertainty as to how soon the next arrival can safely start its approach, generates a high workload for air traffic controllers, and greatly restricts the capacity of the airport.

Some improvement can be made by providing a short taxiway loop as shown in Fig 2. Thi's reduces runway occupancy time somewhat and gives the departing aircraft a place to hold clear of the runway near the takeoff threshold while an arriving aircraft is completing its approach. However, the departing aircraft still blocks the runway for other operations while it is taxiing out to the loop.

This problem can be cured by the installation of a full-length parallel taxiway as shown in Fig 3. In this case, departures never have to use the active runway as a taxiway, but can enter the runway at the takeoff threshold when ready for takeoff.

30

Fig 1 The need to backtrack to the threshold causes delays.

Fig 2 Addition of a taxiway loop reduces runway occupancy time, although departing aircraft must still enter the runway to reach the holding point.

Fig 3 A parallel taxiway segregates taxiing departures from the runway.

Fig 4 The need to hold clear of the I LS glideslope leads to delay when the aircraft is cleared to line up for takeoff.

Fig 5 Repositioning of the glideslope eliminates the delay.

around on the runway and taxi back to the exit in order to leave the runway, L-T and L-L intervals will be large, because of the exce·ssive runway occupancy time of the landing aircraft.

This runway occupancy time can be reduced by installing a full-length parallel runway with an exit at each end. The installation of high-speed exits at strategic locations along the runway will allow aircraft to leave the runway with a gentle turn, at a somewhat higher speed (and thus sooner) than would be possible in using a conventional right-angle exit. High-speed exits are particularly useful in shortening the average L-T interval.

Obviously, high-speed exit's cannot improve traffic flow if pilots elect not to use them. For this reason, the exit taxiway beyond any high-speed exit must provide enough roll-out distance to let the pilot continue deceleration to a low speed, well before he has to make any sharp turns. In addition, all exits must be adequately marked and lighted.

~-: .;::·:-:: 1:· ••

be so designed that the flow of arriving traffic does not interrupt or block the flow of departure traffic - and vice versa - regardless of the runway in use.

ILS Interference When instrument approaches are in progress, taxiing or parked aircraft must not shadow, or interfere with, \he ILS glideslope signals.

At some airports this requires that departures be held a long distance away from the runway entry point, as shown in Fig 4.

If it then takes longer for the departure to taxi from the holding point to the takeoff position than it takes for the landing aircraft to decelerate and vacate the active runway, then the L-T intervals will be excessively large, and capacity will be limited accordingly.

This problem can often be solved by installing the ILS glideslope antenna on the opposite side of the runway, away from the taxiway used by departing aircraft. As shown in Fig 5, a departure can ·safely hold much closer to the runway entry point.

As soon as the landing aircraft passes this point, the departure can taxi into position and be ready for takeoff by the time the landing aircraft is off the runway.

··._

Bypasses One way to prevent interruptions in the departure stream is to provide a bypass on the taxiway, as shown in Fig 6, wide enough for one aircraft to taxi around another. This will prevent delay in a case where the first aircraft in line is not ready for takeoff by the time the ·second aircraft is ready to go. For best results, this bypass should be as close to the takeoff threshold as is practicable.

Runway Crossings A runway crossing blocks the runway during the time required to taxi the entire distance shown in Fig 7. If 20 aircraft or vehicles per hour have to cross the active runway, and if the average crossing takes 45 seconds, then the runway can be blocked up to 20 X 45 = 900 seconds during the hour. As there are 60 X 60 = 3600 seconds in an hour, the crossings would reduce the theoretical runway capacity up to 900/3600, or 25 per cent.

One way to reduce such losses is to move the crossing point closer to the takeoff end of the runway. As shown in Fig 8, the cros'sing can begin as soon as the takeoff or landing aircraft has passed the crossing point; the crossing operation continues while the runway is still being used by the takeoff or landing aircraft.

This reduces the amount of time that the runway is being blocked exclusively ';Jythe crossing operation.

To minimise the effects of runway crossings on airport capacity, it is necessary to design the crossover itself to minimise the time required to cross. For example, any crossover which looks like Fig 9 should be redesigned to look more like Fig 10.

Further reductions in runway occupancy time can be made, if necessary, by increasing the number of crossing lanes so that more than one aircraft or vehicle can cross at the same time.

Conclusion Fig 6 A bypass allows an aircraft not ready for takeoff to pull out of the way.

Fig 7 A runway crossing blocks the runway during the time taken to taxi the distance shown. If 20 aircraft or vehicles cross per hour, capacity may be reduced by 25 per cent.

Fig 8 A crossing near the threshold enables aircraft or vehicles to cross while the takeoff or landing is still in progress.

Fig 9 A staggered crossing should if possible be reconfigured as shown in Fig 10.

To achieve efficient utilisation of the runway, an efficient taxiway layout is necessary. Sometimes relatively simple lowcost changes to the airport layout, based on the concepts of (a) reducing the average runway interval, (b) minimising runwayoccupancy time, and (c) separating the arrival and departure taxi routes, can increase runway capacity and reduce air traffic delays. Side benefits will include a reduction in air traffic control workload per aircraft, with a re·sulting increase in safety.

■

Arrival and Departure Streams High capacity requires the capability to sustain an uninterrupted flow of arrivals and departures. The taxiway layout ·should

Reprinted with the kind permission of the Journal of ATC. The article first appeared in AIRPORTS INTERNATIONAL.

31

How can we learn from our mistakes if we never admit we make any?

Background The purpose of this paper is to identify and briefly discuss some common obstacles to the orderly growth and development of a complex, high technology system. It is based on personal observations during the past 22 years in human factors and involvement with several major aviation systems. Several ATC transitions took place during this period: we went from RBDE-5 radar displays and shrimp boats to NAS Model 3 in the centers, from ASR-3s to ARTS in the IFR Rooms, and from Tel-autographs to FDEP and BRITE radar displays in the tower cabs. In retrospect, it was a period of growth and progress, yet the movement was not always smooth, the direction not always forward. While a certain number of glitches and discontinuities are the normal accompaniment of major changes, there appeared to be certain recurring patterns that suggested some growing pains might be avoidable.

"Learning from mistakes" is one of the great cliches. Yet it is the hallmark of intelligent life, from flatworms to philosophers.

Professional football coaches and players spend weeks reviewing game films looking for places to improve. In contrast, bureaucracies, the great institutions of corporate endeavor, seem unable to recognize - let alone analyze - mistakes. Of course, football scores become an instantaneous part of the public record and the games are watched by tens or hundreds of thousands of "expert" analysts. To pursue the analogy a moment more, it is my plan to replay a few key games from the past in hope we can sharpen our skills for the future. A colleague expressed the idea this way, "Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment".

Before I go to some examples, I would like to give you my definition of "mistake" in this context of system development. A mistake is a significant expenditure of resources (money, personnel, time) in such a manner that not only failed to benefit the system in terms of improved safety, efficiency, or lowered cost, but because it did not conform to good practices, had a very low probability of success.

Examples My first example is also the first FAA project I worked on, an evaluation of an interlocking system of runway and taxiway crossing signs. Operated by controllers in the tower cab, it was intended to prevent the recurrence recently taken place in Boston.

The first step in this exercise was the installation of paired red and green lights at strategic runway-taxiway intersections at Washington National Airport. Shortly after the installation, " ... it was found that the lights were undistinguishable at night from other field lights." The system was then changed to rotating "hold" and "go" signs and, following an extensive delay due to runway construction projects, the new signs were tested. The controllers overwhelmingly rejected the signs as requiring extra work and attention with no significant safety advantage. About half the pilots thought they caused extra work and provided additional safety, but less than a third would have been willing to accept the clearance by sign in lieu of clearance by voice.

I use this as an example because it is a case of a concept (railway and highway traffic signals) being literally translated to an aviation environment, and dropped full-blown into one of the nation's busiest and most sensitive airports. There was no adequate study of the problem to anticipate some of the difficulties, or attempt to perform some experiments in a more forgiving environment. While the concept of visual ground control was certainly worth considering, installation and test at one of the 32

Lee E. Paul DOT/FAA/NAFEC Atlantic City, New Jersey 08405

nation's busiest airports had little chance of leading to a safer system. Unless the system worked perfectly under the worst conditions, it would almost certainly be rejected. The venture seems a calculated risk without calculations.

My second example also had its roots in tragedy, this time a fearful mid-air collision over New York City. At the time, a system for displaying aircraft identity and beacon altitude was approaching final shake down tests in the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center. Called SPAN, for stored program alphanumerics, this NAS precursor was just beginning to become a reliable control tool when the New York collision occurred. In months, the equipment was pulled out of Indianapolis, renamed NYCBAN, and shoehorned into the pressure cooker, New York Center at lslip.

Without dwelling on the details, the result was a human factors nightmare, with important controls and data entry devices located in the aisle, behind the controllers. As a result, there was little chance for significant improvement and virtually no chance for confident acceptance by the controllers. Within a year or so the system was quietly removed and some of the hardware shipped to Atlanta to support the successful ARTS-1 operation going on at the time.

My final example concerns the establishment of the New York Common IFR Room, and I had a more direct involvement with this project. A good deal of testing of this combined metroplex tracon was done at NAFEC and significant portions of the proposed facility had been mockeg-up and exercised with extensive air traffic control simulation.

The problem was that a decision had been made in the upper reaches of management to use large screen radar displays to be shared by several controllers at a number of positions. Unfortunately, the best available equipment at the time was designed and used for !heater presentation of limited distribution televised events. The projection system was large, complicated, expensive, and in the context of air traffic control usage, unreliable. One hundred percent redundancy was required for continuous operation. But even more cogent problems were raised on the operational side. Although the viewing screens were 8 by 10 feet, the required viewing distances made them effectively smaller than the standard 19 inch display at the usual 20 inch viewing distance.

Then, because several controllers were sharing a display, only a fraction of the screen area was of primary concern to each of them. In addition, they had to compromise on brightness and contrast settings and to shift their focus back and forth between close and distant points. To make matters worse, the alphanumeric characters on the display imposed more clutter than would have been the case with individual displays; large amounts of space in the IFR Room were required by the projectors, mirrors, and screens; and severe constraints were imposed on the console layouts. Offsetting these limitations were NO DEMONSTRATED HUMAN FACTORS OR OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGES. It is my understanding that the system did not become operational until every controller had a standard CRT display, although the large screen displays were kept in place and operational for a while for "coordination purposes."

Orderly Growth Let me shift our attention back to the original question: Why it is so difficult to bring about the orderly growth and development of complex technological systems? Why, when we have demonstrated our ability to carry out the most complex projects, do we seem to get more than our share of false starts, blind alleys, and diversions? We do well, but why don't we do better?

The basics of system design have been known for decades.

Clifford T. Morgan, a human factors pioneer, summed up the subject in one column-inch: System design is, or should be, an organized procedure.

Though it inevitably involves a certain amount of traditional "cut and try," it can be a rational, orderly process of analyzing a system, more or less quantitatively, before it exists, then designing it, and, later, evaluating the system in its prototype or preproduction form: These are the "good practices" I referred to in the definition of mistakes. I believe that we have, on occasion, strayed from this simple rational path for one relentless reason: Any significant technological change requires a minimum of 5 to 8 years of lead time.

This time is necessary because, if we follow the rational approach, we become committed to a number of essential steps, only some of which may be done concurrently: 1. Definition of problem.

