Strip scanning
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Strip scanning
Hi,
Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep a strip scan effective?? I have the tendancy to look at the strip, then the radar, but not actually LOOK at the strip when it gets a bit busier. Don't worry, I am not an active controller, still learning...
Thanks
Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep a strip scan effective?? I have the tendancy to look at the strip, then the radar, but not actually LOOK at the strip when it gets a bit busier. Don't worry, I am not an active controller, still learning...
Thanks
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The screen (or the window if doing TWR) is more important than the strip bay! Having said that, it's possible to claw yourself back from an overload situation using your strips, if you can trust your strips.
The best thing is to try making a positive action with the strips at the same time as giving the pertinent instruction. It's easier in the aerodrome environment, where for instance you can move a strip into the runway bay as you say the word "cleared", followed by "for take-off" or "to land." In the approach/terminal environment, the ideal is to write as you speak, preferably without looking down too much.
Different units (and countries) have different ways of ordering strips for radar control. Area/enroute strip movement is a dark mystery to me, but as a UK-trained approach controller I tend to have strips in landing order for arrivals, the first at the bottom, or in order of cleared altitude where appropriate, the highest at the top. Departures go up the bay as they get further away from the runway (the opposite is true for Canadians as an example). The crux though, is to have strips for conflicting aircraft next to each other. As you remove the conflict, you move the strips to indicate that the confliction is gone.
The best thing is to try making a positive action with the strips at the same time as giving the pertinent instruction. It's easier in the aerodrome environment, where for instance you can move a strip into the runway bay as you say the word "cleared", followed by "for take-off" or "to land." In the approach/terminal environment, the ideal is to write as you speak, preferably without looking down too much.
Different units (and countries) have different ways of ordering strips for radar control. Area/enroute strip movement is a dark mystery to me, but as a UK-trained approach controller I tend to have strips in landing order for arrivals, the first at the bottom, or in order of cleared altitude where appropriate, the highest at the top. Departures go up the bay as they get further away from the runway (the opposite is true for Canadians as an example). The crux though, is to have strips for conflicting aircraft next to each other. As you remove the conflict, you move the strips to indicate that the confliction is gone.
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Hi ATCNoob,
I've taught this to my trainees in the past, and it has sometimes helped.
Each time you look at a radar return and it's strip, ask yourself some questions like those suggested below (Preferably in your head!) -
"Do I need to change the heading/can it be own nav?"
"Does it need climb/descent?"
"Do I need to co-ordinate/release it?"
"Do I still need to be working it?"
In each case the question will force you to look at the different parts of the strip (level box/callsign/heading etc) which should then become an automatic habit eventually, helping improve your scan, and helping you take in the info that is on your strip.
Adapt the questions to your environment (clearances/approach spacing/whatever)
Worth a try anyhow.
Cheers,
N
xx
"Keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you're up to..."
I've taught this to my trainees in the past, and it has sometimes helped.
Each time you look at a radar return and it's strip, ask yourself some questions like those suggested below (Preferably in your head!) -
"Do I need to change the heading/can it be own nav?"
"Does it need climb/descent?"
"Do I need to co-ordinate/release it?"
"Do I still need to be working it?"
In each case the question will force you to look at the different parts of the strip (level box/callsign/heading etc) which should then become an automatic habit eventually, helping improve your scan, and helping you take in the info that is on your strip.
Adapt the questions to your environment (clearances/approach spacing/whatever)
Worth a try anyhow.
Cheers,
N
xx
"Keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you're up to..."
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Thanks to both of you. I think that I just need to make sure that when I am looking at a strip I am actually taking in the information, instead of just reading the 'words/numbers' but not asking myself questions. As I am relatively new to it, the 'overload' situation cause me to revert to a situation where I am just doing the physical scanning but not taking the info in and using it...So another question, if you don't mind, is how to catch yourself doing it and the best way to 'start over' the right way...?
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
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Having done Area "D" very early in my career strip marking and scanning became second nature.... even during my years in a total radar environment. Learn to use them properly: there is no substitute.
I've done area procedural and radar (long ago) and am currently on tower.
There is no quick way to make your strip scan effective, it's a bit like learning a new language. The more you do it the more it will become second nature.
