What is Eurocontrol exactly?

[AdamATC]

Hi guys,

as some of you will know I'm studying for the second NATS interview and I have a question to ask the enlightened!

What is EuroControl? What do they do?

I've been to the EuroControl website and with no offence to any Euro Controllers its all very " hold hands across Europe and make the world a better place";)

From what I can gather they seem to be a bureaucratic and administrative central organisation for aligning the various Air Traffic Agencies of Europe. Now, do they provide staff at European controll centres regardless of nationality from all over Europe or do they man a control centre for Trans European flights.

I'm sure if I trawled through their website and got through all the idealist eurocr*p that I would find the answer (again no offence to any Euro Controllers ;) ) ) but if anyone can give me a succinct answer, that would be great!

Regards Adam:)

[zed3]

AdamATC

Eurocontrol is the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation - 31 member states at the last count if I am still up to date! Headquarters is in Brussels along with the Central Flow Control Unit and International Flight Planning Service , an Experimental ( simulator ) Centre near Paris , ATC School in Luxembourg . It runs the Maastricht Upper Air Traffic Control Centre for the Benelux and northern German upper airspace ( above fl245 ) and is also busy with a new central European ATC centre and school . Eurocontrol is also busy with many acronyms - too many to mention here!

[1261]

Check out all the exciting details at:

http://www.eurocontrol.int/

[AdamATC]

Much obliged as ever chaps thank you!:) :) :)

[zed3]

oops.....and having woken up , have remembered the Central Route Charges Office , which contrary to popular opinion does NOT collect monies for Eurocontrol but acts as a cash register for the member states redistributing the charges accordingly , back to and FOR the member states .

[GroundBound]

Adam,

yes you're right about Eurocontrol trying to make it all better in Europe. Individual states can't change what happens on a wider scale, so it needs some sort of super national view point to coordinate it all and drive modern ideas forward, beyond national boundaries.

If you are looking for an ATC job, then yes, Eurocontrol do run an Air Traffic Control Centre, at Maastricht (in SE Netherlands). It controls (a lot) of flights over Belgium, Netherlands and Northern Germany, FL245 and above. It also has one of, if not, the best ATC systems around. What they have been using for more than 15 years most other units are still aspiring to.

If you are looking for information for your NATS interview, then it was created in the early 1960's with the responsibility of handling the high level traffic over all of its contracting member states. However, the UK, and France did not hand over their airspace and got Eurocontrol to delegate back to them what they had just transferred by international agreement. Eurocontrol built 3 ATC centres (Maastricht, Rhein - in Kalsruhe, and Shannon). The latter 2 were subsequently nationalised by the respective governments. They haven't nationalised the Maastricht centre, though, as it covers more than one member state.

A change of the international convention some 10 years ago, returned the ownership of the upper air space to the national authorities, and turned Eurocontrol into a super national coordinating body.

As said elsewhere, it also runs the CFMU (Central Flow Management Unit), a route charges collection scheme (Note, it only collects the money on behalf of the member states), an experimental centre at Bretigny (near Paris), and a training institute (in Luxembourg).

Hope this helps ;)

[Vlad the Impaler]

They're not gonna ask you crap like that on your interview anyway. If poss try and take your common sense with you and make sure you listen to the question before diving in with both feet. The only other golden rule is be enthusiastic. Make sure you have had at least one unit visit. Good luck
V:D

[AdamATC]

Thanks for the info guys, its all a big help. Hopefully the interviewers will see my sincere enthusiasm as I really want this career!

My interview is on 3 July so I'll post a message afterwards to let eveyone who has helped me see how it went!

Thanks again,

Adam :) :D :) :D :) :D :) :D