the future of ATCO
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 17
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From: EGKK
the future of ATCO
As a wannabe ATCO, I know this is a general question but what do people think of what lies ahead for ATC in terms of trends and technology?
ATCO will become air traffic space managers well before any aircraft has left the ground?
A shift towards satellite datalink message transfers?
What is the latest technology being implemented into ATC in today's working environment?
ATCO will become air traffic space managers well before any aircraft has left the ground?
A shift towards satellite datalink message transfers?
What is the latest technology being implemented into ATC in today's working environment?
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 130
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From: Australia
I guess it is like most jobs these days, it will change or it will disappear. I've been around long enough to see how it's changed form flight strips to radar to electronic situation displays. During the same period the wireless op, navigator and flight engineer have disappeared from aircraft cockpits. Trains don't need drivers but they do have controllers, perhaps the pilot will disappear leaving a tussle between airline ops control and ATC for jurisdiction over the aircraft. En route ATC will change but will it be completely automated or keep a human in the loop? Tower control covers everything from A380s to homebuilts, don't see how that can be automated out of existence, but who knows.........Become a doctor, priest, lawyer or prostitute, they always seem to be around!
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,266
Likes: 1
From: Berkshire, UK
It must have been 25-30 years ago... I was the GMP man at Heathrow when the boss came up the stairs with a smart young guy in a suit. Eventually he sat next to me to listen-in so I asked what he was about. "I've been tasked by the CAA to find ways to replace ATCOs", he told me. His aim was, apparently, to replace ATCOs with computer chips and whilst he knew a lot about 741 op-amps (the ace chip in those days) he didn't have a singular clue about aviation in any way, shape or form. He became somewhat distressed when I told him he'd be better employed working out the EG list, which was infinitely more complex than controlling aircraft at Heathrow!
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,684
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From: Down at the sharp pointy end, where all the weather is made.
he'd be better employed working out the EG list, which was infinitely more complex than controlling aircraft at Heathrow!
Similar with first half & second half.
TOO
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 136
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From: OK (it's okay)
Shift'n paradigms
Air Traffic Control began with fellows waving flags and tending bonfires. We had the human brain paired with limited technology to assist with navigation and separation of airplanes. The first major advance occurred due to the application of an existing technology, radio, to the aviation environment. Bonfires gave way to navaids and controllers replaced their flags with microphones. Radio allowed pilots to navigate on instruments and us in ATC to sit in comfortable chairs and apply our mental powers to the separation of airplanes hundreds of miles away.
The next paradigm shift relied on another technological advance: radar. Building on the earlier systems, radar now allowed controllers to “see” the aircraft they were talking to – again, up to hundreds of miles away. The controller no longer had to keep the entire traffic picture in his head; he could use his eyes to update his mental picture. ADS and GPS navigation and CPDLC are extensions of this particular paradigm. We’re improving our ability to “see” and communicate with planes beyond the limitations of radar and radio.
The introduction of computer technology in the ‘60s brought about the next major paradigm shift in how we work traffic. Up to this point, we used our brains, hands and voices to keep planes safe. Now, a machine – although pretty dumb at first – sat down with us and helped keep track of things. As the machines got smarter over the years, it moved from being just a clerical assistant to becoming an advisor, providing tactical and strategic advice. This particular paradigm will probably continue to the point where the computer is the controller and the human is the advisor.
The next big paradigm shift: well, we know that there will be one (there just about always is, wouldn’t you agree?) and that it will involve heretofore undiscovered technologies or technologies that have not yet been applied to aviation or transportation. Perhaps advances in genetic engineering or molecular physics or something entirely new, who knows. What is certain, though, is that man will continue to war against his own limitations and the results, while not always satisfying, will certainly be interesting!
ATC TECHNOLOGY
The next paradigm shift relied on another technological advance: radar. Building on the earlier systems, radar now allowed controllers to “see” the aircraft they were talking to – again, up to hundreds of miles away. The controller no longer had to keep the entire traffic picture in his head; he could use his eyes to update his mental picture. ADS and GPS navigation and CPDLC are extensions of this particular paradigm. We’re improving our ability to “see” and communicate with planes beyond the limitations of radar and radio.
The introduction of computer technology in the ‘60s brought about the next major paradigm shift in how we work traffic. Up to this point, we used our brains, hands and voices to keep planes safe. Now, a machine – although pretty dumb at first – sat down with us and helped keep track of things. As the machines got smarter over the years, it moved from being just a clerical assistant to becoming an advisor, providing tactical and strategic advice. This particular paradigm will probably continue to the point where the computer is the controller and the human is the advisor.
The next big paradigm shift: well, we know that there will be one (there just about always is, wouldn’t you agree?) and that it will involve heretofore undiscovered technologies or technologies that have not yet been applied to aviation or transportation. Perhaps advances in genetic engineering or molecular physics or something entirely new, who knows. What is certain, though, is that man will continue to war against his own limitations and the results, while not always satisfying, will certainly be interesting!
ATC TECHNOLOGY