There were different strip scanning/usage modes depending on whether you are on the procedural or planning position, or the radar position. I'm referring mainly to the planning position.
In the initial stages look to the most important items on the strips, which in the case of the units I've generally worked at was the level bay, and the time. This is formative in spotting conflictions. You are using the strips to form a mental picture of what's happening. After a time you should be able to reconcile the info on the strips to a surprisingly accurate picture of what is on the radar, right down to a/c passing at the time you've calculated, plus or minus a few seconds.
The best method I found was to follow the "strip trail" (which could comprise 3 or 5 or more strips, depending on the a/c and the route and the size of your sector) for each individual flight over its route, and then (constantly keeping an eye on the clock - this is a 4D exercise) for all the other flights, in turn. The priority is on the flights that will be conflicting first, then those later in time.
My job as a procedural or planning controller was to alert the radar controller to potential conflictions (ie: anything not going to be procedurally separated on or shortly after entering the sector) and regulate, by placing level/route restrictions where appropriate, his/her workload. At my unit, at the time, the radar could be prone to failure. And there were scheduled regular outages.
We took the strip scan extremely seriously.
As HD implied above, it's as basic (and important) a tool as keeping left on the road. Just takes a bit longer to learn.
And although, particularly the older controllers, view the discipline as foundational, I think that it is becoming less so, and radar (and other techy toys) the more basic foundation. In a few years I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't any controllers who know how to keep airspace safe using strips and a clock. (Heck, in a few more years, I don't know if controllers will be able to handle traffic at all using level and heading instructions, should the computers fail. But they won't fail, will they?
)
BTW, the clock is, IMO, important. Time appears to lapse in an analogue fashion. For keeping that 4D picture alive, there is nothing like having the time displayed in a pictorial fashion: big hands rotating around a big dial. Digitals just don't present reality realistically, to me.
There is no quick way to make your strip scan effective, it's a bit like learning a new language. The more you do it the more it will become second nature.
There were different strip scanning/usage modes depending on whether you are on the procedural or planning position, or the radar position. I'm referring mainly to the planning position.
In the initial stages look to the most important items on the strips, which in the case of the units I've generally worked at was the level bay, and the time. This is formative in spotting conflictions. You are using the strips to form a mental picture of what's happening. After a time you should be able to reconcile the info on the strips to a surprisingly accurate picture of what is on the radar, right down to a/c passing at the time you've calculated, plus or minus a few seconds.
The best method I found was to follow the "strip trail" (which could comprise 3 or 5 or more strips, depending on the a/c and the route and the size of your sector) for each individual flight over its route, and then (constantly keeping an eye on the clock - this is a 4D exercise) for all the other flights, in turn. The priority is on the flights that will be conflicting first, then those later in time.
My job as a procedural or planning controller was to alert the radar controller to potential conflictions (ie: anything not going to be procedurally separated on or shortly after entering the sector) and regulate, by placing level/route restrictions where appropriate, his/her workload. At my unit, at the time, the radar could be prone to failure. And there were scheduled regular outages.
We took the strip scan extremely seriously.
As HD implied above, it's as basic (and important) a tool as keeping left on the road. Just takes a bit longer to learn.
And although, particularly the older controllers, view the discipline as foundational, I think that it is becoming less so, and radar (and other techy toys) the more basic foundation. In a few years I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't any controllers who know how to keep airspace safe using strips and a clock. (Heck, in a few more years, I don't know if controllers will be able to handle traffic at all using level and heading instructions, should the computers fail. But they won't fail, will they?
)BTW, the clock is, IMO, important. Time appears to lapse in an analogue fashion. For keeping that 4D picture alive, there is nothing like having the time displayed in a pictorial fashion: big hands rotating around a big dial. Digitals just don't present reality realistically, to me.
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What follows is approach/terminal and tower based, and should not be seen as contradicting Tarq's advice for area/enroute.
Purely on the subject of overload....
It's probably easier to spot in others than in yourself!. The outward signs tend to be a rise in vocal volume, faster speech, saying "correction" a lot and losing the ability to notice things like someone trying to co-ordinate with you.
