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Performance measures in ATC

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 17:48:22 GMT

Performance measures in ATC

This is an essay-answer to one of the dozens of questions for the Business Improvement Techniques distance learning course I took. Written with a management , non-controller audience in mind.

Image: Adapted from Performance Reference Model of the Federal Enterprise Architecture, 2005.

Performance measures is a controversial topic in ATC. The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) at their 57th Annual Conference in Ghana in 2018 stated that it does NOT support using Performance Measurement for assessing ATCOs' competence. Performance measurement should be used for managerial decisions such as reducing costs, identifying best practices, making better budget decisions and promoting staff - but not demoting, withdrawing licences or transferring controllers to different positions. Performance indicators must NOT be linked to pay or working conditions of individual ATCOs. "Using Performance Measurement for assessing ATCOs safety opposes Just Culture principles ", according to which controllers "are not punished for actions, omissions or decisions taken by them that are commensurate with their experience and training..." (IFATCA, 2018).

ATC is not a production line

Even production lines have bottlenecks somewhere down the line and all work has to slow down. ATCOs have this problem in 3D while depending on other sectors operated by other ANSPs and their workload, communication with pilots, weather and other factors. Individual ATCOs are not in total control of their performance. They cannot influence how many aircraft pass through their airspace or whether they have pilots infringing their airspace who are not in radio contact. If controllers are judged based on their individual performance, teamwork and coordination may suffer, as they may try to work alone to improve their own efficiency at the cost of others' workload. Diverting from procedures is sometimes necessary to ensure safety and this should not be punished while rewarding those who disregard safety but stick to the rules. IFATCA recommends using Competence Assessment instead of Performance Measurement. Any establishment of metrics and interpretation of data must be based on controller expertise. " ATC in not a production line " (IFATCA, 2018, p. 9), but in some countries managers "know nothing about ATC" (ibidem, p. 6) and try to implement commercial performance metrics, which should only be used to "identify areas of improvement and take action to improve performance of the unit or the whole ANSP " (ibidem, p. 9).

Competence Assessment

IFATCA, ICAO and EUROCONTROL agree that controllers' Competence Assessment should be done regularly and have guidelines on the subject (IFATCA, 2018b). EU Commission Regulation 805/2011 states in Annex II, Part C: “The competence of each air traffic controller shall be appropriately assessed at least every three years .” The Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/340 provides further licensing and certification requirements, as does ICAO Doc 10056: Manual on Air Traffic Controller Competency-based Training and Assessment. This professional assessment aims to determine the overall competency on the job, in the simulator (also for situations that does not happen often or almost never happen - Unusual Circumstances and Emergencies; NATS 2015, 2016) and theoretical knowledge.

Continuous Assessment

Controllers may also assess one another, not only in formal sessions by trained assessors, but ask random exam questions before starting a shift during self-briefing (IFATCA, 2018b). The Commission Regulation (EU) 805/2011 (Annex II, Part A) allows for the competence assessments to be done either through examinations or a system of continuous assessment. "IFATCA highly recommends the use of continuous assessment instead of pass/fail ‘snapshots’." IFATCA proposes to assess ATCOs theoretical knowledge and practical competence "at least once a year , for every rating that a controller holds." The assessments should be confidential , with an option for the controller to view their own results and discuss them with the assessing officer as well as to record his comments "regarding the results and the manner in which the assessment was carried out" (FATCA, 2018b). The facility should be able to provide remedial training if necessary to improve controllers' performance.

Sources:

Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/340 of 20 February 2015 laying down technical requirements and administrative procedures relating to air traffic controllers' licences and certificates [...]

Commission Regulation (EU) No 805/2011 of 10 August 2011 laying down detailed rules for air traffic controllers’ licences and certain certificates [...]

ICAO (2016) Doc 10056: Manual on Air Traffic Controller Competency-based Training and Assessment

IFATCA (2018b) Competence Assessment . Presented by Professional and Legal Committee (PLC).

IFATCA (2018a) Performance Measurement in ATC . Presented by Professional and Legal Committee (PLC).

NATS (2015) When the worst happens, training matters . by Mark Davenport

NATS (2016) How do controllers train for unusual situations? by Steve Green [ video ]

Home ATC: Research

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 16:00:07 GMT

Home ATC: Research & Change Management

When I had to decide on the topic on my dissertation, in 2021, the situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic was still uncertain. After a proper lockdown in spring 2020 there were a few lighter lockdowns with ongoing restrictions including self-isolation. At ANSPs, shifts were designed with remote telephone (sterile) handovers for ATC teams to never meet to prevent spreading the virus ( Jaeger, 2021 ).

Questions

How would we keep the skies open if the restrictions were to get tougher? What if it is not possible to work from the normal workplace (tower or centre) or their backup facilities? Could air traffic services be provided from safe, secluded locations: the air traffic controllers’ homes?

Change Management

Ongoing work-from-home trials for non-operational positions ( Jaeger, 2021 ) have prepared the staff for the new reality, representing the Unfreeze phase of Lewin's Change Management model: Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze in a new shape.

Lewin’s three-step change management model (adapted from Hayes, The theory and practice of change management, 2014, p. 59).

To change the shape of reality, it needs to be unfrozen into a liquid state where change is possible, reshaped and refrozen into the new shape.

The technology is feasible and guidance materials adaptable. CANSO now defines Remote Towers as controlling the airport from any location ( CANSO Guidance Material for Remote and Digital Towers, 2021, p. 5 ). Air traffic data has migrated to the Cloud and can be securely accessed from anywhere in the world ( CANSO webinar: Technology Solutions: ATM in a Post-COVID-19 Scenario, 30 June 2020; Indra, 15 January 2021 ).

The key to change management is to work together with the staff. Rather than trying to make changes TO people, they should be done WITH people and BY people. Rosebeth Moss-Kanter, a professor at Harvard Business School said: “When change is done to people they experience it as violence. When change is done by people they experience it as liberation.” ( Cormac Russell, Four Modes of Change, Hindsight 28, winter 2018-2019, p. 10 ) Staff may resist an imposed change to the point where the whole project may need to be cancelled.

Early stakeholder involvement is key for the concept to be adopted. Not only management, but also staff have to feel a need for change. The innovation-decision process model (below; Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 2003, p. 209) lists five adoption stages: Knowledge , Persuasion , Decision , Implementation , Confirmation . However, before the Knowledge stage, there are a number of prerequisites or prior conditions:

Previous practice,
Felt needs or problems ,
Innovativeness, and
Norms of the social systems.

Five stages in the innovation-decision process model. Adapted from Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 2003, p. 209.

