IFATCA The Controller - 1st Quarter 1989

ISSN 0010-8073

JOURNAL

OF AIR

TRAFFIC

1/89

CONTROL

IN THIS ISSUE: SIMULATORS IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL PSYCHODIAGNOSTIC DEVELOPMENTS STAFFING SITUATION IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1st QUARTER 1989

VOLUME

28

SFrs 5.-

IFATCA 28th Annual Conference 8-11 May 1989 Sheraton Hotel (s) '*.!'

View of the Romer counsel chambers and Paul' s church

WELCOME to Franldurt am Main

IFATCA JOURNAL OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

THE CONTROLLER Geneva, Switzerland, March, 1989

Publisher International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers路 Associations. P.O. Box 196. CH-1215 Geneva 15 Airport. Switzerland Officers of IFATCA E.F. Sermijn. President and Chief Executive Officer.

U. Windt. Executive Vice-President Administration.

T. Gustavsson. Executive Vice-President Finance.

W. Rooseman. Executive Vice-President Professional.

R.W. Randall. Executive Vice-President Technical.

P. O'Doherty, Executive Secretary Editor H. Harri Henschler 1998 Glenmore Avenue. Sherwood Park.

Alberta. Canada, TBA OX8 Telephone (403) 467-6826

Volume 28 路 No. 1

In this issue Low Cost. High Performance Simulation

page

2

Aerodrome Control Simulator

page

5

Voice Driven ATC Simulator

page

8

The Controller's Workstation

page 73

New Psychodiagnostic Developments

page 76

Time for 4D to 4C

page 27

Management and Advertising Sales Office The Controller. P.O. Box 196, CH-1215 Geneva 15 Airport, Switzerland

I FATCA Activities

page 27

Administration/ Subscriptions

Staffing Situation in ATC

page 30

Bernard Laydevant. Tel. (022) 82 79 83

Accounting Michel Henchoz. Tel. (022) 92 56 82

Advertising/ Production Patrick Schelling. Tel. (022) 66 26 84

Printing House 'Der Bund', Verlag und Druckerei AG Effingerstrasse 1. CH-3001 Bern.

Telephone (031) 25 12 11 Subscriptions and Advertising Payments to: Union Bank of Switzerland. Airport Branch CH-1215 Geneva 15 Airport. Switzerland Account: IFATCA/The Controller No. 602 254.MD L Subscription Rate: SFrs. 20.- per annum (4 issues). plus postage and package : Surfacemail: Europe and Mediterranean countries SFrs. 4.50. other countries SFrs. 5.80.

Airmail: Europe and Mediterranean countries SFrs. 6.20. other countries SFrs. 10.60.

Special subscription rate for Air Traffic Controllers.

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路 Associations (IFATCA).

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

Contributions are welcome as are comments and criticism. 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.

Advertisers in this issue Airport Exhibitions Ltd ..

Cessor, Selenia. Thomson-CSF Photos Ratzer. Sofreavia. Hall. Selenia Cartoon Randall THE CONTROLLER/MARCH 1989

L

Editorial H. Harri Henschler During the course of recent years, in discussions with air traffic controllers and their associations, in aviation publications and statements from administrations, it has become painfully obvious that a shortage of qualified air traffic controllers exists in many, if not most, parts of the world.

This shortage may well have been made more severely felt by the policies of deregulation and liberalization in the civil aviation industry, but one could speculate that these have only made the problem more visible. A number of years during the early 1980s saw training of new controllers severely reduced and restricted. Now, as a generation of air traffic controllers approaches retirement, it may have become extremely difficult to replace them on a timely basis. This issue contains information on existing and future shortages, and their impact.

One avenue which would contribute to reduce the time required to produce qualified controllers is the increased use of simulators. Simulators have a long history in air traffic control training. They have been used in the tower and IFR environments. with

considerable success, but their application has previously been restricted by cost considerations and, in particular in the tower environment, problems of existing technology which tended to provide a less than realistic feeling.

Airlines, flying schools, military pilot training, have long been in the forefront of simulator use in order to shorten training periods and, at the same time, provide an environment during simulator on-the-job training which is almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

The increased introduction of computers into the field of ATC simulation has served to both reduce cost and provide a very realistic environment. Various aspects of simulation are addressed in this issue.

On another matter. Hans-Ulrich Heim, chairman of the Controller Management Group since its inception, was forced to give up this position due to changed personal circumstances.

The magazine, its readership, and the Federation owe a debt of gratitude to Hans-Ulli for his untiring efforts which played a crucial role in keeping 'The Controller路 alive and healthy. Thanks. Hans. and best wishes to the present CMG and its members.

an ATC training programme but also apply to the cho ice of display equ ipment and the electron ic technology to be used.

ATC training usua lly co mbin es formal lectures w ith on-th e-job tr aining (OJT). M any prev iou s arti c les in th e ' ICAO Bull eti n' and elsew here have Gerald F. G. Ratzer stressed the benefits of simul at ion eq uipm ent. The determination to be made now in planning an ATC c urriculum is what percentage should be spe nt on lectur es, radar simulation The author is Professor of Computer Science at M c Gill Univer si ty, Montreal, and OJ_Tand _comput er assist ed learn ing : serves as a consultant to Aeronautical Trainin g Systems In c. (ATS), St. Hubert, This c hoice depend s in part o n the Quebec. Canada. The article first appea red in the '/CAO Bulletin¡_ September degree _of f lexibi lity of th e computer s1mulat1on equ ipm ent .

798 7, and is reprinted here with permission of its Edit or and the author. hhh For instanc e, different ope rat io na l radar displays ca n show raw analo radar ret urns o n a plan position - dg cator (PPI); processed SSR returin iThe cost of training air traff ic con . I d d ns troll ers and maintaining their leve l of singe an ouble slashes, possibl proficiency cont inues to esca lat e. sca n co nverted; d1g1tal processe~ Desp ite rigorous sc reening and SSR return s w ith full data block B can the proposed ATC simul at s. ut pre -testin g of controller candidates. or prethe non-comp letion rate s experienced sent all th ese _formats, and can by many ATC progr ammes remain graduated exerc ises cover ing th options be generated? ese unacceptably high Equally high 1s the ATC staff t urnove r, so there is a co n- In an operation al_system the radar tinuing need for new co ntrollers._ displays can be a ma1or cost it em w ith For many c ountries, espec ially prices in th e reg ion of us $ 20 000 those in t he developing worl d , this for a comp let e ATC vecto r display situation is made mor e difficult by the co mp arab le to those em p loyed in t he lack of both operationa l and t rain ing highl y adva nced Canadian J oi nt equipment and the t ech nic al staf f to Enrout e Termin al System (JETS) or t he maintain it. In some state s, the high U.S. Nat ional Air space System. In a cost of running an ATC sc hool means simul at or, a trade-off has to be made that controllers are sent abroad for between cos t and rea lism I h ¡ I - n t e Gerald F. G. Ratzer training or for radar refres her co urses. s1mu ator system described h . ere, t h e This is expensive in te rms of foreign same f unct 1onalit y as th e JETS is currency, and most deve lopin g and equ ipm ent should be described; available for less cost than o ne of it s nations would prefe r to have ATC t he number of st udent tr ainees and radar disp lay posit ion s. the cost of their training ca lculated. training achieved in_ the ir cou ntry, In designing suc h a system a Moreover , th e non-completion rat e c hoice has to be m ade betw~en under their own ope rat ing co nd1t1ons.

With t he late st develop ment s in should be determined and possible mainframe or midi compute rs ( reasons for student drop -out s est ab- D1g1ta l Equipment VAX se ries) w~hg.~ microe lectronics app lied to the field of lished.

ATC equipment, a new generat ion of group of terminals and a set of mi c roThi s feasibilit y study should also try co mputer s Th e trade-off s in th is area low cost, high performa nce radar to esti mate t he hid den cos ts in ATC include suc h it ems as cos t , perform simulato rs is now ava ilab le . With tra ining , such as secondment, travel ance, reliability , growth technica l assista nce from ICAO and potenti al with possib le United Nat ion s Devel- time , vaca tion and absence for medi - ava ilab le add ~o n _hardware and soft~ ca l reasons. Estimate s of th e fin ancia l, ware. The c hoi ce 1s not a simpl e one. opment Program m e (UNDP) financial logi st ic and perc eived benefit s of assista nce, it may often be practicable Settinq _adesign philo so phy for a ny impro ved faci liti es shou ld be tabufor many c ivi l aviat ion auth orit ies to proJect gives a fram ework w ith in late d. either upgrade to full rad ar-environw hich the various trade-off s can be Provided thi s study g ives a reaso n- eva luated. A gener al survey of wo rldment t raining or even to establ ish an ATC schoo l. where thi s was previous ly ab le estimat e of c urrent costs and w ide ATC s1mulat 1on requir ements led proj ected benefit s, then an assess- t o a set of four design goal s: low cost unrea listic ment of th e feasibilit y of thi s proj ect high performance, fle xi bilit y and in~ Requirements Definition Needed can be made . It is sugges ted that, c rem ent al g row th_ based on the cost of the field proBefor e acquiring an ATC simulator __These guide lin es may sou nd li ke system, a feas ibility st udy should be gramme desc ribed below, the instal - c 1t1ng the des irab ilit y of motherhood perfo rm ed to define c learly the re- lat ion of a radar simu lato r may repay but t hey do gi ve a direction to th~ it self in about one year qu ireme nts. This study sho uld docuc ho ice of system hardwa re and softment t he cu rrent air t raffi c contro l ware Cost is st ill the major determ inTrade -offs Consider ed fac ilities, the number and proficiency ing factor in any syste m acquis it ion ; In any de sign work, a c hoi ce has to and , given t he dramatic red uct io n in level of contro llers on staff. Planned and projected increases in contro ller be m ade among a number of option s mi croco mputer equ ipmen t costs, it is These t rade-offs app ly not on ly to th e possible to explo it t his trend and pass load shou ld be identified. The current ove rall str uct ure and organiz at ion of the benefit o n to the end user . training methods , ATC programme

Low Cost, High Pe f rma ATC Simulation Available

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TH E CO NTROL LER / MARCH 1989

Comparison of two log ical configurations System 4 / 32 concept FEEDER SIDE

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I believe the c urrent imp lementation for an ATC rad ar environment that meets th ese design goa ls is exemp lifi ed by Aeronautical Trainin g Systems' ATS System 4 / 32, a mul tip le sector rada r simulator capab le of pre senting prim ary rada r, SSR and full data blo c ks w ith int eracti ve graphi cs .

The four pilo t pos iti ons ca n each genera t e 3 2 ac t ive airc raft for a t ot a I of 128, eac h of w hic h can be individ ua lly co ntroll ed. Th ere are four ATC student posit io ns w ith 19 -inc h (48c m) di splays. Th ese di splays use raste r sca n t elevisio n t ec hno logy, w it h hig h reso luti on Full d ig ital mapping is supported .

Th e pilot po siti on s and th e display posit ions eac h have an indu stry sta nda rd microcom put er (e .g. , IB M PC/ AT or PS-2) bu ilt into th e co nso le and th ese are inter linked by a loca l area netwo rk (LAN) , such as Arc net or Pronet, w ith tr ansm ission rate s in t he range of 2 to 5 mi llion bits per sec ond No separate co mput er m ac hin e room is necessa ry - a norm al office enviro nm ent is suit ab le .

Eac h di splay pos iti o n co mpu ter has a sing le high performance graph ics proce ssor c hip and suff1c 1ent THE CO NTROLLER / M A RCH 1989

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4 B. One four-sector integrated exercise.

A. Four separate exercises running parallel.

While cost is the primary factor , price/ perform ance Is what reall y co unt s. The system mu st deliver th e fun ctionalit y required to do the ATC training task, and have suffici ent rea lism.

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memory to produce a high qu ality simulated radar im age. Thi s is all off the-shelf hardware and the microcomp uter is unmo dified, allowing it to be used for oth er act ivit ies, such as comp ut er-assisted learnin g, w hen radar simulation is not in progre ss. The conso les can be c usto mized to meet any loca l requir ement, and th ey incl ude spec ialized inp ut keyboa rds

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with multip le f un ction keys to speed dat a entry.

One of these systems, installed at t he Region al Air Traff ic Control school at Dorval, Quebe c. in a JETS con figu ration , has been demon st rated to Transpor t Canada . The controller keypad s and funct ions replicate those found on JETS. The de gree of realism is a reflection

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Th,s tabulation display is from a pseudo-pilot feeder pos,t,on .

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The high end of the IBM PS-2 range of microcomputers would be able to address this requirement, which few other existing systems could accommodate .

Field Programme Outlined A modern computer based system is of little use unless it is properly incorporated into an overall training programme. Technical ass istance is available either from Aeronautical Training Systems or from independent organizations such as ICAO . Thi s assistance could cover suc h items as the feasibility study, including the cost-benefit analysis, the selection of equipment and configuration details, and integration into an ATC training programme .

Should the st udy demonstrate the need for new ATC radar simu lation equipment, then the technical assistance would have to cover planning, installation , scenar io and course material preparation, as well as ATC instructor training.

The suggested budgetary price is US $ 160 OOO per secto r for both equipment and technical field support.

Thu s, there is no question that A TS System 4 I 3 2 radar display employs rasterscan video techniques. using the latest of modern microcomputers, configured as a loc al area network, it is now possible to design and build a wide range of ATC radar simuof the complex ity of the underlying with training in hand-off procedures lators. Th ese simu lator s allow a very model . The compu t er software mod - can be simu lated . The changeover low entry cost to a modern ATC tr ainels a large number of ai rc raft types and from one sce nario to the other is ing facility that ca n be field expanded the c hanging of their performance ach ieved in a matter of one minute by to meet every reasonab le and characte ristics with altitude. Likew ise, pure ly software changes in config urunr easo nab le ATC loading situ at ion . standard procedu res such as SID s, ation table s.

STARs and hold s are accu rat ely simu The system has sufficient fle xibility lated. that a sca led-down vers ion wit h ju st Exist ing air routes can inc lude all one pilot and one ATC radar display the usually flying manoeuvre s, such as position can be used to sta rt both f lying to a fi x, inte rce pting a fi x/ radial , radar and procedural training and field flying to a latit ud e/ longitude, along expanded to the four-sector ATS Syswith any required c hange s in speed or tem 4/32 as requir ed . For larger realtitude. Ai r route s can be c hained quirement s, this same syst em can be togethe r and the se used to const ruct further expanded to produce a truly It has been ten years since the flight plans, of wh ich there may be high performance multiple -sector sysMeeting of Experts on Probl ems over a thousand in an ATS System 4 / tem. Instructor/ supervisor positions, in Air Traffic Control in Genev a.

32. for overall system ¡ control , can be On the disp lay side , pr imary radar added to larger system s.