2. Establishment of the boundaries within which a solution will be sought and a development program.

3. One or more iterations of the usual R & D cycle of design, build, test, and evaluate.

4. Coordination of the proposed solution.

5. Budgetary processes required for funding.

6. Procurement and contract processes.

7. Physical installation (of equipment) at facilities and its integration with existing equipment.

8. Hardware and software debugging, check out of procedures, and acceptance testing.

9. Training The number of years required by an orderly development process results in irresistible pressures to by-pass this system. In our zeal to find quick and cheaper solutions to real problems, we look for short cuts. We grasp at new technology and quick fixes which are neither quicker nor cheaper - and often not even solutions.

As one observes this phenomenon over a period of time, patterns begin to emerge and some generalizations are possible.

A time-proven technique for lopping years off the development cycle is DESIGN BY FIAT. Webster defines fiat as, " ... an order issued by legal authority, usually beginning with 'fiat' (let it be done); a decree." The classic case of design by fiat occurs when someone in high authority decides on a course of action and skips the first four steps of the development process, leaping directly to the budgetary and procurement stages. With luck, the vendor can do enough of the R & D to get things moving, while the remainder is completed in the "debugging" phase. Without the luck, delivery dates continue to slip and shake down never leads to a commissioned system. After an appropriate period of testing, the equipment is finally removed.

In a related variation, DESIGN BY DISASTER, the fiat is preceded by a catastrophe. A well publicized accident makes funds available in a fraction of the time normal planning and programming cycles take. But unless the development cycle has already led to a solid understanding of the problem and the solution, there will not be time to spend the money wisely. Then, untested equipment is placed in an operational environment and development and operations take place side-by-side. The illusion is created that substantive action has occurred, but the benefits are often questionable.

Another method of by-passing the development process leads to TECHNOLOGY BY ACCRETION. The most common form occurs when a facility responds to a problem by "buying a package" from a vendor. The equipment is then installed and tested.

If the users are satisfied, it is pronounced a success; a decision usually made by the same people who ordered the equipment.

With technology by accretion it sometimes becomes difficult to tell whether the problem or the solution came first. Operators • Morgan, C. T., Cook, J. S., Chapanis, A., and Lund, M. W., Human Engineering Guide to Equipment Design, McGraw-Hill, N. Y., 1963, page 1.

work for years with a piece of equipment and a vendor comes along with a new device that will do the job faster or more reliaby or more cheaply - but usually not all three together - and, having seen a solution, there is a sudden awareness that there has been a problem.

Although I have never heard it stated explicitly, I suppose the rationale for these end runs is that we simply cannot wait to go through the entire process. I contend that the time saved when system improvements result from fiat, disaster, or accretion, is illusory. These methods do get things moving faster, it is true, but the hidden costs go unreckoned.

These efforts are invariably rush jobs and given top priority.

The resources and personnel are diverted from the routine and more systematic programs and may well be a significant factor in the previously mentioned 5- to 8-year lead time.

They tend to keep the system from ever settling down to a steady state that can be carefully analyzed and evaluated. If the facilities are continually debugging new equipment and training personnel to use it, it is hard to state with certainty what "normal" operations are, and therefore, what normal problems are.

When field personnel are inundated with half-designed, halftested equipment, they are likely to become cynical about our ability to provide something really worthwhile. This is important, because the attitude of the users is a significant factor in any field trial.

We tend to keep score differently when we judge these quick fixes. While we may properly start the clock with the budget and procurement processes - which can be immensely accelerated under certain conditions - we stop it with installation of hardware.

I suspect that if the clock kept running until the system delivered the potential that was expected, the short cut wouldn't look quite so short.

When the development process is moved prematurely from the sterile but controlled environment of the laboratory to an operational facility, quantitative evaluation is virtually impossible.

While field personnel are dedicated and enthusiastic, they rarely have the training and experience to approach the design problem systematically or to evaluate a system rigorously. With new technology, the operational shake down may be taking place during the time the technicians are learning how to maintain the equipment. At the same time the workload, the demands on the system, are constantly changing: daily changes with the weather, seasonal changes, changes due to modifications in other parts of the system, and the effect of long term user trends. For this, and other reasons, the real impact of a system change in an operational setting becomes an educated guess. Even the "Hawthorne Effect," that performance may improve with any change and with a return to the status quo as well, can confound field evaluations.

The biggest problem with this piecemeal approach is the one that can only be seen over the longest time perspective. You simply cannot take a complex high technology system and change it weak link by weak link. The separate fixes do not, in the aggregate, add up to a modern efficient system, but to a patchwork quilt. Where technology by accretion rules, the attempt to automate frequently leads to the "automation of manual tasks." This may be the quick route to user acceptance but it leads to a cumbersome system whose costs and complexity far outweigh its benefits. It is only in retrospect that one discovers the gap between the promises of automation and the results.

This analysis is really no more than the beginnings of an idea.

It is neither comprehensive nor especially rigorous, yet it is my hope that it may prove sufficiently provocative to create concern.

I believe the problem are serious.

Recommendations To leave you on this note may, however, be unnecessarily pessimistic. The explosive growth of technology and the rapidly diminishing costs of performing complex functions opens avenues undreamed of less than 10 years ago. The challenge will be to 33

incorporate these opportunities into an integrated system. There are some factors that might be considered.

There is no substitution for an in-house R & D capability.

People who cannot do R & D - who are not doing R & D - will not know what R & D to buy, how to monitor what they do buy, or how to evaluate what they get.

There must be continuing R & D that is independent of specific system buys, and it must be protected from the impact of "crash" programs. Priorities tend to track contract dollars. But when dollars become available for a major buy, there is usually not enough time left for system definition. R & D must be targeted for what may be needed in 5 years, not what will be bought next year.

The conduct of a professional R & D program produces the important side effect of having able people who are knowledgeable on current technology. These people should be consulted before any change is made in the system - especially when there does not seem to be time for the entire development process.

Finally, I will have to say that we tend to overestimate the importance and the value of hardware. In any high technology system, the hardware is like the one-seventh of the iceberg that projects above the water. Most of the system is people, language, procedures, and organization. As we automate, we reduce the role of the operator, but the interfaces between the man and the machine become ever more crucial to success.

111 (Reprinted from the proceedings

of the 1979 ATCA fall Conference.)

News from Corporate Members ANSA ANSA, the Advisory Group - Air Navigation Services, Inc. had its annual meeting at Frankfurt/Main in August this year. ANSA now has 20 members in 8 countries and is prepared to expand into other geographical areas as well as in manpower. They are now represented in Europe, North America, the Mediterranean and in Africa.

Activities in 1979/80 concentrated on the production of an operational study on "Aeronautical Information Data", as required by airspace users and air navigation services personnel.

ANSA's considerations on AIDS found positive response worldwide. Discussion on this subject will, therefore, be extended.

Activities planned for the coming 12 months include the production of an "Air Navigation Services Data Dictionary" to include information on types of data, their sources, operational priorities, form of presentation, message size, formats, users, availability, update requirements, etc.

For IFATCA 1981 in Cairo presentations are planned on "Air Navigation Services Systems Configuration" and on "Efficient Provision and Use of Aeronautical Information Data".

All IFATCA member associations and corporate members may contact ANSA for any exchange of information, especially on operational subjects.

COSSOR Cossor and NATO IFF At the request of the Ministry of Defence, Cossor Electronics Limited has formed a Programme Office to co-ordinate the United Kingdom's industrial activities in the new NATO Identification System Programme which is being undertaken to improve the effectiveness of the NATO defences on land, sea and air.

For military purposes, the new system will ultimately replace the current IFF Mark 10 and 12 systems which in various forms have been used to distinguish between friends and foes since 1951. Crossor Electronics has already had discussions on collaborative arrangements with Siemens, who have been working on the German CAPRIS-NIS identification programme since 1973.

This has resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two companies on an agreed work programme and an exchange of data.

Goodwood Data Systems The Lektromedia Division of Goodwood Data Systems Ltd., of Carleton Place, Ontario, has been awarded a $ 300.000 Contract

by Air Canada to modify the airline's "AVCAT" system.

"AVCAT", manufactured by Lektromedia, is a Computer Aided Learning System, installed at Flight Operations Training Centres 34

in Montreal and Toronto, and is used to upgrade airline pilots from one aircraft type to another.

A complete ground school curriculum utilizing "AVCAT" is maintained by Air Canada.

International Aeradio Ltd. IAL awarded contract in Malaysia against tough International Competition IAL, the London-based international aviation services and equipment supply organisation, has been awarded a contract to provide air traffic services to the Directorate of Civil Aviation, Federation of Malaysia.

Under the three year contract, signed on the 6th May, IAL will work with the Directorate in the establishment and operation of the control areas within the Malaysian Flight Information Region.

In addition the Company will assist with the operation of recently installed radar and communications equipment and on the job training of Malaysian Air Traffic Control Officers.

Malaysia already has a very sophisticated ATC system operating to !CAO standards but requires more staff in order to cater for the traffic increases resultant upon the expanding economy.

A total of 30 qualified IAL Air Traffic Control Officers will be based in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu. Two staff will assist with Head Quarters planning.

Announcing the award of the contract Mr R B Rote, IAL's Aviation Director, said "This contract, which we won against tough international competition, is a significant re-introduction to a geographical area long known to !Al's aviation group. We look forward to working for the Malaysian Civil Aviation Authority in contributing to the development of civil aviation in this rapidly developing country."

Philips Swedish AFTN centre to be equipped with AEROPP switching system The Civil Aviation Authority of Sweden has ordered a Philips AEROPP II data communications system for the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Networt (AFTN) centre at Arlanda International Airport near Stockholm. The AEROPP II system replaces a Philips ES-3 electro-mechanical message switch which has been in operation at the centre since 1965. The contract, valued at approximately Hfl. 4 million, calls for a number of communications facilities to be implemented immediately upon installation of the system in late 1981, and leaves optional several additional facilities which the Swedish CA Authority anticipates ordering within the next five years.

In its initial configuration, the AEROPP system will provide fully automatic routing of AFTN messages - items such as aircraft position and arrival reports, flight plans, Notices to Airmen (NOTAM's) and other data vital to air traffic safety. Operational Meteorological (OPMET) messages (primarily special weather reports and forecasts of interest to aviation) also will be switched via the centre's connections to the AFTN and over circuits linking Arlanda with the global telecommunications network of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). lr, :iddition, the AEROPP system will be configured to interface automatically with the public telex network, enabling the centre to efficiently serve low-traffic subscribers, while at the same time providing it with network tailback facilities. To support its immediate switching requirements, the centre will be equipped with 64 lowspeed lines operating at 50 to 600 bauds, and 4 telex connections.

The modular hardware/software structure of the AEROPP system will permit the Civil Aviation Authority to implement a further range of sophisticated data handling and switching functions at its option. The five-year plan of the authority entails establishing files for OP MET and Aeronautical Information; interfacing AEROPP to the Nordic Public Data Network; and enhancing the system for operation as a switching node in the Common ICAO Data Interchange Network - the International Civil Aviation Organization's planned medium to high speed network for the exchange of aeronautical data.

The contract also covers the projected installation of AEROPP 20 switching sub-centres in Malmo, Goteborg and Sundsvall, to supplement Sweden's existing national network facilities. Each sub-centre will collect and distribute AFTN and OPMET messages for the Flight Information Region in which it is located. The AEROPP 20 switches are designed to operate under remote control of the AEROPP II system and will be linked to Arlanda by mediumspeed connections.

