Ozgrade3
17th Mar 2004, 14:21
As a ramp rat we use the indictor boards frequently to asertain the ETA of particular aircraft so we can meet them on arrival.
How is that eta generated, there must be an interface somehow with ATC....TAAATS etc. Does anybosy know how its done. When we call ops on the rdio for an eta Ops often refer to a system they use, cant remember the name.
Does the system compute an ETA based on time over head the aerodrome with reference to the aircrafts current g/S, or does it allow for manuvering within the terminal area according to the runway in use at the time.
The idicator boards also indicate the actual landing time within seconds of it touching down. Now i gather ACARS equiped airrcraft automatically transmit an arrival message to their respective companies but regional aicraft not having such equipmen, how is the landng time entered...manually by someone in the tower??
Lastly, with regards to the TOC (Terminal Ops Control) and bay allocation., or reallocation I should say. I cn understand bay changes with late a/c etc during busy times etc, but in the middle of the day, 1 arrival in the next hr or so, 5 ampty bays and so on, an aircraft is allocated Fox 5... then just before it taxies in the TOC changes it to Fox something else,. No other bays beinf used, in fact its often the only a/c on te ramp at the time.
Just curious why they seem to give apparenty random bay changes for no apparent reason.
How is that eta generated, there must be an interface somehow with ATC....TAAATS etc. Does anybosy know how its done. When we call ops on the rdio for an eta Ops often refer to a system they use, cant remember the name.
Does the system compute an ETA based on time over head the aerodrome with reference to the aircrafts current g/S, or does it allow for manuvering within the terminal area according to the runway in use at the time.
The idicator boards also indicate the actual landing time within seconds of it touching down. Now i gather ACARS equiped airrcraft automatically transmit an arrival message to their respective companies but regional aicraft not having such equipmen, how is the landng time entered...manually by someone in the tower??
Lastly, with regards to the TOC (Terminal Ops Control) and bay allocation., or reallocation I should say. I cn understand bay changes with late a/c etc during busy times etc, but in the middle of the day, 1 arrival in the next hr or so, 5 ampty bays and so on, an aircraft is allocated Fox 5... then just before it taxies in the TOC changes it to Fox something else,. No other bays beinf used, in fact its often the only a/c on te ramp at the time.
Just curious why they seem to give apparenty random bay changes for no apparent reason.