How did it come about? ret urn s, SS R slashes and fu ll data For high performance ATC simuWhat were it s deliberation s? blocks are sup o rted . Vid eo maps can lation, we might conside r the requireWhat impact had its concover a fu ll 1OOO by 1OOO naut ica l ment ca lled out in the Canadian ATclusions? mile ( 1,850X 1,850 km) area an d COS (Air Traffic Control Simulator). conta in deta ils down to the nearest Thi s system cal ls for real-time simu 100 feet (30 m) . Seven levels of m aplation of up to 1OOO aircraft with ping deta il are supported. Th e digital comp lex weather modeling . ATCOS is maps are kept as a lib rary on disk and, plann ed as a research and develop once read into main memory , any map men t tool for use in a new national can be re-sca led and off -ce ntred in Simul ation Centre to cove r simul ation less than a second. needs for the next 10 to 20 year s.

Th e fu ll power of this des ign and Th e arc hitec tural approach of the The ILO Conclusions implementation is that a set of four existing ATS System 4 / 32 is the sam e Ten Years Later independent exercises in different as that to be used in ATCOS , exce pt hemispheres can be run in parallel, or that th ere are to be some 2 5 pilot four co llo cated or overlapping secto rs positions intercon nected in a LAN .

In the next issue:

4

TH E CONTROLL ER/ MA RCH 1989

Aerodrome Control Simulator Societe franr;:aise de prestations (Sofreavia Service)

de personnels et de services aeronautiques

The aerodrome control simulator jointly developed by the Ecole nationale de I' aviation civile. SofreaviaService and SEEE offers a new approach to the teaching and training of aerodrome controllers in providing dynamic training in actual traffic situations.

The existing methods used for the training of TWR personnel do not have the same support as those developed for radar approach or en-route controllers . Classroom work and theoretical lectures remain an important part of the teaching of air traffic control but gaining practical experiencewhich is the most essential element to become a skilled controller - can only be achieved by controlling aircraft in operational conditions under supervision. This may lead to different problems considered as unacceptable, especially to a jeopardizing of safety.

The use of ATC simulators in the field of approach and en-route control has demonstrated that simulators are the best solut ion to improve training effectiveness.

Recent technical innovations in data processing and major advances in image generation now allow realization of a realistic training environment for aerodrome controllers at a reasonable cost.

The simulator presented during the 1987 Paris Air Show recreates the working conditions of TWR controllers and is intended to be used at any step during the training of controllers.

The st udent is placed before an aerodrome console with all the characteristics of a working position and all the necessary equipment: flight str ip holder unit. telephone. radiocommunications control panel. meteorology indicators, microphone. headsets. navaids monitor panel. field lighting panel. etc.

To complete the environment the im age of the airport with movements underway is projected on a giant screen in front of him. In add ition he has an image select ion command on the console to move the 180 ° of his visual field as necessary (coverage

360°).

THE CONTROLLER / MARCH 19 89

The pilot's position consists of a tactile display screen. a communications panel for radio and intercom communications with the trainee and a control screen representing the traffic status as it is seen by the student.

Thi s is important information when the instructor himself assumes the pilot function. The representation on the interactive display resembles a radar type image (plan view of the airport, standard tracks, labels) . To avoid manipulation overloads. the moving targets follow predetermined tracks (specified during the exercise preparation). and the pilot only acts according to the controller¡ s instructions. To do thi s he has more th an 25 different main commands permitting him to execute easily and quickly th e requested act ion s on the traffic flow (circuit extension. altitude change. go around maneuver. etc.).

Pilot operations may be co ndu cted by a student w ith the assistance of simu iation directive s: when the simulat ion is prepared the instructor can foresee spec ific message s intended

solely for the pilot and displayed on his screen at the appropriate moment (radio failure. wind change , over heading facilities. etc .).

A 'break' command located on the position enables to interrupt and freeze the simulation at any time to facilitate the instructo r's intervention.

The simulation may be resumed or the preceding sequence may be replayed for demonstration and discussion. alternatively it can be done again to avoid the repetition of the mistakes and allow a normal continuation of the exercise.

The standard configuration of this simulator is based on Toulouse-Bl agnac Airport (with slight modifications to meet pedagogical requireme nts). and offers the means of simultaneousl y controlling 10 moving tar gets (aircraft. helicopters or vehicles).

Howe ver, it can be adapted on request to meet specific aerodrome and procedural parameters. This involves a modification of the basic data bank of t he system.

Whatever the configuration, standard version or specific supp ort. the design of simulations can be undertaken by the instructor himself. it does not require any complex or specialized training. For this purpose the pilot screen will be used in the print mode .

Each exercise is based on predefined objecti ves in terms of student skill and workload capability. Wh en the exercise is prepared it is stored in the computer memory and c lassified by difficult y.

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The aerodrome control simulato r ca n be used: for beginners, as a tool to acquire a working know ledge of airport environment. procedures. g iven traffic situations and their real-t im e management; for experienced con troller s. when significant changes are expected (airpo rt extension. new procedures). The simulator can be a useful asset in providing the means to familiarize them w ith new operational constraints. for t rain ing on unusual traffic situations invo lving heavy workload. emergency or escape procedures. etc .

This equipment offers the user a high level of adaptability and fle xibility and does more than just reproduce an operational environment . It can be operated very simply and requires no spec ialized personnel. furthermore it permits time saving during the exercises . By placing the trainee in a rea listic context it helps to achieve higher levels of exper ience and therefore improves the safe ty of airport operations.

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Commentary : 'The computer is the solution to many problems that we wouldn't have at all without computers. · Klaus-Peter Schreiner cabaret artiste

About 80% of all adults suffer disabling low back pain at so me time in their lives. One or two days of bed rest may help , but walking around usuall y help s more , this report says. Sitting stresses the back and should be avoided. Acetaminophen . aspirin. and other non steroidal anti-infl amm atory drugs can help to relieve back pain.

Strong nar co ti cs aren't any mor e effective and they may del ay recovery.

Once back pain has decrea sed, the best way to avoid recurrences is wit h back-protecting exercises and a general exercise program to impro ve overall fitnes s . (0 . Bo ac hie-Adjei .

Postgraduate Medi c ine 84: 12 7 , Sept. 1988) Rep rint ed. with permission , from 'M edica l Ab stracts New sletter ', Box 2 770 . Teaneck, NJ 07666 . $24.95 / year

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THE CONTROL LER/ MARCH 1989

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The AIRCAT open -skies program. The optimum solution - on a turnkey basis. At Thomson-CSF the sky really is the limit.

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DIVISION SYSTEMES DEFENSE ET CONTROLE 40, rue Gra ng e Dame Rose 92363 Meudon-La-Foret Cedex - FRANCE Tel. : (1) 40.94.30 .00 -Te lex: THMEU 270375 F

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Voice Driven ATC Simulator Ron Mahendran, Sales Manager, ATC/AD Systems Ferranti Computer Systems Limited

The advent of computers has resulted quite logically in greater use of processors in air traffic control. Not many modern systems operate without processors in the display of Radar and Flight Data and the collation and dissemination of flight information.

Over the years this has resulted in many methods being evolved for man machine interfaces. To name but a few, keyboards, touch pads, light pens and roller balls are in wide use throughout the international fraternity of air traffic control. But why should not voice technology be utilized in ATC training?

In air traffic control our very method of operation is voice intensive.

No one will deny that the use of voice as a means of communication is quite natural to man and is certainly the simplest and quickest way of conveying instructions and information from the controller to pilot or vice versa.

Hence. the present methods of man machine interface induce diversion of the controller's effort and a division of his attention. Notwithstanding the difficulties encountered by the controller. such diversion and division has been accepted as a necessary evil.

The controller who earlier had no more demands made upon him than looking out of a window, looking at flight progress strips or looking at raw radar display, is now called upon to manipulate input devices with his hands.

Without going into the intricacies of voice technology it is sufficient to say that the use of speech technology as a means of communicating with the computer has continued to evolve and develop in the last decade. Its use in fairly simple applications such as children's toys, the sorting of mail to destinations and entering coded messages for quality inspections in production facilities. is already with us. More advanced use of voice in cockpit control in aircraft and similar parallel military applications is under investigation both in this country and overseas.

8

In the case of the controller, the aim must be to utilize voice technology to relieve him of unnecessary and distracting tasks. On the other hand it should do nothing to reduce safety standards. At a recent evaluation of Electronic Data Display Update System (EDDUS) operations at the Evaluation Unit (EU) at Hurn U. K., participants felt that keyboard entries at moderate traffic intensity were excessive. Experience showed that the accuracy of the information displayed at moderate traffic intensity on which the executive controller would depend, was some phases behind the real air situation prevailing at the time.

Members of the participating team felt that voice input

should be investigated as an alternative. The application of voice technology to operational air traffic may as yet be felt to be premature.

However, the time and technology is now available for us to progress the use of voice technology in ATC training as a first step without fear that it will cause a safety hazard. The R/T patter in use in air traffic control is highly structured and therefore lends itself to voice technology which is in its infancy and thus has limitations. The use of voice technology in a training environment where the R/T patter has to be necessarily exact could therefore prove both feasible and effective.

During recent trials conducted by Ferranti, on the few occasions of poor voice recognition on readback it was possible to introduce changes by saying 'correction' and repeating the corrected message. Equally. should the recognizer not understand the R/T message in at least 7 levels out of 10. it had been programmed to synthesize 'C/ S say again'. The cumulative effect of this is that the recognizer is able (Ron Mahendran is the IFATCA Corporate Members Coordinator. The above article was previously published in Commonwealth Air Transport News, vol. 26 No 2. hhh)

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THE CONTROLLER/ MARCH 1989

to act on R/T instruction if necessary Some Interesting Facts and Figures after 3 attempts. This aspect in a training environment could prove of World Airline Traffic - 1988 value in reinforcing the R/T patter.

Besides. there are other more positive 1988/ 1988/ 1988/ advantages in the use of voice techPass. 1987 RPKs 1987 Frt. TKs 1987 nology in ATC training with simulators.

Airline (OOO)% chg.

(000) % chg.

(000) % chg.

At present trainee controller instructions are relayed to pilots via a pilot Adria 1.320 (18.0) 1.411.158 (15.0) 1.101 (44.0) 3.104 32.0 3.652.714 20.0 92.422 23.0 control unit (PCU) where the message Aer Lingus (7.3) 5.670.467 0.15 138.238 4.8 is entered by an operator using a key- AerolineasArgentinas 2.757 2 1,299.896 1.039 559 board. This is a tedious and boring task Aeromexico 971 (2.6) 1.045.772 (2.9) 10,325 (12.6) AeroPeru besides being expensive in manpow13.716 9.4 2,904.411 7.7 10.6 31.883. 193 Air France er. Voice actuation of PCUs will result Air India 1,501 11.6 6,256.972 9.8 365.164 2.5 in cost saving without impinging on Air Jamaica 811 (4.0) 16,011 (10.0) (3.0) 1.434.668 safety standards. Further saving could Airlanka 594 20.2 2,070.976 26.1 26.8 49.236 accrue from maximum utilization of Air Malta 1,039 4.2 1,922.537 2.5 4.124 6.2 4.417 4.9 8,073.858 15.4 245.537 0.1 the simulator by students after formal Air New Zealand 314 (5.7) 180.356 (1.1) 2.218 21.3 Air Tanzania training hours in the form of enhanced 340 12.6 440.599 6.2 9,385 20.2 Air Zimbabwe individual training without the neces4.744 14.7 4. 775.246 2.3 63.193 13.3 Ansett sity for a PCU operator.

470 19.0 517,191 18.7 4.162 1.3 Ansett W.A. Analysis of the numerous trials 20.4 135.226 65 21.1 8.552 28.4 ArianaAfghan conducted on a voice-driven simulator 237 8.6 1.167 (6.0) Aurigny has convinced the author that the Australian 19.9 5. 145.198 5.123 13.9 42.784 0.9 technology is ready for use in a train- Austrian 1.345 3.0 1,293.027 3.0 (1.0) 13.915 702 3.2 2.264.038 ing environment with all its attendant 1.3 Balair 11.0 1,642.762 832 0.3 61,388 (0.3) advantages. Further trials are being Biman-Bangladesh 10.1 2,312.567 3.157 6.7 5.020 6.3 conducted both at Hurn and else- BraathensSAFE 11.4 17.160.441 8.432 17.1 353.100 24.0 Canadian where to bring it up to operational 784.191 11.0 utilization standard. Unfortunately this Cargolux 5.135 22.1 16,733.213 16.6 1.003.250 CathayPacific 19.1 may have to await improvements on China 3.953 16.5 8.120.864 6.9 644.406 3.0 the voice recognizer capability. How- Cruzeiro 2.544 1.0 2,582.880 0.0 34.925 (23.0) ever. the first faulting steps must now Czechoslovak 1.280 5.1 2.260.536 6.1 14.489 6.4 be taken in this technology if we are to Ethiopian 520 9.7 1.111.289 15.9 81.408 13.9 4.102 10.2 6,378.521 12.0 91.523 use it in the future to reduce the con- Finnair 10.0 100 troller workload. What better and safer Guernsey 10.961 2.0 15.743.217 5.8 414.055 Iberia 10.5 way do we have in ATC than through 744 (8.6) 2.154.809 (10.4) 22.274 18.1 the training environment to study this lcelandair 7,841 2.6 6,622.666 4.8 85.346 5.4 Indian technology more closely and help to 144 45.6 315. 723 78.6 1,063 (39.3) Karair evolve it to serve our needs for the fu- Kendell 208 5.0 69.259 21.3 73 4.0 ture?

5.181 7.0 18,112.132 8.0 1.401.568 9.0 KLM1 2.436 0.5 8. 709.166 0.1 1.235.453 17.8 Korean

Ferranti International Wins Pakistan AFTN Contract Ferranti International has been awarded the contract by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority for its new Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network (AFTN) Message Handling System.

The new Ferranti Aeronet AFTN national switching center will replace the existing semi-automatic switching facilities.

The Pakistan center is one of the busiest AFTN message switches in Asia because of its significant role within the international Civil Aviation network.

The new switch has the capability to support 1n the future the new ¡common ICAO Data Interchange Network' (CIDIN) procedures which allow higher transmission speeds to be used and a much wider range of aeronautical data to be carried over a common network.

THE CONTROLLER/ MARCH 1989

Lacsa LanChile Linjeflyg Lloyd LOT Martinair MAS Mexicana Olympic Pakistan Philippine Qantas RoyalBrunei RoyalJordanian SAS Saudia Singapore Swissair TAP-AirPortugal Thai lnt'I. Transavia Transbrasil UTA Varig Vasp Wardair

267 373 3,754 973 1.520 940 5.292 7,679 4.689 4.080 1.169 2.881 163 962 11.209 6,795 5.500 7,547 2.176 3.098 1,015 1,870 758 4.914 3.625 2.140

18.5 589.830 12.8 1,147.921 10.1 1.423.000 (4.0) 744.463 4.6 2.957.050 5.0 3,092.000 8.5 7,006.161 6.6 9.867.685 3.0 5,293.459 10.5 7.464.223 14.7 5.994.449 21.4 19.229.128 12.0 210.467 4.3 3,084.532 5.0 11.935.868 (3.6) 10.428.418 10.9 25.699.800 3.0 13.755.781 10.4 4.341.085 19.8 11.331.734 11.0 2.115.048 ( 11.8) 2.434.143 (6.9) 5.032.086 5.0 11.397.954 (9.6) 3.349.424 46.6 7,895.900

35.8 24.980 9.9 96.256 10.1 3,340 2.3 16.660 15.6 10.809 6.0 487.000 12.4 308.240 11.4 91.082 7.0 67.594 15.1 325.531 15.0 176.900 17.2 637.223 13.0 3.398 13.0 143.670 6.0 328.427 (3.5) 320.956 12.9 1,263.394 5.0 738.781 13.6 102.825 22.5 426.098 9.0 16 (11.2) 122.212 (2.8) 475.470 17.0 707.263 (13.1) 63.848 28.8

16.9 38.1 3.3 (3.9) 13.4 14.0 8.4 9.6 0.0 19.8 29.4 2.3

1.3 6.8 5.0 5.2 11.1

11.0 10.3 19.4 (82 0) (14 2) 14.2 1.0 (13.5)

Jan. thru Oct. Nov. Sept.

