A.T.S.A. Duties

[Isitgiroday]

Can anyone tell me what are the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of aerodrome ATSA's and what qualities do they need?

Ta very much,
Giro.

[White Hart]

NATS or non-NATS?

don't know about non-NATS. but, with the exception of Heathrow Lighting Operators, NATS Tower ATSAs are generally very busy looking at the latest job vacancies at anywhere other than a NATS tower.

can't say what duties are performed - its been sooooo long since I did anything to do with ATC other than stare-out-the-window SAMOS weather reporting (yawn).

If you're job hunting, best to speak to non-NATS towers in the long run.

Pity, but thats how it is. :sad:

[Isitgiroday]

White hart, sorry to hear about your plight but if anyone has any relevant information on the nature of my question it would be much appreciated. Information on Non-nats assistants duties would be very helpful.

Cheers.

[Dizzee Rascal]

Some duties might include:

Filing flight plans,
Taking landing fees,
Accepting PPR requests,
Coding Met observations and sending over the AFTN (and other tasks relating to the AFTN),
Taking telephone calls,
Co-ordinating with adjacent units/sectors/agencies,
Strip writing,
Recording ATIS messages,
Passing on urgent messages to the RFFS during emergencies,
Runway inspections,
Making and drinking Tea & Coffee,
Reading MCN cover to cover,
Facebooking,
Playing with all the applications on the iPhone all day.

The ATSA's at my unit have got the last 3 items down to a fine art, we are still working all the other items!

It helps to be able to listen to a sentence once and be able to repeat it verbatim (during emergencies mentioned above), use you own initiative and common sense.

Being able to recognise different aircraft types also helps, again, something else some of ours are working on!

[chiglet]

I have been an ATCA/ATSA since 1968. [Yes, I am that old :{]
I have worked in Tower, Approach, Radar Centre, Runway Control, Flight Briefing and Pennine Radar [The best white knuckle trip {for a young} ATCO :E ]
With computerisation/automation the job satisfaction has been "less than satisfying", but the pay ain't bad at the moment......
I now work in Area Radar, but still have contact with the peeps in the tower.
You are a SAMOS operator [Met reporting heap of :mad:]
You try and make sense of an Airport logging system that is not very good
You try and improve slot times
You strip up....and down
You field telephone calls...from people who know everything about nowt :=
You are sometimes so short staffed, that you cannot take a break.
Tea is forbidden in the tower...you might spill it :mad:
Would I do it again?
Then....... Oh YES :D
Now ........I dunnow
Good luck

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

At Heathrow and West Drayton, where I worked, the ATSAs were a hard-working, professional, good-humoured bunch for whom I had great trust and admiration. At smaller non-NATS units "ATCA" is likely to be the tea-boy. If you go for a job at a non-NATS unit make absolutely sure you know what you are letting yourself in for.

I worked at a very busy non-State unit once and the single ATCA worked the GMC frequency unsupervised, with a Student's Licence, took pressure readings from the barometer and converted them for QNH and QFE, maintained the tape recorders remembering when to run downstairs and change the tapes, maintained the official airfield log of every movement (over 1000 on busy days), wrote Flight Progress Strips for IFR traffic, answered all telephone calls to ATC and got clearances from LATCC... and all and all and all... oh yes, he'd get our refreshments and run errands. He had Sundays off... I've probably only covered half of what he did. He was truly superhuman but was treated appallingly. He later joined NATS and must have thought he'd died and gone to Heaven.

[White Hart]

'He was truly superhuman but was treated appallingly'

by whom, I wonder? .... now let me guess?? :hmm:

'He later joined NATS and must have thought he'd died and gone to Heaven'

not now, he wouldn't. probably thinks he's just died. :hmm:

At some places, HD, things have changed so much for the ATSAs even you wouldn't recognise it as the job or the people which once supported you.

on the other hand, some things haven't changed at all...

[goatface]

I have worked in Tower, Approach, Radar Centre, Runway Control, Flight Briefing and Pennine Radar


Aah........... Pennine Radar, providers of one the best services outwith CAS known to mankind, and, far more importantly,still mentioned on the half and quarter mill maps how many years after it's sorry demise?

The sun shines upon the righteous!!!:p;):)

[duvalman]

A good ATCO will always appreciate a good switched on ATSA/ATCA working alongside them. I worked in the RAF in TG9 and have worked in various positions in aviation.Recently I have employment as a ATCA at a non-NATS airfield.