Sometimes managers, possessing all the Knowledge and prerequisites to become convinced ( Persuasion ) to the innovation, having passed the Decision stage, rush to Implementation - while their employees are still before the Knowledge stage. The staff may not feel the need for the innovation, not notice any problems with the status quo, or not have sufficient information about the new way of working.

Additionally, the adoption or rejection decision can change: those who adopted the innovation can reject it later, and those who initially rejected it, can adopt it at a later date. Such changes have been observed in case of remote towers: “even if there is sometimes resistance in the beginning, there are almost always smiling faces when this is operational” ( Niclas Gustavsson at 8:04, in: CANSO Academy: improving efficiency through remote and digital towers – Part 1, 2021 ).

In my dissertation, apart from reviewing evidence for the practical feasibility of the concept of working from home while controlling air traffic, I surveyed 100 air traffic controllers to establish the level of social acceptance of the idea. The results are inconclusive though due to limitations.

Limitations

The research was done via two Facebook groups and Twitter direct messaging and only surveyed those ATCOs who happened to be members of those portals and/or groups, and visited those groups in the days the survey was open (19-22 September 2021). It was not a representative sample of air traffic controllers (estimated at 70,500 globally; Sure Select – Global Air Traffic Control Recruitment and Selection Study, 2014, in: CANSO, ATCO Remuneration and HR Metrics Report, 2015, p. 2 ). Another study, with access to a different sample of air traffic controllers, could bring different results. An ANSP considering ATC provision from home would need to survey their own employees who may have different opinions.

Social acceptance for working from home controlling aircraft might also differ depending on the country of residence and popularity of working from home in general. E.g. 25% of the Finland population aged between 15 and 64 works from home, while only 1.2% of workers in Bulgaria work from home ( McCarthy / Statista, 2021 ). In my research, the greatest number of respondents from any one country represented the United Kingdom (16) with the next highest number coming from the United States (13), corresponding to 14,000 air traffic controllers working for the Federal Aviation Administration in February 2020; about 1851 at NATS in 2021 (UK; NATS Annual Report, 2021, p. 121 ) which is the largest of the 62 ANSPs registered in the UK. 44 other countries (not all countries) were represented by 1 to 4 participants.

Demographics

All three air traffic control disciplines (aerodrome, approach and area) were represented almost equally (35%, 37%, 28%). 85 respondents were male and 15 female, which is a similar disproportion to the male to female ratio of 5:1 across air traffic controllers globally ( CANSO, ATCO Remuneration and HR Metrics Report, 2015 ). 47% of respondents had first university degree, 27% completed high school or A-levels, 21% had a Master’s degree, and 5% finished education at GCSE level. Out of 100 participants, 50% (including two women) also had experience in controlling air traffic on a simulation network such as VATSIM, which is done from home.

Results

40% considered it possible to control air traffic from home, with 12 individuals being strongly in favour of the concept (most male with 1 female). Out of the 50 ATCOs with a simulation network experience, 22 considered providing ATC services from home possible (all male).

Despite 55% of respondents considering the concept of controlling air traffic from home to not be possible, 64% expressed their interest in participating in further research in this subject (including 9 out of 16 in the UK). Out of the 37 ATCOs who worked from home before, 17 considered controlling air traffic from home before taking part in this survey, and 20 out of the 43 who experienced remote training.

Amongst the main perceived disadvantages were:

Human Factors issues (85%),
cybersecurity issues (80%) and
not meeting or seeing colleagues (57%).

The main perceived benefits were:

lack of commuting: saving money, time and environment (65%),
no need to relocate for work (48%) and
a greater control over working environment such as light, temperature, ventilation, and eating home-cooked meals on break (41%).

The open-ended responses highlighted teamwork, Single Person Operations, equipment, connectivity, physical and cybersecurity concerns.

Further research

With as many as 64% of respondents willing to take part in further research , and 40% considering controlling air traffic from home to be possible, the topic may be worth exploring further. While it could be technologically possible to control air traffic from home, the concerns identified by ATCOs would need to be addressed together with operational staff engaged “from concept-to-operation to build change consensus and technology acceptance” ( CANSO Guidance Material for Remote and Digital Towers, 2021, p. 27 ).

Although working from home controlling air traffic may not seem to be cost-effective due to the cost of the present infrastructure, this time in history may be an equivalent of the stage when there was “a world market for about five computers” (attributed to Thomas J. Watson of IBM, 1943), or “heavier-than-air flying machines” were “impossible” (Lord Kelvin, the President of the Royal Society of England, 1895; in: NASA, 2003 ). The Remote Tower concept was first proposed in 1996, and won the first Visionary Projects competition in 2001, when the modern High Definition (HD) video technology was still developing. "Meanwhile, technology changed to HD format as standard, even quad-HD available, and cost for high-resolution cameras decreased from >10 k€ to <5 k€." (M. Schmidt et al, in: Fürstenau, N., (ed.) Virtual and Remote Control Tower, 2016, p. 197).

Standardised consoles and systems, as well as renting or leasing the equipment could help lower the costs, or alternatively the use of a reliable Virtual Reality equipment could eliminate the need of having multiple copies of physical equipment in controllers’ homes; but the primary issue is user interest in the solution.

With 40% of respondents considering home ATC to be possible, and 28% being in favour of the idea, this Early Adopters group looks promising . The numbers exceed those in the technology adoption lifecycle model placing a chasm after the first 16%, between the Innovators, Early Adopters (the visionaries or technology enthusiasts) and the Early Majority (the pragmatists). “Every truly innovative high-tech product starts […] with no known market or purpose” and appeals to Early Adopters, while the rest of the population watches trying to find a value in it. Crossing the chasm is considered the most difficult step in the technology adoption lifecycle (Moore, G.A. (2014) Crossing the Chasm, New York: HarperCollins, p. 25-28).

Despite this research being inconclusive due to not using a representative sample, both numbers suggest that this idea may have already crossed the chasm . It may appeal not only to the visionary Early Adopters but also some of the pragmatic Early Majority.

The chasm in the revised technology adoption lifecycle model.

Adapted from E.M. Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 2003, p. 318 and G.A. Moore, Crossing the Chasm, 2014, p. 21.

Contingency planning

As an ANSP representative, you may have been wondering what will happen in a stricter lockdown, when you really cannot bring your staff to the workplace, and how you would explain your lack of preparation to the Civil Aviation Authority.

There may be individuals in your ANSP who:

are willing to control air traffic from home,
have some home-working experience, and
have suitable conditions at home.