Oct. Sept.

Nov. Aug. Aug. Oct. Oct. Sept.

Sept.

Aug. Sept.

Oct. Oct. Sept.

Oct. Sept.

Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. Sept.

Oct. Oct. Oct. Oct. Sept Oct. Sept.

Sept.

Oct. Sept.

Oct. Oct. Sept Aug. Sept.

Aug. Oct. Sept.

Sept.

Sept.

Oct. Nov. Aug. Oct. Aug. Sept.

Aug. Sept Oct. Aug. Nov. Nov. Sept.

Sept.

Oct. Oct. Nov. Oct. Oct. Oct.

Source:Directairlinereports.

1 IncludesNLM City Hopper.

2 Partial ('Air TransportWorld' 2189) 9

Farnborough International 1988 Personal Impressions

Industry Exhibition Martyn G. Cooper, GATCO Good weather, a fine selection of the latest civil and military aircraft, and an impressive ground exhibition drew large crowds to Farnborough International 1988.

The underlying theme in the exhibition halls seemed to be the military application of communication and other guidance systems.

Where was the civil radar? To be truthful, rather difficult to find, with only a few manufacturers demonstrating their radar consoles.

Of radar simulators. very little.

Even Thomson-CSF, who have in recent years been most successful in providing complete area radar systems. were reluctant to share their success. The recently completed ATCC in Denmark (CATCAS) and its dedicated simulator (SIMU 87) were displayed in brochure form only.

Their MIV 1000 radar display with plasma or TV type touch input control was not displayed. and for those not fortunate enough to have visited CATCAS it was difficult to appreciate how good the Danish system is in operation. The bright and airy Danish ATCC features 16 approach/ area sectors. with the simulator ¡next door¡ able to simulate 9 approach/ area sectors at any one time.

And for those unable to work in a modern ATCC. I confirm that 'SIMU 87' is a fully functioning radar simulator - not an evaluation unit!

Ferranti UK have provided simulators to Dundridge College in the UK. but did not show any civil radars at Farnborough. They. like other manufacturers. are developing a voice recognition system to overcome the necessity for blipdrivers for radar simulators.

Signaal. part of the Dutch group Philips could only provide a briefing pack. Was the competition for radar systems so keen in the UK that no-one wanted to display their product, or was it that the bottom has fallen out of the radar marker?

10

Fortunately, two manufacturers were discovered selling civil radar, and the search was well worth the effort.

Both Cessor/ Raytheon and Plessey were demonstrating their advanced 2000 line, totally synthetic. 20 inch square color radar displays.

Cessor/ Raytheon were bristling with confidence that the new 2000 series would be the radar not of the future. but of tomorrow.

There was the problem of ICAO accepting the use of color. and how best use of color in ATC radar could be made.

But, as the US FAA had just signed a purchase agreement for 8500 of these displays the Cessor/ Raytheon man was confident that ICAO would soon authorize their usage. In the meantime. they could be operated in monochrome.

To the purists they may lack the feel of a cluttered. speckly picture (or am I biased). but to those used to processed radars. they are the ultimate answer to the TV game that ATC is. and we all play to win.

The 2000 series provides photographic quality graphics. in all colors.

There is a zoom facility to highlight congested airspace. There is picture in picture anywhere on the screen. and there is perfect off-centering with no blurring or loss of video as the whole radar picture is moved rapidly about.

2000 series radar is truly fantastic.

Large. daylight viewing displays. with a host of features and available applications. I want one!

Although Cessor were obviously enthusiastic about 2000. they were also confidently demonstrating their present range of cursive raster scan displays.

Cossor has involved ATCOs in their development programs and has spent a lot of time researching the human factor problems associated with staring into a radar display for long periods.

They are fully convinced that (color 2000 apart) white. or yellow. on green is more restive.

Plessey. on the other hand. were more guarded with their optimism for

the 2000 radar. and were still researching the application of color to a monochrome world.

Perhaps the US determination to standardize on 2000 will give Plessey cause to market their 2000 more aggressively. In the meantime. Plessey were displaying their Watchman radar. which has achieved notable success with sales in Europe. Asia.

Africa. and the Middle East. Plessey claims that Watchman is the world's leading ATC radar for airports and low level enroute surveillance.

Also on the Plessey stand was an exercise in electronic flight progress strip management. Using a mouse control. strips could be moved and edited in the usual manual way. It was primarily a demonstration on the graphics quality of today's desk top computers. The strips were realistically displayed in color and style.

So much for the manufacturers. what about the users?

Farnborough was fortunate enough to have both the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Eurocontrol exhibiting.

The UK CAA had taken a bold step to show live radar coverage of the London TMA area.

The other main feature of the CAA stand was a model of the London TMA compatible with the latest Central Control Function (CCF) holding patterns and inbound/ outbound routes.

CCF is being developed to assist the growing demands of the London TMA and should be brought into operation during the next seven years.

Its basic concept conforms to the sectorization of the airspace around London to promote clearer areas of responsibility. thus reducing the need for coordination. CCF is modelled on the New York area procedures and will bring most of the initial and intermediate approach control responsibilities of Heathrow/ Gatwick and Stansted into the London Air Traffic Control Centre. Additionally. it is intended to provide much improved service to other airports in the London area. such as Luton. which are exTHE CONTROLLER/MARCH

1989

peri enc ing tr emendou s growth at the moment.

Eurocontrol . on the other hand. provided a typ ical radar display showing recorded video and appropriate R/T for a west secto r of Maastricht.

Use of available technology provided an interesting comparison to the UK CAA display.

So much for radar systems. syntheti c. simulated. or square-shaped .

Wh at else was there for the ATCO? Marconi Flight Progress Strip system. now ope rational in Malaysia. was being demon strated in an out-of-theway st at ic park The Mar co ni system is built around a number of databases that can provide autom atic strip printing. route / landing charges. AIS. and SAR information Development work 1s going ahead to provide MET and AFTN communication facilities to build up a dedicated user network for ATCCs and airports .

Finally. at the UK British Telecom st and there was an exercise in SAR autodial emergency call-out. Using a graphic display of an airfield. and by introdu ci ng tabulated data as icons onto the picture . emergencies on an airfield could be displayed as a geographical feature. Emergency messages could be assembled and dispatched to all th e emergency services co nnect ed to the system . Still in the development stage. although simpler syste ms are in use in several UK fir e and amb ulanc e servic es. providing quick and eff ectiv e distribut ion of emer ge ncy m essages.

Farnborough International '88 need s at least two days to effectively cover all the exhibition area and the world famous air display. There was much in evidence of basic pilot simulator s using computerized flying control s. but the high cost of exhibiting at Farnborough had not encouraged supplier s of ATC hardware or software to fully utilize thi s particular shop window .

The square color radar was undoubtedly the star of the show for an ATC visitor.

Antonov 724

In September 1988 the sun shone on Farnborough . For the whole week of Farnborough International 1988 the sky was a brilliant blue. the temperatures were about 25 ° C and the ice-cream stalls ran dry . In the circumstances the best place to be was on the viewing deck of the Press Center with its adjacent refreshment bar and the best thing to do was to sit back and enjoy the show.

The air display at Farnborough differs from all other air shows in the UK in that it is primarily a marketing rather than an entertainment exercise. This means that a rather different range of aircraft is displayed . The product s of many differnnt countries are put through their pace s and many aircraft designed for mundane but useful tasks which one does not usually see displayed perform for the large and generally intere sted and appreciative audience. The noisy and spectac ular displays are not. of cour se. excluded.

They are usually performed by military aircraft and display teams including the famou s Red Arrow s.

The smalle st machine to fly at

Farnborough this year was the Power chute Raider with a weight of 90 kg (yes. ninety) it was. in fact. a motorized parascending foil w ith a maximum speed of 35 mph and an operating ceiling of 10 .000 ft. W hilst it was designed for a military obse rvation role it has obvious attractions for the leisure flying market. No doubt it will become yet another aerial hazard for those of us who provide air traffic service s outside regulated airspace to take into account. Nevertheless it loo ked like it might be great fun and an exhilarating experience to fly .

The largest aircraft at Farnborough wa s the might y Antono v 124 Soviet transport . Unfortunately it was purely part of the static display for most of the show. It could have provided useful extra hangarage for some of the smal ler exhibit ors if nece ssary. The participation of the USSR at Farnborough for the fir st time w as perhaps the aspect of the show which mo st grabbed the headline s and the famous M ig 29 tai lslide maneuver appeared repeatedly on te levision and in the aviation press.

Flying Display Janet Hall Director IFATCA Liaison.

GATCO .

It is said that the UK has a very favorab le climate - it' s only th e we ather th at is bad. Summer 1988 fo llowed th e usual trend wit h the se island s providing a temporary resting place for a string of North Atlantic depression s until early September . but t hen ..

THE CONTROLLER / MA RCH 198 9

M cDonnell Dougl as MO 87 11

My own particular favorites in the Farnborough flying display are the passenger transports which one does not often see at airshows. Amongst those flying this year were some old faithfuls such as the Shorts 360 (or Supershed as it is affectionately known to ATC to distinguish it from its little brother. the Shorts 330. or flying Shed-the aircraft of which it was said that Shorts simply put wings and engines on the delivery crates) and the Islander. now the only piston-engined airliner still in production. These are neither new nor glamorous aircraft but both are still filling their own particular niches in the air transport market.

In the British Aerospace formation display was the latest version of the popular BAe 146. the 103 seat 300. which had to be seen to be believed because you couldn't hear it. The ATP (Advanced Turbo Prop) was also there in British Airways· colors this being the first of eight of this aircraft BA has ordered.

From Toulouse came the fly-by-wire Airbus 320 powered by the multinational V2500 engines. It did not put on quite the semi-aerobatic display as in 1986 but it was still impressive to see such a huge beast performing so apparently effortlessly and responsively. There are hopes that this aircraft will sell at least 1600 airframes worldwide. Over one-third of this total has already been reached in orders from 23 customers.

Another new engine featured in the flying display was the UDF (unducted fan) on the MD81 testbed aircraft.

This engine produces a most peculiar whine and the strobe effect of the two sets of blades makes it look as if they have stopped turning.

One passenger aircraft not appearing at this year's Farnborough was Concorde. Nevertheless when the aircraft passed overhead on one of its scheduled flights into Heathrow the show stopped and all eyes turned skywards. She's still beautiful!

Another still unchallenged ·old faithful· in the display was the BAe Harrier VSTOL aircraft which. as always. put on its unique display accompanied by Lynx. Sea King and Gazelle helicopters as part of the Royal Navy's flying display.

Other military aircraft in the show included the Mirage 2000. the F 18, the F 16, Hawk and Tornado. As always their displays were fast. noisy and full of exciting high-energy maneuvers. Several of the latest military helicopters were equally good value in their displays. The Bell BH 64 Apache did things no helicopter should be able to do in terms of aerobatics! Westland' s Lynx flew back17

wards at 60 knots and their Black Hawk displayed with an impressive underslung load.

Amongst the light aircraft were several single engine trainers both civil and military such as the Slingsby T67 Firefly, the Trago Mills SAH 1. the ARV Super 2 - now the Island Aircraft Super 2. the Shorts and Embraer Tucanos and the Gallan T35 from Chile.

There were also two small jet trainers, the Marmande Microjet and the Jet Squalus. but the one I would have liked to have seen, the Chichester-Miles Leopard. 4-seat, private jet was not yet certificated for Farnborough. The Brooklands Scoutmaster observation aircraft was skilfully demonstrated and the pilot provided his own commentary using the Sky Shout Loudhailer system on board the aircraft.

At any airshow I always feel a great deal of sympathy for the ATCOs involved who spend most of the year trying to keep aircraft as far apart as possible but spend those few hours working their socks off trying to get the various participants into their displays with the minimum of delay between them. I can only congratulate ATC at Farnborough for a superb job. It takes another ATCO to appreciate the effort that goes into it whilst the rest of the audience complain about how slow the show is. not that they did at Farnborough!

Strong Traffic Ahead An average growth of 7% in international passenger traffic during the next five years is being forecast by the International Air Transport Association. This year's increase will be 8%.

IATA said. declining to 7% in '89 and to 6% per year in '90-'92.

Region with the fastest growth will continue to be Asia/ Pacific at 9% per year, followed by North American routes (7%) and European markets (6%).

Air freight will grow at an 8% rate. with the Asia/ Pacific regions again staying ahead of world growth. IATA said.

Air Transport World" 70188

Short: Air traffic control for one million square kilometers in Southern Brazil is being handled by a new. $400 million computerized ATC and air defense center recently completed in Curitiba.

The station. named Cindacta II. also is responsible for all international commercial traffic over-flying Brazil enroute to other Latin American destinations. It began limited operations in '82.

The new station, in concert with the Brasilia-based Cindacta I. controls an area estimated to be larger than Western Europe.

Air Transport World" 72188

International

Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations

IAOPA At the 13th World Assembly in Sydney. Australia. the 22 attending national AOPA representatives passed a number of resolutions addressing a broad range of general aviation issues. some of which are of interest to the readership of 'The Controller'.

These resolutions can be briefly summarized as follows: Resolution Number 3: MLS program - Persuade all governments and organizations concerned to immediately suspend all plans to replace ILS with MLS. and protect existing ILS frequencies and extend the operational life of ILS. Resolution Number 6: General aviation access to major airports- Policy that all public airports shall be accessible to all users.

Resolution Number 8: Relationship between air traffic controllers and pilots - Liaise more closely with I FATCA and national air traffic controllers.

THE CONTROLLER/MARCH

1989

The Controller's Workstation Peter A. Jorgensen, Selenia S.p .A.

With the introduction of personal computers many jobs have undergone considerable change, and it is now common to see professionals bent over their PC rather than their desk.

The concept of a workstation has been introduced.

A workstation is defined as a work position from which a person can access all relevant information, manipulate this information , and produce results, all by using electronic means: the paperless office.

This person remains seated for hours in front of a CRT and a keyboard, a situation well known to the controller ; he has actually been doing that for years.

However, as this concept is becoming more common place much more money is being made available for research - both for pure ergonomics and man/machine interface perhaps, soon, the paper- or strip-less controller will be a reality.

Over the years. Selenia has placed much emphasis on designing controller-friendly consoles.

