History of airspace classification/ATC rules etc

[Timothy]

Can anyone recommend an online history of airspace classification/ATC rules etc in the UK?

This has been led by trying to find out when the quadrantal rule was introduced for civilian traffic, but there is other stuff I would like to know.

I have looked at the history on the NATS site, but that is much more orientated towards technology and ATC than airspace.

Any other suggestions?

Will

[Findo]

I'd be amazed if you find an online summary.

The classifications of airspace were changed 15? years ago from Rule 21 etc to Class A,B etc. The Rule was in the Air Navigation Order(ANO) which is an Act Of Parliament.

ATC rules were again either directly written in the ANO or in the MATS part 1 which was linked to the ANO.

All this was/is written by the CAA and put through Parliament by the Department of Transport (such a Darling Department these days).

My suggestion is a direct approach to the CAA. If nothing on their website then the Department of Airspace Policy (DAP - Kingsway London) is your dept for airspace and Air Traffic Services Standards Department (ATSSD- Gatwick) for the ATC rules.

I'd appreciate a posting if you get any answers. ;)

[qwerty2]

Sutton Library publishes some interesting material about flying in the 30s and Croydon Airport in particular. They have a web site you might find useful... do a google search.

I have a lot of archive material from the 30s and there is no reference to the Quadrantal or semi circular rule before WW2. At Croydon in 1939 incoming IFR flights using radio were allocated levels based on their distance from the Field so that the first to arrive was always lowest! Their positions having been determined by DF.

Some charts from the late 50s show the Quadrantal Rule so my guess is that it was a product of Wartime Experience.

Virtually all of the internet sources cover the US's belated introduction to ATC and thier first controller - Archie. Some parts of Europe and Japan ( I think ) were already pursing some form of positive airfield control by the late 20s.

[Timothy]

I'm not sure my interest extends to actually going up to Kingsway:hmm: , but I am surprised not to have had more response either here or on History.

I started flying in 1971 and the rules then weren't hugely different from now...OK they changed some airspace names, but that's pretty much it...yet the rules immediately after the war were clearly very different. The first airway wasn't until the early 50's. So the changes in airspace and rules of the air between the mid fifties and the mid sixties must have been enormous, yet they don't seem to be documented anywhere in all the hundreds of history sites, which are concerned mainly with aircraft, somewhat to airfields, a little to ATC and nothing at all about airspace.

Oh well.

Crossed with qwerty

OK, I'll have a look at Sutton..thanks

Will

[qwerty2]

Actually , our First "airway" was the London - Continent airway established in the early 30s and lit by airways beacons. From about 1935 on wards Croydon controlled up to the French Coast.
Controllers were linked to 3 DF stations to establish aircraft positions and pushed "shrimp boats" across a map to keep the picture.

Then airways with radio nav aids as we know were introduced about 1950 up to 11000ft.
This whole subject is very poorly documented.

[Keef]

Rufus might know!

[bookworm]

I have a book (UK Airspace. Is it safe?) by David Ogilvy of AOPA in which he shows charts of controlled airspace in 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1988. I would imagine he must have researched the topic when it was published 15 years ago, so he might have some interesting primary material -- or know where you can get it.

[M609]

There was an article in "The Controller" some moths back about the 90 years of "atc" in France. Quite comprehensive explenation of the development there anyway. I'll se if it's tucked away at work somewhere. :)