FISO / ATC Instructions query

[Finals19]

Having flown a bit over Xmas into some GA airfields, I have heard some interesting (non standard?) R/T with regard to FISO and aerodrome movements. I have gone through CAP 413 / 410 part B, but unfortunately the rules therein don't always provide real world answers to certain R/T queries.

Listening to transmissions while on the ground, I wonder how one deals with the following kind of examples?

a) At a hold point (FISO service) :

Pilot: "G-ABCD holding short at Alpha, ready for departure"
AFISO: "G-ABCD traffic on right base, report lining up"

(No back track is required, so the report lining up bit is the first grey area)

Pilot can now either respond "lining up for immediate departure" (before arriving traffic) or hold until traffic has landed and rolling out...

The pilot states "lining up, G-ABCD" and enters the runway environment to either depart immediately or line up and wait until the landing aircraft clears the runway. At this point, the FISO has no further jurisdiction and cannot issue instructions - e.g "line up and wait" His only recourse is "Take off at your discretion, wind xxx at xx"

My issue is that beyond the holding point, I believe the decision to take position and depart etc is solely up to the PIC. Does this therefore mean that even if instructed to "Hold position" (at the holding point) you, as the PIC, can over ride this and respond with a "G-ABCD taking position for immediate departure" if you judge it safe to do so?

I am not meaning to aggravate FISO's or make their life difficult, its just that I have seen situations where traffic has been told to "hold position" for ages when they clearly could have departed in between arriving aircraft.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Talkdownman]

a) At a hold point (FISO service) :

Pilot: "G-ABCD holding short at Alpha, ready for departure"
AFISO: "G-ABCD traffic on right base, report lining up"
(No back track is required, so the report lining up bit is the first grey area)
It is grey area because it is not an option offered in CAP410 (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP410__PARTB.PDF).

In the case of "Aircraft at the holding position of runway to be used for departure ready for take-off" there are three options available:

1. 'hold position'.
2. 'take off at your discretion'
3. 'traffic is (traffic information) take off at your discretion'

'Report lining up' is currently not an option, although I note that it appears to be unofficially widely used which seems to indicate that maybe there is a need for it to be an available option.

CAP410 states:

FISOs at aerodromes are permitted to issue instructions to:
a) departing aircraft about to move or moving on the apron and manoeuvring area up to the holding point of the runway to be used for departure;
b) arriving aircraft moving on the manoeuvring area and apron, following the completion of the landing roll; and
c) all other taxying aircraft intending to move or moving on the apron and manoeuvring area, including the crossing of runways. Elsewhere on the ground and at all times in the air, information shall be passed.

It also states:

Before moving on the apron and manoeuvring area, the commander of the aircraft is required to obtain the permission of the person in charge of the aerodrome or from the FISO during the notified time of being on watch. A vehicle or person shall not go or move on the manoeuvring area of an aerodrome without the permission of the person in charge of the aerodrome and the FISO. At all times, vehicles and persons on the manoeuvring area of the aerodrome shall comply with instructions issued to them by the FISO.

CAP410 defines The Manoeuvring Area as The part of an aerodrome provided for the movement of aircraft, excluding the apron and the maintenance area.

CAP393 defines The Manoeuvring Area as meaning the part of an aerodrome provided for the take-off and landing of aircraft and for the movement of aircraft on the surface, excluding the apron and any part of the aerodrome provided for the maintenance of aircraft

Therefore permission is required from the person in charge of the aerodrome or from the FISO ( effectively as the representative of the person in charge of the aerodrome) to move on that part of the aerodrome provided for take-off and landing.

This where runway access gets difficult, and subject to different interpretations by persons in charge of aerodromes, FISOs and, I have to say, different ATSD Inspectors.

The management of the FIS unit at my home base have introduced location-specific phraseology to enable management of runway occupancy. The Airport Management has informed me that it has the right to regulate the occupancy of its runway in the interest of Health and Safety. That may well be the case. The intention of the phraseology seems to be in place to permit only one item of traffic on the runway at a time. Unfortunately this has the affect of removing the option of access subject to known traffic. This creates unnecessary delay and, in turn, impinges upon runway utilisation and therefore runway capacity. In this case the unit-specific phraseology is only promulgated internally which, I believe, creates confusion amongst service users, especially when waiting at the holding point without explanation.

In August 2007 I was informed by CAA Northern ATSD that the use of 'Report Lining Up' (in respect of aircraft at the holding point and ready for departure) had been approved for use at Barton. When I subsequently asked ATSD for this procedure to be approved at my home base to improve runway utilisation I was informed that there were 'discrepancies and difficulties occurring that can be resolved by changes to the RT and procedures. The "line up" and "hold position" are two of the main issues that will be looked at'. I was also informed that a 'review of the FISO Manual being carried out at the moment' but nothing has apparently been forthcoming.

Until this long-overdue review is completed and published by ATSD confusion will persist.

[Finals19]

Thanks for the informative response. Indeed, your comments validate a lot of the salient points of the issue. It appears that CAP 410 / CAP 393 more or less contradict each other with regard to definition of maneuvering areas.

I actually consulted with the CAA on this a while back (on a separate issue) regarding sterile runway environment and where responsibility for safe operation fell (when an FISO service only was available)....the answer that was ultimately given was that the buck stopped with the commander once past the holding point and on the runway. However, as you have correctly quoted, its very unclear at best.

I have also read about airfield specific phraseology approval - again as you stated, its not always promulgated to the end user.

[Talkdownman]

IMHO Unit-specific approvals eg. RT phraseology differences, local procedures etc should be PROPERLY notified to the End-User via End-User reference documentation eg AIP, and not by internal memos, backs of envelopes, nods by passing ATSD Inspectors, flying club notice boards, gossip on forums or FISO whims. The End User MUST BE PROPERLY INFORMED of any such differences via official definitive documentation. Until that is done any such variation is not worth the paper it might be written on.

It's analagous to having a different highway code in Bognor Regis on sunday mornings being notified on a piece of A4 in the church hall.

There has been no amendment to CAP410 for eleven years. Aerodrome FIS is fast becoming an inconsistent shambles and the regulation of it is losing credibility. CAA ATSD must grasp the nettle regarding the review of Aerodrome FIS...NOW.

[chevvron]

On the theme of runway occupancy, I recently suggested that where an aircraft makes a 'final' call but a previous landing aircraft has not yet vacated, the FISO be allowed to say something on the lines of 'one about to vacate, land at your discretion'. The answer was that you couldn't say 'land at your discretion' but you could give 'quality' traffic information thus allowing the following pilot to decide whether it was safe to continue and land.
Daft thing is, with ATC you can say 'land after' under specific conditions and before the previous aircraft has vacated, and under A/G radio the pilot can land however many others are on the runway, but in FIS ............. You work it out.

[Spitoon]

....and under A/G radio the pilot can land however many others are on the runway....You sure about that chevvron?

[Talkdownman]

under A/G radio the pilot can land however many others are on the runway
Negative. See Rules of the Air Regulations 2007 Rule 14 (2)