The radar position has undergone an evolution where the fir st type of automation brought us the joystick. then the track-ball and keyboard, and now the ergonometric new keyboard which simplifies the man/ machine interface .

However. further development,

similar to development of the paperless office. has been very slow. Possibly, it will be necessary to re-assess the role of the system and of each system operator in order to make significant advances.

The FM has developed the concept of Sector Suites. using an all electronic one/two man workstation.

Although this may well suit the USA environment. different roles and different budgetary requirements can make this approach less suitable for other countries.

The main problem to solve is the presence of the flight progress strip.

Generall y, two types of strips are used . one type by the radar controller as an ¡ aide-memoire¡ and the other type as a regular flight progress strip as a basis to provide separation. Bot h types are used for planning and coordination.

In designing the 'paperless workstation'. the above functions must be substituted with an electronic medium. Many attempts have been made.

Experience has shown that it is unsatisfactory to simply reproduce the strips on a screen. using lightpens or touch-

Selenia Sector Suite

THE CONTROLLER / MARCH 1989

13

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data devices instead of paper and penci l. Mo st likely. some of the basic concepts must be restudied.

The radar control ler uses a maxistrip to note his clearance . main ly in terms of altitude. heading s and handover . For coordination. it will. most likely. be easier to use a display, either the radar display itse lf with a microtabu lar list. or an adjacent data screen .

Voice recognition systems wil l sho rt ly make it possib le to autom atical ly digitize a c learance or instruction and thus directly note them to the system . to be presented on the aircraft labe l. on a microtabular list . etc . A system. where the voice pattern of each con t ro ller is stored. could achieve the requ ired high degree of speech unde rstanding. even under stress or fatigue .

Furthermore . the introduction of mode-S. especially if used in conj unction with the Flight Management Systems on board . wil l lower the need for voice-delivered (R / T) clearances. and hence the need for radar str ips.

The more difficult prob lem to solve is the elimination of the f light progres s strip as the too l for providing separ ation in a non-radar environment.

LSP LSP : LATERAL SEPARATION

POINTS

LSP

-

V NZ906

V

A

A

NOS

--- --

MIR

LEVELS IN USE

320

CIS AN701 OF44 S021A AF320 PX302 OF01

Ai P AUS RUS NOS NO$ RUS NOS

-

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ETA 1215 1202 1210 1211 1214 1204

NEXT RE RE VDU VDU RE VDU

ETA 1230 1216 1220 1215 1220 1216

AUS

~

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RE

1212

EKI

~

1208

NOS

1227

1202

BEO

1218

250

JOO

240

280

230

260

Procedural Situation Monitor(Note : Three-letter designators now in use) 14

I

-

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----·

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LEVEL 280

~ ~ ~ ~

TN407 SROJ

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~

1205

BEO

1215

TN071 NZ906 QF016

BEO

~ ~

1211 1218 1202

RAS VDU VDU

1231 1235 1218

MIA MIR

280

DME 25 AUS

70 RUS

75 BEO 80 MIR 20 MIR

THE CONTROLLER / MARCH 1989

...

To write/ draw the strips electronically will not solve anything and does not add any operational usefulness .

Th e strip in its holder is a wonderful tool , extremely flexible and fast to use, and a single controller can handle a large number of aircraft.

The flight progress strip, how ever, was created as a result of the technology available at the time, to solve a specific task, and may not be the only way of providing procedural control.

For instance , in many areas of the Soviet Union, vertical separation by procedural control is ensured by a graphical method.

If we, therefore, consider that the purpose of the strip is to ensure procedural separation, we may be able to design a system that does that, without the use of the strips at all.

One way could be to present the airway system on a high resolution raster scan display, not necessarily geographically scaled. Each airway would be represented by a ribbon of bright colours , each colour representing a level . The position, in time and level , of eac h aircraft would be derived from the flight plan. updated by pilots' reports. Again each aircraft would be connected with a small label , giving other relevant information . This would be a Procedural Situation Monitor .

Electronic s technician s still remember when carbon resistor s were colour coded to indicate values , and how easy it was to recogni ze the values.

A confirmed level would be rep-

resented by a full ribbon. The position (estimated) by an arrow, moving along the ribbon . If a new level is authorized, the new colour would appear under the arrow. but the colour coding for the left level will remain until the new level is confirmed to indicate a change in levels.

A microtabular display will be used as a memory pad. The pointer is moved up or down by key on the keyboard. When a flight is cleared to a new level , the pointer is moved to the call-sign. and the CLR-LVL (cleared level) plus the new level (e.g. 280) is pushed . This information is stored in the FPL(flight plan) processor , and the relative colour appears under the aircraft position symbol. When a new level is confirmed, CFR-LVL (confirmed level) is pressed , and the ribbon changes colour, and the level is confirmed to the FPL processor .

The main points to note are: Separation is performed procedurally by levels. DME , etc. and monitored; No manipulation of strips 1s required ; .

A better appreciation of the 3-dimensional scenario is achieved.

The above is not presented as a new, firm and fixed solution, but merely as a sto ne thrown into a pond to measure the reaction .

The technolog y to provide a paperless system is available today but we need feedback from the user to develop the right solution s.

Encoding Altimeter Errors The Western Regio n Aviation Safet y Office passed along the story of a King Air operator who encountered an unusual and di stu rbing altimeter problem , one that may have grave consequences.

The King Air crew was passing from 17 ,OOO ft for Flight Level 200 when the captain noticed a discrepanc y of 800 ft between the left and right alt imeters . The captain, after leveling off at FL 200 . asked ATC to confirm the altitude. ATC replied that they showed the King Air at FL 200.

The right hand altimeter, a regular barometric , non-encoding type, showed that the airc raft was at 20,800 ft.

Since ATC had indi cated FL 200 and the left hand height-encod ing altimeter said 20,000 ft. the crew assumed the right hand altimeter was 1n error .

Upon landing at destination . however, the crew noticed that it was the left hand altimeter that showed 800 ft low and the right hand altimeter tha t read the correct field elevation.

Therefore, the King Air had flown the route 800 ft higher than flightplanned .

The impl ications of such an event for traffic sepa ration and safety are profound , since both pilots and controllers use the same Mo de C information. If the height-encoding altimete r reads 20 .000 ft in the aircraft, the radar display will also refle ct that altitude , and no error in altitude will be detected by air traffic control.

Apparently , bench testing of height -encoding altimeters has , on some occasions , reveal ed alt it ude drift of as much as 2, OOO ft, with out warning flags appearing. The frequency of such unpredictable drift in altitude in _aircraft equipped with encoding altimeters is unknown.

The company has now inst ituted a policy to request a block of altitude from ATC when encoding altimeter errors are suspected in flight . They also reco mmend c hoo sing airports with precision approach procedu res, and a mandatory cross-check of the altimeters for any alt itud e discrepancy passing by the outer ma rker (a good practice at all times).

This is the first case we have heard of concerning encod ing alt1rneter drift .

(From 'Aviation Safety Letter ¡ [Canada] Issue 4 1 88) THE CONTROLLER / MAR CH 1989

15

New Psychodiagnostic Developments in Aviation Psychology Or. Klaus-Martin Goeters , Ph.D.

Dr. Goeters is with the Dep artment of Aviation and Space Psychology at DFVLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Hamburg , Federal Republic of Germany. He has been with the Institute since 79 70 and is permanently engaged in differential and diagnostic psychology and its application to aviation, in particular the selection of pilots and air traffic controllers. Dr . Goeter s has been involved in special projects such as recruitment of aviation personnel in developing countries, he was an aquanaut in the underwater laboratory 'He/go/and' with emphasis on psychological counseling of aquanauts. He took part in the psychological selection of European Spacel ab payload specialists. Since 798 7 he has been conducting basic research on human reliability with its source in individ ual trait differences. The paper was presented at the 77th Conference of the Western European Association for Aviation Psychology, Vienna, Austria, September 798 7. hhh It is now 12 years since a WEMP working group reviewed and compared selection procedures in use at that time and noted that cognitive and psychomotor tests were generally cons idered to be effective predictors of the pass-fail criterion in pilot or ATC training . Further there was consider able communal ity of test conten t and it was felt that it would be unrealistic to expect major im proveme nts. Howeve r it was recognized that minor improvements are possible to meet specific situat ion s and to respond to the needs of technological advances.

It was therefore reco mmended to concentrate on the area of personality measurement as thi s was felt to offer greater poten ti al for improvement and was also sub je ct to greater diversity of approach.

A 12-year time span is a good pe riod to review the development in test construct ion and compare it with the forme r state ment s.

Recent Developments in Performance Measurement Sti ll the core battery of performance t ests in aviat ion psychology is a co mpo sItIon of the following abil ities : _ English Language . Physico- Technica l Know ledge and Comprehension.

Math emat ico-Logical Thinking, Memory (aud itory / visual). Perception and Attention (auditory / visual). Spatial 16

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are report ed describing test principles. psychometric parameters and general advantages/ disadvantages.

Most of the examples w hic h will be given below come from the DFVLRDepartment of Aviation arid Space Psychology This institution is in charge of the psychological selection of operational personnel as pilots, air traffic controllers or astronaut scientists. Every year several thousand s of applicants are tested at the DFVLR ( 1986: 5. 707 subjects) giving a broad empirical basis for a variety of research and development projects.

Although these projects are reflecting the work of a single research group they can serve as examples for recent developments of psychodiagnostic methods in aviation psychology.

Test of Information Checking and Monitoring Capability As mentioned above occupational demands in the cockpit or at th e controller¡ s console are changing insofar as plausibility checks and monitoring behavior become more important.

Today exact computations are usually done by computers. so it is the ope rators task not to compute. but to check the so lution of the computer for plausibility (True/ False Dec ision s) Thi s situ at ion has been stimul ating the development of a mental arithmeti c test called USR (Uberschlagsrechnen.

English: Numeri ca l Estimation). In this test the subj ect has to app ly basic arithmetic rules and/ or the knowledge of mathematical functions (e.g. log or sin) for the so lution of th e test item s. The se are numerical questions as: tan 4 7 = ?

The answer has to be selected from 5 alternatives. in the case of the item presented:

Dr. Klaus-Mart in Goeters

a. 0.50. b. 1.07. c. 5.24 . d. 9 99. e. 10. 72

Orientation, Psyc homotor Coordination. and Multiple Task Capacity.

New test developments in thi s area have been oriented to the changing occupationa l demands (extension of information management. checking, and monitoring behavior). Other tests have been arranged according to advanced cogn iti ve models or theories (e.g. Multiple Resource s The ory).

Al so many new developments became possibl e by using new technical methods of test presentation and data registration (application of aud io-visual devices and persona l co mputers) .

The development s along these lines

The item s are presented by slides in a paced form. Sufficient reliability can be reached w ith 22 items. but 30 items are better The te st is correlating with other te st s of mathem at ico- logical thinking. but higher with those tests requ irin g m athematica l _knowledge than pure logica l reasoning In the USR correct answers can be reac hed w ithout any exact co mputation. The te st princip le is in favo r of those app licants who are not very practised in mental computations. but have a good fee ling for numbers and numerical relation s The portion of the se applicants is growing because THE CONTRO LLER/ MARCH 1989

l

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pure numerical computations are more and more done with the help of pocket computers or other devices.

A test for extensive monitoring capability is the VIG, a bimodal test of vigilance. In this test visual and auditory signals are presented simultaneously for one hour with a signal rate of 1 Hz. This does mean, that the subject has to monitor 3.600 signals in each modality. which is a very demanding and stressful situation. If the subject detects a critical signal he/ she has to push a button (one for each modality). Critical signals appear as rare events (p = 0.006 per modality). If one of two dials is indicating a higher value than usual, this is the critical visual event. The critical auditory signal are three letters with a German T sound (e.g. B, D, G) appearing as a group in a continuous series of letters. The bimodal test of vigilance is computerized enabling group testing (max. 24 subjects). A special feature is the simultaneous evaluation of two sensory channels.

The number of correct detections in both channels are correlating about 0.3, reflecting a high degree of specificity. The measurement of correct detections shows sufficient reliability (0.8-0.9) in each modality. The test scores measure the position of mental concentration in long duration monitoring. They are correlating with other tests of mental concentration requiring a high effort in maintaining attention. The false alarms of the bimodal test of vigilance are an indication for an uncontrolled overactivity.

Test Construction According to Advanced Cognitive Models For a long time it has been recognized that simultaneous work capacity or timesharing ability is an important factor in coping with the operational demands in such typical aviation occupations as pilot or controller. At least since the 1950s psychomotor tests for pilot selections did include secondary tasks to generate simultaneous work in the psychodiagnostic evaluation program. Later, tests were constructed which had a better balanced configuration of parallel tasks.

A well known example is the Instrument Coordination Analyzer (ICA) of Gubser. In such complex tests it has always been a problem to integrate the quantitative information from different tasks in order to measure timesharing ability. Often used were multiplying (contrary to additive) methods.

A more sophisticated approach to the problem of multiple task analysis THE CONTROLLER/MARCH 1989

TASK

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Figure 7: Performance Operating Characteristic: The axes represent the percentage of single task performance. Curves A, B. C represent different degrees of multiple task capacity.

was discussed recently mainly by the Wickens group at the University of Illinois introducing the multiple resources theory of human information processing. The core of this method is the Performance Operating Characteristic (POC). In a two-task situation at least three points of measurement are required: Two times single task performance and one time simultaneous task performance although this gives only a rough estimation of a single POC. In the POC diagram the multiple task performance often is presented in terms of percentage of single task performance (see Figure 1 ). The points on a certain curve reflect different degrees of priority attended to the tasks.

In the POC diagram the diagonal x + y = 100% represents the situation where no additional mental resources can be activated so that capacity which is required for one task is directly subtracted from the capacity for the other task. The more an actual curve lies above the diagonal the better the simultaneous work capacity, holding other parameters constant. The POC technique was originally developed in general cognitive psychology. But there are promising attempts which show that this technique can also be used to describe interindividual differences in multiple task capacity by identifying individual POCs. The paper of Joma. presented also at the WEAAP meeting, gives a good example in this direction. Nevertheless many methodological problems (e.g. scaling or integration of different levels of single

task performance) still have to be solved.

The validity of multiple task tests has been proven in aviation psychology. Usually the multiple task situation in pilot selection is coupled with psychomotor tests. Figure 2 gives information, how these tests differentiate between the pass/fail criterion in pilot training.

The combination of the multiple task configuration with psychomotor tests has one large disadvantage: usually the time consuming psychomotor tests cannot be given as group tests and appear in the later stages of a selection program. Often there is already a need to have more information about multiple task capacity of applicants in the earlier stages of a selection program. This was the basic idea for a new test concept ofthe DFVLR group in Hamburg.

The SAT (Simultanarbeitstest.