If you would like to prepare for another pandemic with a strict lockdown or some other disruption and consider your staff working from home, I would be very happy to assist you with further research in the prospect of working from home to control air traffic. Please contact me via the form on the Contact page or via social media.

London Airspace Acquisition Report

Sat, 04 Sep 2021 05:42:45 GMT

London Airspace Acquisition Report (University assignment)

This is a report for a fictional ANSP operating in the UK. The brief : The University of West London Air Traffic Control Services (UWL ATCS) want to acquire the "lucrative airspace above London" by taking some business away from NATS. The CEO asked for a 1000-word report on how to approach the task. Written in May 2021.

Summary

Luton and Stansted seem the most feasible to acquire. Their contracts end in 2023 & 2025.
Tenders are only for airports (Terminal Air Navigation Services – TANS). There are no market conditions for services above airports (London Approach or area).
Some NATS controllers will have to transfer to the UWL ATCS. Use the same systems.

Introduction

The University of West London Air Traffic Control Services (UWL ATCS) is considering becoming a competitor to NATS. The CEO asked for advice about the challenges and technologies related to managing the London airspace. This report focuses on finding the most feasible part of NATS’ ATC business to take over along with practical and technological challenges related to tenders and the transfer of staff.

Fig. 1. Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) at London airports (towers / TANS). Adapted from the CAA chart of the London TMA.

1. Feasibility: What to acquire?

1.1 Scope: the London airspace

London Terminal Manoeuvring Area (LTMA, Fig. 1) extends from various altitudes (2500-7500 feet) to FL195 (19,500 feet; NATS, 2021a). The NATS’ Air Traffic Control (ATC) services include area, approach, and aerodrome.

1.2 Towers (TANS)

NATS provides aerodrome (tower) Terminal Air Navigation Services (TANS) and engineering services at Heathrow, Stansted, Luton, City and Southampton while Gatwick tower is operated by Air Navigation Solutions Limited (ANSL). Southend Airport uses self-supply.

Table 1. London airports and their ANSP contract expiry dates (CAA, 2018a, p. 1-55; Luton: NATS 2018). Stansted and Luton are highlighted as the most feasible airports to acquire. At Southampton, NATS also provides approach services located in the lower part of the tower as part of TANS (NATS, n.d). Airport passenger numbers and aircraft movements from 2019 (CAA, 2020a-b).

Typically, TANS consist of aerodrome (tower) and approach services (Fig. 2; CAA, 2018b, p. 10) but not in London. Since London Approach is provided by NATS from the Swanwick centre (not from airport towers), TANS at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, and London City airports do not include approach (CAA, 2014, p. 5; CAA, 2020c, p. 9).

Fig. 2. TANS typically include aerodrome and approach services (but not in London; CAA, 2018b, p.10).

UWL ATCS would apply for TANS tenders alongside other ANSPs (62 in the UK; CAA International, n.d.). Typical contract length is 5 or 10 years and can be extended, typically by two years (NATS, 2018; Table 1).

1.3 Area and London Approach

The area (en-route) control and London Approach have been licensed to NATS by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for 10 years in December 2020; the licence can only be revoked if NATS broke its conditions (e.g., unpaid fees; CAA, 2020c, p. 104). There are no market conditions for the UK airspace including London Approach (LA; CAA, 2020c, p. 102) which are “not subject to competition” (CAA, 2018b, p. 10). The en-route segment is a regulated state monopoly in most countries and other Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) are rather tapping into other areas of the business such as data provision, systems, or consultancy activities (Barbero, 2020, 1:02:25).

1.4 Economic regulation

Economic regulation prevents NATS, Gatwick and Heathrow from charging more in time of prosperity to build resilience for the time of crisis (Holland-Kaye, 2021, 27:50; CAA, 2020c). Any extra revenue has to be returned to airspace users (Barbero, 2020, 1:03:05; PRB, 2018, p. 10). Not being economically regulated, Stansted and Luton could be more profitable.

2. Digital technology

2.1 Remote and digital tower

Since 2021, London City Airport has been controlled remotely from the Swanwick centre based on visual and sensor data coming from the airport (NATS, 2021b, Young, 2021). The mast with 16 high-definition cameras was built in 2018 as the existing (traditional) control tower was approaching the end of its operational lifespan (NATS, n.d.; Young, 2021). Due to being operated from the NATS building , London City Airport may be difficult to acquire.

2.2 Cross-border virtual centre

Despite being closed to tenders, the control over airspace can be delegated to a different country. In March 2021, in a real-time simulation in case of a control centre failure, German upper airspace was controlled from the UK and Poland, with data coming from Vienna and Madrid (DFS et al., 2021).

2.3 Digital systems

Due to different Flight Data Processing (FDP) systems used by ANSPs (Fig. 3), the transfer of control requires middleware to connect the infrastructure (DFS et al., 2021). The lack of seamless interoperability “makes flying in UK airspace unnecessarily complex” (AUKFISO et al., 2021) and has a “side effect on staff mobility” (Barbero, 2018, p. 15). To seamlessly replace NATS and facilitate staff transfer, UWL ACTS should use the same systems .

Fig. 3. Flight Data Processing (FDP) systems suppliers used by ANSPs in Europe. NATS uses Lockheed Martin for lower and upper airspace in London (Swanwick centre) but the Scottish Area Control centre in Prestwick uses Indra. Source: EUROCONTROL / GATCO, 2019.

Challenges: no service disruption

3.1 Provisions to switch provider

NATS' strengths lie in operational resilience and exit strategies developed during service transfer in Birmingham, Gatwick and Edinburgh towers. ANSL won the tender for Edinburgh tower due to stronger exit provisions and resilience, being fully backed by the German government (CAA, 2018a, p. 16). NATS is 49% government-owned (NATS, 2020). To acquire such key UK airports as Stansted or Luton, UWL ATCS should have strong exit provisions , ideally with government backing .

3.2 Staff transfer

ATC services must be provided by controllers trained and validated on local procedures. Training takes 1-3 years depending on prior experience and ability (Smith, 2015, p. 181). TANS transitions at Gatwick and Birmingham relied on transferring about half of the needed air traffic controllers from NATS to the new provider and recruiting and training the other half (Steer Davies Gleave, 2017, p. 56-60). Some NATS personnel may have rights to stay with the company (under Trust of a Promise – ToaP) and refuse to be transferred (Steer Davies Gleave, 2017, p. 29: 5.10). It is unclear how many valid controllers would transfer from NATS and how many new controllers would need training. This makes the entry cost difficult to estimate .