In yourself, try to aware of the point at which you no longer know what all your aircraft are doing without needing to look at your strips. I realise this may seem counterintuitive given this is a discussion of using strips appropriately, but read on.
At that point, and hopefully not later, take a breath and slow everything down. If anyone else joins the frequency, and if it's safe to do so, tell them to stand by (then they hopefully won't bug you with a second or third call). Have a scan of the whole screen, to ensure there are no conflicts that need to be sorted out RFN. Then go through your strips in a logical order, say from the bottom up for arrivals. Read the strip marking for what is actually essential, which is usually callsign, altitude, heading and speed. Maybe also the vortex wake catagory. Look back to the screen in the immediate vacinity of that aircraft, and see if anything needs to be done now and try to store in your active memory what will need to be done soon, i.e. transfer to tower after your next two transmissions. If you can, take another general scan and then go to the next strip. Again, take in what is essential, look back to the screen where that aircraft is, and again take a general scan once you're done with aircraft #2. And so on.
While you're doing the above, if you need to issue any instructions it is helpful to consciously slow down your speech delivery. A "say again" is not useful at this point. Injecting an extra tone of seriousness into your voice may also help reduce the "say again"s and unnecessary requests!
This reminds me of training in tower, with 3 runways and lots of VFRs, while just coming up to first validation. My strips saved me, not to mention the travelling public, during an unusually busy session. I told the OJTI afterwards that I'd have sunk without the strips, and he said something along the lines of "I know, and I'm glad you had that experience."
If you haven't already heard a million times that it's different in the real world than in the college, you soon will. It's true too, but the college experience is still useful, and the sooner you learn the techniques that will allow you to dig yourself out of a hole the better. It also makes you less likely to dig those holes in the first place.
Purely on the subject of overload....
It's probably easier to spot in others than in yourself!. The outward signs tend to be a rise in vocal volume, faster speech, saying "correction" a lot and losing the ability to notice things like someone trying to co-ordinate with you.
In yourself, try to aware of the point at which you no longer know what all your aircraft are doing without needing to look at your strips. I realise this may seem counterintuitive given this is a discussion of using strips appropriately, but read on.
At that point, and hopefully not later, take a breath and slow everything down. If anyone else joins the frequency, and if it's safe to do so, tell them to stand by (then they hopefully won't bug you with a second or third call). Have a scan of the whole screen, to ensure there are no conflicts that need to be sorted out RFN. Then go through your strips in a logical order, say from the bottom up for arrivals. Read the strip marking for what is actually essential, which is usually callsign, altitude, heading and speed. Maybe also the vortex wake catagory. Look back to the screen in the immediate vacinity of that aircraft, and see if anything needs to be done now and try to store in your active memory what will need to be done soon, i.e. transfer to tower after your next two transmissions. If you can, take another general scan and then go to the next strip. Again, take in what is essential, look back to the screen where that aircraft is, and again take a general scan once you're done with aircraft #2. And so on.
While you're doing the above, if you need to issue any instructions it is helpful to consciously slow down your speech delivery. A "say again" is not useful at this point. Injecting an extra tone of seriousness into your voice may also help reduce the "say again"s and unnecessary requests!
This reminds me of training in tower, with 3 runways and lots of VFRs, while just coming up to first validation. My strips saved me, not to mention the travelling public, during an unusually busy session. I told the OJTI afterwards that I'd have sunk without the strips, and he said something along the lines of "I know, and I'm glad you had that experience."
If you haven't already heard a million times that it's different in the real world than in the college, you soon will. It's true too, but the college experience is still useful, and the sooner you learn the techniques that will allow you to dig yourself out of a hole the better. It also makes you less likely to dig those holes in the first place.
Last edited by Scooby Don't; 18th Sep 2009 at 22:50. Reason: Small addition
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The screen (or the window if doing TWR) is more important than the strip bay!
The more green you are, the more important the strip bay is.
As you get experience, you can rely less on the strips and do more off radar.
At the beginning of your career getting the strip scan sorted is very important. Knowing the information it can give you and the triggers that information provides is important.
