Which units use a watch system?

[52 North]

Hi guys,

To assist with some research, could people let me know whether their units and other units they know, use watch systems and if possible what the system is e.g. 5 watches of 4 etc.

Thanks for any info

52N

[Gonzo]

All NATS H24 units are five watches I believe, and I think we all work 6 on 4 off.

[terrain safe]

Gonzo

remember it is a 6 on, 1 sleep and 3 off system when asked by anyone.:ok::ok:

[nodelay]

Except for EGLC who work individual rosters.

[Gonzo]

nodelay,

I was referring only to the H24 units.

terrain,

Of course. Sleep day. Yes. The oldies I do night shifts with do need their sleep on Day 7. :E

Those of us who are fit and virile make do with an SAS-style ten minute power nap in the afternoon. :ok:

[Scott Voigt]

We normally have seven crews (watches) here in the US at large centers. Our normal watch schedule is two evening shifts followed by two day shifts followed by a midnight shift. Where I work it is something like this, Sunday 1430 - 2230, Monday 1330 - 2130, Tuesday - 0630 - 1430, Wednesday 0630 - 1430, Thursday morning - 2230 (Wed) - 0630... It makes you old before your time...

regards

Scott

[PPRuNe Radar]

Hey Scott, that would be illegal in the UK .... thank God :)

[Standard Noise]

Lulsgate Bottom Institute for the Terminally Depressed, or Bristol as it's more widely known works 5 watches of 5 (or at least we're meant to, whether we will ever get there is up for debate!) on a 6 on, 1 sleep, 3 rest pattern.
And before the 'know it alls' start harping on about us being NATS, we had the same structure long before we entered the Hotel California.

[foghorn]

I think some of the NATS non-24 hour units do 6 on 3 off with 3 watches (no nights)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

"Night"? What's that?

Bren

[terrain safe]

It's the same as it's always been Bren.....something you sleep through.:E:E

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Oh yes - ta! Best watch system I ever worked was a 10-watch. We did the old afternoon - morning/night - then about 8 days off. Didn't last long surprisingly.

[Hold West]

Hey Scott, that would be illegal in the UK .... thank God :)

AFter 22 years of it, I'm here to say it should be illegal here, too...

[Lon More]

Did almost 35 years of:

Afternoon (1400 - 2200)
Swing (1230 - 1900)
Morning (0730 - 1230) followed by Night (2200 - 0730)
Sleep
Off
Off
As time went by I found it was taking more and more time to recover from the night until it reached the state where I could sleep through most of the Afternoon duty :uhoh:

This sysetm was a legacy from WWII. Not really suitable to today's traffic patterns and thankfully disappearing now.

[Grumpy Old ATCO]

Anyone got an example of a 4 watch system or any other system that covers 2 positions 24/7 with 18 people ?

GOA
:)

[Lon More]

Grumpy, The variant of my previous post
Afternoon (1230 - 2200)
Morning (0730 - 1230) followed by the Night (2200 - 0730)
Sleep
Off

Fortunately binned

[nodelay]

LON

"Did almost 35 years of:

Afternoon (1400 - 2200)
Swing (1230 - 1900)
Morning (0730 - 1230) followed by Night (2200 - 0730)
Sleep
Off
Off"

1230-1900 is far too early in the day for me to swing!!:O

[03Rnow30R]

Dubai - 5 watches and a 10 day cycle

2 morning (0700-1400)
2 afternoon (1400-2200)
2 nights (2200-0700)
Sleep day
3 days off

The 2nd night is the killer and nights are our busiest shifts by far. There is talk that we may move to a rostering system next year. Leaves good though, 36 "working days" (doesn't include days off) which you can manipulate into at least 60 days leave per year.

Don't know of a legal 4 watch system.

[Barnaby the Bear]

Its never to early to swing!!!!!


Keys in the bowl please!!!!! :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :} :}

[foghorn]

"Night"? What's that?

It's when the police helicopter wakes you up.

[rab-k]

Fot the NATS unit who does MMAANNSOOO on a permanent basis with no MMAADDOOOO, the S is used for precisely that. (Or the first half of it anyway:zzz: )

[52 North]

Thanks for the replies, are there many non-NATS units using watches?

52N

[JustaFew]

Since 1997-ish Liverpool has been using the 5-watch system.

[Scott Voigt]

Hey Scott, that would be illegal in the UK .... thank God :)

Man I wish it were illegal here too... I knew it was hurting me but I didn't know how much better I felt until my three months off for sick leave after eye surgery... Back to the grind <sigh>...