On our homemade system, we could chose the colours in regard of the flows.
This system was used mostly to show pretty images to visitors and journos. They were very impressed !
Don't know if the image is still available as I haven't seen it for years. As I said, we use numbers.
5Miles, you must be right : there's no smoke without a fire somewhere...
Not only a point to be made : also the only way we could work when our management supressed any flexibility in the rosters, after a bash in the press followed by an over-reaction from the govnmt...
Not only Paris and Brest : Bordeaux, Marseille and Reims had the same problem. Local managements made the difference.
But that was one year ago.
As to SITET, VEULE, the (rotten) La Manche "new" sectorisation made that the sector you had as an interface could not take any decision for the following sector (because sectors were split all day long, due to lack of flexibility).
Not easy to explain... that's because of the interface with Paris, Bordeaux, Reims and Brest (15ish steady flows plus some vertical flows in a 40NM radius). A direct given at the wrong time can result in a mess with no advice for the following sector.
Even today, these sectors are not easy to control, since the new "La Manche". But it should change (back to previous, more secure, more efficient procedures) when we get two frequencies.
I'd like to add our management hasn't yet (and probably will never) find flexibility again, but I reckon you (and pilots) don't feel it too much anymore.
I happen to phone S1/S18 to propose directs in order to help.
Retrospective fear :
French ATC suffered another attack from the press last month.
Our Transportation Minister had a good reflex in defending us this time.
So this summer should be smoother than last one...