Thomson-CSF Avionics Projection CRT THOMSON-CSF's Electron Tube Divisicn announces the introduction of a new, rugged projection CRT, the TH 8423, for avionics instrumentation systems. This tube, which has a useful screen diameter of 25 mm, is supplied potted with its deflection yokes in an electomagnetic-interfercnce shield; overall dimensions are only 51 mm diameter and 150 mm long.

Its high-brightness 25 11m spot and very low geometrical distortion, which are maintained in the aggressive environment of modern high-performance combat aircraft, make this tube ideal for flying spot, film recording and map marking systems.

■

IFATCA's New Corporate Members' Co-ordinator

Peter Allan JORGENSEN is IFATCA's new Corporate Members' Co-ordinator to succeed Anton Weijts.

Peter was born at Aarhus, Denmark, in 1939; he had served in the Royal Danish Air Force (ROAF) as radar technician from 1956 to 1959 and in 1965 he graduated the Aarhus Teknikum as an Electronics Engineer with specialisation in microwaves and radar.

Peter serves with SELENIA as ATC Manager Civil Radar and Systems Division since 1972. 41-year-old Peter is already a well known personality among the Controllers of the world for his very active participation in air traffic control affairs particularly in his field of actvity and for his numerous studies and contributions, in technical articles to THE CONTROLLER. I am confident that IFATCA has gained a valuable supporter that will be an asset to its members throughout.

Important Notice to Subscribers All subscriptions will have to be renewed with the new printing house. If you haven't done so as yet through the Managing Editor, fill the below form immediately and mail it to the Subscription Service, Bund Verlag, Effingerstr. 1, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland.

Please send me THE CONTROLLER for one year by surface mail / airmail (please indicate). Rates are SFr. 8,- for members of IFATCA, SFr. 20,- for non-members. Postage will be charged extra according to the tariff in use. Subscriptions not cancelled three months prior to termination of a calendar year, will automatically be extended for another year.

Name Complete Mailing Address ......................................................................................

.

Signature

.

.....................................................................................................

35

On the ICAO Scene:

ICAO Technical Assistance projects represent a)otal investment exceeding US-Dollar175 million since1972,:Excluding a dip in 1977, this programme of aid to developing countries has experienced rapid growth over the past eight yearn and annual funding is expected to more than double by 1984 ...

by Jack Vivian, Director ICAO Technical Assistance Bureau (Montreal)

This article is devoted entirely to a review of the Technical Assistance as it is being provided throughout the world today by ICAO and an estimate of the extent of such aid in the near future.

ICAO Technical Assistance (TA) activities have expanded rapidly between 1972 and 1979 - in financial terms, from US $ 6 million in 1972 to an anticipated$ 51 million this year.

The number of experts in the field at any one time has increased from about 150 in 1972 to the current average of 360. Fellowships have significantly increased and in 1979 the available funds for fellowship training alone is over$ 7 million.

Equipment purchases for both operational and training needs have perhaps shown the most dramatic increase, from just over $ 1 million in 1972 to over$ 14 million in 1978 and a similar figure applying for this year.

The number of countries in which ICAO has resident missions increased from 47 in 1972 to 70 today; and, many more countries are aided through the use of short-term specialists, through the provision of fellowships, or the operation by ICAO of TA trust funds.

The different sources of funds for the ICAO TA programme are shown in Figure 2. It will be seen that about 68 per cent of total funding now comes through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Funds from this source may double over the next few years, if a recent projection by UNDP proves to be accurate.

This means that by 1984-1985 we could expect US $ 65-70 million for ICAO TA from UNDP sources alone, based on the assumption that the aviation "share" of these funds remains at its current level only.

Funds from other sources are becoming increasingly available as more organizations develop a growing interest in aviation projects. These include the World Bank, the European Development Fund, regional development banks, Arab funds, and the large development programmes agreed upon between contries on a bilateral basis. ICAO is already active as an executing agency on a limited scale for some of these organizations and looks forward to participating on an increased level with all of them in the planning and implementation of future TA aviation projects.

Projects involving Trust Funds (TF) and the ICAO Civil Aviation Purchasing Service (CAPS) have increased dramatically in recent years, representing some $ 16 million annually in 1979 and serving 21 countries. These funds are usually provided by a government for assistance to itself-through the provision of experts, equipment, etc.

There are, however, several projects executed by ICAO where trust funds have been made available by one country for assistance to be given to another. The opportunities for further developing such arrangements are considerable.

• Reproduced with the kind pesmission of the ICAO Bulletin.

36

The facility being provided to States through CAPS (which is simply another variant of trust funds) is proving of value to some 20 civil aviation agencies in 17 countries. As more States become aware of the benefits to be derived from use of this service and the excellent world-wide contacts with manufacturers established

by ICAO, it is reasonable to expect increases in equipment purchases through this source.

If developing States take full advantage of all of these sources of funds, it is not unreasonable to estimate that, within the next five years, at least 40 per cent of the assistance provided through ICAO will be from resources other than those of the UNDP. This is a healthy possibility.

Our projections indicate that by the 1984-1985 time frame the total value of TA activities executed by ICAO could expand to about $ 115 million annually. This assumption includes increasing assistance given through CAPS.

TA critical to development The increase in funds made available for civil aviation projects is a reflection of the growing awareness among both donors and recipient countries of the true role of civil aviation in the economic and social development of States, and of the need to provide adequate equipment and staff to ensure a sound and safe infrastructure.

However, this view is not as yet accepted by all States. Misconceptions still remain among some authorities, who regard aviation more as a luxury for the few instead of the powerful catalyst for development that in fact it is, or who have not yet been convinced of the need for the associated infrastructure development.

The requirement to assist in the development of some island and landlocked States is now more widely recognized among both donors and recipients of aviation assistance. Also, the value of civil aviation as an effective means of essential transport in those countries, which currently lack a satisfactory surface transport network, is increasingly becoming recognized.

The cost, and time-span involved, in building a modest but effective airport, the purchase of aircraft for passenger and cargo carrying, the provisions of essential ground-support equipment

are relatively minor compared with the cost of building a railroad or constructing a road network. Domestic air transport, therefore, can play a pioneering role in helping achieve self-reliance whilst surface transport is being developed.

For island States, there is in fact no viable alternative to civil aviation, if external trade and commerce are to be well astablished and competitive.

To obtain the best long-term results through the use of civil aviation as one of the vital components of the transportation sector, it is necessary to identify in a very clear and specific manner the realistic civil aviation needs: the requirement for airports of a certain size, however modest; the essential navigational aids and communications facilities for safe and efficient operation; essential manpower needs and training requirements; assessment of additional capital costs which may be involved and the identification of funding sources. Each ot these requirements reacts on the others; thus, they have to be studied individually and then evaluated as a whole.

For this reason, an increasing number of countries are requesting assistance in the preparation of national development plans for civil aviation covering some future period (around 10-20 years). A number of recent studies of this type have required a specialist team consisting of an air transport economist, an airport engineer, a manpower and training specialist, and a team leader widely experienced in the development of civil aviation infrastructure.

The cost of these studies is relatively small; and yet, the consequences for governments can be far reaching. If recommendations made through such studies are accepted by governments, the final reports can be utilized by those governments for obtaining necessary development capital from external sources.

Training needs are widespread In the field of training, the experience of European and North American countries shows that requirements tend to increase from one year to another as aviation develops, due to the constant needs in this high technology activity to upgrade staff in new equipment and in new operating procedures plus the need for an increasing number of skilled and well trained supervisory personnel.

Indeed, self-reliance in aviation goes hand in hand with national self-reliance. And, one of the most fundamental aspects of self-reliance is the development of appropriate skills and knowledge in this highly specialized industry.

For this reason the training of nationals has long been a dominant portion of total ICAO TA activities. During recent years, over 25 training establishments - regional or national in character - have been created or expanded through assistance provided from the UNDP or trust funds.

Some 60 training institutes for civil aviation now exist in developing countries and more are required. A number of the existing national and regional facilities will have to be further expanded to meet the demand for well-trained nationals in the civil aviation sector.

As skills develop, there will be increased opportunities for socalled technical co-operation amongst developing countries, or TCDC. Initial areas for TCDC in aviation could include the production and marketing of some types of electronics and groundsupport equipment by groups of developing countries, joint procurement of some types of equipment by airlines and by airport authorities, pooling of spares and inventories by groups of countries or of institutions, interchange of experts from developing countries, and the exchange of information between countries in the uses made of aviation to assist or accelerate the national economic development.

Identifying need preceeds funding It is often (though incorrectly) thought that TA activities are largely confined to implementation. Whilst the latter is naturally

of the greatest importance in respect of identified approved projects, such activities can only be undertaken as a third step.

Identifying real and necessary requirements, best suited to the needs of each country, and to be provided on a scale which can be most profitably utilized and geared to a country's overall development process, is the first and most significant step.

Once this has been done, obtaining adequate funding is the next step - consideration being given to all possible sources.

In fact, these two steps constitute some of the more significant work of the Technical Assistance Bureau and its associated staff in the field and in Regional Offices. Implementation, although extremely important in itself, thus represents the third step, followed by regular monitoring of progress and achievement of project objectives.

Experience shows that it is often not realized how many years are required to meet fully the stated objectives of development in a given sector, even in a given project. One must appreciate the time taken by developed States to produce the type of aviation infrastructure which they now enjoy. What has taken Europe or North America many years to produce should not therefore be expected from developing countries in a significantly less period of time.

120 110 -Actual ......... Projected Actual ··-··· - Estimated

100 90 80 z 0

---·

Total project expenditures: (1) UNDP T Trust Funds - CAPS (2) UNDP - Trust Funds - -

70

:3

/

~ 60

...

/ / / ,· -/-,-, -' -----/ /

UNDP .• ,,.,,.,.

/

-;-'·/

::, "' 50

///,'

//

40 f------

//____,

(i)

30~®

::

Sources:

b

t/

---~~---··//

oL 1972 ·73

,,,,.,,,,..,...

,/

..

~---------·74

·75

·75

·n

·73

·79

Trust F_un~d,..s_

_______

·so

·s 1 ·s2

_,/

--

CAPS

·33

·34

·35

Figure I. !CAO Technical Assistance programme: Total annual expenditures and funding by source, 1972-1984.

Full achievement of clearly defined major project objectives, such as the creation of a large national or regional training facility covering a number of disciplines, should be foreseen as requiring up to possibly ten years, taking into account the time required to produce highly competent national instructors capable of meeting the standards required as well as the time necessary for the provision of accommodation and the general development of an institute's management and administrative infrastructure.

The creation of a sound training institute is perhaps one of the more straightforward examples. Considerably greater time may be required in the full implementation of a national civil aviation development plan, embracing airport construction or expansion, provision of additional vital technical facilities, as well as the full attainment of all required manpower and the associated training, including extensive practical experience.

The last element is of particular importance in respect of the managerial cadre within civil aviation, including as it does the development of sound management and administrative practices which are so essential for efficient and economic operation in today's society and economic structure.

3i

Development of civil aviation in any country will depend primarily on the initiative and dedication of those involved in these activities. Such attributes will be reflected in their desire to see improvements effected, their determination in searching for funds for civil aviation development and their tenacity in achieving set objectives.

Increasing funds will become available from various sources for development purposes in the next few years. The extent to which these will be allocated to civil aviation assistance will depend entirely on the combined efforts of all concerned.

