New ATC Procedures for arriving traffic
I once deliberately put two in the hold at the same level. They were at opposite ends of the racetrack, speed controlled, and never any chance of colliding. This was, of course, in the simulator during one TRUCE session, I would never want to do it in real world.
Being Aer Lingus, they were quite happy to carry on and saw the funny side of it!
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Zooker,
I think I get out and around the company quite a bit due to the various activities I'm involved in, so I've got a pretty good idea of most of the future concepts NATS are working on at different levels.
If you turned up with that aim at my unit, I'd say well done for joining us in the 21st century, that's what we've been working on for years!
The ideal would be to eliminate holding at the holding point before departure, to have aircraft taxi to the holding area in their departure order, straight on the the runway and take off. Doesn't work at the moment, as we still need the same buffer mentioned above to get the most use of the runway. But that doesn't mean we're not working on it, to minimise the reasons that create the requirement for that buffer.
I think I get out and around the company quite a bit due to the various activities I'm involved in, so I've got a pretty good idea of most of the future concepts NATS are working on at different levels.
If you turned up with that aim at my unit, I'd say well done for joining us in the 21st century, that's what we've been working on for years!
The ideal would be to eliminate holding at the holding point before departure, to have aircraft taxi to the holding area in their departure order, straight on the the runway and take off. Doesn't work at the moment, as we still need the same buffer mentioned above to get the most use of the runway. But that doesn't mean we're not working on it, to minimise the reasons that create the requirement for that buffer.
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Pre- 'Flight Level One Hundred' there was always the 'Binary Trap' in the hold, especially with a certain operator (not, in this case, Aer Lingus...):
FltNum 100 and Flt Num110 at FL100 and FL110, not necessarily in that order. Back in the seventies all those factors were present every morning and 'two at the same level' had to happen, and eventually it did...
FltNum 100 and Flt Num110 at FL100 and FL110, not necessarily in that order. Back in the seventies all those factors were present every morning and 'two at the same level' had to happen, and eventually it did...
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It actually happened years ago (maybe more than once). Fortunately both aircraft were Aer Lingus 737s; they spotted each other, chatted on company frequency, then told approach what they were doing! Similar callsigns, one had taken the level assignment meant for the other hence they both ended up at Bovingdon at the same level.
Being Aer Lingus, they were quite happy to carry on and saw the funny side of it!
Being Aer Lingus, they were quite happy to carry on and saw the funny side of it!
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In other words the function of a queue (in any context) is to act as a buffer between supply and demand where an asset (e.g. runway) has a finite capacity and you need to get maximum utilisation from it. There's no reason why aviation should be an exception to that principle, and it isn't.
Remove the ability to queue, and utilisation of the asset will inevitably be reduced unless you come up with the kind of cute solution to smoothing demand that currently seems to be beyond the capability of the European ATC network.
I don't expect the LHR stacks to disappear within my lifetime.
Remove the ability to queue, and utilisation of the asset will inevitably be reduced unless you come up with the kind of cute solution to smoothing demand that currently seems to be beyond the capability of the European ATC network.
I don't expect the LHR stacks to disappear within my lifetime.
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As long as Heathrow continues to schedule more flights that it can realistically handle, even when everything is going to plan, there will always be holding. The present situation already benefits from speed reductions made in adjacent FIRs. The only question is where will holding occur if not at LAM?
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NATS are trying to solve a problem with a theoretical solution.
We all know that the actual problem is solved with a fair bit of concrete/Tarmac.
But UK Plc won't ever accept the actual problem/solution.
We all know that the actual problem is solved with a fair bit of concrete/Tarmac.
But UK Plc won't ever accept the actual problem/solution.
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There is a secondary problem, the "change it, but not over my land" brigade. Martin Rolfe, NATS CEO touches on this problem in a presentation he gave to The Royal Aeronautical Society last week and is reported upon here
Do NATS have a performance metric based on minimising holding?