English: test of simultaneous work) consists of a visual and an auditory task. The visual task is given by the projection of slides. What the subject sees, represents a radar screen showing an air space with targets. The heading of a target is given by an arrow. There are targets of two different colours (red/ green). Targets of every colour are numbered from A to E. Before the slide appears. the subject is told which targets have to be observed (red or green). The subjects have to compare the targets on the screen with a table where the headings of targets A to E are listed. They have to identify those targets where the listed heading and the heading 17

Ab-Initio Pilot Training

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represented by the arrow on the screen are identical. Simultaneously. the subjects have to listen to call signs as DLH 743. DLH 34 7. DLH 4 73 ... (auditory task). These callsigns are transmitted through loudspeakers or earphones. Every callsign is a permutation (with repetitions) of an original announcement. The subjects have to count how often this original announcement appears during the presentation of the visual task. To concentrate on both the visual and the auditory task simultaneously is very demanding.

The SAT has now reached. in its second version. a good standard of psychometric quality. correlating especially with group tests (paper/ pencil) of perceptual speed and spatial orientation as well as with psychomotor tests of multiple task capacity. Thus. the goal of this test seems to be reached.

Technology of Test Appiucatnon Psychodiagnostics 1n av1at1on are usually not client oriented. but fulfill institutional demands. Very often. aviation psychologists have to work with hundreds or thousands of applicants per year. To handle these numbers in an effective and reliable way. technological support is needed. Computer files of the applicants' results are in common use now. Concerning the test presentation equipment three levels can be differentiated.

18

Disadvantages Soft- and hardware development necessary Limited mobility and flexibility in test presentation No answer sheet as a document Level3 Group and individual testing by personal computers using the screen for visual task presentation Triggering of audio displays possible Reaction protocol directly stored by the computer from keyboard or other controls (e.g. joystick) Advantages Individually paced test runs Adaptive testing possible Cognitive and psychomotor testing possible Nearly all stages of higher data evaluation possible Disadvantages Soft- and hardware development necessary Limited mobility Expensive when processing large numbers of applicants No answer sheet as a document

Level 1 Group testing with audio-visual equipment Test program presented by tape recorders giving standardized verbal instructions. marking the test duration by start/ stop signals and triggering the projection of slides Reaction protocol on computer readable test sheets

The three levels of psychological test equipments have their pros and cons. So. depending on the circumstances. all levels will be used in the near future. Nevertheless there is a clear tendancy towards a higher degree of computerization.

Advantages High degree of standardization Application of relatively cheap audiovisual equipment High mobility and flexibility in test presentation Paced item presentation Not only visual, but also auditory tasks possible Answer sheet is a document

To conclude this discussion of performance tests the working group 12 of the Agard Medical Panel should be mentioned. This group, in which the author participates as a member, is in charge of the International Standardization of Performance Tests. The tests under discussion reflect typical operational functions as Mathematical Processing.

Reasoning.

Memory.

Spatial Orientation.

Reaction Time.

Tracking. and Dual Task Processing.

The test will be computerized enabling repeated measurements for the evaluation of environmental effects as well as for personnel selection. The subtests included in the battery are from the Criterion Task Set (CTS) of Shingledecker and the Taskomat of the TNO-lnstitute for Perception in Soesterberg. The Netherlands. Working group 12 plans to finish its work in 1988. An international. standardized battery of performance tests has the advantage that test results of institutions in different countries can be compared.

Because av1at1on and spa_ce acti~ities are usually internationally oriented. it is expected that the standardized test battery will find its market in this field.

Disadvantages No self-paced testing Only global raw scores. no itemized measurement of speed and accuracy Problems of data transfer from the sheet to the computer file Level2 Group testing by a central computer Test program presented by the central computer triggering audio-visual displays Reaction protocol directly stored by the computer from the keyboard Advantages High degree of standardization .

Precise control of item presentation Precise reaction protocol with itemized differentiation into speed and accuracy Simultaneous presentation of different parallel tests for different applicants

International Cooperation

THE CONTROLLER/ MARCH 1989

• • ••I

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In today's overcrowded skies, Cossor Condor presents the true picture

Nightmare or reality? The fact is that today's air tra ffic controller is faced with ever -increasing tra ffic dens ities and needs the most sophisticated equipment at his disposal to make the safest , and the most efficient , use of the air space.

This is why the Cossor Condor 9600 is such an advance. It represents the latest generation of the world's leading monopulse secondary surveillance radar and display system.

Accurate bearings , clear tracks coupled with : full integration with primary radars ; solid-state reliability; the latest daylight viewable rasterscan displays (in monochrome or colour); large vertical aperture antennas for interference -free coverage ; remote monitoring and fault diagnosis for ease of service - these are just some of the features of the Cossor Condor system.

If you would like to be fully in the picture , please contact us at: Cossor Electronics Limited The Pinnacles, Elizabeth Way , Harlow Essex CM19 SBB, United Kingdom Telephone: (0279) 26862 Telex : 81228 FAX : 0279 410 413

Cossor A Raytheon Company

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the validity of the personality diagnosis (adapted from

Recent Developments in Personality Evaluation A diversity of psychodiagnostic methods are still in use in this area: biographical data, interview techniques, questionnaires, behavioral observations, projective techniques.

The information gained by most of these methods is influenced by a faking tendency of the subjects who tend to present themselves in the socially most desirable way. A successful attempt to control this factor in personnel selection was undertaken by Maschke ( 1986).

Maschke measured faking tendencies by the similarity between the self and the ideal occupational personality profile of applicants, as well as by a scale of social desirability. He could show these faking tendencies are moderators of the validity of the ten-dimensional Temperament Structure Scales TSS (see Figure 3 ). Personality ratings of independent observers were taken as criteria. As a consequence of this research a control scale was implemented into the TSS giving information about the diagnostic validity of the personality evaluation.

General Aspects The fact is that in the last 12 years an enormous amount of test development has been done. But contrary to 20

I

what was stated before, this evolution was true more for performance than for personality tests. Generally, there was a rapid increase in psychodiagnostic information which might be available in a selection program. This is due to an application of more tests and due to the large memory capacity of the computers in use nowadays. In the DFVLR program for pilot selection one finds about 40 different test scores. Therefore there is a need for a reduction of information to a reasonable degree. With respect to this problem a computer aided system for support in the psychodiagnostic decision process has been established at DFVLR Hamburg. The intention of this system is to accumulate different sources of information in order to check the results for acceptance. The computer does this in a very systematic and rigid way whereas the psychologist, as a human 'operator', has the tendency to neglect some of the critical combinations of information.

The computer applies up to 15 decision rules, depending on the selection stage. For example, a rule concerning speed of work could be that an applicant should be rejected if the leading test in perceptual speed has a stanine score below 5 and if one of two other speed tests has a score below 4. Or, in the domain of personality, a rule concerning passivity integrates the information from the

scales Motivation, Extraversion, Aggressiveness, Vitality, Dominance and Mobility. The rule is, if more than three scales show stanine * scores below 4 the applicant has to be rejected. What can be seen is that every rule relies on the redundant information of several tests. With the system of rules it is possible to simulate the traditional way in which selection boards decide by 80 to 90%. The application of clear decision rules has the advantage that there is a high degree of transparency in the selection process with positive effects for the legal situation as well as for studying divergent selection strategies. Psychological selection is without doubt of value in aviation but often this cannot be demonstrated by clear facts. In a new validity study by Hormann and Maschke ( 1987) of the DFVLR selection program for commercial pilots it was shown that the cost benefit is approximately 32 million OM for 100 successfully trained pilots (ab initio training). Estimates used for this analysis were conservative, so that the given value more under- rather than overestimates real relations. The benefit of 32 million DM is achieved mainly by cost avoidance through valid selection methods, reducing significantly the rate of failure during pilot training.

• ·standard Nine·: stanine: Scale of values 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest).

TCAS criticized Opposition to U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's ( FAA) timetable for the mandatory installation of traffic alert and collision avoidance systems (TCAS) crystallized at a recent international industry meeting and in comments submitted to FAA by the U.S. Air Transport Association (ATA).

While saying it favors TCAS II. ATA asked FAA to defer further action on the proposed rule until the results of a limited test involving six aircraft can be evaluated and a consensus reached that the system will be certified and operational before the rule's effective date.

Furthermore, ATA has asked FAA to extend the compliance date to five years after the rule becomes effective.

Recently passed legislation directs FAA to certify TCAS equipment within 18 months.

At the industry meeting in December, representatives of non-U.S. airlines questioned FAA's authority to mandate the use of TCAS equipment on their aircraft which serve the U.S. From Air Transport World. 2188 THE CONTROLLER t MARCH 1989

The Time for 4D to 4C Bob Adderley, System Designers Scientific

Bob Adderley is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a member of the A ssoc ia tion of British Aviation Consultants. He is a former President of the London Region of GATCO and currently serves on the Guild Technical Committee as advisor on new technology. A former RAF controller and instructor he served at severa l RAF airfields and joint civ il/military area radar units. As an aviatio n consultant he was responsible for airport, airspace and ATC planning in North Ameri ca, in eight Europe an countries and in Hong Kong.

He is currently employed by Systems Designers, at Farnborough, with responsibility for the development of new technology for aviation app lications.

Bob Adderle y

Thi s paper was originally presented at the GATCO Convex 1987 Intern ationa l which had as its theme' Airport s and Airspace: A Crisis of Capacity ' . The views expressed in this art ic le are those of the aut hor and do not necessari ly represent those of the orga nization emp loying him .

Summary

Introduction

Th e c risis of airspace capacity is caused not because of airspace capacity per se but because cont rollers are prov ided w ith inadequate tools to safely utilize airspace to advantage.

Current expend iture and technolog ica l effort remain gea red towards refining traditional real-time displays.

Yet the probl ems, to achieve safe and improved air space capacity relate not to the assimilation by contro llers of the now sit uation; they are depe ndent upon apprec iat ion and reaction to what is to happen in th e short term future. It is contro llers, not airspace, that are saturated w ith prob lem s of safe ly exped iting traffic flo w s _Meanwhi le the technology of the airborn e community offe rs superior navigational ca pabi lity and potentia l for air interpr eted surveillance New te c hnology offer s the potenti al to reduce contro ller work loads, to restructure airspace , to achieve improved utili zation and to safely achi eve significantly im proved capacity permitt ing greater exped iti on and improv ed economy of operation s. The techno logy is related to the pm vision of advanced -tim e displays aided by kno w ledg e-based (expert) system s de signed t o assist controller s w ith th eir ta sks.

Th e obst ac le to pro gress is not t ec hn ologica l ca pability It is th e reluct ance of tho se responsib le t o rec ogniz e th at suc h progress is both neces sary and att ainable

Th e Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers has once again c hosen a th eme that is a challenge to its speakers , to its audi ence and to the air tran sport industry. It is an emotive them e. The many of you who have suffered the frustrations and penaltie s of interminable delays and the few of you w ho thankfully have escaped from the peril of an actua l airmi ss, have every reason to seek a more expeditiou s and a safer future. Parado xically , the se ca paci ty

THE CONTRO LLER/ M A RCH 1989

1 . Introduction

IT'S YOUR BU£1NE££ TO PROVIDE YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH SAFETY AND EXPEDITION

penaltie s are self-infli cted. The very success of the airport s, or m ore specificall y , the succe ss of the air tran sport indu stry , in gener at ing such larg e sca le and continu ally inc reasing number s of passengers, has created the c risis w ith wh ich we are threat ened .

I may be taken to task by the moguls of the new airport PLCs (Publi c Lim it ed Com pan ies) and perhap s even by t he shareho lde rs of British Airw ays and t heir w orthy compet itors when I advocate greater prior ity to the prima ry f uncti ons of airports and airline s, t han to t he St ock Exchange. I even da re t o address t he wort hy organizat ion spo nsori ng this Convex , and the auth ority t hat emp loys the maiorit y of t hem , to rem ind t hem t hat the appropriate yardst ick of achievement sho uld not on ly be t hat ATC services are pro vided to their ow n complete sati sfact io n - they should be provided also to th e satisfact ion of the users. Every year we see splend id g lossy reports from t he ATC and airport authorities which present their ba lance sheet s in g lowing terms and wh ic h foret ell even bette r financial result s in the yea rs to come. Alth ough the y proudly boast of inc reasing number s of movements ther e is sca nt refere nce to the delays and penalties they impose upon those very same cus t omers. Th ey should be as accountable to t hose customers as they are to their shareho lders .

It is easy to comment upon the inadequacies of an air traffi c control system devised in the middle of thi s 21

2 . Actionor Inaction

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century to serve the humble performance of the piston-engined generation of aircraft. In those days navigation was imprecise and communications capability was limited. A rigid ATC structure was necessary to assist the users. I suspect that the planners gave greater attention to history than to the potential of technology. Even the airways structure bears an uncanny resemblance to a map of Roman roads and the FIR boundary is aligned upon Hadrian's wall.

Given the infinite wisdom of hindsight we could, I am sure, have selected more suitable locations for our major airports so that they could expand to serve our citizens without being constrained by our cities.

Heathrow Airport Limited may not exactly be part of our national heritage, but it is a key element in our national economy. Its recent redesignation as 'HAL' is, perhaps, oblique acknowledgement that its potential expansion of capacity will undoubtedly owe more to computers than to concrete mixers.

For let us make no mistake about it, the attainment of better capacity on the ground and in the air is going to be achieved by more effective utilization of real estate and of airspace. Human intellect unaided can do little to improve the situation. But technology, harnessed to assist that intellect, offers assistance to achieve the best possible use of our resources. The greatest obstacle to this progress is not the lack of money that needs to be invested but the complacency of those who assert that such progress is unnecessary.

22

The members of GATCO and their colleagues in air traffic control units throughout the country are caught in the middle. It is they who have maintained the proud record of safety and it is they who, at times, make strenuous efforts to expedite the traffic. But they are hampered by the inadequacies of the rules, the practices, the procedures and the equipment that are provided. When they have poured all their mental efforts into achieving the best that can be done in the circumstances, they naturally resent criticisms that appear to be directed at them. This does not help them; neither does it resolve the problems of delays, penalties and even reductions in safety. So what is to be done?

The alternatives: There are two broad courses of action available: - Evolution - Revolution.

The purists will perhaps insist there is also the third course: - Do nothing.

The cynics will say that's what is happening - or rather, not happening - at present.

Let me examine each of these alternatives in turn in an attempt to identify the characteristics of each, and to assess its advantages and disadvantages. Most particularly the latter means highlighting the inherent risks.

Do Nothing I should start with 'Do Nothing' because, whilst it implies a process of maintaining the hallowed practices and procedures it also incurs very significant maintenance and support costs. The technology that it is based upon becomes senile and thus, without a fall back situation, may become a very high risk. Is there any wonder that our aerial arteries suffer from arteriosclerosis? The system has the intellectual know-how to survive, but not the technology, at its heart, to keep going. To continue the medical analogy, it is an added risk to introduce a replacement heart i.e. a host computer and expect a greatly increased life span. This is even more the case when the original heart is suffering from not infrequent palpitations. Yet the purpose of this transplant is not merely to cope with yesterday's and today· s traffic, it is needed to function strongly and adequately to serve the variety and numbers of the traffic

demand of tomorrow and to, and beyond, the turn of the century.

Within the last two decades the majority of the functions of the UK ATC system have been centralized. Whilst this has achieved certain operational and technical efficiencies, and certainly some major cost-savings, it does mean that virtually all our eggs are in one basket. In contrast, on the Continent there are a number of overlapping systems. The geography of the USA has needed some 20 of the computer configurations that share the parentage, if not a growth pattern, in common with the UK system. A critical importance of such a multiplicity of coverage is that the risk of a nation loosing its ATC capability is largely eliminated.