As you look at a strip, ask yourself of every aircraft:
"Where is he, (makes you look at radar, find the aircraft and start planning, even if not in your sector yet)
where does he want to go, (extends the planning process)
what level does he need to be, (as above)
what is in his way
Wha can I do for him right now**"
The more you get used to the sector, the quicker this process will become. Don't be too rigid with your scan - a lot of time conflicting aircraft are in different bays to each other - if you can give a climb or descent to an aircraft in one bay it often means you can do something with another in a different bay (which develops expedition).
Remember once you have done this though, to return to where you interrupted your strip scan.
Don't forget if using shared airspace there may be standing agreements that you do not work that are not highlighted in one particular bay i.e. don't forget adjacent traffic!!
Even as a very experienced controller, having a good strip scan process can get you out of the poo, or help in unusual situations. As you progress, your strip scan will become extremely quick and you won't have to think about it.
A regulated strip scan will help you build up and maintain a situational awareness - if quizzed, you would actually be able to pinpoint the position of aircraft on radar with a fair degree of accuracy without looking at radar - if you have kept a good scan cycle.
I think a lot of HF is bunkum and job creation, but the do say that it takes 10 minutes to fully get a situational awareness and build your mental picture after sitting down - any breakdown in scan, particularly when fairly inexperienced, will mean that it will take a finite time to rebuild that picture.
Your scan will adapt and evolve as you get more exprienced - it will feel unnatural to start with because it is only natural to expect that looking at a radar will give you all the answers (it will, but you need to know where to look and it depends on how much info (how busy) it is giving you).
Last edited by anotherthing; 19th Sep 2009 at 16:43.
Agree entirely with HD and anotherthing. The radar might be the tactical representation of reality, but you cannot say that it is more important than the data display - one complements the other. Only by repeated scanning of the data display (and anotherthing correctly describes what is implied by "scanning") can you pay regular attention to each aircraft and therefore initiate appropriate action. Apart from some specific scenarios, if you give priority to the radar, you can develop tunnel vision and completely overlook some required actions.
2 s
2 s
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Thanks again all for your advice and input. I will try and implement some of the things that have been mentioned (ie: the questions to ask myself at each strip) and make sure I apply it to every strip.
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I move my left finger up each strip as I am doing a strip scan, so that when I (inevitably) get interrupted, I can go straight back to the one I was at. Don't rush the scan, work through it methodically (bottom to top, left to right) - you will find yourself speeding up as you get more practiced.
Write as you speak and read as you listen (WAYSRAYL) should force you to look at the relevant strip.
Strips are essential in area control for spotting strategic conflicts - then use the radar to sort it out tactically.
Write as you speak and read as you listen (WAYSRAYL) should force you to look at the relevant strip.
Strips are essential in area control for spotting strategic conflicts - then use the radar to sort it out tactically.
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One can only assume that "anotherthing" is an area controller and has never worked in a stripless environment. Those of us who work terminal radar do not have the luxury of a planner working out conflictions two hours in advance. Some of us are also too polite to say that another controller's opinion is "complete and utter rubbish".
Since politeness has been thrown out of the window, I might add than when a pilot fails to follow instructions, it is complete and utter rubbish to say that scanning your strips is more important than looking at the damn radar screen. Level busts, navigational errors and failure to follow heading instructions cannot be caught by strips.
Now, going to back to where I already pointed out that I cannot speak from area control experience, might one or two area admit they know nothing of approach control?
Since politeness has been thrown out of the window, I might add than when a pilot fails to follow instructions, it is complete and utter rubbish to say that scanning your strips is more important than looking at the damn radar screen. Level busts, navigational errors and failure to follow heading instructions cannot be caught by strips.
Now, going to back to where I already pointed out that I cannot speak from area control experience, might one or two area admit they know nothing of approach control?
If you have a stripless system, then the question posed simply does not arise. You have to develop a different method.
However, if you do have a separate data display, surely it could often be the data contained therein that alerts you to a pilot - or ATC - error? One source of data cannot be viewed as more important than the other, hence anotherthing's rather forceful comment!
2 s
However, if you do have a separate data display, surely it could often be the data contained therein that alerts you to a pilot - or ATC - error? One source of data cannot be viewed as more important than the other, hence anotherthing's rather forceful comment!
2 s
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Scooby Don't
Assumption is rarely a good thing.
