PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Air Traffic Control out in Sweden
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Old 18th Nov 2015, 17:02
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Gonzo
 
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Interesting debate drawing similarities between flight deck and ATC system issues in terms of reliance on technology and the atrophy of 'manual skills'.

One important difference though. If a modern aircraft suffered a control system failure, then the flight crew would aim to put it on the deck ASAP.

The ATC system as a whole, where technology is integral to the service, such as in most of Europe, aims to do the same in the case of a major failure. Get everything safely on the ground, or to other airspace.

And yet we seem to be expecting the ATC system to carry on manually, with no radar, or with handwritten, paper strips. Isn't that the same as expecting the flight crew to get into their broken jet and fly another load of passengers on another flight using backup and or manual systems?

Do we feel comfortable with that?
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