Duties are varied involving airfield inspections,met observations to document ammendments . Don`t think you will get time to look on the net. It is hard work,you will have to be switched on,be able to multi task, be computer literature, a team player and strong communicator. In return you will be paid pittance for knowledge and any experience you have gained:ugh:. Any furher question feel free to PM me:)

[ddtonti]

You would be extreme lucky to get an asta position at a nats units as most posts are internally filled. saying that where do you live? as NATS recruitment has just been taken over by Capita Resourcing and are recruiting for ACPOs (ATSA 1) at Prestwick. Get in there quick if you can!!!

[CleartoFire]

I know of one highly skilled NATS ATSA who regularly controls aircraft in high energy, high pressurised environments. He also provides a FISO service on a daily basis and makes a lovely cuppa of a morning.

He is highly valued by the Unit, unfortunately not so by Management.

My point being that the ATSA post can be as varied and interesting as you like, you just have to find the interesting posts!

[ZOOKER]

Just checked out the 'Capita Resourcing' website. - What a load of bullsh*t.
Among other things, they are involved with IT, IT Sales and 'social housing'. The site also uses the term 'solutions'.
N*BS! :E

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<I know of one highly skilled NATS ATSA who regularly controls aircraft in high energy, high pressurised environments. >>

Presumably the ATSA is licenced, rated and validated for the task?

[General_Kirby]

General duties that I have seen performed in the tower include:-

Crosswords
Suduko
Puzzle books
Colouring books
Painting by numbers
Sighing
Falling asleep
Talking to oneself
Job hunting
Reading the Daily Mail
Defacing the Daily Mail
erm
thats it.

[CleartoFire]

HD,

The ATSA isn't licensed-he works in conjunction with an ATCO who sits next to him controlling one aircraft at up to 400kts to achieve a common aim. Highly specialised and approved by two regulatroy bodies for the task.

My point was purely to suggest that the ATSA post is still going strong and that there are different roles out there.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

CleartoFire. Assume you are wearing a blue suit as I am certain that ATSAs would not be permitted to do what you describe in civvy life! Well, they wouldn't in any unit where I've worked that's for sure.

Yes, there are lots of ATSA jobs "out there" but they are gradually disappearing. NATS wanted to get rid of a good number about 10 years ago but had to back-track and keep them. With the advent of electronic displays many ATSA tasks are now obsolete. I view that as a backward step...... but then I am a very old git with very old-fashioned values!

[White Hart]

'With the advent of electronic displays many ATSA tasks are now obsolete'

The ATSAs may be obsolete, but many of the tasks are not - they've simply been given to somebody else to deal with - the ATCOs. We've always been told that 'the system will not fail'. Well, you'd better hope it doesn't, because with no ATSAs alongside to help with the more mundane (and I use that word carefully) but still necessary tasks, when the sh*t hits the fan (and one day it will) its going to be 'all stop' at the coalface. Ahh, I can see the fines bill running up now.. :rolleyes:

ATCOs can definitely shift traffic safely, but to do it with a system outage, in an unplanned and extra-pressure situation, and whilst effectively doing somebody else's tasks at the same time?? :hmm:

In certain instances and situations, there is NO substitute for an extra pair of ears, eyes and hands alongside. Shame that the 'new NATS' can't see that, but then there wouldn't be any bonus cash for the wan*.., er, senior Management, would there? :mad:

[autothrottle]

white hart,
Sorry couldn't be there for your leaving do. Hope you enjoyed Norms speech though!!!!

a/t

[ddtonti]

Zooker,
Not a complete load of bull****, seeing as I am one of the contractors, along with about 13 others who the last 6 or so started about 2 weeks ago! And as far as I am aware any future ATSA positions, if any will be recruited via them.

[ZOOKER]

ddtoni,
couldn't agree with you more.
I have just typed 'Air Traffic Control' into the Capita Resourcing job search engine.
The first of many unrelated vacancies it churned out was a security manager for the Severn-Trent Water Board, so, things are looking good. :ok:
More 'middlemen' I'm afraid.

[ddtonti]

zooker,
ah, well thats where you are going wrong. google search simulator asisstant prestwick, and you will see many a job site with the vacancy, and stating Capita resourcing as the employer. When in reality it is for ACPO (ATSA 1) at Prestwick. Our job is the exactly the same as the 'last' permanent NATS ACPOs, the only difference is we are not NATS, and contracts are different. (Easier to get rid of, and no pension for us)

[ZOOKER]

What is the ATC union doing about this?

[ddtonti]

Union, haha!! what union? we are still trying to figure that one out!!

[Ceannairceach]

AFAIK it's the union who have insisted on it to protect the rights of their VCA employees. Amongst other things.....

[ddtonti]

will look into that one. thanks