The ICAO Technical Assistance programme, and its staff, are dedicated to assisting governments in clearly defining their future requirements in the whole field of civil aviation, in assisting them to obtain the necessary funding from diverse sources and in implementing to the highest standard possible those projects which are entrusted to ICAO execution.

The United Nations Development Programme has been of the greatest assistance to civil aviation development during the past few years. The civil aviation sector has enjoyed the confidence of UNDP at both country and regional level.

The co-operation and understanding of the aspirations of civil aviation departments by the UNDP will surely continue in the coming years. Civil aviation departments and ICAO should, however, collectively complement this by making greater efforts to secure much needed funding from other available sources to the maximum extent possible.

It will indeed be a healthy position if, after a further period of time, the assistance provided world wide to the civil aviation sector is funded up to 50 per cent from financing sources other than those in the UNDP. It is my personal hope, and even expectation, that technical assistance for civil aviation, executed through ICAO, will achieve about US$450 million during the period 1981 to 1985. This is the target which has been set within the Technical Assistance Bureau, for the benefit of developing States.

It is attainable, and with dedicated efforts can even be exceeded.

■

From ICAO Sources: New Large-Scale Assistance Projects The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has approved large-scale projects for execution by ICAO in Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Jordan, Uruguay and Zaire, and one large-scale regional project in Asia and the Pacific for a total contribution of more than US$10 million. Two large-scale Trust Fund projects for execution by ICAO have been approved in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and one large-scale regional project has been approved in Trinidad and Tobago: The projects are as follows:

Algeria: Creation of the National School for the Application of Civil Aviation Techniques (ENATAC) This revision of an existing project will strengthen the selfreliance of national civil aviation personnel through the establishment of a training school for pilot training, ATC, Operations and Radio Maintenance. The UNDP will provide an additional US$818,800 while the Government's contribution is equivalent to US$68,215,000.

Argentina: Strenghtening of the National Directorate of Airworthiness This project will assist the Government in its efforts to increase the technical and operational capacity of the National

38

Directorate of Airworthiness so as to ensure duly approved certification of civil aircraft of Argentina registration and provide appropriate fellowships. The UNDP will provide US$656,295 while the Government's contribution is equivalent to US$1,389,600.

Brazil: Brazilian Airworthiness Compliance Certification This is a revision of an on-going project which will provide national authorities full competence and self-sufficiency for compliance certification of national aeronautical products. The additional UNDP input is US$808,345 and the Government's contribution is equivalent to US$7,258,400.

Brazil: Centre for Aeronautical Improvement and Training This revision of an on-going project will assist the Government in improving, modernizing and expanding air navigation and communication facilities, air traffic and meteorological services. The UNDP will provide an additional US$1,818,382 while the Government's contribution is equivalent to US$2,865,300.

Chile: Provision of,•Alr Navigation Services and Facilities This large-scale project will assist the Government in providing air navigation services and facilities in accordance with the Air Navigation Plan specifically navigational aids and communication·s; expert advice and assistance to install and maintain the equipment and training for national technicians. The UNDP will provide US$1,697,662 while the Government's contribution is equivalent to US$431,500.

Jordan: Civil Aviation Development This is a revision of a large-scale project whose objective is to improve and expand the country's civil aviation ground infrastructure through the reorganization of the civil aviation administration; planning and supervision of the construction of airports; installation of telecommunications and navigational aids; and regulation and control of flying operations. The newly approved fund's total US$550,298 and the Government's contribution is equivalent to US$688,000.

Uruguay: Civil Aviation

This cost-sharing project is designed to strengthen the Directorate of Civil Aviation and Aeronautical Infrastructure through an air transport study, climatological and soil studies of potential sites for the new international airport, engineering plans for the new airport and associated structure, review of the organization of the Directorate of Civil Aviation, and modernization of the administration, rules and procedures of the Civil Aviation Training Centre. The net UNDP contribution is US$390,508 while the Government's contribution is equivalent to US$140,000.

Za'ire: Assistance to the Development of a Training Centre This is a cost-sharing revision of a large project to establish a flight training centre under the direction of the national airline, Air Zafre, in which instruction will be offered to national and other African flight personnel. An essential element of this Ul"dertaking will be the acqui'sition, by the Government and UNDP, of a Boeing-737 flight simulator. The UNDP budgetary provision (including Government's cost-sharing contribution) comes to US$3,933,065 and the Governmenfis contribution is equivalent to US$1,793,700.

Provision of Civil Aviation Equipment for Least Developed Countries This new two-year US$1 million regional project became operational in January 1980. Its objective is to provide urgently required spare parts to reactivate civil aviation equipment in some least developed countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Maldives and Nepal. In certain cases where critical deficiencies are identified, complete units of equipment will be provided.

This will contribute directly to the safety, regularity and economy of flight in the Asia and Pacific Region. The total UNDP cost is US$1 million.

The large-scale trust fund projects are as follows: Iraq: Airport Development

This is a revision of a Trust Fund project to advise and assist in the improvement of Baghdad International Airport, in the design and planning of other airports, in the supervision of airport construction work and in the development of an aerodrome engineering infrastructure. The purpose of this revision, which became effective in January 1980, is to add 23 experts to the 12 already engaged and to introduce an equipment component of US$500,000.

The new Government Trust Fund contribution will be US$6,251,349.

Saudi Arabia: Civil Aviation This is an extension of a Trust Fund project which started in 1972. Its objectives are to develop the country's civil aviation capabilities by the creation or expan·sion of airports, air traffic services, air navigational aids systems and training centres; the development of an air transportation system consisting of safety standards for aircraft, flight crews and operations including aircraft certification, pilot certification and accident investigation; and the establrshment of an Aviation Regulatory Agency, with infrastructure and personnel capable of administering and assisting the development and modernization of the national civil aviation industry. The Government will provide an additional US$8,107,390 for 80 experts.

Trinidad and Tobago: Caribbean Aviation Training Institute The European Fund for Development has approved a threeyear programme, effective in January 1980, to assist the regional Civil Aviation Training Institute for the Caribbean in Trinidad and Tobago. This programme directly follows the regional project previously financed by UNDP. The objective is to assist the participating States through experts, training equipment and fellowships for counterpart instructors. The Governments' Trust Fund contribution will come to US$3,200,000. ICAO is providing the expert component of this project, at a cost of US$2,095,000.

Let's make better use of the controller in aircraft accident/incident investigations

by Robin A. Soar* Regional Vice-President - Pacific Region, .International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations (New Zealand)

With the rapid development of civil aviation over the past three decades, the role of the air traffic controller has changed, his responsibilities have increased; this source of accident-prevention information can be invaluable ...

The changing responsibilities of air traffic controllers around the world increasingly are being reflected in the apportionment of responsibility following aircraft accidents in controlled airspace. It follows, then, that the air traffic controller can be expected to play an ever increasing role in post accident/incident investigation.

Air traffic control since its inception over 30 years ago, like all other aviation-related fields and indeed most other fields of human endeavour, has gone through a period of continuous

• Mr. Soar currently is an air traffic controller at Auckland International Airport, New Zealand. This article was drawn in part from a paper presented by the author on behalf of IFATCA before the ICAO Regional Accident Prevention Seminar, Bangkok.

evolutionary change and development. Many technical advances have been combined to enhance today's ATC system. Some were originally of a military nature, such as radar and IFF; others were derived specifically to meet the desire to transport people and cargo at higher speeds or in higher numbers or tonnage - with greater safety and regularity.

The first major technical enhancement to the ATC system came about in the 1950s when surveillance radar was made available to civil ATC facilities. Before the introduction of radar and indeed still today in large areas of the world where there is no radar coverage, air traffic was and is moved in accordance with rigid procedural separation standards.

A few years after the introduction of radar into the ATC system, the first commercial jet transport came onto the market.

This major advance more than doubled the speed of some aircraft in civil use, but piston-engine aircraft continued to be used and new turbo-prop designs continued to appear.

The mix of aircraft of varying speeds added a new dimension to the controllers' tasks. Although the introduction of widebody jets caused a slowdown in the rate of increase of commercial jet airliners in service, the problem is a continuing one because at the other end of the scale there has been a greater increase in business or executive-type aircraft and of those aircraft serving third-level passenger operations.

In the middle of the 1960s the concept of a ground-based computerized ATC system became a reality. These modern systems rely primarily on radar-derived information which is 39

digitized and displayed on a screen together with a computergenerated "data block." This data block, in addition to providing the aircraft identification, type and computed speed, may indicate the aircraft's "real altitude" - derived by converting secondary radar pulses, which are carrying information from the aircraft altimeter, into digital form.

The process allows the controller to keep a check on the real pressure altitude of the aircraft, rather than relying solely on pilot reports. As a result, thi"s method of automatically transferring information from aircraft to ground will be extended in the future and should lead to a significant reduction in the radiotelephcne load currently experienced.

Pilot and controller roles altered Thus, the introduction of computer techniques and the advent of the secondary surveillance radar (SSA} and its capabilities, such as the automatic transmission of Mode-C height read-out and aircraft identity, are presenting the controller with a significant change in the traditional responsibilities, where voice communications with the cockpit has been the accepted methorl nf obtaining intelligence in regard to aircraft operation.

We now have the situation where the aircraft itself is electronically interrogated and the required intelligence relayed to the ground without recourse to contact with the pilot. Since this capability will doubtless be further exploited, it becomes essential to examine closely any change in responsiblities between the pi lot and controller.

The introduction of wide-body jets created a new problem which in the restricted airspace about an airport, led to further operational difficulties. It is wellknown that these large jet airliners produce a very dangerous turbulent wake. The prime factor in the severity of this problem is weight.

The responsiblity for providing safe separation for aircraft following these heavy jets is placed on the controller. Whilst specific m;nimum separations have been recommended, it should be noted that the persistance of the turbulence is dependent on many factcrs, including actual aircraft weight, wind shear, crosswind, etc.

Since the controller may be unaware of some of these factors, any necessary increase in separation is left to the controller's judgement. Sound judgement, however, can only be as·sured when all relevant factors are availabe to the controller.

Furthermore, future problems can be anticipated. For example, the Anglo-French Concorde has now been in service over the North Atlantic for some time and we have recently seen its introduction in this region with services from Singapore to London. While debate over the commercial viability of this aircraft continues, supersonic air transport operations for the controller are a fact and so are the problems as·sociated with such flights.

Moreover, there can be little doubt that the commercial/operational problems present in this aircraft will be overcome in future designs and we will eventually see an increase in the number of SSTs flying.

Whilst the small numbers in service at present give rise to few difficulties, it is clear that if the numbers increase, particularly if a second-generation SST is introduced, then the problems of ATC in dealing with a traffic mix of speeds ranging from 180 knots to Mach 2 and beyond will be formidable.

And, they could seriously affect the economic viability of such aircraft unless the ATC system itself advances sufficiently to cater for the techniques which will be required to provide a reliable and ·safe service.

The foregoing examples provide a view, albeit limited, of the controller's changing responsibilities. Therefore, it should not be surprising that these changes are beginning to be reflected in the apportionment of responsibility following aircraft accidents. Not only is this reflected in accident investigation procedures, but it has become increasingly prevalent in sub·sequent civil legal actions and, in some cases, even criminal actions.

40

Judgements rendered frequently apportion blame, in varying degrees, to the air traffic controllers involved, even when they are on the periphery of the circle of involvement.