I have noticed at busy times over the last few months when told "no delay" by Essex, one is frequently getting vectors and stepped descents that are equivalent to at least 1 lap of the hold and burning the equivalent 300kg of go-juice that our company says "statistically is not required at STN or LTN"
I have noticed at busy times over the last few months when told "no delay" by Essex, one is frequently getting vectors and stepped descents that are equivalent to at least 1 lap of the hold and burning the equivalent 300kg of go-juice that our company says "statistically is not required at STN or LTN"
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<<that our company says "statistically is not required at STN or LTN>>
Ahhhh statistics - the answer to all. Maybe the people that write that ought to spend a while in ATC.
Ahhhh statistics - the answer to all. Maybe the people that write that ought to spend a while in ATC.
Yes, it's one of the metrics that contribute to the 3Di Score:
http://www.nats.aero/wp-content/uplo.../3Di_score.pdf
http://www.nats.aero/wp-content/uplo.../3Di_score.pdf
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Zonoma,
This "secondary" problem could very soon become the primary problem. The NIMBYs have discovered Flight Radar 24 and are getting quite good at using social media to lobby/hassle/bully politicians and raise money for judicial reviews. I suggest there is a significant probability that any route changes planned as part of LAMP below 10,000 feet will not happen at all or will get bogged down by legal challenges for years.
This "secondary" problem could very soon become the primary problem. The NIMBYs have discovered Flight Radar 24 and are getting quite good at using social media to lobby/hassle/bully politicians and raise money for judicial reviews. I suggest there is a significant probability that any route changes planned as part of LAMP below 10,000 feet will not happen at all or will get bogged down by legal challenges for years.
End of stacking as jets form orderly queue
The NATS website now has a link to an article from Saturday's Times, with the above title.
End of stacking as jets form orderly queue | The Times
It's behind their paywall, so only the first couple of paragraphs are visible:
So take your pick - either we're going to see the end of stacking, or the future will bring those superstacks with multiple aircraft at the same FL. Or maybe not.
End of stacking as jets form orderly queue | The Times
It's behind their paywall, so only the first couple of paragraphs are visible:
Flights that have a large number of transfer passengers on board could be given landing priority under plans to reform Britain’s most congested airspace.
Air traffic controllers are proposing to abolish the stacking system over the southeast of England in which aircraft are made to fly in tight circles while they wait for a landing slot.
The alternative would have aircraft queueing in a “straight-line” holding pattern, which would enable controllers to prioritise specific flights at the request of airlines.
Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of NATS, the national air traffic service, said that it would mean that flights containing ...
Air traffic controllers are proposing to abolish the stacking system over the southeast of England in which aircraft are made to fly in tight circles while they wait for a landing slot.
The alternative would have aircraft queueing in a “straight-line” holding pattern, which would enable controllers to prioritise specific flights at the request of airlines.
Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of NATS, the national air traffic service, said that it would mean that flights containing ...
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How do the crew/operator of de-prioritised traffic know how much fuel to plan?...they could be up there quite a while.....and it would mean that ATC are in a position to determine which airlines make a profit or loss in view of the tight margins in the modern world.
I sense a big increase in Fam Flights around the corner......worked for Concorde I'm told!!
Anyway...imagine a huge series of steadily decreasing semi-circles as far out as Swindon/Midlands/Essex/English Channel...everybody slows down a couple of hundred track miles out [don't buy fast aeroplanes...pointless] and be prepared for airport movement reductions because all the planes are in the wrong place. Only human skills and a readily available traffic mix in the conventional close-in stack system enable Heathrow to operate at almost 100% efficiency.
I sense a big increase in Fam Flights around the corner......worked for Concorde I'm told!!
Anyway...imagine a huge series of steadily decreasing semi-circles as far out as Swindon/Midlands/Essex/English Channel...everybody slows down a couple of hundred track miles out [don't buy fast aeroplanes...pointless] and be prepared for airport movement reductions because all the planes are in the wrong place. Only human skills and a readily available traffic mix in the conventional close-in stack system enable Heathrow to operate at almost 100% efficiency.