4. Stansted and Luton

As London City Airport is controlled from the NATS’ centre (Young, 2021), and Heathrow and Gatwick are economically regulated (CAA, 2020c), the only remaining London airports with high traffic levels are Stansted and Luton (Table 1). Their TANS contracts expire in 2025 (Stansted) and 2023 (Luton; NATS, 2018; CAA, 2018a, p. 36; Table 1), giving UWL ATCS time to prepare for a tender.

Concerns regarding Luton raised by ANSL (CAA, 2018a, p. 6):

Short contract term (5 years; Table 1) not allowing to recoup entry costs,
Lack of senior management engagement (just a market exercise, not a real tender?),
Lack of regulatory guidance regarding NATS’ Trust of a Promise (ToaP).

The 10-year contract length at Stansted (Table 1) could help spread the entry costs and offer a competitive price.

Conclusions

TANS : Stansted and Luton seem to be the most feasible London towers to acquire from NATS due to:

high number of aircraft movements (Table 1),
aerodrome service only (no approach),
no economic regulation.

Area & approach : UWL ATCS might provide services:

remotely, from another country,
at a lower cost, becoming a competitor to NATS and creating market conditions for the London airspace.
The bid is unlikely to be successful without government backing and strong exit provisions .

Implications and Recommendations

To facilitate NATS staff transfer, use the same digital systems.
CAA and the Prospect Union will provide oversight for transitional arrangements (CAA, 2018a, p. 49).
“Clients don't choose the best option; they choose the least risky option.” – Chris Do (2017). Do not start with changing the existing technology unless it is a client’s requirement. Ensure no service disruption and safety first.

References

Association of the UK Flight Information Service Officers, British Air Line Pilots Association, General Aviation Alliance, Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers, Honourable Company of Air Pilots (24 March 2021) Refocusing the UK Airspace Modernisation Strategy .
Barbero, L. (2018) Radical Changes for a More Efficient ATM System . GATCO-BALPA Controller-Pilot Symposium 2018.
Barbero, L. (2020) The Future of Air Traffic Management . GATCO-BALPA Controller-Pilot Symposium 2020. 3 November.
CAA International (no date) Airports & Air Navigation Service Providers
Civil Aviation Authority (2014) Regulatory treatment of London Approach charges in Reference Period 2 (2015-2019) of the Single European Sky Performance Scheme: CAA Conclusions (CAP 1158 ).
Civil Aviation Authority (2015) Review of advice on SES Market Conditions for Terminal Air Navigation Services in the UK (CAP 1293) .
Civil Aviation Authority (2018a) 15-02-2018 Combined Responses: Call for evidence CAP 1605 – December 2017 .
Civil Aviation Authority (2018b) Final Advice on Market Conditions for Terminal Air Navigation Services in the UK (CAP 1648) .
Civil Aviation Authority (2020a) Size of Reporting Airports 2019 .
Civil Aviation Authority (2020b) Aircraft Movements 2019 .
Civil Aviation Authority (2020c) Air Traffic Services Licence for NATS (En Route) plc. (December 2020).
DFS, ENAV, Frequentis, INDRA, NATS, PANSA, SESAR (2021) SESAR partners successfully validate solution to delegate air traffic services .
Do, C. (2017) Designer brilliantly explains how to charge clients for logos and other design services .
Holland-Kaye, J. (2021) EUROCONTROL's Aviation StraightTalk Live with Heathrow CEO, John Holland-Kaye. 14 April 2021.
NATS (no date) Factsheets .
NATS (2018) London Luton Airport chooses NATS as air traffic service provider .
NATS (2019) The NATS Safety Strategy for 2030 .
NATS (2020) NATS Holdings Limited Annual Report and Accounts. Year ended 31 March 2020 .
NATS (2021a) London TMA. 2021-04-22 AIRAC .
NATS (2021b) London City is first major airport controlled by remote digital tower . 30 April 2021.
Performance Review Body for the Single European Sky (2018) EU-wide target ranges for RP3. Part 1: An overview of target setting for RP3 .
Smith, D. (2015) Air Traffic Control Handbook. Manchester: Crécy.
Steer Davies Gleave (2017) Review of TANS provider transition at Birmingham and Gatwick. Recommendations final report (PUBLIC). January 2017.
Turner, A. (2014) NATS drops High Court action to prevent Gatwick awarding DFS its tower services .
Young, S. (2021) Ground control out, remote control in at London City Airport .

Which GCSEs?

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 15:14:12 GMT

Young people interested in becoming air traffic controllers often ask which GCSEs they should take. In the UK, pupils can choose the subjects they want to study. GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education . Selected subjects are studied for two or three years, with exams sat at the end of the third year (year 11). Older candidates can study for a year privately, online or with a college and sit exams at a college or exam centre.

NATS only require candidates to have completed general education with "5 GCSEs at Grade 4 or Scottish National 5’s Grade A-C including English and Maths . - Equivalent qualifications are accepted." (source: NATS Careers page ). English and Maths are the prerequisites for training using an apprenticeship route (with Global ATS ), where the candidates' training would be funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Candidates without GCSEs in English and Maths would be required to study them alongside studying for their ATC qualification and sit exams before "taking their end point assessment" (source: Institute for Apprenticeships ). I wouldn't leave GCSEs for that time as the ATC training will be intensive enough.

HIAL (in Scotland) also require " Mathematics and English at Standard Grade Level (or equivalent)" (source: 2019 Information Pack for Candidates - Ab Initio ATCO, p. 5) which is equivalent to GCSEs in England. They add "qualifications in science , technology or higher level mathematics could also be beneficial."

Apart from English and Maths, the most important thing are good grades. Choose subjects you can excel in, or work really hard to get good grades in subjects that don't come natural to you. HIAL say "The training process to become an ATCO is intensive and demanding, therefore we are also looking for evidence of your ability to undertake this level of study." (source: the 2019 Information Pack, p. 5).

You can take e.g.

English,
Maths,
Computer Science,
Combined Science or Physics or Geography,
and a modern language.

If you are coming from another country, you can choose to study your first language and it is not considered cheating although it may feel like it for native English speakers.

Since both ANSPs (Air Navigation Service Providers) are prepared to accept equivalent qualifications, ASK THEM to be 100% sure before sitting any other qualification instead of regular GCSEs such as a GCSE English Equivalency Test . These tests can be sat at any time of the year, online from home or paper-based, with results 10 working days later, and a 2-day fast track available. Could be a real solution for older candidates _if_ the results were accepted. Ask your ANSP before paying any money. Ask even if they are not recruiting at the moment.

