Don't worry this is not me
stirring again or annoying Del Boy with the Atco 1 comments!
Seriously though,.... all this talk of ATCO2/ATCO3 divides is very sad - you are all ATCOs. ...... but what happens when EDN go down to ATCO4 if ...
1- your management claim that the job is easier due to the new tower ..?
2- it becomes tower only when radar is centralised at New Scottish ...?
ATCO4 doesn't exist and officially neither do ATCO 2 or 3's we are Band 1,2,3 etc ATCO's now.
In a way I agree the job at EDI is slightly easier due the new tower but that was always going to be the case and was expected which is why at the last Union conference we didn't push for a review of regrading our Band. However I believe we will not be split from the other Scottish airports in the near future anyway as it is too political. We should have been in the band with Birmingham who had similar problems AND TRAFFIC LEVELS at the time of grading but the ridiculous formula made it that way (We were way ahead of Glasgow but just short, and I mean by a few points of Brum,and then Duo went bust and we overtook Brum!) There was uproar at the Scottish airports at the banding system anyway which due to our Union representing the majority i.e. Doon Sooth and Area and not looking after the minority (isn't that what a union is all about?) we couldn't outvote it, but imagine if the Scottish airports were in separate bands.
WHEN radar is centralised at SCATCC I expect that the 'lucky' few who get chosen will be upgraded to the equivalent of ATCO2 pay like T.C. which again is going to be another can of worms but wouldn't expect the controllers left behind to be downgraded as the airport is only going to expand and get busier.
Brainfade (Long time no moan) and Captain Mayday
Differences between EDI and Glasgow. I can only comment on what I see on the radar and before we go any further I DO NOT want to slag off Glasgow, we have a very good working relationship.
Glasgow are not as busy as EDI so that is one factor. I still believe traffic is presented differently to Glasgow than to EDI. I hardly see them holding at LANAK but it does happen. We didn't seem to hold much when months back Scottish were trialing streaming and as I said in my previous post it did work, to an extent ,and the area controllers then as now get a phone call off me and a thankyou (See 10W, I do appreciate my colleagues at Scottish).
Before you say that they don't hold because they are better controllers, I see traffic given to Glasgow at a lower level for the distance to run than at EDI. I believe this is because Glasgow traffic needs to be under EDI's outbounds whereas our inbounds conflict with each other but nothing else which is why there is less pressure for the area controllers to descend the aircraft.
As mentioned before we have a committee called Involve to Improve which is looking at this to improve our service. We are looking at pack and gap procedures and general packing of traffic etc and hopefully things will improve but it is not fair to say that Glasgow are better controllers or more talented than us. I certainly do not think the opposite.
High speed turn offs would help but have not been built. If you are following a DH8D, even with a six mile standard gap we are lucky to have the DH8D off the runway, never mind have a departure as well. They take forever to clear the runway but we are led to believe this is due to having to slow right down for the turn off.
Brainfade
Also (although some folk are decidedly slow to get going) what's so immediate if the lander's at 4 miles? Be an 'immediate' if he was at two surely?
Totally agree with you. Certain people need to improve or just stop panicking. Don't need an immediate outside 2/3 miles as long as you on approach have your speed back and the departure doesn't fanny about on the runway BUT I would tee you up to expect a late landing clearance.
I see you will be visiting us shortly, we all can't wait