'Anotherthing' (me) has been valid in, and worked tower, approach, and is now an 'area' controller in the LTMA at TC - yes, the CAA classes us as AREA controllers, the licence states 'ACS/RAD/TCL'.
Now I'll grant you I've never worked a stripless environment, but TC is heading down the electronic strip route.
The bods who are involved in the project (the non-controllers) have found out how important strips are in the LTMA, whether that be in paper or electronic format.
LTMA (area) does not work T&P - one of a declining breed in area control.
However, to say that those units that do work T&P have planners who work out conflictions 2 hours in advance is fantasy - certainly in Swanwick AC and is a very poor way of dismissing a valid argument.
The radar screen is an aid - yes it does highlight pilots who have failed to follow instructions - but that does not mean that radar is the be all and end all.
As for my 'rudeness' - your statement
in the context of a sirect reply to ATCnoob, was, I'm afraid, complete rubbish.. You even go on later to invalidate your reply (as far as advice to the original poster) by saying you work in a stripless environment!
You have valid points if you take your comments in view of your units' method of operation, but those comments are not valid to ATCnoob.
To make a statement telling someone that radar is far more important is very poor advice if you do not take into consideration the method of operation at their unit!
At TC we hammer students early on to get into a good strip scan - students who will later become TMA controllers.
Assumption is rarely a good thing.
'Anotherthing' (me) has been valid in, and worked tower, approach, and is now an 'area' controller in the LTMA at TC - yes, the CAA classes us as AREA controllers, the licence states 'ACS/RAD/TCL'.
Now I'll grant you I've never worked a stripless environment, but TC is heading down the electronic strip route.
The bods who are involved in the project (the non-controllers) have found out how important strips are in the LTMA, whether that be in paper or electronic format.
LTMA (area) does not work T&P - one of a declining breed in area control.
However, to say that those units that do work T&P have planners who work out conflictions 2 hours in advance is fantasy - certainly in Swanwick AC and is a very poor way of dismissing a valid argument.
The radar screen is an aid - yes it does highlight pilots who have failed to follow instructions - but that does not mean that radar is the be all and end all.
As for my 'rudeness' - your statement
The screen (or the window if doing TWR) is more important than the strip bay
You have valid points if you take your comments in view of your units' method of operation, but those comments are not valid to ATCnoob.
To make a statement telling someone that radar is far more important is very poor advice if you do not take into consideration the method of operation at their unit!
At TC we hammer students early on to get into a good strip scan - students who will later become TMA controllers.
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anotherthing - I said I had worked in a stripless environment. I am know back in an environment with paper strips, and I happen to prefer them. However, while they are useful in helping to refresh short-term memory ("what altitude did I give to him?" or similar) and highly useful when handing an aircraft over to an adjacent controller within throwing distance, what actually is happening is greatly more important that want you wanted to happen. If you had bothered to read the whole of my first post rather than fixating on the first line, you might have noticed that I made some helpful and useful comments. In my second post, I recommended a scanning technique which I doubt you could seriously call into question. You aren't the only OJTI on here, but you sure are rude.
2sheds - you are right that a stripless environment relies on different techniques. In essence, standardisation is key in shared airspace. Arrivals will descend only to X thousand feet, departures will climb to X-1 thousand feet until clear of conflict, etc.
At no point did I state that strips were not useful; I happen to prefer using them, and 2sheds says they are extremely useful when investigating incidents. They are also a useful control aid when used correctly, but what is actually happening is still more important than what you wish was happening...
Going back to noobs original question, the use of strips obviously depends on your discipline and, eventually, your unit. Whatever those happen to be, try to practice the standard techniques for your course/unit and don't underestimate the value of moving your strips at the same time as issuing executive instructions. I've seen someone lose a validation, and someone else fail to validate, principally because their strip movement (this was in TWR) was retrospective and allowed them to fail to protect the runway. But for pity's sake, don't get tunnel vision on your strips! That big television is there for a reason, and it's called radar control, not strip control.
2sheds - you are right that a stripless environment relies on different techniques. In essence, standardisation is key in shared airspace. Arrivals will descend only to X thousand feet, departures will climb to X-1 thousand feet until clear of conflict, etc.