In terms of ANSL (Air Navigation Solutions Limited, currently providing services at Gatwick and Edinburgh - 2021), they used to require A-levels but as they have changed their training provider from their own college in Germany to Global ATS in England, the minimum requirements might change in the future too and be lowered to GCSEs. There are no guarantees and it is absolutely their right to require whatever level of education they see fit for whatever reason. Comparing to airlines, some airlines sometimes used to only recruit pilots with degrees but at other times the same airlines had lower requirements, possibly depending on the job market and pilot availability. Similarly, there are no guarantees that GCSEs will be sufficient at NATS and HIAL in the future.

Below is a breakdown of GCSE results in 2015-2016 (by Ofqual ; contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0).

Aviation English

Sun, 08 Aug 2021 22:33:00 GMT

Intro: technical details

As explained by EUROCONTROL, "air traffic controllers rely on ICAO standardized phraseology in everyday situations however in an unexpected situation they may have to use plain English and they may have to shift between using standardized phraseology and plain English in order to adequately deal with and support the flight crews." (Source: ELPAC ).

Candidates for air traffic controllers (ATCOs) are required to "speak and understand the English language to a high standard, ideally ICAO level 5" (to quote HIAL's 2019 Information Pack for Candidates). There are six ICAO levels:

Level 6: Expert
Level 5: Extended
Level 4: Operational
Levels 1 – 3: Non-operational

Pilots are required to achieve Level 4, ATCOs often Level 5. Not every native speaker gets Level 6 though.

How is it tested

Ab-initio candidates may be tested using the FEAST test battery which includes English Language Listening and Comprehension as part of FEAST 1. The tests are computer-based. The FEAST 1 test, which also tests basic cognitive abilities in decision-making, planning, logical reasoning, memory, visual perception, attention, multi-tasking and spatial orientation, can take between 2.5 and 4 hours (with at least one 10-minute break), depending on how many components of the test are used by your organisation. (Source: EUROCONTROL FEAST info page.) FEAST tests are used by 50 organisations worldwide, including Global ATS and HIAL in the UK. NATS switched to another test battery, AON or cut-e tests.

The ELPAC (English Language Proficiency for Aeronautical Communication) test, also offered by EUROCONTROL, is the only test on ICAO page that conforms with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for Language Proficiency Requirements (LPR). It can be taken online with Global ATS and tests pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and interactions between the pilot and the controller (the candidate). Only speaking and listening are tested, not reading or writing. More information on the ELPAC test for air traffic controllers can be found on the EUROCONTROL website .

How to achieve Level 5

Attend a course . Global ATS runs Aviation English courses for entrants with at least Pre-Intermediate (ICAO Level 2) English.
Study at home . Buy the Flightpath (<- affiliate link) book with 3 CDs and 1 DVD, new or second hand, and study on your own.
Get conversations . Find an Aviation English teacher and meet online (Zoom, Skype). I recommend Russ , an ex-ATCO from NATS who is a qualified and experienced English teacher.

There are less typical ways to improve your general English:

Listen to native speakers on YouTube, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning courses, listen to the LBC radio. You will grasp some English naturally without thinking about grammar. You will also get used to the rhythm and patterns of the language and its intonation or melody also called accent.
As you are listening, start repeating what they say straight away. The point is to get your face muscles used to a new combination of sounds. It is of little use if you have a perfect sentence in your head but struggle with pronunciation. The muscles in your face need to be trained to make those sounds with ease.
Use English at home to describe what you are about to do, communicate with friends and family, switch your computer and mobile phone default language to English.

Watch list:

How to acquire any language NOT learn it - 57-minute video
English with Gill - grammar, vocabulary and culture explained slowly by a London-based teacher with 30 years experience.

Image: Landing at Heathrow (own photo).

Presentation design tips

Sun, 10 Jan 2021 13:03:31 GMT

Whether you are preparing for a long online presentation or providing an introduction to an online debate, these simple rules can help you pass your message in your meeting.

1. Keep the original slide ratio (16:9)

If your organisation provides you with a slide template, don't change the slide ratio (i.e. from 16:9 to 4:3). Doing so would change the proportions of the graphic elements in the template such as your logo. A circular logo would look like an ellipse and a square logo like a rectangle. It looks unprofessional and the audience may find this disturbing.

The online meeting software may be optimised for the 16:9 ratio slides. Sometimes the bottom of the 4:3 slides is not displayed and the audience cannot see the information at the bottom of the slide.

2. Keep high contrast

But not too high. Black font on a white background is good but a dark grey font colour may be better. Don't use light grey on a white background as for some attendees it may be difficult to read, as may be white text on a light blue background. The smaller the text, the greater the colour contrast should be. Large text will be easier to read even if colour contrast is small.

3. Use a sans-serif font

Sans-serif is a straightforward font without fancy endings, or significantly bolder and thinner parts. Sans-serif fonts are considered to be easier to read on screen. Contrary to that, a serif font has dots, thin lines or endings (examples: Times New Roman or Georgia). Serif fonts used to be more popular in print, e.g. newspapers or magazines. A sans-serif font looks more modern than a traditional serif font.

When we open PowerPoint, the default font is Calibri. I'd avoid it for this very reason: it shows that we haven't changed the default font, and may signal to the audience that we haven't given much thought to our presentation either. Another very popular font is Arial. Both are technically good (and sans-serif), but are proprietary to Microsoft and could present usage rights problems down the line if we want to use them for other publications. However, the default, built-in fonts are safe as they will also be installed on another computer with PowerPoint. If we open our presentation on another laptop, most likely the Arial and Calibri fonts will be displayed properly.

Google Fonts are free for commercial use (just don't try to sell the fonts themselves). Popular and decent looking fonts are: Open Sans (used by CANSO ), Roboto (used by EUROCONTROL , IFATCA , NATS and Ryanair ), PT Sans ( GATCO ), Lato ( SESAR JU ), Montserrat ( Skybrary , this website), Raleway ( York Aviation ; also Open Sans ), Quicksand ( Aviation Action ), Poppins . Examples of narrow fonts include Oswald and Anton , but we may just use Roboto Condensed if we would otherwise choose Roboto.

The WhatFont extension for Chrome helps identify fonts on websites. However, some organisations have unique fonts developed for them such as easyJet . Aktive Grotesk is an Adobe font (used by IATA ). Avoid monospace fonts, they don't look harmonious.

The problem with the fonts that we installed ourselves is to remember to embed fonts when saving the presentation, otherwise these fonts will only be displayed on our machine but not on other computers if we open our presentation elsewhere. In PowerPoint: File > Options > Save > tick Embed fonts in this file > Embed all characters (best for editing by other people) . If we forget to embed fonts, our chosen font will be substituted by another font, e.g. Arial or Calibri. Roboto is similar to Arial but Montserrat is much wider and when replaced, our text will look more narrow than planned.