Since the controllers are involved, it becomes obvious that they must participate in the investigation of the cause of accidents and incidents. Pilots have traditionally "enjoyed" the right to ·such participation but, with their increasing involvement, controllers too must take part if all factors are to be considered in establisl>ing a cause - and later finding a remedy to avoid recurrence.

Established investigation procedures Let me outline some of the procedures for accident prevention where the controllers expertise is necessary.

In most countries, procedures already exist whereby accidents and incidents are investigated, in mo·st cases in accordance with the guidelines laid down in ICAO Annex 13 - Aircraft Accident Investigation. In any investigation which involves ATC, there will be evidence in the form of flight-progress strips, flight plans, weather information and transcripts of air-ground radio communications and telephone conversations made by the controllers involved. In the case of more advanced computer-based ·systems, there are facilities for magnetic-tape recordings of the data handled.

In both cases, these are the bare bones of what is a complex and highly sophisticated system. To interpret and explain to noncontrollers the nuances of the system, the various stresses and problems indicated by these unadorned factors requires an expert.

I believe that only the professional air traffic controllers, currently operationally engaged in his profession, is equipped to make such an appraisal and to advise others on this side of the investigtion. Furthermore, the operational controller must be involved frcm the start to the finish of the accident/incident investigation.

It is accepted by most authorities that any investigation must concentrate on finding out "what" and not "who" caused an accident or incident. This philosophy is the only acceptable one when considering what the prime long term aim of any investigation must be - to prevent a repetition of the occurrence.

Prevention comes from education. Systems can be modified to eliminate known faults but, where human beings are involved, a more subtle approach must be adopted. Circulation of the findings of any investigation should be made to educate the people involved in the system.

For such findings to achieve their objective, they must be credible. Credibility to the controller means that he is confident that in an investigation expert interpretation and advice were available and the policy of "what" not "who" was adhered to.

Professional controller involvement is not a luxury; it is a necessity, if accident prevention is to be most efficient in this field of formal investigation.

The unrevealed error Thus far, I have only spoken of accident and incident investigation"S. This system of gaining information for education and remedial action relies on one rather unpalatable but basic fact: There must be an accident or an incident to trigger the process. Yet, for every accident or realized incident, there must be a proportionate number of "almost-accidents" and near or unrevealed incidents.

It is, I think, reasonable to suggest that this proportion is weighted heavily in favour of an error occurring but not actually resulting in a full-fledged accident or incident. If this is the case, then there is an area where the rewards in accident prevention data gained must be proportionally higher. The problem, of course, is to tap this source.

Ideally, controllers should be conscientious enough to reveal such errors in the cause of flight safety and in a spirit of professional ism, In reality, they are human beings and subject to the

frailties and susceptibilities present in us all. They fear, as we all do, retribution for failure.

Whether the blame is his or that of some component of the system does not enter the argument at that stage; he is in isolation. To overcome his fear, he must be confident that to reveal the error will not be to seek self punishment. This confidence can only be nurtured by clear evidence that investigation does not seek scapegoats.

A system should exist to collate and analyze the information gained. Once studied, appropriate remedial action can be taken.

Perhaps the ideal system of collection of such information is the anonymous report. This approach is employed by some military organizations, some airlines and at least one civil air

traffic control association. Anonymity of course, does have the advantage of completely removing the fear of retribution from the individual but, for obvious reasons, it prevents detailed examination. It does, however, highlight "areas" for closer examination.

Conditions vary from one system to another and from one country to another and no doubt a system could be designed to suit those conditions. To tap this largely unexploited fund of information, a solution must be sought.

Accident prevention can only be achieved with knowledge, gained ideally without the trauma of an aircraft accident or incident. Where air traffic control is concerned, a prime source is the controller himself. Let us fully exploit this valuable resource.

Air Traffic Control Occupational Health Project

As a result of the recommendations of studies undertaken by the Civil Aviation Medical Unit and Medical Services Branch, Health and Welfare Canada, and previous studies concerning controller health (lisson Report, ATCIT Recommendations). Transport Canada and the Medical Services Branch recognized the need to establish a health maintenance and preventive medicine plan for air traffic controllers. The purposes of this Air Traffic Control Occupational Health (ATCOH) Program were to: - establish a preventive medicine program for controllers; - establish a controller health maintenance program; - study group dynamics and interpersonal relationships in air traffic control; - assess the results of the above-noted programs; and - develop a strategy for the national implementation of those features deemed appropriate.

Basically the ATCOH Project was composed of three components: the On-Site Medical Service Program (Quebec and Ontario Regions); the Fitness Study (Ontario Region); and the Health Education (being implemented nationally).

The ATCOH Project also funded two research studies. The first, A Commentary on Air Traffic Control, by Dr. Harvey Silver, a psychologist with the Public Service Commission, was based on interviews with controllers in the Ontario and Quebec Regions.

The second, Psychosocial Stress Among Air Traffic Controllers in

by A. D. Tilroe, CATCA

the Ontario, Quebec and Western Regions, was by the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry of the University of Toronto. This was a mail survey, with questionnaires being sent to all operational controllers in the three regions on two separate occasions. AATA and senior officials of Health and Welfare and CATCA were briefed on the results of this study on October 26, 1978.

On-site Medical Service In 1976, due to conditions and circumstances in the Montreal centre, a need was identified for medical support for the controllers. Initially this support was provided by Medical Services Branch personnel. In July 1978 a contract was let with the Family Care Unit of the Montreal General Hospital for a team of three doctors to perform the services of providing counselling sessions, medical advice, health education, involvement in the refresher training programs, and acting as an AW.E for licensing examinations. The On-Site Physician is also responsible to aid and advise management in the health field. In September 1978 an On-Site Physician was contracted for the Quebec City area and the north shore.

In September 1977 ATCOH was requested to provide a similar service in the Ontario Region. This was established in spring 1978, with a doctor and nurse team approach being used.

41

An evaluation of these two regional programs was carried out by the Senior Medical Consultant, Medical Services Branch in 1979, and his report recommended the implementation of a national On-Site Medical Service Program at each ACC. Work is underway at present to follow through on these recommendations.

Fitness Study It has long been recognized by health authorities that regular exercise is conducive to both physical and mental health and also one of the keys to reducing stress and tension which have been identified as problems for controllers. As the new centre building in Toronto allowed space for provision of a physical fitness area and resources were available for the program, it was decided to have a one year pilot physical fitness program using the Toronto centre and tower staff. A fitness consulting firm conducted and monitored the program which commenced in February 1978. Mr. Erik Little, a part-time Fitness Co-ordinator, worked with the controllers to set up programs on both an individual and group basis.

component, therefore, of the Occupational Health Program concerned itself with health education for controllers. A curricula of appropriate health related topics was developed for the project

by Medical Services Branch, Health und Welfare Canada. The presentation of these topics to controllers is based on a five year cycle, commencing in fiscal 1978/79 with one day of health education being incorporated in the air traffic control refresher training system. The identification of community resources able to support the special areas of expertise in these health fields is the role of the Regional Health Educator, Medical Services Branch. The Air Traffic Services Branch is responsible for: choosing between resources available; any contract administration; and the funding (if required). Coordination of these activities has been effected by the Regional Superintendents of Training in each region. Air Traffic Services and Medical Services Branch will collaborate on a review of the efficacy of the health education program at the end of the second year's activities and a major evaluation of the program at the end of the fifth year.

As an introduction to the subject for new controllers, a three day educational health module has been developed with the cooperation of Medical Services Branch for inclusion in ATS basic training at the new Transport Canada Training Institute facility at Cornwall. This three day module comprises an overview of, and introduction to, the same subject areas covered by the annual controller program.

Ill

Universal News Aviation .Medicine: Seminars, new Study Group planned

Controllers Pat O'Neill and John Mason exercise after working the new Toronto ATC Physical Fitness Facility.

hours in

Approximately 75 % of the controllers at the Toronto ATS facility participated in the initial fitness assessment and since then more have joined. Controllers themselves have, through the election of representatives to a fitness committee, taken over the daily operation of the program, with support from the Fitness Coordinator. Response from both management and controllers to the program has been very positive and there is a clear evidence of a ripple effect in that non-participants are being affected by the program and becoming more cognizant of their fitness levels and diets.

The program was evaluated at the end of the initial project phase (February, 1979) and the results confirmed the positive benefits of the program among controllers. Since that time the project has been kept on operating while strategies are worked out for an ATCOH Lifestyle und Fitness Program across Canada, based upon the Toronto experience. Fitness Canada, of the Secretary of State, are assisting ATS in the development of this national program.

In view of the program results, the Director, ATS, in correspondence to the RMATS also encouraged, where possible the preliminary planning of future fitness facilities in new ATS structures.

Health Education The cornerstone of any health oriented program must be education. This was recognized early in the project. The third 42

A regional seminar was carried out by ICAO on the African continent late last year (November 5-10) in Nairobi, Kenya; meeting in the Kenyatta Conference Centre were 38 medical officers from 14 Contracting States. Dr. Silvio Finkelstein, ICAO's Chief of the Avia.tion Medicine Section, served as Seminar Director.

It is hoped to convene one or two such regional seminars each year in the future. The next is scheduled tentatively to be held in South America, towards the end of 1980.

Additionally in the field of civil aviation medicine, ICAO initiated in January the establishment of a new Study Group on Visual Requirements. Its purpose will be to assist the Secretariat in assessing the need for and/or the feasibility of updating regulatory provisions and existing guidance material on visual requirements, including colour perception.

Visual and colour perception requirements are being continuously evaluated in many Contracting States, particularly in light of contemporary techniques available for assessment and in response to realistic operational needs. Recently the European Civil Aviation Commission gave priority to the subject of colourdeficiency applicants for avation duties.

And, comments to ICAO from a number of Contracting States have indicated the need for a further study of visual conditions.

The listing of suggestions provided by these States covers a wide variety of conditions, including colour perception requirements related to equipment design, contact lenses, monocularity refrac1ive errors and visual restrictions imposed by strong lenses.

*

Accidents Record for 1979 The provisional accident record for 1979 is as follows: in all, 45 accidents with about 1 600 fatalities. The increase in fatalities from 1978 exceeded 30 % (about 1 250 dead in 1978), while the growth rate for air traffic as estimated by ICAO for 1979 was around 10 %.

It was unquestionably the accident of 25 May 1979 to a DC-10 on take-off from Chicago airport which had the biggest impact on air transport. The aircraft crashed after losing a jet engine, and the 272 passengers on board were killed. Until then no one accident had caused so many deaths in the United States.

Then came in decreasing order of seriousness: the accident to another DC-10. On a tourist flight, the aircraft struck Mount Erebus in the Antarctic, which cost 237 tourists and 20 crew members their lives; the in-flight collision between Tu-134s at their cruising altitude over the Ukraine; the 137 persons on board were killed; the accident to a 8-707 shortly after take-off from Jeddah airport, resulting in the death of the 156 occupants.

These four accidents accounted for over half the number of fatalities in 1979.

As a result of the accident to the DC-10 at Chicago, the US administration took unprecedented economic action with the suspension for 38 days (from 6 June to 13 July) of the airworthiness certificate for this aircraft type.