At no point did I state that strips were not useful; I happen to prefer using them, and 2sheds says they are extremely useful when investigating incidents. They are also a useful control aid when used correctly, but what is actually happening is still more important than what you wish was happening...
Going back to noobs original question, the use of strips obviously depends on your discipline and, eventually, your unit. Whatever those happen to be, try to practice the standard techniques for your course/unit and don't underestimate the value of moving your strips at the same time as issuing executive instructions. I've seen someone lose a validation, and someone else fail to validate, principally because their strip movement (this was in TWR) was retrospective and allowed them to fail to protect the runway. But for pity's sake, don't get tunnel vision on your strips! That big television is there for a reason, and it's called radar control, not strip control.
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If you knew me, you would know I am far from rude. I stated IMHO (in my honest opinion) that your opening statement was rubbish. I wasn't calling into question your ability, merely being forthright in ensuring that ATCnoob understood that your statement was not something to hang their hat on in the early days of training.
Sometimes you have to make a bold statement to get a message across (especially if it is at odd with other 'advice').
Not being of a sensitive disposition, I don't let those sort of things get to me if they are ever directed my way. Especially when they are used to make a valid point!
I answered strongly because you had made a bold statement, supposedly giving advice, to a confessed early-doors student who specifically asked about strips as they were having a problem. Reading between the lines ATCnoob has probably been picked up for this more than once, hence asking for advice here.
Fortunately ATCnoob doesn't sound like he/she has taken that little gem about radar being the most important thing away and decided to black hole it on radar...
In the early days of training at NATS college and on unit at TC, we try to make people understand how important strips are. Strips are more important than radar IMHO for one reason - if radar goes tits up (an unlikely scenario in a multi radar environment I agree), you can still have good go at sorting out the mess with strips and RT.
Even people who haven't trained in procedural control (unfortunately people leaving NATS college on area tickets fall into this category now - probably something that has changed since you trained and something that does show when students arrive on unit), would be able to use common sense to cleaer what flights they had in sector using a very basic type of procedural service with lots of pilot reporting.
As you yourself go on to say later, strips can get you out of trouble in dire times. However, to enable to do this, a controller must have a good strip scan system in place to fall back on. Therefore at this point in time, at early stages of training, strip scan is probably at least as important than looking at radar.
As they get more and more experienced, they will rely less on strips and will use all the information (in whatever form) available to them to make their jobs as easy as possible. In the early days of training, as ATCnoob is, strips and the scan take up a far larger portion of time, due to undeveloped scan, lack of familiarity with sector and procedures, lack of familiarity with the type of aircraft and profiles in that sector.
I've said my bit, hopefully ATCnoob will have found some useful stuff somewhere in all of the replies above after posting the queston - several variations on theme with regard to scanning including from you, Scooby, who rightly says that unit to unit it may differ slightly.
Sometimes you have to make a bold statement to get a message across (especially if it is at odd with other 'advice').
Not being of a sensitive disposition, I don't let those sort of things get to me if they are ever directed my way. Especially when they are used to make a valid point!
I answered strongly because you had made a bold statement, supposedly giving advice, to a confessed early-doors student who specifically asked about strips as they were having a problem. Reading between the lines ATCnoob has probably been picked up for this more than once, hence asking for advice here.
Fortunately ATCnoob doesn't sound like he/she has taken that little gem about radar being the most important thing away and decided to black hole it on radar...
In the early days of training at NATS college and on unit at TC, we try to make people understand how important strips are. Strips are more important than radar IMHO for one reason - if radar goes tits up (an unlikely scenario in a multi radar environment I agree), you can still have good go at sorting out the mess with strips and RT.
Even people who haven't trained in procedural control (unfortunately people leaving NATS college on area tickets fall into this category now - probably something that has changed since you trained and something that does show when students arrive on unit), would be able to use common sense to cleaer what flights they had in sector using a very basic type of procedural service with lots of pilot reporting.
As you yourself go on to say later, strips can get you out of trouble in dire times. However, to enable to do this, a controller must have a good strip scan system in place to fall back on. Therefore at this point in time, at early stages of training, strip scan is probably at least as important than looking at radar.
