I hope his missus does him under the Trades Description Act .. an Adonis he most certainly ain't !!

If we are being picky, then you don't have radars in your 'office', last time I looked at Swanwick or Prestwick I don't remember any spinning antennas.......:}

kats-I
Apart from semantics what exactly is the difference between a console and a desk?

kats-I
Is a headset that much different to a phone?

kats-I
Are your Radar display & Voice Comms not just the output of computers?

kats-I

I watched a clip on TV where a surgeon controlled an operation from his desk via the internet.


You need to get with the times.

And you may even be using Microsoft Windows!!!

I also think you will find it is called a "situational display"
get it right ;)

Ummmmmmm you all wonder why not all of the staff sing from the same hymn sheet and then proceed to bitch and moan at each other on an open forum ?

NATS management must read this and wet themselves laughing safe in the knowledge that the workforce is divided and conquered without them having to help it along!

(Sorry if I am being naive, this from an outsiders point of view)

Why? There is nothing funny about Wham!...they were a serious pop group BITD.

Lord Adonis = Mr Burns from The Simpsons...or is just me?

No doubt you are a Duran Duran man....no wait, Spandau Ballet?

Frank, I think you are trying to compare playing Microsoft Flight Simulator FSX, with flying a B777 for real. Apparently some people think they can actually fly a fast jet (military term for your benefit Frank :)) after a few hours fannying about on a PC

I am also thinking you have lost the plot :eek:

Frank Disclosure
"From his desk" and not "In his office"
But it was the surgeons in the theatre doing the actual cutting!!

Pull up a chair next time you are passing and try doing your paperwork etc from a controller position..you will find it a darn sight easier than controlling a plane from your desk!!

I'm up with the times and its Time for you to grow up.:p
I'm sure we are all appreciative of what each other does...time to stop the bitching.:ok:

Vote NO
Not in the least.

I was merely point out to the rather arrogant tits who refer to people at CTC as Office Monkeys that they too work in an office and at a desk to boot!

kats-1 - if you look into the Oceanic control room you will see a few ATCOs sitting at desks looking at computer screens. No radars.

kats-I

I've spent many hours listening and watching ATCOs do their job. Yes I know the responsibility is great and at times it's stressful but it bores me !!!!less, far too repetitive and no real goals other than finishing the shift.

I think you should be paid more than me for doing that job.

So, please tell us Frank[ly]....Just what is your job?
bb

erm.. not sure about that. Personally, my goal is to make sure that those bits of metal in the sky that transport people (including you i'm sure) don't bump into each other- but maybe thats a silly view.

as for boring- to be honest I'll agree the job isn't for everyone but how someone who works in an office 48 weeks a year can claim that air traffic is boring is beyond me- guess horses for courses though.

Frank Disclosure- I'm guessing you work for NATS- glad that you hold such contempt for the people who do the job that this company was set up for. If ATC is that bad why are you still working for NATS- I'm sure there are other office jobs that would mean you'd never have to come into contact with us nasty, scruffy ATCOs.

:yuk:

Well all I can say is "Thank :mad: you're not an ATCO, and thank :mad: I don't have to work with you"

You sound like a right tw@ with a huge chip on their shoulder. :D

Now crawl back under your stone you Troll, and leave the ATC forum to the ahem .... more adult amongst us ..... (Never thought I'd find myself saying that on this forum). :p

BTW The tan on my legs is coming along nicely - should I wear Crocs or Tevas tomorrow ... ?

Just because FD says that he finds the act of controlling to be a boring proposition doesn't mean that he holds us all in contempt.

I can certainly empathise with FD when he says that there are no goals to being an ATCO.

Currently I work about 50% in the tower wearing a headset, and 50% in the Ops office, so I have experience of both.

While ATC does have goals, for the ATCO they are very short term and transient - For this 1.5hr session of Air Departures, I must launch the a/c as fast as I can without losing separation - There, that's my goal for the next hour and a half, then I get a break and come back and do another position with a different, albeit similar goal.

In the office, I have longer term goals, from some that last a few hours, going up to days, weeks, months and even years. Having to contribute to meetings, development work, projects, using persuasion, negotiation, and all those other 'soft skills' to achieve your goals, especially when your own goals come into conflict with those of others is actually very challenging and rewarding.

As an ATCO I can see that some (most?) ATCOs would find office work boring. As an office worker, I can see that some (most?) office workers would find being an ATCO boring.

All I can draw from the last few posts is that NATS seems to have the right people in the right jobs!:}

wanderingdon I don’t hold ATCOs in contempt, just the boorish titty wankery ones who go around thinking they are somehow better than everyone else in the company and calling people at CTC monkeys.

PH-UKU See above.

Gonzo You hit the nail pretty much on the head.

Back to the thread (or slightly closer)
 

RPI is at its lowest since records began in 1948

BBC NEWS | Business | UK inflation dips to 1.8% in June

However at the moment thats a whole 1.2% better than the -2.8% that our incremental pay rise stops at.

I'm glad working together etc has meant that the Union pushed the 2 year deal onto us, without having any caveat in the negotiations saying that if RPI was less negative than -2.8% we would renegotiate.

Once again management have pulled the wool over eyes of the Union leaders (unless of course people believe that they are actually in cahoots). Most people would have bet that RPI was not going to be as bad as was made out by NATS... in fact it is on record that this was mentioned on these very fora.

Roll on the management pay rises in September, with a backdrop of record profits and low RPI...

And I thought you were just trolling .... :hmm:

Anyway, point taken, and I apologise for calling you a tw@.