The aircraft types involved in fatal accidents were: Jets: Boeing McDonnell Douglas Fokker Tupolev SNIAS

B-707 (5), B-727 (2), 8-737 (1) DC-8 (1). DC-9 (1), DC-10 (3) F.28 (2) Tu-104 (1), Tu-134 (2) Corvette (1)

Turboprop aircraft: Fokker Hawker Siddeley Lockheed Nord/Grumman Bandeirante Vickers llyushin De Havilland Canada GAF

F.27 (3) HS-748 (3) Electra (1) Nord 262 (2), Mohawk (1) Emb-110 (1) Viscount (2) 11-18(1) DHC-6 (5), DHC-5 (1) Nomad (1)

Piston aircraft: Douglas Britten Norman De Havilland

DC-3 (1), DC-4 (1), DC-7 (1) Islander (1) Heron (1)

* The new KC-10 advanced tanker/cargo aircraft The McDonnell Douglas U. S. Air Force KC-10 advanced tanker/cargo aircraft made its first flight on 12 July and was airborne for 4 hours 16 minutes.

A derivative of the DC-10 Series 30 CF, the KC-10 flew from Long Beach Airport, over Santa Catalina, Point Mugu and Edwards AFB, to Yuma, Arizona, where it landed at the McDonnell Douglas Flight Development facility.

For the first flight, the KC-10 took off with a gross weight of 413,0001b (185,976 kg). The flight reached a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet (9144 m) and a maximum speed of 535 miles per hour (861 km/h) and a mach number of .79.

Tasks accomplished on the flight included establishing basic airworthiness of the aircraft, determining the handling characteristics, and checks of climb and cruise performance.

Data from the KC-10 was telemetered to the control center at Douglas in Long Beach to allow specialists to monitor the performance as the tests were being conducted.

In command of the first flight of the KC-10 was Walt Smith, KC-10 Project Pilot for the Douglas Aircraft Company Division of McDonnell Douglas. Sharing co-pilot duties were George Jansen, Director of Flight Operations for Douglas, and Lt. Col. Bruce Hinds of the Air Force Flight Test Center.

Leo Hazell of Douglas and Master Sergeant Larry Sage of the Air Force shared flight engineer duties, and Laurie Johnston of Douglas was Test Engineer.

Smith said after the KC-10's touchdown in Yuma, "It handled beautifully. It has all the great flying qualities of the DC-10."

Although the refueling boom on the KC-10 was not deployed on first flight two boom operators, Guy Lowery of Douglas and Master Sergeant James Cornwell of the Air Force, were in the operator's station to open the air refueling sighting door, and perform other first flight functions.

Deployment of the advanced aerial refueling boom is planned for late flights in the test programm. The hose-2nd-drogue refueling system also will be deployed in later flights.

During the test program, the KC-10 will refuel various Air Force aircraft, including the C-5, F-4, F-15 and A-10, using the boom.

The hose-and-drogue system will be tested using Navy aircraft, including the S-3, F-4 and A-4.

The KC-10 is called the "Extender" by the Air Force becau::e of its ability to "Extend" the range of U. S. Forces in overseas deployments.

The USAF McDonnel Douglas KC-10 "Extender" advanced tanker/cargo aircraft rolls across the Long Beach Municipal Airport to be readied for final ground testing and its first flight. The KC-10 is a derivative of the commercial DC-10 Series 30CF (convertible freighter) and is designed to "extend" the mobility of U.S. forces in overseas deployments. The KC-10 is painted white on the top and gray on the underside. A bright blue stripe separates the two colors, and the KC-10 markings include insignia and banner of the Strategic Air Command, which will operate the aircraft.

The primary missions of the KC-10 are to refuel fighters and simultaneously transport the fighters' support equipment and personnel on overseas deployments, refuel strategic airlifters (such as the USAF C-5 and C-141) during overseas deployment and resupply missions, and to augment U. S. cargo-carrying capability.

The Air Force has so far ordered six KC-10s and has said it plans to purchase additional KC-10s.

The KC-10 flight marked the first takeoff of a new Air Force tanker in nearly a quarter century.

The KC-10 pre-delivery flight test programm will consist of about 300 flight hours, to be performed by a combined test team made up of personnel from McDonnell Douglas, The Federal Aviation Administration, The Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base and the Air Force Test and Evalution Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

The Extender is powered by three General Electric CF6-50C2 jet engines, each producing a thrust of 52,500Ib (23,814 kg) at takeoff.

It has a wingspan of 165 feet 4 inches (50.42 m), a length of 182 feet (55.4 m) and a tail height of 58 feet 1 inch (17.7 m).

Maximum takeoff gross weight is 590.00 lb (267,622 kg).

The KC-10s will be based with the Strategic Air Command's Eight Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

43.

Spotlight on a New Corporate Member displays provide pre-launch checkout of the Saturn V vehicle used in all manned lunar landings.

Today Sanders continues its leadership in graphic display technology. The company is currently developing and producing automated four-color air traffic control (ATC) systems for the U.S. Navy's Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facilities at variou~ sites in the United States. The installation of a system at the Navy's Jacksonville, Fla., facility will mark the nation's first imple• mentation of four-color graphic displays for air traffic control applications.

The advanced ATC systems will depict commercial and military air traffic within the Navy's operational areas, including data from FAA radars and sea vessel information from the Navy Tactical Data System.

Sanders also produced the graphic display subsystems for Canada's nationwide air traffic control system. Under an exclusive teaming agreement with CAE Electronics Montreal, Sanders recentlly delivered approximately 150 of the graphic displays to Canada.

Currently, Sanders is developing an Electronic Tabular Display Subsystem (ETABS) and associated support for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The system will help improve the efficiency of air traffic controllers at en route centers by automating many of the routine tasks now performed manually.

The ETABS system will be installed at the FAA Technical Center to evaluate the feasibility of using similar subsystems to replace present methods of entering and displaying non-radar flight data at Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

The FAA has also ordered eight four-color graphic display systems which will be installed at the Technical Center for use in the Air Trafic Control Digital Simulation Facility. The four-color systems are also being used in Mitre Corporation's laboratories as part of a program to develop display systems of the future.

Other Sanders graphic display systems are installed at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Test Center at Vandenberg AFB where they monitor and control aircraft in a 900-mile long offshore test area between the Mexican border and the state of Oregon.

The systems receive raw radar and other data from up to seven radar sites along the coast, process the information and display it in easily readable form on high resolution screens.

For the U.S. Customs Service, Sanders delivered a computerdriven graphic display that integrates and displays on a single 21 inch screen, flight information from FAA, North American Air Defense and other radars, to help Customs personnel detect aircraft illegally entering the United States. The new system will eventually be connected to other radars, not only to increase the efficiency of Customs personnel, but also to provide greater capabilities and coverage than was previously possible.

■

SANDERS

ASSOCIATES, INC. Sanders Associates, Inc., incorporated in 1951, is headquartered in Nashua, N. H. (USA). The company, which reported sales of approximately $ 270 million in fiscal year 1980, is engaged in the development and manufacture of advanced technology electronic systems in two principal industry areas: government systems and products and graphic systems and products.

The largest segment of Sanders government systems is the Federal Systems Group which produces specialized systems for electronic and infra-red counter-measures, signal intelligence, ocean surveillance, air defense, training and simulation and automatic test equipment.

In the graphic system and products areas, Sanders produces intelligent computer graphic displays for air traffic control, computer-aided design and manufacturing, training and simulation, command and control and other applications. The New Hampshire firm is the nation's largest manufacturer of stroke/ refresh graphic display systems. And, through its California Computer Products Group, Sanders is also the leading producer of pen and ink graphic plotters and digitizers. CalComp also produces electrostatic plotter/printers and complete turnkey interactive graphic systems.

The company's expertise in graphic displays began with the space age. Under a prime contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960's Sanders developed and produced more than 70 display consoles for the Saturn V operational checkout system. Installed in various firing rooms at Kennedy Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center, the

People who read THE CONTROLLER regularly, subscribe not only to a professional Magazine but also to an idea.

021003f'

,oUltNAl OJ All

o, 1111INUINAIIONAl TU,HJC

COMflOlUU

UDlU.TfON AUOCl,UIONI

More News in Brief Airport Facilities 4/79

Each Quarter of the year in THE CONTROLLER you will find a range of departments to such diverse subjects as Technical, Scientific, Law, Conference Table News, Medical, etc., all focusing on Air Traffic Control.

44

On 21 February 1979, the new Taipei airport was opened in Formosa. Known as Chiang Kai-shek International and located near the town of Taoyuan, 40 km south-west of the capital, it covers an area of 1 200 hectares; it took four years and a half to build and cost NT$ 10 billion. It has a runway 3 660 m long with a capacity of 42 IFR movements an hour; 22 aircraft can be parked around the air terminal which is designed to take 5 million passengers in 1980 and 10 million in 1990.

On 28 December, the new Dacca airport in Bangladesh was opened to traffic; this airport, designed to take 3.5 million passengers a year and located 20 km north of the capital, will have cost$ 70 million.

Other smaller airports were opened to air traffic in 1979: on 5 July at Figari, in south Corsica, between Porto Vecchio and Bonifacio, on 3 September at Unst, 66 km north-west of Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands; in November at Vitoria, in northern Spain, at Birkala, near Tampere in Finland; at Luogang, 400 km west of Shanghai in China.

Airports were reopened to traffic following major modifications which almost transformed them into new airports. This was the case of Lagos airport in Nigeria, which was named Murtala Muhammed. It was opened to traffic on 15 March 1979 and is the biggest and most modern airport in Black Africa. It has an area of 15 000 hectares and is equipped with two runways 2 700 and 3 900 m long; it has been designed to take 2.5 million passengers and 100 000 freight tons up to 1985. Another airport was also reopened to traffic in Kenya, on 28 August, i. e. Mombasa airport whose runway, lengtened to 3 350 m, can now take B-747s bound for Europe.

New air terminals were put in service: at the start of the year at Buenos Aires-Ezeiza airport for the specific needs of Aerolineas Argentinas; at Karachi; at Caracas-Maiquetia for international traffic; at Sharjah, on 21 April (annual capacity of 2.5 million passengers); at Bremen, in the Federal Republic of Germany, on 4 May (cost:$ 6.2 million); at Beauvais-Tille, in France, on 11 May; at Olbia-Costa Smeralda, in Sardinia, on 21 November; at Stockholm-Arlanda, for domestic traffic (cost: 45 million S.Kr.) in July; at Cartagena, in Colombia, in September; on 29 September at Baltimore/Washington International (cost: $ 70 million, annual capacity: 11 million passengers). The new terminal at Peking airport in China was presented to the press on 18 December; costing $ 32 million, the new facilities are designed to take 1 500 passengers an hour and the two satellites are each equipped with eight embarkation gates.

In January 1979, a second runway 4 000 m long was put in service at Cairo International airport, which should enable traffic to rise substantially, to 5 million passengers in 1980. In February, a second 4 000 m runway was put in service at Rio de JaneiroGaleao airport. On 28 April, the runway at the Swiss/French Basel-Mui house airport, which had been lengthened to 3 900 m, was opened.

Extensions to existing airports went into service, particularly at 1\/.arseille-Marignane, in France, on 12 November, where the area of terminal facilities was raised from 34 200 to 42 000 m' through a new satellite.

Works are being continued throughout the world on the construction of new facilities or the extension of existing facilities.

As a result of a tidal wave which on 16 October seriously damaged several parts of the Riviera coast in France, the extension works on Nice airport, which were aimed at the construction of a second runway 3 200 m south of the existing runway on land reclaimed from the sea, had to be suspended and will not be resumed for several months.

Projects were also drawn up, and there is again talk in the United Kingdom of Stansted as a third London airport.

