Single person ATC units [Archive]

Sky Conductor

18th Feb 2010, 07:00

Hi

Can anyone name some single person control towers at airfields in the UK, Europe, New Zealand or OZ. That would be one guy/gal on duty at the one time handling TWR/GND or Radar/Procedural APP/TWR/GND.

And contact names would be great..if not i'll get the number from the AIP.

Thanks

SC

conflict alert

18th Feb 2010, 07:11

In New Zealand

New Plymouth (Aerodrome and Procedural Approach)
Napier (Aerodrome and Procedural Approach)
Rotorua (Aerodrome only)
Gisborne (Aerodrome and Procedural Approach)
Whenuapai (Aerodrome only)
Dunedin (Aerodrome and Procedural Approach)
Invercargill (Aerodrome and Procedural Approach)

Some of them may have changed with the 'Break' legislation in this country

HEATHROW DIRECTOR

18th Feb 2010, 08:13

Ahhh.. NZ. When we flew into Tauranga in '79 it was a one-horse airfield where the ATCO worked for an hour morning and afternoon and spent the rest of the day digging Pipis out of the beach. When we went back a few years ago it was like a small version of Heathrow with planes everywhere. Doubt if it's one bloke doing it now!

How about Milford Sound - only one ATCO there when we visited, albeit 10 years ago.

I don't know of any in the UK.

ozineurope

18th Feb 2010, 09:13

Been away for almost a year but I am pretty sure all the regional Towers in Australia are single person ops for at least part of the day.

Rockhampton
Mackay
Tamworth
Hobart
Launceston
Adelaide (not sure if AD went to 2 person doggoes yet?)
Perth TCU
Adelaide TCU

ab33t

18th Feb 2010, 09:18

All the UK smaller fields ... are either Info or Radio with single person . Stapleford , Elstree and the list goes on

chevvron

18th Feb 2010, 09:20

Years ago places like Benbecula, Islay, Tiree and one or two others in Scotland were single manned -TWR and APP only- controller was also Airport Manager. Probably different now under HIAL.

89 steps to heaven

18th Feb 2010, 09:21

Not to forget Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays.

HEATHROW DIRECTOR

18th Feb 2010, 10:05

ab33t.. There's a major difference between A/G or Radio and a licenced ATC service. I think the originator was referring to the latter.

topdrop

18th Feb 2010, 11:26

Cairns TCU
Cairns TWR
both only have one controller from about 9pm to 5:30am

Sky Conductor

18th Feb 2010, 11:51

Thats correct HD..i was after ATC units only..can anyone tell me if the following are regular one person towers, not places that go to one person at night or weekends:

Plymouth
City of Derry
Kirkwall
Wick
Dundee
Carlisle
Lydd
Manston
Oxford
Shoreham
Swansea

Thanks again

S.C

chevvron

18th Feb 2010, 12:05

Wick might still only have one person who is also airport manager; possibly also Kirkwall, but the rest are definitely more than one employee.
By the way, in your original post you mentioned radar; in the UK at least you can do APP procedural combined with tower, or with approach radar, but you can NOT do twr and radar combined. Use of an Aerodrome Traffic Monitor (mini radar display)(ATM - previously called a DFTI) is not classed as Approach Radar and you are severely limited what you can use it for.

Sky Conductor

18th Feb 2010, 13:17

Thanks for the replies lads...just to clarify i'm not looking for airports with just one ATCO employed but airports with one ATCO on duty at any one time.

Chevron..what can you use the ATM for..not for seperation obviously..is it just to show how right..(or wrong!)..your doing things?

SC

GunkyTom

18th Feb 2010, 13:35

Alderney in the Channel Islands has one ATCO on duty doing Twr/Gnd

Sligu

18th Feb 2010, 14:17

Kirkwall Twr/App
Wick Twr/App
Stornoway Twr/App
Benbecula Twr/App
Sumburgh Twr though there radar is done at aberdeen.

chevvron

18th Feb 2010, 15:05

Use of the ATM will be detailed in individual unit instructions, but most units use it to (for instance) monitor the position of IFR approaches against visual approaches.
If it's single manning you want (and in the UK there must be a relief available after 2 hours operational duty) then add :
Wycombe
Redhill
both TWR only with no iaps.

HEATHROW DIRECTOR

18th Feb 2010, 15:46

Oxford has several ATCOs, running TWR, GND and APC so far as I know..

chevvron

18th Feb 2010, 15:59

But that's multiple manning, not what he's after.

HEATHROW DIRECTOR

18th Feb 2010, 16:05

Yep.. I was just adding to post #10 where he mentioned 'TK.

On the beach

18th Feb 2010, 18:31

St. Mary's in the Scillies used to be a one man band. The ATCO had to control, do the weather obs. change the tapes, write their own strips, take landing fees and rescue the "trappers" when they missed the Scillies totally doing an approach using the LND VOR on their annual inspection !!!

I think they may have an assistant now though.

Southampton Tower and Bournemouth Tower used to be one-man bands, also.

Most of the military establishments in the UK also used to be one-man towers.

Mind you this was all in the days when only real men were controllers.

