Single man operations in ATC
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BrATCO, you fool, it's such a cost ineffectiveness! In my case it's not about a second pair of eyes on-line - starting from January I won't have even a spare ATCo on his break while I'm on duty, because due to cost effectiveness, shift hours will be arranged in a way that for a couple of hours - not at night in low traffic, but in the middle of a day - there will be only one licensed ATCo at the whole tower. Management has downgraded the service because the airlines have had demanded! When will this cost-cutting madness end?
Last edited by samotnik; 17th Dec 2010 at 07:05.
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Single manning is standard practice at Prestwick centre at all times of day
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Lighter note : still flying VFR around ( single pilot, single engine ) and I receive lots of GA aviation mags. One advert in the US caught my eye recently :" Lost your licence ?, become a "virtual co-pilot" etc." the trick is for single OPS operations , up to light twin jets certified for Single pilot ops , incl VLJs , to be able to phone a number 24/7 , where you'll get a pilot that was cerified on type to act as help and co-pilot during times of difficulties,weather, , failures,even emergencies etc...
I wonder how long it will take for an ATM company to propose the same ?:
On the other hand with today's technology ( ADS-B, Download FMS data, and CPDLC ), we could all probably work from home with a good PC and a fast Internet connection.
I should be writing science fictions novels...
I wonder how long it will take for an ATM company to propose the same ?:
On the other hand with today's technology ( ADS-B, Download FMS data, and CPDLC ), we could all probably work from home with a good PC and a fast Internet connection.
I should be writing science fictions novels...
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Watcher, go for it, working at home is popular nowadays, why not full radar control? Imagine - you just get up from your bed, make yourself a coffee, turn on your PC, put on skype headset and... 
And all of this while living in some paradise location.
And all of this while living in some paradise location.
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Coral and Blockla,
By "combined", do you mean 1 controller for 2 positions (the Überlingen way) or several sectors for 1 position (which I call "collapsed" sectors, or "grouped" sectors in Frenglish) in regard of the traffic ?
Just to be sure, I read "Positions"
By "combined", do you mean 1 controller for 2 positions (the Überlingen way) or several sectors for 1 position (which I call "collapsed" sectors, or "grouped" sectors in Frenglish) in regard of the traffic ?
Just to be sure, I read "Positions"
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There is a system in the UK (and probably elsewhere) called bandboxing where one controller can work several sectors during quiet periods.. The frequencies remain the same but by clever switching, all aircraft can hear each other and the controller. Dashed clever, what?
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Heathrow Director
I know exactly what you mean but if I can put it in your world. Lets say the North Sea (Sect 10/11 etc) combined with Scottish or Clacton Sectors combined with TC due to staff shortages and you man this with 1 person. I know its not the same amount of traffic but you get the gist.
There is a system in the UK (and probably elsewhere) called bandboxing where one controller can work several sectors during quiet periods..
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No, you obviously need a controller validated on the sectors you are combining and obviously one man is not validated for all the sectors you mention. There are controllers who are valid for airfield approach sectors and TMA sectors but they won't do them in a bandboxed situation. For example, TMA SW and SE might be bandboxed and the Heathrow North and South sectors. I cannot speak for en-route as I have no experience there.
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I do CLN and NOR bandboxed. But only on night shifts and when its VERY quiet maybe on a sat pm. We would never leave a sector without any ATCO in charge. And also we would never bandbox with another sector that i'm not valid for.
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nobody for the position - empty chair with planes blindly flying across the radar screen.
Maybe we should open another thread with "zero" man operations . Much more cost effective from an ANSP point of view !
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<<Maybe we should open another thread with "zero" man operations>>
Don't give the beancounters any clever ideas. It must have been 30 years ago that a smart young bloke sat next to me at Heathrow and explained that the CAA (or was it Board of Trade? Can't recall) had retained him to replace ATCOs with computery. I told him he would be better off telling us how to work the EG list!
Don't give the beancounters any clever ideas. It must have been 30 years ago that a smart young bloke sat next to me at Heathrow and explained that the CAA (or was it Board of Trade? Can't recall) had retained him to replace ATCOs with computery. I told him he would be better off telling us how to work the EG list!
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Heathrow Director- "The frequencies remain the same but by clever switching, all aircraft can hear each other and the controller. Dashed clever, what?"
You must be speaking of that amazing contraption they call cross-coupling. Doesn't exist at Scottish where it's normal ops to have 4 or 5 sectors bandboxed at 19:00 with 1 controller operating them, using at least 3 frequencies whilst monitoring at least 2 others. Now thats single manning.
You must be speaking of that amazing contraption they call cross-coupling. Doesn't exist at Scottish where it's normal ops to have 4 or 5 sectors bandboxed at 19:00 with 1 controller operating them, using at least 3 frequencies whilst monitoring at least 2 others. Now thats single manning.
More than just an ATCO
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ATC Watcher Just before I left there were ideas being floated to collapse all the sector groups to one at night as a cost cutting measure.
AS it would mean everybody having to validate on every position in the centre it didn't get off the ground, especially as no incentive to do so was being offered. Any truth in the rumour that it's being dragged up again?
AS it would mean everybody having to validate on every position in the centre it didn't get off the ground, especially as no incentive to do so was being offered. Any truth in the rumour that it's being dragged up again?