4. One idea per slide*

This is a good rule unless you need to compare ideas and show them side by side, or in a table. The "one idea per slide" rule is more appropriate for the general public, e.g. TED talks or politicians, not necessarily for highly qualified professionals who compare complex ideas on a daily basis, and are used to read charts in an instant.

However, don't cram everything together if your points can be placed on separate slides. There is no limit to the number of slides you can have if they are not overly complex. Twenty slides which are easy to digest are better than five with a lot of detail which takes time to read. A lot of detail may distract your audience. They will try to read while you are talking and will stop listening to you until they have read and understood the slide. Whatever you said while they were reading is not registered by your audience. You could add some easy slides in between those complex slides just to introduce or summarise the next/last idea in a few words.

On a busy slide, e.g. with three vertical panels, you can also display just the first panel of the slide in full colour, while the other ideas on the slide are greyed out. This way the audience knows that there will be more content but they only need to read the colourful part for now.

Although it is technically easier to only show the first part and not others, and make the other parts appear for the first time as you speak, I don't recommend it. This method is frustrating for those in the audience waiting to take a screenshot. Be sure to display the last part of such slide for long enough so that the audience can read it. I've been to webinars when the last part was displayed for a second before moving to the next slide. This is not sufficient to read the information.

5. Images

Ideas that are illustrated are easier to remember but avoid unnecessary decoration. Occasional icons instead of bullet points could enhance your presentation, as will one photo on the side or in the background which will help to convey the meaning. Not obvious images are more memorable than clichés.

Images to illustrate your presentation could be provided by your organisation (like NATS press office photos hosted on flickr), or graphics such as icons designed for your organisation (see IATA 's or NATS 's consistent styles and colour schemes). If downloaded from various sources, images could have different colour schemes. If their colours don't match, our presentation will look inconsistent. This is a common problem with logos. Logos should be designed to work in black and white but not all do.

One way to overcome it is to desaturate the icons or change their colour to white or grey; or change the photos colours just slightly so that they look more similar, another is to place them on a one-colour background (not white) which will dominate the slide, and another is to add borders or frames to the images (e.g. all blue - your organisation's blue tone).

Value-added

Sun, 23 Aug 2020 22:43:41 GMT

Value added and non-value added activities in aviation

This is an essay answer to one of the dozens of questions for the Business Improvement Techniques distance learning course I took.

Definitions

Value added activities are those that customers or clients are willing to pay for. Non-value added activities are the time spent fixing problems that should not have occurred in the process, unnecessary transport of materials, unnecessary paperwork or overproduction.

If activities are not properly classified between the two categories, essential but behind-the-scenes ingredients of a service that the customers cannot see (paperwork, obtaining licenses), may be mistaken for non-value added activities, or a burden. Only when the deficiency becomes obvious and creates a major disruption for the business, the business recognises that it was indeed a value added activity.

Case study 1: PIA crash

It is said in aviation, " If you think safety is expensive, try an accident. " After the recent Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crash in Karachi in May 2020, in which the pilots repeatedly ignored air traffic controller's instructions and internal aircraft warnings and crashed killing 97 people, the investigators discovered multiple fraudulent pilot licenses. The Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that out of 860, '262 pilots in the country "did not take the exam themselves" and had paid someone else to sit it on their behalf.' which is about 1 in 3 pilots. Subsequently, the pilots were grounded, and the PIA airline has been 'blacklisted for a six-month period by European safety regulators, banning it from operating to European Union destinations' (including the UK) from 1 July 2020. EASA is concerned not only about pilot licensing but lack of evidence of a 'comprehensive safety-management system' at PIA and 'compliance with the applicable standards'.

Case study 2: PPR form

Filing a PPR form (Prior Permission Required) is obligatory at many UK airports for arriving pilots (all non-resident aircraft and visitors). Pilots can either fill the form via phone or online if the airport provides such an option. They can also call in the air if the aircraft is equipped with a aeronautical radio (not all are). The phone call is received by a receptionist, who at the Barton airport is located at the Tower base. Normally the pilot would call before departing from another airport, leaving plenty of time. A radio call would be made within 10 nautical miles from the airport, so only minutes before landing. It would be received by the FISOs (Flight Information Service Officers) at the top of the Tower.

The point of the PPR form is to get an idea how many aircraft are coming and whether the airport has enough fuel of a particular type to provide to the pilot so that they can subsequently depart at all. At Barton (EGCB) there were 3 kinds of fuel, with one occasionally missing; now just 2: Avgas 100LL and Jet A1 fuel. Occasionally there are events and a part of the airfield is not in use so parking space may be limited. Sometimes the airport is closed due to weather such as standing water after a heavy rain. Barton has grass runways. The airport will also have the pilot's contact details which may be needed in case of an incident , during landing or en route. The GAR form (General Aviation Report) is for international flights and "is used by Border Force and the Police to facilitate the smooth passage of legitimate persons and goods across the border and prevent crime and terrorism". It needs to be filed at least four hours before arrival.

Value added?

The whole process of filing PPR seems to be closer to a non-value-added activity. While it is required and cannot be removed, it is free and it is just an administrative procedure. There is no specific fee for it nor is it advertised as a benefit. Pilots may see it as unnecessary burden rather than as a helpful step in the process of flying into an airport (someone compared it to calling a supermarket every time they want to go shopping to make sure there is enough parking space). The landing fee is charged independently and depends on the weight of the aircraft.

Benefits for pilots

Solent Airport Daedalus see the PPR form also as a way "to ensure pilots and visiting aircraft are fully briefed on the ongoing airfield infrastructure development , airspace use by powered and non-powered, military and flight training operators using it." Before submitting the online form, pilots need to confirm that they have read all technical airport details on a dedicated page.

Benefits for the airport

However, the PPR form also helps the airport with planning and making sure there are sufficient provisions for the pilots. Although not technically a waste, the process can be partially automated to save costs and time.

Since the receptionist's time is used to answer the pilots' phone calls, Barton Aerodrome (EGCB) has developed an online form so that at least some pilots can fill the form online without having to call on the phone. On 15 August 2020, Coventry Airport (EGBE/CVT) estimated that introducing the online PPR form saved them 5.5h of phone calls a week since July (Coventry Airport, 2020). Pilots fill the form from home and it is distributed to the receptionist and to the Tower VCR (Visual Control Room - top of the tower) automatically.