ITA Bulletin

*

New occupational directory will aid ICAO technical assistance recruitment A new listing of 62 civil aviation occupations has been compiled by ICAO to identify the nature of expertise available through its Technical Assistance (TA) Programme. The Directory of Occupational Classifications and Job Descriptions for !CAO Technical Assistance Field Personnel incorporates standard job descriptions for each occupation, defining terms of reference and the related prerequisites of training and, or experience.

A continuing task of !CAO is to identify precisely the various expertise required by TA projects to ensure the recruitment of the most suitably qualified experts for the achievement of specific project objectives. This identification requires clear definition of duties, responsibilities and the prerequisites of training

and experience in terms which recognize the specific and limited functions of various occupations and are commonly understood by the international civil aviation community.

The Di rectory is designed to serve this purpose. It provides for expanded and updated definition of occupations to reflect the progressively wider and more sophisticated range of expertise required for the execution of projects.

The continuing expansion of ICAO's TA Programme, the increasing demand for highly specialized personnel and the restricted time scales for the provision of expert services have required adjustment to recruitment methods. The definitions and criteria of the new Directory will provide the discriminatory bases for a planned computerized recruitment system that will permit storage of biodata and selective identification of candidates for TA assignments. Thus, the revised procedure is expected to accelerate the recruitment process.

The Directory has been distributed to Resident Representatives of the United Nations Development Programme, !CAO Project Coordinators and Directors of Civil Aviation throughout the world. It is the Organization's expectation that this promulgation of the new document will greatly assist in the prompt staffing of TA projects by ensuring more precise definition of required expertise and, as a consequence, more effective identification of the most suitable candidates for each project.

*

55th Session of the Eurocontrol Permanent Commission The Permanent Commission of Ministers of EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, held its 55th Session in Brussels on 8 July 1980 under the chairmanship of Mr Joel LE THEULE, Minister of Transport of the French Republic.

The Permanent Commission examined the problems connected with the continued application of the EUROCONTROL Convention which entered into force in 1963, for an initial period of 20 years. The Permanent Commission adopted as a basis for its future work the draft of a new legal instrument framed for the purpose by the Study Group of the Civil and Military Alternates to the Members of the Permanent Commission, as well as the proposals relating to the financing of the Organisation both during the transitional period up to the introduction of an amended Convention and its subsequent period of application.

The matter of the admission of new Member States to the future Organisation was examined. The lines along which discussions might be held with States applying to accede to the EUROCONTROL Convention were examined.

The Permanent Commission paid special heed to the future of the EUROCONTROL Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre. It approved the proposal tabled by Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands to entrust EUROcontrol with the conduct of a feasibility study into the centralisation at Maastricht UAC of all area control functions in respect of the airspace of the BENELUX States and the northern part of the Federal Republic of Germany. Should the Member States of the Organisation subsequently decide in favour of the implementation of the proposal, a possible consequence could well be a considerable extension of the Centre's operational responsibilities, hitherto restricted to control of the upper airspace over Belgium, Luxembourg and the northern part of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In the context of the Organisation's more immediate concerns, the Permanent Commission approved a report from the Study Group of Alternates on the establishment of an international air traffic flow management system for the Member State's airspace.

The report advocates the implementation of a work programme comprising as a first phase the setting-up of a central data bank in line with !CAO recommendations and the constitution of a planning group responsible for defining an appropriate outline 45

operational plan. In the first instance, Spain and Portugal will be invited to take part in this work.

The Permanent Commission also signified its agreement to the conclusion of a Cooperation Agreement between EUROCONTROL and the European Communities, designed essentially to further their relationships.

In pursuance of the Permanent Commission's Rules of Procedure, Mr N. TEBBIT, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Trade, of the United Kingdom, will assume the office of President of the Permanent Commission for the period from 9th July 1980 to 30th June 1981, the office of Vice-President over the same period being conferred on Mr Josy BARTHEL, Minister of Transport of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Mechanical 8 Day Aircraft Chronographs

*

With Integral Revolving Bezel (Types B 17 and B 18) Following the requests of many pilots and specifications of some air forces, THOMMEN has added a feature which was familiar to obsolete designs of European aircraft chronographs to its wide series of advanced chronographs according to US MIL - Specifications.

where pushing the elapsed time knob once will cause the counter to start, a second push will stop it as usual; a third push however will start the counter again etc. Only by a slight clockwise rotation of the appropriately shaped elapsed time knob, the counter will fly back to zero. This operation is even possible whil~ the counter is running.

Continuous second display Yet another first with 8 day aircraft chronographs is introduced by THOMMEN with the continuous second display available for all types of its aircraft chronographs.

Until now, real profit of the accuracy of these chronographs (± 15 s/day) could not be made because at latest when the elapsed time function was operated, a precise indication of the seconds was not available any more.

An alternative for applications where this cannot be tolerated is offered by new THOMMEN movements having a separate continuous second display at the 3 o'clock position of the dial. Its second hand can be stopped neither by the operation of the elapsed time function nor by changing the clock setting (change of time-zones).

On the other side, the clock can be completely stopped intentionally by pulling out the winding and setting knob in a third position beyond the setting position. Thus the continuous second display can be stopped when its hand is at the "60" position and restarted upon any time-synchronizing signal by pushing the setting knob in completely.

As well as for the Types B 17 and B 18 described here, the continuous second display is equally available for the THOMMEN CHRONOGRAPHS Types B 13 and B 15 without revolving bezel described in a separate documentation.

The complete series of THOMMEN AIRCRAFT CHRONOGRAPHS comes with elapsed time ranges of 12 minutes, 60 minutes and 12 hours, with and without integrale lighting, and with different dial finishes and case configurations.

*

The Hannover Air Show - a historical review

by Hans-Joachim Lange•

THOMMEN Aircraft Chronograph Type B 18 - 956 first presented at the Farnborough

Air-Show 1980

Revolving bezel

The revolving bezel, as it is called, is used as a sec<:>ndelapsed time function of a single chronograph. It consists in its initial form a ring-shaped bezel with engraved minute-graduations fixed on the outside of the clock case to be adjusted according to the position of the minute hand by a revolving motion of the fingers.

In the advanced THOMMEN design, this feature is completely integrated in the case and operated from the outside by a separate knob at the 4 o'clock position. The resulting advantage is not only a smoother adjustment, but especially this new design can also be used in chronographs with integral lighting which are gradually outphasing unlit ones.

This integral revolving bezel can be fitted to all THOMMEN CHRONOGRAPHS Types B 13 and B 15 becoming Types B 17 and B 18 respectively.

While Type B 17 has the standard 3-function operation of the elapsed time knob, i. e. start, stop and fly-back to zero in a fixed sequence, the Type B 18 features a 2-function operation, 46

A total number of 364 exhibitors from 16 different nations have exhibited at the ILA '80 (The lnternationale Luftfahrtausstellung) The International Aerospace Exhibition held at Hannover Airport from the 24th April to the 1st May, 1980. The event was organised jointly by the Federal German Aerospace Industries Association (BOLi), Bonn, and Deutsche Messe- und Ausstellungs AG, Hannover.

In 1908, five years after the Wright Brothers launched the first powered man-carrying heavier-than-air craft at Kill Devil Hill, Kitty HawR, N. C. - Dr. Paul Gans, an early votary of aviation in Germany, proposed a world exhibition to be held in Munich displaying tne rates! in flying machines of the century.

The municipal council of Munich was cool toward this idea, forcing Dr. Gans to seek another location for his air show.

Frankfurt, under the mayorship of Dr. Adickes, was more receptive to the notion of a world air show and, between July and October 1909, crowds of curious visitors watched airship flights, balloon flights, powered and unpowered aircraft, including the latest aeronautical -endeavours by names such as Zeppelin, Parseval and others.

The show was called the Frankfurt Air Show, and is considered to be the predecessor of the "Vereinigung der Deutschen Luftfahrtindustrie", which developed in the ensuing 20 years.

1928, perhaps the heyday of early German air shows, celebrated the inauguration of the "lnternationale Luftfahrt Schau" at the Messehalle, Kaiserdamm, Berlin. Yet, while World War I may have spurred the development of German Aviation, the aftermath of WW II brought it to a grinding stop.

• Hans-Joachim Lange is a retired air traffic controller who worked in Hannover and Bremen ATC Units; Hans was the commentator to the public during the 1978 and 1980 Hannover Air Shows.

The Allied Occupation of Germany in 1945 prohibited that country from any aeronautical pursuits.

Is was not until 1955 that the strictures on the German aviation inustry were eased and, in the following year, Dornier Corp. began the reincarnation of German industry with the manufacture of the famous Do 27.

April 26 to May 6, 1958 witnessed the rebirth of the Deutsche Luflfahrt Schau - German Air Show with the first exhibition since WW II. Since 1958 the Hannover Air Show is held every second or every even year, alternating with the Paris - Le Bourget Air Show, and has always overlapped, at least for several days, the Hannover Messe - the Hannover Trade Fair.

The 'lnternationale Luftfahrt Ausstellung (ILA)' at Hannover airport, as it is called since 1978, is today organized largely through the efforts of the Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie (BOLi) and the Deutsche Messe- und AusstellungsAG Hannover.

150 general aviation aircraft were shown at ILA 80 - from April 24 to May 1, and 364 exhibitors from 16 different countries displayed their wares, ranging from French armaments und U. S. corporate jets, to missiles, bombs, and an assorted cornucopia of nearly every type of aeronautical hardware by nearly every manufacturer of the world.

Every business jet and turboprop maker in the world, with the exception of the Soviets, had one or more models on display.

Grumman American's Gulfstream Ill arrived after a non-stop flight from Savannah, Ga. at Hannover airport, and America's general aviation triumvirate - Cessna, Beech, and Piper - displayed their entire lines.

The helicopter contingent of ILA 80 included some two dozen machines, like Pezetel Kania, Bell's 214 Super-Transport, SA 365 from Aerospatiale, and the appearance of the BK 117, the twin-turbine helicopter being developed jointly by MBB and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Certification takes place by the end of the year, and first deliveries in early 1981, the production until 1983 has been sold entirely.

Seminars and meetings were held during the show, topics of interest to corporate flight personnel included: "The Supercritical Wing", ,,Advance Technology on Fuel Conservation", "Shuttle/Spacelab", "Problems of General Aviation".

To make the ILA 80 an air show, more than 200.000 visitors had the opportunity to watch some of the world's best flying teams: The Red Arrows from Great Britain with their new aircraft, the British Aerospace "Hawk"; The Patrouille de France, with Fouga Magister (next season most probably flying in Alpha Jet); and Karo-As from Austria, flying Saab b 105.

As in previous years, there was no rigid schedule for demonstration and sale flights, and Hannover ATC together with the Flight Coordination Centre located at the Show Area, was very flexible, so that companies wanting to demonstrate aircraft had a real advantage at Hannover.

See you again 1982 at the "'ILA 82"!

*

ICAO considers air-ground radio transmission improvements In an effort to reduce the potential for ambiguous and misunderstood pilot and ground radio transmissions, ICAO is considering the first in a series of comprehensive changes and additions to long-standing phraseologies used in aviation radiotelephony exchanges.

Even though air travel is recognized as the safest and most widely used form of public international transport, it is subject to occasional human errors and air-ground communications breakdowns. These can occur as a result of garbled messages and imprecise instructions being transmitted between pilots and air traffic controllers and other ground personnel.

