OTBD Radar Perspective
Hi All, I am new to this site in-so-far as posting threads are concrened, but have been reading the many entries with a somewhat bemused detachment over the past year or so.
My main motivation for deciding to "get involved" as-it-were, is merely to provide a perspective,.....that of an ATC at OTBD radar.
Giving countenance to the fact that the aviation fraternity on a global scale is subservient to various pressures, I simply wish to provide an insight to certain procedures and methodologies employed by the OTBD approach radar ATC's.
Several pilots have in their threads, I am not too certain as to the date of the entries, made reference to being a little bewildered to excessive speed control at OTBD. The answer is sourced in simplicity itself; sequencing requires a number one, two, three etc,etc.
Influencing factors in application of speed contol at OTBD, or anywhere for that matter are;
1) Track miles to TD
2) Aircraft type
3) Runway in use
4) FL or ALT of Acft on first contact
5) Prevailing traffic scenario ( very often only fully understood by the OTBD Radar ATC purely by virtue of the fact that he has a radar )
6) Prevailing weather conditions
7) On occasion late transfers of control from neibouring FIR's, often through no fault of their own, as invariably they too were extremely busy, i.e., frequency congestion.
There are other peripherals, but by-en-large, the above covers it.
OTBD Radar in-house factors are staff, (one ATC on duty to manage two AFD's, monitor six frequencies, manage ten Direct Speech Lines etc, etc)
and continuous duty without a break. Monings shift controllers do get a one hour break or are sent home an hour earlier, however, every other shift, the ATC is on duty with one ATCA (extremely busy himself) and no break until the arrival of the new shift, which obviously comprises one ATC. The shift length varies from five hours to eight hours.
Naturally a soon-to-be-replaced ageing radar system does little more than aid-and-abet the workload.
Yet, having stated the above, the ATC staff at OTBD are hardened and weathered ATC veterans with vast experience and very often I marvel at what we achieve with the available tools.
Automation and Data Link as off-spring from the FANS initiative at airports(TRACON+ACC/En-route) with multiple runways, CAT III-c, SMR, RNP1 Capability, RITA, GNSS derivatives WAAS+LAAS, Mode S, ACARS,sectorization(layered/lateral) etc,etc.....service traffic loading per ATC on a much smaller scale than the OTBD ATC's. The overall ASM and Movement structure may have greater figures, but in definitive Controller/Worload percentages, OTBD ATC's carry a greater workload.
Anyway, just a perspective.........do with it what you will, Tks.