Sources:

Coventry Airport Ltd. (15 August 2020) PPR your flight the easy way .

Kaminski-Morrow, D. (2020) PIA banned from European operations after mounting safety concerns . Flight Global.

Manchester Barton inbound online PPR form .

Safi, S. and Gan., N. (2020) Almost 1 in 3 pilots in Pakistan have fake licenses, aviation minister says .

Solent Airport Daedalus inbound online PPR form .

Teamwork in ATC

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 20:12:53 GMT

Teamwork in ATC

This is an essay answer to a few of the dozens of questions for the Business Improvement Techniques distance learning course I took. Written with a management , non-controller audience in mind.

Amongst the most important factors contributing to an effective team working are reliability and accountability . To quote one of the controllers,

"If you aren't committed to learning all the time, asking questions, learning and following procedures, being passionate about learning all you can about aircraft and their performance, being punctual, committed and hard working, then this is not for you." - Tanja Spykerman, 19/03/2020

Controllers are expected to perform like computers, with all the background knowledge and quick decision-making, and learning new information in between working traffic and implementing it immediately. High performing individuals are trusted and respected while poorly performing individuals are what makes the job stressful.

Flexibility : "In ATC, a team is defined as a group of two or more persons who interact dynamically and interdependently with assigned specific roles, functions and responsibilities. They have to adapt continuously to each other to ensure the establishment of a safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic (EATMP, 1996b)." Teamwork which is typically serially structured (controllers repeating a sequence of tasks) may need to be broken or paused to relieve other controllers of excessive workload to improve throughput through the system. Two controllers may temporarily need a help of a third person who will initially perform simple tasks and gradually get involved in more complex ones.

Communication with the aircraft pilots is often prescribed in terms of a specific radiotelephony phraseology but additional communication needs to be done in plain but concise language. A similar principle applies to internal communication which may be very brief as it is done under time pressure and needs to be efficient. Communication during breaks can be more relaxed and used as informal team-building activities with small talk, time for questions, longer listening time, or offering praise. Informal communication between controllers also takes place on social media which again helps with communication in professional settings during work hours.

Team Resource Management

Team Resource Management (TRM) is a set of strategies for the best use of all available resources: information, equipment and people in air traffic control. EUROCONTOL has been working on TRM since 1994 and elements of team training are present in all stages of training as the job is done as a part of a team of highly trained specialists with shared mental models, situational awareness and a shared "view of the objectives set to deliver positive outcomes". The structure of their work and the ways the tasks are to be performed determine the lines of communication and include the ways of reporting issues such as incidents, accidents, as well as three kinds of behavioural safety surveys during normal operations (Observational safety surveys, Normal Oversight Safety Survey (NOSS), Day 2 Day Safety Survey (D2D)). During an initial candidate selection for training, future controllers are also screened for behavioural competencies such as honesty and openness to be later developed into positive working relationships.

Mutual trust and respect are earned by continuous learning, high performance on the job, and being a knowledgeable and reliable team member. Good leadership stems from it: the unit manager may still be an active Air Traffic Controller but have additional duties such as rostering, being a point of contact for the airport and airlines, or incident investigation.

Effective working relationships

The "safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic" relies on good teamwork between the humans operating the system. A structured training, common set of local procedures and a shared work ethics starting at the selection process and continuing throughout training and validation, build trust and stronger working relationships. At an ATC unit such as an airport control tower, the personnel know one another well which facilitates efficient workflow and co-ordination.

The safety of flights though depends not only on the in-house ATC team but on their cooperation with pilots (over the radio), controllers at other ATC units (via phone calls) and with airline and airport personnel (phone and/or radio). Mutual respect, keeping the verbal exchanges concise, precise and polite, not injecting unnecessary words and expressions, slowing down and enunciating clearly when talking to non-native English speakers, can improve efficiency, reduce stress, and maintain good working relationships.

It is vitally important for controllers not to lecture the pilots (could result in irritation and making a critical mistake leading to an incident or accident - on one or both sides; but mostly it's a waste of time), and for pilots not to threaten controllers for the same reason; such a situation may result in the controller being replaced by a colleague to break the verbal exchange and stop wasting everyone's time, but requires a handover and initially the new controller's situational awareness may be lower. Pilots sometimes ask for the controller's name or licence number to report the controller if they don't agree with them, not fully appreciating the effect of such stress on the controller who is responsible for thousands of lives at any given time and whose mistake could be deadly for a few hundred people.

At an ATC unit, the workload should be reasonably distributed between controllers. They can ask for extra help if traffic suddenly increases. Give full briefing on handover to reduce stress and improve safety as well as morale and job satisfaction. From the management perspective, staffing levels can contribute to the distribution of workload and therefore to the ability of staff to maintain good working relationships while ensuring safety of air traffic.

In a unit such as an airport tower , all controllers are trained to work on all positions and change the position worked a few times a day. The "Tower" role is based on the ADI (Aerodrome Instrument) rating. This role can be split between controllers working on three positions: clearance delivery, ground and air. One controller can do all three if traffic levels are low, or the other positions can be opened at busy times such as in the morning, to distribute the workload. All three controllers sit next to each other at the top of the tower, and after a break can work on the other positions. Such arrangement increases the efficiency of the unit. This is how London airports work having only ADI-rated controllers. In Manchester, in the tower base, there is additionally an approach controller position in the radar room, which requires an additional rating (Approach Control Surveillance (APS) rating course). Upon achieving both ratings and validating on the respective positions (local training can take a year or longer after the rating), the controllers can cover for each other and provide assistance.

Ineffective working relationships

Could severely affect the flow of air traffic and its safety. Starting in college, controllers learn to be open to criticism and constant monitoring by supervisors. Training in Human Factors helps understand human limitations and accept the need for being monitored to maintain situational awareness and ensure aircraft safety.

There are many examples of pilots having teamwork problems which is how the Crew Resource Management (CRM) programmes originated, later adapted to the air traffic control environment as Team Resource Management (TRM). A breakdown in teamwork could be due to a perceived hierarchy or seniority (such as the aircraft Captain considered being more "right" than the [younger] First Officer who was afraid to speak up in time or take controls when the captain was wrong, resulting in a crash), or being originally trained in different conditions and trying to impose old habits on younger personnel. The younger staff may not want to upset their instructor or supervisor by correcting them or by sticking to the rules which the instructor is breaking, which may result in an incident or accident (close call or crash).

Since local training takes a year or longer, ATC staff is hired with a long term perspective and not expected to change units often. They need to develop good working relationships with all colleagues and management. Poor performance would be subject to investigation and corrective action.