As they get more and more experienced, they will rely less on strips and will use all the information (in whatever form) available to them to make their jobs as easy as possible. In the early days of training, as ATCnoob is, strips and the scan take up a far larger portion of time, due to undeveloped scan, lack of familiarity with sector and procedures, lack of familiarity with the type of aircraft and profiles in that sector.
I've said my bit, hopefully ATCnoob will have found some useful stuff somewhere in all of the replies above after posting the queston - several variations on theme with regard to scanning including from you, Scooby, who rightly says that unit to unit it may differ slightly.
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Anotherthing - you are right, I have been picked up on it a couple of times. And the advice that you, and some others, have given will no doubt help me out. I will let you know in time to come. As I am very green to it I sometimes find myself just looking at the strip to make myself feel like I am scanning and then moving onto the next strip whilst missing out on transferring an aircraft when I could have, climbing or descending at the right time, co-ordinating etc. It doesn't happen all the time. In fact I get it right more often than not, but when I get it wrong the problem gets compounded, and when the instructor points it out to me, it makes me feel even more stupid - you know what it feels like when your parents used to be 'disappointed, not angry' with you...? That's how I feel sometimes when it happens...silly me!
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A word of advice
My advice would be to try do focus on the screen more,refer to strips when you have time,anyway most of the systems in the world are moving towards stripless environment(or at least a paperless) and strips will be forgotten soon and go to history.
What I did when I was working with strips(thank God I work stripless now) is always pull out the strips that are conflicting to the one side so you know you need to do something with them,when conflict resolved pull them back in.
Good luck and take care,
Gianni
P.S.As I said most systems now are stripless and almost all of them are screen oriented(meaning everything you need is on the screen).
What I did when I was working with strips(thank God I work stripless now) is always pull out the strips that are conflicting to the one side so you know you need to do something with them,when conflict resolved pull them back in.
Good luck and take care,
Gianni
P.S.As I said most systems now are stripless and almost all of them are screen oriented(meaning everything you need is on the screen).
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ATCnoob
keep plugging away at it, strip scanning is a common problem for trainees, especially in the early stages.
Always ask yourself questions about the aircraft as you look at the strip - that way it will hopefuly force you to take the information in and act on it, instead of just staring blankly at the strip!!
It is a pain, especially to begin with, but try to persevere and hopefully it will come together. OJTIs can't read your mind etc, so they can only pick up poor strip scanning technique by witnessing a student missing 'the obvious' (only obvious to experienced people).
As you get more experience on the sectors, even as a trainee, you will be able to rely less on strips and more on other sources of information and will do things based on that info.
This way, the OJTI won't be as assured in being able to pick you up for lack of strip scan - they can only do that when you fall behind or regularly miss things. (Mind you, if you stare at th eradar and do everything off that, it is a bit obvious too!).
It's a bit of smoke and mirrors - but at the end of the day, to begin with you need to get the strip scan fairly nailed. Jus remember you are not unique in feeling tha it is not coming together, and certainly not unique in being picked up for it.
If you are currently on TVC , you will know that your colleagues on course are being picked up for the same things. It is normal, but that doesn't mean that you can get away with not working at it!!
keep plugging away at it, strip scanning is a common problem for trainees, especially in the early stages.
Always ask yourself questions about the aircraft as you look at the strip - that way it will hopefuly force you to take the information in and act on it, instead of just staring blankly at the strip!!
It is a pain, especially to begin with, but try to persevere and hopefully it will come together. OJTIs can't read your mind etc, so they can only pick up poor strip scanning technique by witnessing a student missing 'the obvious' (only obvious to experienced people).
As you get more experience on the sectors, even as a trainee, you will be able to rely less on strips and more on other sources of information and will do things based on that info.
This way, the OJTI won't be as assured in being able to pick you up for lack of strip scan - they can only do that when you fall behind or regularly miss things. (Mind you, if you stare at th eradar and do everything off that, it is a bit obvious too!).
It's a bit of smoke and mirrors - but at the end of the day, to begin with you need to get the strip scan fairly nailed. Jus remember you are not unique in feeling tha it is not coming together, and certainly not unique in being picked up for it.
If you are currently on TVC , you will know that your colleagues on course are being picked up for the same things. It is normal, but that doesn't mean that you can get away with not working at it!!