On the beach :ok:

Foxy Loxy

18th Feb 2010, 19:30

Not Swansea any more, they are A/G now.

callum91

18th Feb 2010, 19:56

Shoreham is often just an Aerodrome and Approach service done by one controller but they normally have an assistant as well unless it's very quiet.

chevvron

19th Feb 2010, 10:17

Flexi

19th Feb 2010, 10:47

Bologna (BLQ)!

One guy performing Delivery, GND and TWR! Ah...and of course omnidirectional departures with approaches on RWY 12 and Departures on 12/30...

Very scary...since i haven´t had the impression that the poor guy had the situation really under control...

Be aware and take care!

Cheers Flexi

conflict alert

19th Feb 2010, 18:34

Heathrow Director

Milford Sound has Flight Service only - no ATCO's hence why it wasn't mentioned.

Re Tauranga, yes it is a very busy airfield now - has been since the late 90's with close to 100000 movements/year. Was the busiest domestic for quite some time but Hamilton (outside of the 3 main internationals) is now the busiest due in principle to CTC operating there. Of course Ardmore, unattended, remains the busiest airfield in NZ.

Barnaby the Bear

19th Feb 2010, 21:20

On the Beach: Southampton and Bournemouth are not 'stand alone' towers, they both have APS/APR units in situ (but usually operating from a different room!!) hence there is more than one person operating the ATC unit.

I don't know if its still the case. But Don't HH close radar at night and provide ADC/APP combined only, with only one ATCO on duty like Southend?

On the beach

19th Feb 2010, 22:18

I don't know if its still the case. But Don't HH close radar at night and provide ADC/APP combined only, with only one ATCO on duty like Southend?

Always used to but that was just waiting for the mail/paper plane to return in the wee small hours. Mind you that was many aeons ago when Heralds used to fly.

On the beach

Scott Diamond

19th Feb 2010, 22:30

ATCO1962

20th Feb 2010, 12:40

I think Gisborne, in NZ, may be unique in that it has only one ATCO on duty at a time and an active railway line running through the middle of the main runway. The ATCO controls both plane and train traffic. Oh, the power!

Cuddles

20th Feb 2010, 12:53

North Denes

Talkdownman

20th Feb 2010, 14:42

Lasham Radar

On the beach

20th Feb 2010, 17:15

Lasham Radar

Blimey, last time I looked at a radar that showed Lasham it was a big blob of returns, either from gliders, or was it that accidental discharge of "chaff" that caused a bit of a problem when it blew into the London TMA?

Seem to recall helping a Dan Dare find Lasham a good few years ago. Don't think the captain was too happy when he spotted the wall-to-wall gliders.

On the beach :ok:

chevvron

20th Feb 2010, 19:57

As Lasham Radar usually only works one plane at a time, I didn't think it worth mentioning.

pablissimo

21st Feb 2010, 09:01

The City of Derry ATCO has the same power....They can stop the train that skirts along the edge of the airfield.....so they provde a combined Tower & Approach Procedural service, whilst playing at being the Fat Controller, too...:8

(acknowledgement - Rev. W. V. Awdry)

Squadgy

21st Feb 2010, 18:03

I think that Woodford is now staffed by a single ATCO per shift - Tower only.

carlosii

22nd Feb 2010, 15:14

EETN - Tallinn, Estonia, Class C airspace

Daytime 1 ATC per TWR and 1 ATC per APP, at nighttime mostly TWR/APP combined with only 1 ATC doing the job at a time.

zkjaws

27th Feb 2010, 07:01

Airport closed after air traffic controller calls in sick - National - Video - 3 News (http://www.3news.co.nz/Airport-closed-after-air-traffic-controller-calls-in-sick/tabid/309/articleID/143810/Default.aspx)

Airport left without air traffic controller | News Video (http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/airport-left-without-air-traffic-controller-3382791/video)

Air-traffic outage may bring claim | Otago Daily Times Online News (http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/95439/air-traffic-outage-may-bring-claim)

2quiet

28th Feb 2010, 12:30

Dundee (scotland) has only one ATCO operational on the desk at a time. He works as a ground/tower and approach procedueral controller as well as many other duties.

Drex

2nd Mar 2010, 07:55

Flexi

Bologna (BLQ)!

One guy performing Delivery, GND and TWR! Ah...and of course omnidirectional departures with approaches on RWY 12 and Departures on 12/30...

Very scary...since i haven´t had the impression that the poor guy had the situation really under control...

Be aware and take care!

Cheers Flexi

Well, delivery is just not present (not that big a/d). ground is available from 07.00 to 23.00 lt, probably you mean the other period.

possibleconsequences

2nd Mar 2010, 08:21

Southampton iS closed at night - no single mannning

Bournemouth has only one person on duty (that is one ATCO - no assistant) between about 10pm and 6am providing a combined aerodrome/approach procedural service

ATCO Fred

3rd Mar 2010, 15:32

Can I be so bold as to ask why and for what purpose the information is being used for?

ta muchly

lucavettu

3rd Mar 2010, 22:52

Too bad there are so many :bored: .

slackie

4th Mar 2010, 23:56

Conflict Alert Ardmore remains the busiest aerodrome in the country
Ahhh....maybe 5 years ago, but it is a virtual sleepy hollow their every time I fly there nowadays....I'd like to see Ardmore figures get anywhere near 150,000 movements per year!! Hamilton is now officially the busiest.