There have already been instances of computer failure at LATCC (London Air Traffic Control Centre) within the past year or so. It is highly creditable that the system has been fairly rapidly restored on these occasions. But the occurrence of these failures emphasizes that the ATC system south of

3 . Do Nothing

To do nothing is in everyman's power.

SamuelJohnson

(1709 - 1784)

Hadrian's Wall is susceptible. We can possibly tolerate occasional repetitions for minutes, hours. or even at worst, a few days. But we cannot endure such a failure for a period measured in the weeks, months or even years which are likely to be necessary to establish a new system if the lifeblood of the system. the archaic software, loses its immunity to disease THE CONTROLLER/MARCH

1989

The Need for Evolution So, we come to evolution. This a Iways seems the safe bet for surviva I. But tell that to the dinosaurs. Why we need evolution so badly is that our ATC system is already a dinosaur. It is munching away and number crunching at a great rate of knots and very much to its own satisfaction. Meanwhile. the rest of the world and most particularly the air transport industry has not only grown wings but it has developed precision navigation, communications and even techniques of surveillance that leave our poor dinosaur standing and munching its enroute charges, which are its staple diet. Suprizing though it may seem, all these fly-by-night creatures. and those who wishfully hope to fly by day. would all like to use their newly developed. very sophisticated and very costly attributes to their advantage.

But the dinosaur cannot let them because his big mainframe cannot keep up with such flights of fancy. He cannot comprehend that all the beasts of the air seek to do their own thing; to fly on free tracks and wherever their migration habits take them and to land where and when they want.

Still what can you expect of birdbrains? The dinosaur is prepared to guard them against predators; but only if they do it his way. And his way is to restrict them to the same old tracks through the badlands. and to insist that they fly in ever decreasing circles before going to roost near the fleshpots.

But enough of the wisdom of the Stone Age and of the Romans. We are firmly in the 20th century, and we should be addressing the 21 st.

4 . The Need for Evolution

If a mantakes no thoughtaboutwhat is distant,he willfind sorrownear at hand Confucius (c551 - 479 BC)

THE CONTROLLER/MARCH

1989

5 . Evolution inthe Air

CNS Communications Navigation Surveillance FMS FlightManagement Systems

Evolution in the Air In the past two decades there has been a significant increase in the capability of aircraft to navigate with greater precision. This has been achieved both by purely airborne techniques of navigation such as INS and also by more advanced ground and satellite-derived systems which. used alone or preferably to reinforce each other, provide extremely accurate position fixing. These have been allied to improvements in communications including the ability to obtain more reliable meteorological data.

The significant result is that these aircraft are no longer beholden to the conventional fixed navigational aids that form the basis of ATC route structures; indeed they are penalized by them. This is not only because they have to incur additional track mileages, but. more significantly, because the ATC systems themselves have capacity - or rather workload limitations on these routes that cause them to impose delays and/ or uneconomic levels. I shall refer to this capacity problem, and its possible resolution. later in my paper. At present the situation is that aircraft can navigate with greater precision and with greater economy to their destinations without. as opposed to with.

ATC services - but - in so doing they become in risk of collision. In fact. paradoxically, as the precision of navigation increases. that very precision of track-keeping. increases the risk of collision.

We can dismiss the pure mathematicians who can demonstrate that

because the airspace is so vast, then the risk of mid-air collision is infinitesimal. The very fact that aircraft are able to calculate optimum profiles between A and B will produce spatial coincidences. The requirement for large numbers of aircraft to land on or takeoff from the same or closely adjacent runways at each airport introduces densities of traffic that make a nonsense of mathematical theories of dispersion.

Revolution in the Air As navigational and communications technology have improved, the capability of airborne surveillance is being developed. The most significant factor is that, unlike ATC systems which are concerned with the relative positions of large numbers of aircraft, airborne systems are primarily intended to protect their host aircraft.

Thus each airborne system is programmed to detect a threat; to indicate the proximity of that threat; and possibly to indicate a maneuver that will avoid that threat. The degree to which each of these functions is performed depends largely upon the sophistication of the equipment in the host aircraft and possibly upon compatible equipment in the other aircraft.

There is a danger, and I use the word ¡danger'. advisedly, that systems such as these, known as TCAS. may become globally adopted. Their value, as a last resort. in preventing collisions, is undeniable. In areas of the world where there is no radar to assist ATC. they can be of considerable assistance. The danger lies in the acceptance and common use of these pilot-

6 . Revolution inthe Air

~ ))))))))X((((~

TCAS Traffic Collision - Avoidance System

23

interpreted aids in a regime under positive ground radar control. In these circumstances. if pilots are permitted to take avoiding action as they deem fit. or even as guided by TCAS. on every threat (as identified by TCAS) then chaos would reign in TMAs and other areas of dense traffic. There can be no doubt that to safely expedite the flow of traffic in busy TMAs and airways requires knowledge of the over a II traffic picture and an intellectual plan to handle the several flows and sequences of traffic. Anyone who breaks ranks is likely to prejudice not only himself. but also the safety of others.

You may ask why I should introduce the consideration of this technology.

Quite simply. if the ATC system cannot keep up with the technology and the capability of the aircraft it professes to serve. then the airlines may seek to take far more of the responsibility upon themselves. The TCAS application presents good potential for maintaining constant or increasing separation from the aircraft ahead. on airways or even in the approach pattern. In certain scenarios. such as in the FIR. it offers the potential for electronic VFR. Despite many arguments against its general use in the TMA. it should certainly merit a place. as a backstop. to guard against pilot or controller blunders or other errors that might actually cause a collision.

I do not believe that this revolution will actually occur. To prevent it. the ATC system must evolve with much more positive thinking than has characterized its progression. This may be revolution to some; but it is evolution. using state-of-the-art technology and most important keeping with or ahead of its users.

Evolution on the Ground: So Far, So Good!

The most significant stages of evolution. as developed from procedural control. which still forms the basis of air traffic control. have been: Radar Control This enabled separation standards to be applied between the observed relative positions of aircraft instead of the separation being dependent upon position reports. It also enabled techniques of radar vectoring to be introduced which form the basis of approach sequencing and which are the critical factor in achieving the best possible capacity of the runway(s) they serve.

24

7 . Evolution onthe Ground

So Far : So GoodI ProceciJral FlightProgressStrip Radar Primary Secondary Monopulse ModeS

ModesA andC

Computers FlightData Processing Radar Data Processing MosaicRadarDisplays

Secondary Radar and Mode C The capability of aircraft to automatically transmit identity and most particularly Flight Level or altitude has considerably reduced controller workload. This has enabled increased numbers of aircraft to be handled and has resulted in fewer climb and descent restrictions being imposed.

During the past two decades. considerable efforts have been applied to improving and enhancing the technology associated with primary and secondary radar. These have largely been associated with computer processing and involve such techniques as radar data processing. mosaicking. monopulse SSR and Mode S. What is most significant about all these processes is that they are concerned with presenting the real-time situation in terms of greater sophistication. This should not be accepted as necessarily of greater value to the process of ATC. It is paradoxical that the first ATC process to be computerized. was the good old flight progress strip. the FPS. This was a natural for the computers of 20 years ago and so we had the first of the FPPS or Flight Plan Processing Systems. These were simply number crunching exercizes and. within those terms were remarkably successful.

They still form the basis of our present systems which. within this decade. have been enhanced to also include Radar Data Processing. So far so good; and it is appropriate to acknowledge that the safety standards and expedition. to the extent that the latter is achieved. owe much to these automated processes. But do not let

us forget that it is the controllers· interpretation of the flight data and of the radar displays that is the element that achieves this degree of success.

But GATCO tells us that crisis is imminent. So what more can be done?

What about revolution on the ground?

Let us at least consider its advantages and disadvantages and most particularly. how it might be achieved. Well. it might have to be achieved if our poor old dinosaur dropped dead.

Room to Spare in the Air Common sense tells us that there must be vastly more capacity available in the 3-dimensional expanse of our airspace than provided by the finite limitation of airport runways.

It is a salutary exercise to apply some simple mathematics to demonstrate what a trivial percentage of airspace is actually occupied and what a vast amount remains available during the flight of each aircraft.

Even allowing for the application of generous separation minima (as much as 10 nm spacing) it is evident that flow rates/ hourly capacities in the order of 60 aircraft per hour. on two (opposite directions) track airways are safely achievable. The availability of additional tracks and/ or additional flight levels offers proportionally more capacity.

The numbers in the accompanying Figure 8 should not be interpreted as absolute values or quoted out of context. They are merely a simple illustration that the capacity does exist if only ATC could introduce the techniques to take advantage of the airspace that is currently wasted.

8. ROOMto SPAREIn the AIR 20

8

On the Ground Acom for · -

used

by 1

400 aircraft

< 0. 25%

a1rcraft

nm

1 SQ

Be Pract:cal

:

Aooly 10nm Seoarat

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I

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100nm per

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:

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.

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Race per Hour nour)

{per 5 F!:ght Levels] At. say anl·1 50% eff1::::1enc·1

a: ~eas: 60 a1rcraft

oe~ Hour

THE CONTROLLER/ MARCH 1989

This brings us back to the fact that the resolution of the dynamic equation involved. with great emphasis upon the 4th dimension of time. is beyond human intellect but is a comparatively routine task for computers.

The major problem is to engineer the man-machine interfaces and to resolve the human factor problem so that controllers accept such computer assistance as readily as they assimilate conventional radar and data displays.

Revolution to Some; New Technology to Others Practical controllers have long realized that the essence of their task is not to rely upon their skills to suddenly initiate frantic action to avoid collisions. Their task is to provide ATC clearances that do not infringe separation minima and which permit the expeditious and economic conduct of the flights they are handling. Paradoxically, the old maligned procedural system did much of that, albeit at the cost of some delays to the users. It certainly hasn't the capacity to handle current volumes of traffic. At the time of its introduction, primary radar saved the day, to provide increased capacity with safety. The introduction of secondary radar further improved both capacity and safety. But this technow become saturated. The satubecome now saturated. The saturation is not of the available airspace. but of the workload of the controllers.

They simply cannot plan ahead. It is pointless to provide better and better tools to display real-time tasks when

9 . Revolution to some:

NEWTECHNOLOGY

THE CONTROLLER/MARCH 1989

the desperate need is to assist controllers with their forward planning so as not to be overloaded with real-time problems. Again, technology offers an answer.

There is a significant trade-off between those displays which. with great precision, tell us what is actually happening and those displays which give a reasonable representation of what will soon happen. The comparison is between real-time displays and advanced-time displays. This is not old fashioned crystal gazing, but is the application of technology to display in readily assimilable formats the performance of the traffic demand that has to be handled. The objective is to identify and resolve critical events.

This is not the forum for me to describe in great detail the technology to achieve this. But the principle can be readily understood. It starts with the raw data from the flight plan and processes this and all other relevant data to produce. not merely masses of printed flight progress strips. but more usefully. data displays or synthetic pictures that illustrate what is going to happen instead of what has just happened. Of course. it has long been possible to extrapolate ahead of an aircraft's track on a real-time radar display but this depends on previous velocity and cannot take account of changes to that velocity. The advanced time technology to which I refer depends upon integration of all available sources of data. to provide dynamic updates to the original flight plan. This may include: ATC route structure. clearance data. and knowledge of pilots' or controllers' intentions, to correct the predicted profile.

It is comparatively simple to display profiles of each and every notified flight ahead of real-time. It is equally possible to update it dynamically as time progresses. By these means it is evident when and where separation minima will be infringed and where and when actual conflicts will occur.

The process of working ahead of time instead of now as in real-time, and also taking proper account of forward uncertainties. means that a very large number of possible threats are identified and have to be interpreted and possibly resolved. Thus. on the face of it, this advanced-time display introduces more. rather than less. workload. Techniques of Artificial Intelligence (Al) can be of extreme and most effective assistance to identify. interpret and if necessary alert or even resolve possible conflicts. They can also be used to edit displays. to discard irrelevant data and to highlight critical events.

We are all aware that computers can play chess up to Grand Master standards. ATC is commonly compared to 3-dimensional chess. I consider it to be 4-dimensional. There is little doubt that the technology of which I speak can serve in this advanced time-scenario to significantly assist the safe handling of increased volumes of traffic and thereby relieve the capacity problem.

I am not speaking of the computer replacing the controller. There are important man-machine interface problems to be resolved. I see this technology acting as a controller's aid. Just as the controller has used his flight progress strips and now uses his radar display to give him the picture, so I see this aid being used by the controller to assist him to achieve greater capacity within the airspace without prejudicing safety.

New Technology to Assist Attainment of Airport Capacity Using similar techniques, applications of expert systems are also likely to be of some distinct assistance to improve capacity at airports. The situation is different to that in the airspace because the various elements of the airport each have a finite physical capacity. But again. time comes into the equation. Airport capacities are commonly and proudly presented as so many million passengers per annum. Again. this is a figure for the

10. New Technologyfor Airports Assist Attainment of Capacity Approach/Stack & Departure Demand

-

- -- -

Stand/Gate Utilisation

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Terminal/Passenger

DEPARTURE

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ARRIVAL

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;~~~~~i~ 25

balance sheet rather than a valid measure of performance. The more meaningful figure is the number of passengers per hour that the airport can handle. In one dimension this is related to the movement rate that can be handled on the runway(s) - as. of course. affected by the size of aircraft and therefore the numbers of passengers that each carries. In the other dimension is the static capacity of the airport as measured by the number of gates and/ or apron stands. and the physical accommodation for passengers in check-in halls and departure lounges and in the intermediate processes of immigration. baggage collection and customs. etc.

There also needs to be room for the many meeters and greeters. not forgetting the car parks and operational and administrative accommodation plus. of course. the franchises and shops - duty-free or otherwise which undeniably are major factors in contributing to the viability of airports.

However I do suggest. that unless the airports really seek to defeat Selfridges (department stores) in the marketplace. the emphasis should not be upon keeping passengers and the meeters and greeters for lengthier times at the airport but should be directed at speeding up the passenger processing times. This would mean that available resources were used to better effect. thus freeing those resources to provide additional capacity. We all recognize. with regret the need for time-consuming security screening; but other procedures such as Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE). which permits all check-in desks to be used for any departing flight. and advances in automatic ticketing and baggage labelling and sorting. all promise distinct improvements to reduce processing and waiting time. As well as providing more capacity this speeding-up. believe it or not. is entirely commensurate with the aim of air transport. which is speed of travel. Let us never forget that the passenger is concerned with the time of his total journey and any satisfaction with the speed of his flight can be totally negated by unnecessary airport delays and. of course. by unsatisfactory surface access to and from the airport.

The land- and airside processing of passengers have to be geared to the movements of the flights themselves.