Belbin’s team role theory

Dr Meredith Belbin developed a 9-dimensional scale to pinpoint people's preferred team roles when they act within a team. Some prefer to chair meetings, others have specialised knowledge, another person may prefer to just check if everything is done properly and investigate the available resources, while others may be full of new ideas but have trouble following them up. Yet other people may just press towards finishing what they started or simply follow the early adopters and early majority as the late majority or laggards. The idea is to have all kinds of those preferences within a team for the team to be successful in what they are set to achieve. People full of ideas may need others who will develop, test, implement and evaluate them, and those who follow the majority need leaders whom they can follow. A Shaper or Coordinator ensures deadlines are met, while Specialists and Resource Investigators figure out the details.

All good with normal, untrained (or poorly trained) society.

Although Belbin's team role theory seems to be popular in the UK, I am not sure it can be applied to air traffic controllers who are supposed to be all the roles , making split-second decisions based on multiple, dynamically changing factors, and have a few plans for each scenario in case the first one in no longer feasible. They both need to implement the rules and break them when necessary while ensuring safety, occasionally consult regulations while knowing most of them by heart, acknowledge new messages and implement the new information into their workflow as they go, work as a team and individually at the same time, be specialists and cross-monitor their colleagues and maintain situational awareness.

Does it take more of a " Completer-finisher " or " Shaper " to say "Cleared for take-off"? The controller needs to monitor their timing, other aircraft positions, scan the runway, address the correct aircraft, watch it over the runway, and hand it over to the next sector. They cannot just conveniently withdraw into being an " Implementer/Company worker " or just have ideas without evaluating them all the time. People's lives depend on them.

There is no way that controllers would "struggle to complete a task". They were carefully selected based on their abilities and then trained for up to three years to have ideas within safety limits, to maintain sharp focus and be decisive. Some say that they are expected to be like computers.

Sources:

Civil Aviation Authority (2017) CAP 493: Manual of Air Traffic Services – Part 1

EATMP (1996b). Guidelines for ATS Upgrade Training. Index no. HUM.ET1.ST05.4000-GUI02. Ed. no. 1.0, 28-06-1996, EATCHIP, EUROCONTROL, Brussels, Belgium.

EUROCONTROL (2009) Team Co-ordination Study, Chapter 2: Team concepts .

EUROCONTOL (2015) Guidelines for TRM, Chapter 2: Good Practices .

Dickson, I. (2018) My story – Being an Air Traffic Controller #OurAmazingEveryday, NATS

Global ATS (2016) Aerodrome Control (ADI / TWR) Course Prospectus

Global ATS (2016) Approach Surveillance (APS / SRA) Course Prospectus

Skybrary (2016) https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Teamwork_in_Air_Traffic_Control

Information sharing in ATC

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 17:07:52 GMT

Information sharing in ATC

This is an essay-answer to one of the dozens of questions for the Business Improvement Techniques distance learning course I took. Written with a management , non-controller audience in mind.

Sharing knowledge

To control aircraft, air traffic controllers must have operational information made available to them in a timely manner. This includes changes to airspace such as reclassification, temporary closures of some areas, weather changes or bird activity data coming from official sources, observation, measurements or pilot reports. Controllers must also be informed about any work or maintenance on the airport runways or taxiways, renaming taxiways (MANTP 2020a), airport expansion plans such as the new PremiAir terminal in Manchester or the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme, which involves gradual expansion of Terminal 2 and removal of Terminal 1 (now postponed - MANTP, 2020), or reducing operations in Manchester to one terminal (as started last week, on Wednesday 25 March 2020 - BBC, 2020), or Heathrow switching to one runway operations from Monday 6 April 2020 (McWhirter, 2020). All this information is necessary to direct aircraft on the right trajectory to the right place. Not having it could result in operational inefficiencies, incidents or accidents.

A-CDM, TBS, AMAN, XMAN

To further improve efficiency and reduce delays, 29 European airports implemented Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) involving timely sharing of information between the airport operator, aircraft operators, ground handler, de-icing companies, ATC, network manager and support services. Several other systems have been built based on information and data to improve efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions and fuel costs for airlines such as Time-Based Separation (TBS or Intelligent Approach), Arrival Management (AMAN) or Cross-Border Arrival Management (XMAN) where Heathrow arrivals are slowed down 350 miles from London according to the calculated predicted traffic situation by the time of arrival (NATS, 2014, 2017). Such tools not only improve efficiency (e.g. saving 15,000 tonnes of CO2 a year by "absorbing just one minute during linear holding" - NATS, 2017) but also enable controllers to perform effectively which improves job satisfaction and employee engagement and motivation.

Operational knowledge

The sharing of knowledge happens first at training stages in college during Basic Training and rating courses, then during on the job training, after which the controller is examined and can start working on their own licence having acquired all necessary knowledge to work at a particular airport. The operational knowledge is written in documents (ICAO Doc 4444, UK CAA Radiotelephony Manual (CAP 413), CAP 493: Manual of Air Traffic Services (MATS) Part 1, and MATS Part 2 which is not publicly available) and Aeronautical Information Publications, Circulars and Supplements, NOTAMs (NOTices to AirMen) and charts published periodically (NATS AIS, 2020).

Online sources

Knowledge is also shared informally on social media in groups for air traffic controllers where controllers from all over the world can ask colleagues for advice and share their experience or opinions. While the basic knowledge acquired during training is formally required to do the job properly, any extra advice from international colleagues may help solve work problems regarding procedures or management issues. An example could be providing links to academic distance learning courses designed for operational air traffic controllers, or tower evacuation solutions. Knowledge is also shared at industry events, now moved to the internet, via webinars and video conferences, where Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) can share solutions e.g. for the coronavirus situation (CANSO, 2020). This way the tested and verified solutions at one ANSP can be implemented in other countries in a matter of days, improving overall operational efficiency and personnel safety. Additionally, staff feels valued having an opportunity to share their day-to-day realities with colleagues internationally and to be listened to.

Sources:

BBC (20 March 2020) Coronavirus: Manchester Airport closes two terminals .

CANSO (2020) Special Webinar Series, Part 2: Operational Business Continuity .

Manchester Airport Transformation Programme (2020a) Airfield re-designation .

Manchester Airport Transformation Programme (2020b) March 2020 update .

McWhirter, A. (2 April 2020) Heathrow to move to single runway operation . Business Traveller.

NATS (2014) Cross Border Arrival Management (XMAN) Trial .

NATS (2017) Why new streamlined Heathrow arrivals start in Europe .

NATS (2020) Aeronautical Information Service .