1) What actually is NOTA? I tried googling this and there is no real answer, though i think it is essentially an area that all aircraft bound for the Atlantic track system must pass through to enter the track system on the correct path. Is this correct?
2) 'x' million movements a year. I see they have future proofed the document. I assume it is 2 million?
3) re: Mode S, what does the Track Data Block do? Is it a fancy way of saying that this is the config page, that allows them to target individual aircraft? As i understand it theres the vertical stack list and them another window that tells the controller everything about the aircraft. Correct?
4) not within the scope of the document but, why does the trajectory prediction part of IFACTS predict 14 minutes ahead. Why not 15, or 10? My original feeling was that maybe this represented a nice number of seconds but that isnt the case (840). Sure something divisible by 3 or 5 would be sensible, given approach seperations?
5) How are stacks set up around a VOR? Is the VOR positioned at one corner of the rectangular (?) traffic pattern? Is it on one leg of the traffic pattern (so a pilot can fly towards it on one radial and then past it for another 5 miles, then turn left and do a circuit? Or is the VOR in the middle of the rectangle? The latter seems unlikely to me as it means needless maths and checking of numbers to navigate round the stack.
That's more than a couple
1) NOTA is indeed the area of the North East Atlantic where aircraft coming AND going across North Atlantic Routes (NARs) are procedurally separated before going across the Atlantic, or returning to European airspace.
2) You're probably right
3) I was under the impression that the "Modem S" part of the Mode S system targeted individual aircraft. The TDB contains Mode S data, therefore I guess your assumption was more or less correct; that is to say that the TDB contains info on ALL aircraft in the sector, whereby "Modem S" (typo in the guidelines?) simply highlights info on selected aircraft.
4) No idea. As far as I'm concerned, 14 minutes has been necessitated and that is why it is 14 minutes. Besides, it does state that controllers will have the use of a separation monitor.
5) I believe that's already been answered IE. I'm not 100% sure!
Best of luck at your assessments, and let us know how you get on (as I'm having kittens about mine next week)!
