Danny and the Good Old Days.
There's a lot more about the Tower to come!" (I said). But before I start my story about individual incidents in my years as a Controller, and in response to kookabat's suggestion in #3992 p.200, I think it might be helpful to hear my general recollections of the history of aerodrome Air Traffic Control from the "worm's eye" point of view. All this will be entirely from memory, I do not intend to check it against Wiki or anywhere else. If other authorities contradict me, so be it, (but remember the tale of the Bahia Route March).
"The Toad beneath the harrow knows
Exactly where each toothpoint goes".
Once upon a time there were 'Watch Offices' on (almost all grass) 'aerodromes'. In these dwelt a Watchkeeper, commonly the Duty Pilot, furnished with a telephone, a stub of pencil, a school notebook, binoculars and (if he were lucky) a Verey pistol and an Aldis lamp. He would be unlikely to have radio.
He logged down all arrivals and departures, but did very little else. Outside the building there would be a board bearing the name of the place and perhaps the AMSL. Lower down, a sign would read "VISITING CAPTAINS REPORT HERE", which made you feel very important on arrival after climbing out of your puddle-jumper.
If he did have a Crash Vehicle (pensioned off fire engine) and an ambulance on tap (and this was by no means always the case), he would be responsible for unleashing them if required. Aircraft came and went as they pleased without reference to him: he had no control over them.
Time passed, War came and the pace quickened. Now the school notebook was replaced by a blackboard on the wall behind him on which his minions chalked up the T/Os and landings (and they also made the tea, and so a great tradition was born). He kept a log; he would, with luck, have radio contact with aircraft similarly equipped, and he controlled the airfield lighting (usually a row of goosenecks). Aircraft came and went on operations or training flights as they pleased without reference to him; he would "count them out and count them back in": but he had no control over them.
My experience of the subject so far ends with my departure for India in September '42, but I understand that, as war progressed, aids were devised to assist returning aircrews, and he had a more important part to play from then on. Manual D/F operators passed bearings to him by land line, 'ZZ' procedure was an early form of QGH, SBA and TBA came in, and other clever ideas like EUREKA/BABS. He had a finger in all these pies and called himself a Flying Control Officer: but in fact he had little actual control over the aircraft.
Air Traffic Control in India and Burma during the war (from the military aspect) is a simple story: there wasn't any.
On my return to the RAF in July '49, I found that the "Flying Control Officer" was no more. The Twin Winged Lords of the Air had objected to the title on the logical ground that they alone were responsible for the safe operation of their aircraft, and certainly would not cede any authority to some wingless wonder in an overgrown Wendy house on the side of the airfield. He had to be content with the title of "Air Traffic Control Officer", the TWLOTA reluctantly accepted this. The RAF had a new Branch.
(More on this to follow next time).
Cheers,
Danny42C
They also serve who only stand (or sit?) and wait.
Last edited by Danny42C; 10th Jul 2013 at 12:45.
Reason: Typo.