Thus there may be a range of finite capacities to contend with involving gate/ apron. taxiway. runway and approach and departure airspace. Without addressing each of these important elements in detail let me refer to technology that uses the same prin26

ciples of advanced-time display possibly aided by applications of AL to which I referred earlier when addressing airspace capacity problems. I do not seek to belittle the problem. In fact elements of it are so difficult that human intellect when aided only by conventional airport radar and data displays cannot expect to provide optimum solutions. So let us use the computers and the new display techniques that can best assist the planners. the managers and the controllers. to do even better at their jobs.

11 . Lookto the Future

I likethe dreams of the Mure better thanthe history of the past.

Look to the Future Seeing is believing. Successive generations of controllers have demonstrated implicit faith in radar technology. They have accepted. as a way of life. that it is totally impracticable to provide visual approach. airways and area control. without the detection and display techniques that are the product of radar technology.

The volume of traffic demands that are now occurring means that it is not the visual perceptions of controllers ¡ that are overloaded. it is their powers of assimilation and their constructive thinking time that is saturated.

The problems are truly similar to 4-dimensional chess being played at supersonic speeds. The computer can solve these dynamic equations rapidly and efficiently to advise appropriate

ThomasJefferson (1743 - 1826)

instructions for endorsement by the controllers.

It is ironic that the enthusiasm and capability of industry to develop promising solutions to solve the capacity crisis are discouraged. if not totally rejected by the reluctance - or is it the complacency? - of the authority responsible for providing safe. adequate capacity within our airspace.

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THE CONTROLLER/MARCH

1989

es Traffic Increases, Controller Shortages Highlight Regional Meetings Two recent regional meetings of the Federation focused on logistical and tactical problem s within the present air traffic control system. Member Assoc iat ion s from the European and Asia/Pacific Regions met in different parts of the world but concentrated on the common goal of increased air safety and the expeditious movement of air traffic through the skills and talents of the professional air traffic controller.

5th Joint EUR/EUC Regional Meeting The 5th Joint European Reg ion al Meeting was held in Tel Aviv, 12-13 October.

1988. Member Associations from wes tern and central Europe gathered at the Dan Panorama Hotel to discuss the above mentioned topics in general and the recent chaotic sum mer in particular.

The Region al Vice-President Europe West (RVP EUW) Philippe Domagala. and the Regional Vice-President Europe Central (RVP EUC) Kurt Kihr co-cha ired the meeting which dealt with working papers on subjects ranging from contro ller shortages and their effect on the travelling pub lic. to the estab lishment of Reg ion al Com mittees in an effo rt to have direct quality input to the soluti ons so desperately needed in an ever worsening ATC environment The opening ceremony consisted of remark s from the Minister of Transport. the Dire cto r Gener al Israeli Airport s. the Director General CAA the Chairman of the Israe li Assoc iation. the RVP EUC and the President of IFATCA . The high level of official participation is indicative of the importance placed on the workings of regional groups by their associated aviation authorities.

Represent ing the Executive Board of I FATCA were the President. Erik Sermijn. the Exec uti ve Vice-President Professional . Wim Rooseman , and the Exec utive Vice-President Technical.

Bob Randall. As always at Regional Meetings. all gave detai led briefings on developments in their respecti ve areas of responsibility . For th e president, th is was exten sive as the restructuring of the Federation and a recent liai so n visit to the USSR were two of the main topics. When new ground is broken. interest run s high .

THE CONTROLLER / MAR CH 1989

Prior to the presentation of formal work ing papers. individuals spoke on the general situation in their respective FIRs and with in their own administrations. As eac h update unfold ed. it became c lear that while the severity of each issue varied. an overview revea led the following crit ical area s of concern: • lack of qualified personel; • lack of equ ipment technologicall y compa rab le to the type of airc raft which the system is attemptin g to serve; • lac k of proper fundin g for aviation faci lit ies; • lack of recognition of the role of the profes sional air traffic controller .

Debate then began in earn est. In addition to report s on regu lar happen ings w ithin the Federation. topics consisted of those item s that co uld best help Federation member s assist the ir administrations in solving the air traffic control prob lem s ca used by yea rs of neglect. Thi s then . is th e rol e of the true professional; advanc ement and enh anc ement t hroug h th e application of operational expertise; to consult and reso lve.

In pursuit of this f un ctional goal. the 5th Joint Regional Meeting struck two committees to assist and support nat ional efforts. The first was a Region al Exec uti ve fo r the purpose of better serving both the individual Memb er Association and the aims of the Federation as a whole. The second committ ee was the Regional FEATS Committe e. a resource bod y, working directl y wi th the I FATCA representat ive to the FEATS Working Group .

Ste ve Hall.

Wh ile the crisis in our present system is well recognized and documen ted by our Member A ssociati ons. it is also understood that much

RVP EUW. RVP EUC. Chairman Israeli ATCA. Or. A. Sharir . Minister of Tounsm (left ro nghr)

27

can be impro ved wi thin our present structure to increase syst em capac ity , enhance air safet y and eleva te the status of the controller to the point wher e people are lining up to join. not leave.

We saw working papers on progressiv e issu es as accident incident invest igatio n and huma n resources know ledge . This type of positi ve approach to ATC prob lems can only lead to better relat ion s wi th aviation principals which in turn will lead to concrete solutions to mutual prob lems .

A long the same positi ve line, the meeting was pleased to learn of the relative stability of staffing levels in Israel and Portugal. of plans for a new int ernat iona l airport in Norway and a new 90 meter high to we r at Schiphol airport.

The meeting concluded with a presentat ion by Captain Vic Scri vens of Europilote, who discussed his working paper on the ai r traffic chaos in Europe.

5th Joint ASI / PAC Regional M eeting The 5th annua l Joint Asi a/ Pac ific Regional Meeting was held one month later . on 10 and 11 Novem ber 1988 in Sydney . Australia. Hosted by the Civil A ir Operations Off ice rs· Associatio n of Au str alia, eight Member Associations and four non-member associations gathered at the Gazebo hotel in King· s Cross to discu ss c urrent problems and review past ac-

complishments. Four members of the Exec uti ve Board were in attendance as well as observers from the Au st ralian CAA, I FALPA, IATA and the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association.

Opening remarks were by Colin Freeland , Chief Exec utive , Civil Aviation Authority. Gary Punch . MP , Minister for Communications and Transp ort Support, Peter Curti s.

President CAOOAA, Erik Sermijn, President IFATCA and Neil Vidler. RVP PAC, IFATCA. In his address, Mr . Freeland affirmed his support for the concept of professional air traffic controllers gathering for the purpose of exchanging information with other professional organizations and aviation auth orities and formulating policy where appropriate. ·ou r primary purpose,' he said. 'is to enable more people to benefit from safe aviation. It is incumbent on manageme nt to ensure that tho se servi ng, sha re in the productivity gains.· Th e Minister of Communications and Transpor t Su pport spoke of changes and the challenge of providing a bu siness-like approach to the manageme nt of the aviation syste m .

Neil Vidler then opened the meet ing with a special welcome to the new Member A ssoc iat ion, Malaysi a. At the conc lusion of the repo rts. memb ers of the Exec uti ve Board delivered their normal update and review of Federation activ itie s. Special attention was g iven by the EVP Finance. Tord Gus-

tavsson, to the problem of individu al member 's finances. The object was not to highlight tho se who were having difficultie s, but rather remind all present that assistance was readily available.

Working papers dealt with during thi s sess ion included Privatization of Air Traffic Services , R-Nav Track ing in Oceanic Airspace , R-Nav Standards and Loss of Licence Insurance . It was interesting to note the Australian association's presentation on R-Nav and the resulting reduction in oceanic standards that would result. This is a concrete example of the effort being put forth by the operational controller to increase the efficiency of the system. System capacity is now being addressed through joint ventures resulting in the attainment of common goals. This atmosphere of cooperation and consultation was reflected in the regional reports which showed good working relationships with respect ive aviation authorities.

Individual issues of concern raised included the following: • reduction of technical support. In conjunction with cost reduction policies, so me CAAs are putting technical sta ff on call instead of on site: • in an unchanged economic environment. salary redu ctio ns of up to 15 %: • reduced training facilities , to th e extent that overseas training Is contemplated, if available :

Parri c ipants at 5th Joint AS I/ PAC Regional Meetin g

28

THE CONTROLLER / MARCH 1989

their areas of activity in the av1at1on industry - but more and more. through the International Federation or through their own individual assoc-· • iations. they are seeking to have their • voices heard on a broad spectrum of related issues.

'This is particularly true of the Trinidad and Tobago Air Traffic Controllers Association and that is a good augury -for I believe that air traffic controllers need to look at the aviation industry in a global sense and to determine where change or development is necessaryand to seek to influence such change or such development.· Conference Theme: Technological Advances in Aviation - The Challenge to Eight Member Associations of the Caribbean Air Traffic Control Systems.

Region were represented: Antigua and Barbuda. Barbados. Grenada.

Guyana. Netherlands Antilles, Saint Lucia. Suriname. Trinidad and Tobago. Not represented were Bahamas The meeting place was the Kapok of the Trinidad and Tobago Air Traffic and St. Kitts/ Nevis. Also present were Hotel in Port Of Spain. the capital of Controllers Association.

Samuel six non MAs: Aruba.

Dominica.

Trinidad and Tobago. The hosting as- Lampkin. the RVP CAR. V. Hanen- French Antilles. Haiti. Jamaica. St. sociation was TIATCA. the Trinidad berg. the EVP A. and the Director of Maarten. and Tobago Air Traffic Controllers As- Civil Aviation. Gerard Seignoret. who A total of 34 working papers were submitted to this meeting. 22 regular said: sociation.

'It gives me great pleasure towelTrinidad is the most southern of the plus 12 late ones. The contents of the WPs can be divided into three Caribbean Islands with an area of come you here today on the occasion 4.828 km 2 • and was discovered by of the inauguration of the Fifth Carib- categories: Member Association Rebean Regional Meeting of the Inter- ports: Fam Flights/ Liaison visits Colombus in 1498. In 1899 the island national Federation of Air Traffic Con- within the Region; and ATC Schools/ of Tobago with an area of 300 km 2 trollers· Associations.

ATC Training. became part of the country. In 1962 'In welcoming you I am reminded There were 15 recommendations Trinidad and Tobago became an inof a similar function which took place passed at the meeting. among them: dependent member of the British Establishment of a Regional ExeCommonwealth before becoming a nearly thirty years ago in Barbados when. at that time. the first ever at- cutive CAR for one year comprising republic in 1976.

Our colleagues work TWR/ APP at tempt at forming a Caribbean Re- the RVP. a Regional Advisor Technical Piarco International Airport on Trini- gional Air Traffic Controllers Associ- to be provided by Trinidad and Tobago ation was launched. and a Regional Advisor Professional to dad and also take three-month terms ·At that time emphasis was con- be provided by Barbados. at lWR / APP at Crown Point Airport That IFATCA seek permanent paron Tobago. some five minutes away by centrated upon the formation of a single regional body that would rep- ticipatory status at the meetings of the jet.

In their Area Control Center at Pi- resent the interests of controllers on a Informal Working Group on Airspace collective basis as there were no indi- Organization in the Eastern Caribbean arco care is taken of their FIR covering vidual Associations in existence as (IWGAO in the ECA). some 850.000 nm 2 . Control at the now obtains.

The hosting association should be moment is still done procedurally but ·As a result. membership spanned commended for the professional way radar equipment is on the way.

Raytheon has been awarded a areas extending from Antigua to Suri- in which the meeting was organized. name and across to Venezuela and in- The word ·conference· they used for $ 12. 6 million contract to provide a comprehensive air traffic control sys- cluded both the Dutch and French this meeting was definitely not an Antilles. overstatement. Before and during this tem for Piarco airport. The Airports ·we therefore ended up with of- meeting they succeeded in making Authority of Trinidad and Tobago good use of the publicity aspect. sevwants to see this commissioned be- ficials being spread across the length and breadth of the Caribbean. and that eral interviews on radio and television fore the end of 1990. presented an awkward situation for - with an appearance by the EVPP The radar package will be based on the easy functioning of the Associand with the press were given and the Canadian company's Radar Moation. used to promote the Federation. the dernization Project System (RAMP) · Paradoxically. that ambitious beAssociation and the profession. and will include a solid state primary They managed to interest several surveillance radar (L-band PSR). a ginning contributed in no small way to the long period of inactivity which folsponsors. who provided for just the monopulse secondary surveillance lowed in the ensuing years. right amount of social functions radar (SSR). as well as an advanced 'However. within the present decaround the meeting. display site equipment (DSE) for signal ade there has been a notable reAll in all this meeting proved that processing. surgence in the pursuit of professional this Region. through the Member AsThe meeting was opened on 30 interests on the part of controllers sociations and the present RVP. is beNovember 1988 at the Trinidad Hilton coming stronger and stronger and by the Minister of Works and Infra- throughout the Caribbean region.

'Today's air traffic controllers are thus contributing to a strengthening of structure. Dr. Carson Charles. Further not content to remain quietly within our Federation.

W. Rooseman speeches were made by the Chairman •

technical deficiencies. such as radar and communication systems; airport capacity; long hours of work. Some were reporting night shifts of 12 and 16 hours.

The meeting ended on the same positive note which opened it. All agreed that meaningful communications are the key and to this end. all parties pledged to continue with the current professional approach to all common system developments.

R. W Randall

5th Caribbean Regional Meeting

THE CONTROLLER/MARCH

1989

29

Cou ntry

â&#x20AC;˘

Staffing Situatio Control

I

Ai

H. Harri Henschler

During the recent past. the Fede ration as well as its Member Assoc iations have repeatedly. and at var ious occasions and w ith a variety of d iscussion partners. raised the question of adequate availability of qua lified ai r traffic contro llers .

The perception has been. almost universal ly. that a shortage of control lers exists. in particular w hen dramat ic incr eases in the numbers of aircraft movements over the last few yea rs. we re taken int o account.

In an attemp t to establish whether shortages are real and if so. what statisti cal numbers are facing nationa l syste ms and the total aviat ion structure. a questionnaire was distributed to the Federation¡ s Member Associations.

Thi s questionnaire addressed both existing and future avai labilities and needs. and reflects the situation during the second ha lf of 1988.

Responding Member A ssoc iation s were requested to estimate needs conse rvatively. i.e. on the low side. and to provide fig ures for 1989 and 1992.

A numbe r of Member A ssociat ions replied but did not wa nt to be ident ified. Thus. the f ig ure s t hey provided are not shown. For 1989 . figur es of estimated need for qualified air traffic contro llers at th e present t im e are shown in the fir st col umn . actual availabil ity at present of qual if ied co ntrollers in the second.

Existing shortages are ident ified to range from zero to very sub st anti al. It is impossible to estimate the sit uat ion in those countr ies w hic h did not repl y. but one could hazard the guess that they wo uld fit into the picture the numbers above draw.

It is pred icted that the next few years. maybe in particular in Europe and North Am erica. wi ll brin g a large number of ret irem ents from the present co ntro ller fo rce. Many contro llers who have worked in the profession since the 1960 s and¡ 70s will soon be elig ibl e to ret ire. and it may be like ly that they wil l.

Thu s. the second pair of questions addressed the medium -term future.

Here . again . it must be remembered 30

Country

Required

Austr alia Bahamas

1.182 33124 hr. period 232 1.687 226 19 240 1.304 53 100 1.502 160 32 530 60 163 60 300

Belg ium Canada Den m ark Fiji Finl and Fed. Rep. Germ any Hong Kong Iceland Italy Kenya Luxembourg Me xico M orocco Netherl ands Net herland s Antil les New Zealand St . Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia Sudan Sweden Switzer land ROCATCA. Taiwa n Uruguay Yugos lavia Zamb ia Zimbabwe

10 21 90 6 10 320 202 73 ea. 600 60 51

Actual

1.250 ' 19124hr . period 177 1.441 202 15 193 1.207 40 90 1.432 70 23 4 98 60 130 60 280 7 15 71 555 300 175 52 ea. 500 42 37

1 The figure of 12 50 is caused by the replacement of contro llers doi ng data work by dedicated flight data personnel as contro llers retire.

that figures are estimates. Again. it was reque st ed that they be on the conse rvati ve. low. side.

The f igure s in the fir st co lumn show the number of qualified contro llers required In 1992. the sec ond co lumn show s the number s of qua lif ied control lers estimated to be available in 1992.

Again. short ages are est imated to range from zero to quite substantial. and it mu st be repeated that the se are est im at es prov ided by Memb er Associatio ns.

The above ca nnot be regarded as a scientifi c survey. Neverthe less. it appears to be obvious that ther e exist shortage s at the present. whic h have already been reporte d to have had a negative impact on effi ciency of aviation Furth er. it appears that short ages w ill co nt inu e to exist in the mid -t erm fut ure wh ich. given the inh erent failure rate . length of t raining process and increasing number s of reti rements. wo uld be d iff ic ult to overcome w itho ut ext rao rdinary effort by all involved.

Austra lia Bahamas Belgi um Canada Denma rk Fiji Finland Fed. Rep. Germany Hong Kong Ice land Italy Kenya Luxembou rg Mexico Moroc co Nether lands Net her lands Anti lles New Zealand St. Kitts and Nevis St. Luci a Sudan Sweden Switze rland ROCATCA. Taiwan Uruguay Yugoslavia Zambia Zimbabwe 2

Estimated require d

Est imate d avail able

1.220 74 ea. 297 1.800 243 31 240 1.480

1.092 2 45 unkno w n 1.400 206 28 210 ea. 1.200 52

NIA 107

10 1

1.632 160 32 ea. 5 70 120

1.232 100 22

173 60 280 12 25 140 697

330 212 95 800 80 64

N/A 90 152 60 280

N/A 20 1 10 639 320 200 73 550 42 47

Based on no training.

Air Traffi c Controller Tra ining Center In a ugurated in Bogota The inaugu ration of the new tr aining center for air-traffic control lers took place in Bogota . Present at the inaugu ration we re the Ita lian ambassado r in Bogota. and the President of Se lenia. the company which developed and instal led the new center' s air traffic contro l system s.

The new cen t er for the training of air traffic co ntro llers is equ ipped w ith an ATC simu lator system simi lar to th e one the Ita lian company recen t ly inst alled at the Hong Kong airport.

The system is composed of four contro l area secto rs and two contro l tower sec tor s.

The system's compute rs ut ilize data relating to rea l tr affic situ ation s w hic h the co nsole s reprodu ce in front of the contro ller. sup er impo sing on the m aps which the electron beam draws on the sc ree n. the flight d ata. speed and altitude inc luded. At different station s. severa l opera tor s w ho act as pilot s. co mmuni cate w ith th e traffi c co ntrol lers. mak ing th e airc raft move on th e rada rsco pes in accordance wi th the instru ct ion s rece ived.

Th e syst em is not m erely m ea nt t o instru ct. th e who le co m p lex. w hen conne cted to a rad ar. becomes per fe ct ly operati ve and abl e at any mo ment to rep lace the ai r traffi c contro l system ope rat ing at an air port THE CONTROL LER/ MARC H 1989

I

u

urope and rities

Philippe Domag ala, Reg ional Vice-President, Europ e West

Controller shortage is one of the most import ant problem s European ATC is facing tod ay . With a very few notable exception s (e .g . Portugal) , but with extreme s (e.g. Spain w ith a 45 % short ag e), th e average ca n be set betw ee n 15 and 20 % for the region in 1988 .

Program s to recruit controller s intensi vely in th e last years have been hind ered by an extremely high failure rat e, betwee n 40 and 60 %, from time of en t ry to on-the -job training che c kout s.

Thi s c ould be partially explain ed by the lac k of attr action th e profe ssion off ers toda y in term s of salaries and w orking condition s I FATCA, mainly through the tw o RVPs of th e region , has present ed th e case at th e ICAO Paris offi ce, th e airlin es and th e medi a, among oth ers,

that staff problems must be solved before the impr oved capacit y needed to oper ate th e lib eralization of 1992 skies can be implemented.

ICAO has, until now, always been very reluctant to get involved in st aff related matter s and mo stly addres sed the te c hnical and procedural shortcomings.

But , from 1987 , IFATCA representatives to the ICAO informal Flow meeting began to impress on the state s' repre sentati ves that staff shortage s mu st be considered as shortcoming s. Thi s principle was finally accepted , and so recorded.

Next, during an ICAO ATMG (Air Traffic Manag ement Group) , and using the minutes of the Flow meeting s, a set of recommendation s wa s passed , two of w hic h addr essed st aff short ag e and moti vation :

The ATMG considered that all possible means of enhancing the ATS system capac ity should be p ursued wit h utmost urgency. M ost elements pertinent to capac ity enha ncement are int errela ted and are consider ed as follows: a) Air Traffic Control Staff

b) Planning Staff

With presentl y available means, any substanti al increase in ATC system ca pac ity w ill depend upon the provision of adequ at ely tr ained and motiv at ed st aff in suffi c ient number s. Continuou s tend encie s to w ards ' indu strial' ac ti ons wo uld seem to be an indi ca ti o n fo r th e need for soc ial adju stm ent s to m aintain an eff ective w or k force.

Rec ruitm ent of suffi c ient com plement s of co ntr o l st aff for tr aining should st art for practi ca lly all ATS syst em s in th e high tr affi c density areas of t he reg io n as we ll as fo r t hose oth er areas in w hic h co nc ret e short co ming s du e t o lac king effort have bee n iden tifi ed A s th e fo rmati on of full y validat ed controll ers takes som e 4-5 years, it w ill be esse nti al to st art thi s acti on forth w ith and und er th e hig hest prio rity. Flexible st aff manage m ent tec hniqu es should be used to ma t c h staff reso urces to tr aff ic demand. In add iti o n, ATC st aff sho uld be invo lved in stu dies fo r impr ove ments req uired in th e ATS syst em at all stages of development. in orde r to ensure successf ul im plemen tat io n

Ad eq uat e plann ing staff are requ ired. Sh ortage of staff at t he cen t ral admini str ati ve planning off ices may severely delay th e deve lopment of syste m impr ovem ent s; e g. ATC procedur es, airspace stru cture changes as we ll as th e est ab lishmen t of related bilat eral and m ult ilat eral ag reement s, etc.

THE CONTROLLER/ MA RCH 1989

(ATMG / 27 minute s 1.4 .1.a and b)

The report con t aini ng these conclusions was t he n passed on to the EANPG (European A ir Navigation Plannin g Group) of ICAO w hich endo rsed th e conc lusions at thei r meeting in M ay 1988, and asked ICAO to wr ite a letter to each Europe an State for im plementat ion of the ATM G conc lusio ns

P Domaga la

Then came the chaos and the delays of summer 1988. The media were asking for interview s and , of course, solut ions The realities of the number of controllers vers us the tremendous increase of aircraft movement s, and working conditions of these controllers were explained. Spain , Greece, Yugoslavia. France experienced industr ial action. A press campa ign in Germany to enhance the working conditions and salaries of Germ an control lers, and regarding the delays and f inancia l losses of airlines took place. Belgi an controller s were put under 'mobil ization ' to prevent industrial action.

In this c limate, the directors general of civil aviat ion of 18 of the 22 ECAC Europe an State s, met in Roissy, France in Jun e 1988. One of their discussion theme s was: 'The need to study human and social problem s in terms of controller workload and salaries within Eur ope with a view to finding ways of harmonizing this situation;,

'In view of the critical situation facing the air traffic services, now and in the co ming years , you are requested to give early consideration to application of the requisit e m easures in order to ac hieve the needed enhancement of capac it y. , (ICAO -T 13/ 6 .4E / 1- 6 53 of 28 June 1988)

31

and among the conclusions they reached and publicized were: The air traffic control system should be modified in order to be able to adapt its actual capacity to seasonal and weekly traffic variations. Flexible staff management techniques should be used to match staff resources with traffic demand.

As an example, where adaptable, it should be investigated in order to increase the capacity of the available ATC work forces to what extent, around an average work week, within a limit compatible with keeping a high level of safety, additional work can be requested in the summer from the staff and this effort be compensated either financially or through shorter hours in the winter.

Where necessary recruitment

of air traffic controllers shall be intensified.

Eurocontrol is requested to provide information (salaries and working schedules). ' (ICAO/ EANPG/29 WP/35

on ATC working conditions

dated 2 June 1988 - attachment 1)

Then the 22 ministers of transport of ECAC (European Civil Aviation Conference) met in Frankfurt on 20

October 1988 to discuss and take joint action on the congestion problems in Europe:

'Accordingly, the Ministers first gave their full support to a program of practical measures which are now being implemented urgently, both with a view to shortterm improvements and in a continuing longer-term perspective: •

• .

• •

Recruitment and training programs for air traffic controllers are being stepped up as necessary to meet the expected demand.

Air traffic control working procedures are being reviewed, in an improving industrial relations climate, to fit the available capacity more closely to variations in demand.

Use the Eurocontrol Organization and its Agency as a forum and tool, within the context of !CAO, for increasing the capacity of the present air traffic control system; Call upon the Permanent Commission of Eurocontrol to develop Eurocontrof's activity, without any duplication of work or resources, by: - taking further initiatives in the field of training air traffic controllers, including greater use of the Eurocontrol training facility in Luxembourg:,

(Ref: ECAC /MATSE/

1-SD 20 October 1988)

A week later, the informal Flow meeting was held in Paris, and using the ministers' decision, the following

text was included in the preliminary Report in the introduction, on an IFATCA initiative:

Based on ministers· decision that "air traffic control working procedures are being reviewed in an improving industrial relations climate, to fit the available capacity more closely to variations in demand" it was again amplified that this issue is of particular and utmost importance for the functioning of the ATS system as a whole.

Keeping in mind that controllers remain the predominant element of the ATC capacity. appropriate working environment, good working facilities and sufficient staffing must be made available.

Several states underlined the importance of maintaining a good motivation and working "climate .. in the operational environment.

This basic need having been recognized by ministers the Group now urges governments to make necessary financial resources available to that end. · (Ref: ICAO/FLOW/9

Rep Proc. Group 28 October 1988)

We are back where we started.

IFATCA has proven that it can do something in this particular field, and it will continue to press the relevant authorities Let us hope the politicians will finally get the message and provide planners and administrators with the means to achieve proper and ad3:?

equate ATC systems which Europe deserves.

It must also be recalled that the tremendous increases in traffic of the last three years have been absorbed almost totally by the controllers; very few technical means to increase ATC capacity were introduced during that period.

Air Transport Sold-out Airframes Sales of aircraft seating roughly 110- 190 passengers have been so healthy that practically no delivery positions exist for further new orders before '92. Manufacturers retain the ability to shake loose a few earlier delivery positions in ones and twos, but it will be well into '92, and beyond in some cases, before a substantial new aircraft order can be filled.

This strengthens the position of the major aircraft leasing firms that have heavily invested in this class of aircraft, as they become the only sources of unclaimed new airplanes.

Boeing's highly successful 737 program has a backlog of 577 firm orders. and is sold out into late '92.

Boeing said. Production rate of the 737-300/400 line is 14 per month.

The 737-500 joins the line soon, and the last 737-200 is being delivered this month. Production could be increased to 1 7 per month. but this requires expensive new tooling and Boeing is trying to avoid this step.

Company will do so if presented with substantial early delivery orders.

McDonnell Douglas has more than 211 firm orders and 387 conditional orders. options and reserves for its M D-80 series. At a current production rate of 2. 5 aircraft per week- or about 10 per month - McDonnell Douglas will not be able to fill a substantial new order until sometime in '92. Production rate has been increased during the past year - with some customer complaints about late deliveries - only recently reaching the target of 2.5 per week.

Airbus lndustrie holds an A-320 orderbook that exceeds 3 2 9 orders and 200 options. With deliveries beginning only last March. production still is building to the eight per month target rate. European vacation practices cut the annual rate to only 88 aircraft.

It will not be until mid-'93 that more than one or two A-320s can be acquired if production arrangements stay unchanged. Airbus said. Still under consideration is a joint program with a U.S. manufacturer to open a second line. although this may be strictly for the A-320 stretch model expected in the early '90s.

Even somewhat larger aircraft are well booked. with the recent resurgence of Boeing 7 5 7 orders pushing that airplane· s backlog to 180 firm orders. With a production rate accelerating from four per month to five monthly by early '89. the 757 will be largely unavailable until ·92.

(Air Transport World 8/88) THE CONTROLLER I MARCH 1989

Corporate Members of IFATCA AEG Aktiengesellschaft, Ulm, FRG Cardion Electronics, Woodbury, USA CAE Electronics Ltd., Saint-Laurent, Canada Cecsa Systemas Electronicos SA, Madrid, Spain CISET S.p.A., Rome, Italy CON RAC Communications Software GmbH, Rodermark-Waldacker, FRG Cossor Electronics Ltd., Harlow, UK Dictaphone Corporation, Rye, USA Eaton Corporation, AIL Division, Farmingdale, USA Engineering and Economics Research Technologies, Ottawa, Canada Ericsson Radio SystemsAB, Stockholm, Sweden Ferranti Computer Systems Ltd., Cwmbran, UK Hollandse Signaalapparaten B. V ., Hengelo, Netherlands EB NETCOM, Nesbru, Norway ISS VideotexA/S, Charlottenlund, Denmark Jeppesen & Co. GmbH, Frankfurt, FRG Jerry Thompson & Associates Inc., Kensington, USA Marconi Radar Systems Ltd., Chelmsford, UK McDonnell Douglas Electronics, St. Charles, USA Mitre Corporation, Mclean, USA PhilipsTelecommunicatieen Data Systemen Nederland B.V., Hilversum, Netherlands Plessey Radar Ltd., Chessington, UK Racal Avionics Ltd., New Malden, UK Raytheon Canada Ltd., Waterloo, Canada Schmid Telecommunication, Zurich, Switzerland SCICON Ltd., London, UK Selenia lndustrie Elettroniche, Rome, Italy SEL-Standard Elektrik Lorenz, Stuttgart, FRG Societe d'Etude et d'Entreprises electriques, lssy-les-Moulineaux, France Sofreavia, Paris, France Software Sciences Ltd., Farnborough, UK Thomson-CSF, Meudon, France Westinghouse Electric Corp., Baltimore, 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.

L--------------------------------

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