How many airplanes is considered busy/acceptable to you
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How many airplanes is considered busy/acceptable to you
In your speciality/country, how many airplanes on frequency at the same time would you consider being busy?
Obviously enroute can handle more than APP at the same time, so the speciality makes a difference obviously.
Obviously enroute can handle more than APP at the same time, so the speciality makes a difference obviously.
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APP can get busy too. At a busy terminal, 20+ as an Approach man and a dozen as a final director wouldn't be too diffcult. It's difficult to quantify "busy" as it depends on the traffic in question, the expereince of the controller, weather conditions, etc. I could fall asleep working 20 commercial jets on Approach control, where the pilots knew what they were doing, but 3 or 4 little clockwork mice PPLs could have me at my wits end!!
HD,
You're not kidding!
I was on a short ground tour in RAF ATC at a very busy, mixed type station with a US fast jet base nearby.
Their Airships, for reasons best known to themselves, elected to use us for UAS summer camp so we frequently had solo students in the circuit.
One day doing Twr (usually delightful, easy watch) App advise inbound multi jet short of fuel. Student downwind in Chippy.
Basil: S1, clear to the north and hold at XXX (Disused field to north)
S1: Mumble - (continues downwind)
Basil: S1 turn left onto north
S1: Mumble - (continues downwind)
After several attempts S1 commences right turn onto base.
PAR: Bigplane 1, On glide, on centreline etc etc
Basil: (Breaking in) Bigplane 1, Chippy turning in ahead, overshoot maintaining your own visual separation.
Time passes.
V cross Sqn Ldr capt of Bigplane 1 seen striding purposefully towards tower.
You're not kidding!
I was on a short ground tour in RAF ATC at a very busy, mixed type station with a US fast jet base nearby.
Their Airships, for reasons best known to themselves, elected to use us for UAS summer camp so we frequently had solo students in the circuit.
One day doing Twr (usually delightful, easy watch) App advise inbound multi jet short of fuel. Student downwind in Chippy.
Basil: S1, clear to the north and hold at XXX (Disused field to north)
S1: Mumble - (continues downwind)
Basil: S1 turn left onto north
S1: Mumble - (continues downwind)
After several attempts S1 commences right turn onto base.
PAR: Bigplane 1, On glide, on centreline etc etc
Basil: (Breaking in) Bigplane 1, Chippy turning in ahead, overshoot maintaining your own visual separation.
Time passes.
V cross Sqn Ldr capt of Bigplane 1 seen striding purposefully towards tower.
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<<EGTT used to use a figure of 9 aircraft on frequency at any one time and when there was a possibility of another five aircraft coming on frequency the sector would be split as soon as was practicable..>>
I'm not aware of this procedure - maybe it happened before I was there? No such procedure ever existed at Heathrow. 9 aircraft on frequency nowadays probably represents a rest-break.
I'm not aware of this procedure - maybe it happened before I was there? No such procedure ever existed at Heathrow. 9 aircraft on frequency nowadays probably represents a rest-break.
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Not only does the number of aircraft quantify whether a sector is "busy" or not, but the complexity of the traffic situation is a significant factor. As HD has already said, watching 20 commercial aircraft fly the 'sausage machine' into an international airport isn't necessarily regarded as busy.
My approach sector is probably regarded as one of the quietest in the NATS collection. I work Sumburgh approach up in the Shetlands. Yes it is a relatively quiet sector however, with no SIDS/STARS, standard routes, the traffic situation can become very complex with 4 or 5 aircraft. 6 Runways to play with, mixture of aircraft types, helis, sf34 upto B462 size aircraft, military etc etc. And this is just my primary function. Working over 200Sqmiles of airspace, SFC upto FL195, it can get quite busy in class G
Happy days
81
My approach sector is probably regarded as one of the quietest in the NATS collection. I work Sumburgh approach up in the Shetlands. Yes it is a relatively quiet sector however, with no SIDS/STARS, standard routes, the traffic situation can become very complex with 4 or 5 aircraft. 6 Runways to play with, mixture of aircraft types, helis, sf34 upto B462 size aircraft, military etc etc. And this is just my primary function. Working over 200Sqmiles of airspace, SFC upto FL195, it can get quite busy in class G
Happy days
81
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different scenarios can dictate how many in lacc....as said before you could be working 20+ with little but monitoring and hello/good bye.....then a mix with climbers, descenders/ wx/emergency can complicate this and you end up working your butt off. sat with only 2/3 on frequency and been made to work hard before. 
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Vercingetorix.. I was at Heathrow Tower 72-92 and TC (still Heathrow Approach from 92-02 so not too familiar with LATCC Area ops. I probably experienced some of the GMP/GMC nightmares tho' (I still have them!). Wonder who the Irish guy was - KS??
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Had times when 3 a/c on frequency was busy as they all conflicted with each other, requiring coordination ie talking time on telephone; and there's only one of me!
Other days, not enough room in the strip bays for all the planes on frequency, yet it flows without a hitch.
Other days, not enough room in the strip bays for all the planes on frequency, yet it flows without a hitch.
.
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ah ha - still moving everything exceedingly quickly although not as quickly as all that these days! mouth just as fast though!
as for a busy movement rate? - keep 'em coming. it's never too busy (thanks bren)
as for a busy movement rate? - keep 'em coming. it's never too busy (thanks bren)
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Who Cares?
Other than fanning ourselves about who can handle more, I never thought a whole bunch about how many airplanes it took to be busy when I was a controller.
I actually only knew I was busy when the rush was over and someone would look over my shoulder to relieve me and mentioned they'd try to do that 20 minutes earlier but couldn't even get my attention because ... I was too busy to listen to them.
Jetwhine
I actually only knew I was busy when the rush was over and someone would look over my shoulder to relieve me and mentioned they'd try to do that 20 minutes earlier but couldn't even get my attention because ... I was too busy to listen to them.
Jetwhine
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As already said, it depends moreso on the complexity of the traffic rather than the amount. Working outside CAS with four RAF stations, one parachute station, several glider sites and private airfields all within a 40nm radius you can often find that you could be working your a*$e off with only two of your own aircraft on frequency - if both of those are RAS. Then throw in one of those RAF stations "going black" and you can get very overloaded very quickly with fast jets diverting in. Also at the moment, with the G.D.F. SSR outage we're back to primary only which can get interesting when you have a wall of primary only contacts outside controlled airspace and don't have any clue on their levels!!!
On the opposite side of the coin, if it's a particularly windy day and none of the flying clubs are out and the RAF are quiet then you could have 5 IFR aircraft on frequency - all RAS and be falling asleep! (Metaphorically of course)
-HD-
On the opposite side of the coin, if it's a particularly windy day and none of the flying clubs are out and the RAF are quiet then you could have 5 IFR aircraft on frequency - all RAS and be falling asleep! (Metaphorically of course)
-HD-