The extensive ICAO project was preceded by a more general proposal for the updating of some of \"he basic phraseologies

used by air traffic services personnel and pilots. This proposal, which ultimately will require an amendment to the pertinent technical Annexes to the Convention of International Civil Aviation (Annex 2 - Rules of the Air and Annex 11 - Air Traffic Services). already has been circulated for comment to ICAO Member States and selected international organizations. The more extensive project, already well developed, will require further amendment of Annexes 2 and 11, as well as other closely related ICAO documents.

Envisioned as a series of sequential improvements, the allembracing effort is first focusing its attention on communications associated with surface movements on aerodromes, including aircraft towing, taxiing and pre-take-off manoeuvres as well as those associated with the take-off, landing, and the approach to land. This segment of aircraft movement,- as well as flight operations and air traffic information and control services, has long been recognized as the area wherein the volume and intensity of radio message exchanges is highest. It also is the area where the quality, clarity and precision of such exchanges are most critical to aviation safety.

Thus, the first stage of the ICAO project is targeted at the area where improvements are most likely to have a positive impact on aviation safety. The remaining segments of aviation activity will be addressed subsequently in the series of ICAO efforts to improve radiotelephony phraseologies and procedures.

Book Review

ODYSSEY OF TERROR by Ed Blair with Captain William R Haas.

Price: $ 7.95, but is available to readers of THE CONTROLLER and members of IFATCA throughout the world for$ 5.95 (ensuring correct exchange rates) per copy. For orders, please write to ODYSSEY, 4222 Rickenbacker Dr. NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30342, USA. The true story of the skyjacking of Southern Airways flight 49, is now being offered in hardback edition.

The 316-page story relates minute-by-minute happenings of the event from the viewpoints of hostages as well as the flight crew. Captain Haas (with whom author Blair wrote the book) piloted the Southern Airways DC9 during the 30-hour ordeal it was kept captive by three armed terrorists. Described as the most bizzare, death-defying and prolonged skyjacking in the aviation history of the USA, the flight en route from Memphis to Miami was taken over by three air pirates who demanded S 10 million in ransom money from the city of Detroit. During the hours of captivity the DC9 crisscrossed much of the eastern part of the USA, went to Canada and made an incredible take-off and landing without tyres. As the Odyssey ended at Havana, Cuba ended a long-standing practice of affording asylum to criminals who engaged in hi-jackings.

Indeed a carefully written account of a skyjacking incident which took the author a full three years of research and interviews lifting a veil of secrecy but keeping security information sealed from the reader.

AA

47

Letters to the Editor

Further, in my ignorant way of thinking, I did believe that the ILO report would have been one of the main subjects at the IFATCA Conference in Canada.

Eurocontrol not closed to female controllers!

Dear Sir, With reference to your article in the Controller of June 1980 I like to inform you that your information about female controllers with Eurocontrol is not quite correct.

In the Maastricht UAC Eurocontrol employed four female controllers, two fully qualified and two trainees, who have left since for various reasons.

So Eurocontrol is certainly not closed to female controllers and we hope to see a rectification in your magazine.

Yours Faithfully, J. A. van Eck

The Meeting of Experts on Problems Concerning Air Traffic Controllers. A Milestone for Air Traffic Controllers or not?

We - members of IFATCA - know that extreme different working conditions exist among ATCOs in various parts of the world. We also know that in some countries controllers have to work for 3 employers to keep their family alive. This is unbelieveable in 1980, but we know it is the truth. Strong medicine have to be used if all the "diseases" within ATS should disappear, but how can we achieve this?

Pressing for, and getting, the Expert Meeting for Controllers at the ILO in Geneve was thought by many ATCOs to be a start, and "a stay in the doctor's waiting room". Getting out of the meeting (after one week of exchange of views with the employers' group) where the ATCOs "diseases" were unwrapped - the Meeting proposed 52 different "medicines" - later blessed by the ILO Governing Body - as a cure which, I do believe, will get the controllers and the system healthy if used in all countries.

I was very optimistic after the result of the meeting was known, and I got the impression that this was also the case among the members of the IFATCA Executive Board participating in the meeting. They even called the result (52 Ree.) a milestone for the world's controllers. During the winter 1979/80, I believe the report from the meeting was discussed within the Ex. 8., and the Vice President Professional did present a paper to 1980 IFATCA Annual Conference in Canada. This paper was a great disappointment to me.

The agenda of the 211th session of I LO Governing Body, who discussed the report from the Expert Meeting did state, among other things that: ... these contain agreed recommendations for national and international action. of IFATCA to start this

I was looking forward to the Executive Board's manner of treatment of the ILO report with great expectation, waiting for something like: The Executive Board's proposed action for implementation of the 52 ILO Ree. within the IFATCA member countries: as a headline on a paper from our leaders on this important matter.

48

"I am well aware of your opinion on the outcome of the ILO Meeting of Experts on ATC and with this I would like to inform you of what the Board are in fact endeavouring to achieve. You should by now be in a position to know the importance of the ILO recommendations that the Executive Board places upon and of course the efforts which it puts into in order to achieve the best out of this Meeting.

"Since the Toronto Conference, I have, in my capacity as VicePresident Professional urged the Regional Vice-Presidents to find out in their areas the extent to which the ILO recommendations may be applicable and also to find out how these recommendations may be practically applied in the various countries.

"The Executive Board have resolved to codify whatever had been done towards the ILO sphere for the guidance of Member-Associations. ··At next week's meeting of SCIV. in Amsterdam. I intend to raise the question again and in collaboration with SCIV, the Board will pursue the implementation as far as possible of the Recommendations in all countries. Naturally you realise that as the Recommendations stand at this time the Board can do very little without the specific request or involvement of the Member Association concerned.

"Regarding your reference on solidarity, I have with the consent of the Executive Board, through the INTIMIDATION Paper of SCVII at the Toronto Conference, attempted to introduce solidarity action by Member-Associations to further the aims of other Associations.

Unfortunately, you may recall, the recommendations to the Paper were not accepted - Norway, If I am not mistaken also voted against these.

"I believe, however. that we still have a long way to go until we reach the tolerable stage, if not the ideal, for good working conditions for all the Controllers in the world. I am sure this can be achieved with the assistance of all the Member-Associations and their individual members. I am sure that the Executive Board can rely on your personal support as well as your Association's."

■

control-

As we know, ILO did an exellent job prior to the meeting, collecting and preparing a lot of material which made it possible for the meeting to reach the 52 Recommendations (Ree.). I do believe ILO (and a lot of ATCOs) will be very disappointed if nothing is done by IFATCA (us) to convince our employers that implementation of the 52 Ree. are the only way to reach some form of satisfaction for the worlds ATCOs, and thereby maintaining a high level of flight safety.

Should it not be the responsibility action on a world-wide basis?

I do hope that controllers within IFATCA have views on how the Federation shall work in the future for the benefit of all ATCOs. Do we need a change - or are we satisfied with our Federation as it is?

John Kalvik, ATCO, Norway

The Editor's (Vice-President) reply (dated 25th August, 1980) to John's letter is as follows:

*

The earlier talk about "a milestone" for the worlds' lers was not reflected in the paper, rather the opposite.

It must be possible, with some form of solidarity, for IFATCA - a world wide federation of controllers - with the 60 most, or partly most, traffic densed countries in the world as members, to help those who need help, or are we as weak as we seem to be?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This being the last issue printed in Frankfurt, the Editors want to thank Dr. Kramer and his staff for the excellent cooperation over the past years.

It is hoped that the high level presentation

of THE CON-

TROLLER will be continued with the new printing

house

DER BUND VERLAG, Effingerstr. 1, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland.

Corporate Members of IFATCA AEG-Telefunken, Frankfurt a. M., Germany AMECON Division, Litton Systems, College Park, Maryland, USA ANSA, Advisory Group Air Navigation Services, Westerngrund, Germany Applied Research & Development, North Troy, USA Cable & Wireless Ltd., London, England CAE Electronics Ltd., Montreal, Quebec, Canada Cardion Electronics, Woodbury, N.Y., USA Computer Sciences Europe SA, Brussels, Belgium Cossor Radar and Electronics Ltd., Harlow, England Dansk lmpulsfysik A. S., Holte, Denmark Datasaab AB, Jarfalla, Sweden Decca Software Sciences Limited, London, England Dictaphone Corporation, Rye, N.Y., USA ELECMA Divisions Electronique de la SNECMA, Suresner, France ELTA Electronics Industries Ltd., Ashod, Israel E-Systems, Montek Division, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Ferranti Limited, Bracknell, Berks., England Goodwood Data Systems Ltd., Ontario, Canada Ground Aid Group, Esbjerg, Denmark International Aeradio Ltd., Southall, England International Air Carrier Association, Geneva, Switzerland ITT Gilfillan, USA Jean de Backer SA, Zaventem, Belgium Jeppesen & Co. GmbH., Frankfurt, Germany Lockheed Electronics Company, Inc., Plainfield, N. J., U.S.A. The Marconi Radar Systems Ltd., Chelmsford, England M.B.L.E., Brussels, Belgium The Mitre Corporation, McLean, Virginia, USA N. V. Hollandse Signaalapparaten, Hengelo, Netherlands N. V. Philips Division ELA, Eindhoven, Netherlands Philips Telecommunicatie lndustrie B.V., Hilversum, Netherlands The Plessey Company Limited, Weybridge, Surrey, England Racal Recorders Limited, Southampton, England Raytheon Canada Ltd., Canada Gustav A. Ring A/S, Oslo, Norway Sanders Associates, Inc., Nashua, N. H., USA Schmid, Fernmeldetechnik, Zurich, Switzerland Selenia - lndustrie Elettroniche Associate S. p. A., Rome, Italy SEL - Standard Elektrik Lorenz, Stuttgart 70, Germany Societe Artistique Franc;;aise,Paris, France Societe d'Etudes & d'Entreprises Electriques, lssy Les Moulineaux, France Sodern, Limeil Brevannes, France Sofreavia, Paris, France Software Sciences Ltd., Farnborough, England Sperry Univac, Sulzbach/Ts., Germany & St. Paul, Minnesota, USA TERMA Elektronik AS, Lystrup, Denmark Thomson - CSF, Paris, France Ulmer Aeronautique, Clichy, France VWK - Ryborsch GmbH, Obertshausen 2, Germany Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Baltimore, Maryland, USA The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations would like to invite all corporations, organizations, and institutions interested in and concerned with the maintenance and promotion of safety in air traffic to join their organization as Corporate Members.

Corporate Members support the aims of the Federation by supplying the Federation with technical information and by means of an annual subscription. The Federation's international journal "The Controller" is offered as a platform for the discussion of technical and procedural developments in the field of air traffic control.

Detail of microminiaturized RF inductor deposited on alumina using etch-sputtering.

(Electron microscope)

in- house technology In-house technology is essential to achieve the performance and reliability reqt,Jired in the ATC environment.

Over 130 Radar Systems in successful operation in 24 countries.

The SOVIET UNION, SWEDEN, NIGERIA, MEXICO, PERU', BULGARIA, HUNGARY and ITALY have recently chosen new Selenia adaptive radars, which give advanced operational effectiveness through modern systems concept and technology.

SELENIA supplies radars, air traffic control systems and complete electronic / electrical / civil-work turn-key systems.

INDUSTRIE ELETTRONICHE ASSOCIATE S.p.A.

CIVIL RADAR AND SYSTEMS DIVISION Via Tiburtina Km 12.400, 00131 ROME. ITALY Telex 613690 SELROM I, Phone 06-43601

SELENIA IS EXPERIENCE IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL