Visit to Swanwick, Sun 19th Feb.
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Waterlooville Hampshire
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you BRL and the two Alans for a very informative and interesting experience
Also to Eye in the sky (I think) for some interesting Air law points as well as other good airmanship pointers.
Hope you guys did not get into too much trouble for being late for Roast Dinners - lucky chaps - if only!
thanks BRL - really really useful and meeting the voices - gives the radio a whole new incite
great day
jenni
Also to Eye in the sky (I think) for some interesting Air law points as well as other good airmanship pointers.
Hope you guys did not get into too much trouble for being late for Roast Dinners - lucky chaps - if only!
thanks BRL - really really useful and meeting the voices - gives the radio a whole new incite
great day
jenni
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Brighton, UK
Posts: 434
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What can I say........ as above with many many thanks for a wonderful afternoon. No roast dinner to miss so I am one of the few that is still beaming from ear to ear it seems.
Apart from learning a lot from the guys (Alan's & Eye In The Sky) I was given the opportunity to "volunteer" to be radar controller in the training room. I think I missed my vocation in life. Headset on, information being fed to me by my trainer, the screen started off with a couple of 737's, but it wasn't long before I had inbound and outbound aircraft appearing all over the screen awaiting descent/climb instructions and vectoring. Well, I say awaiting instructions, but they don't wait, they all keep flying and flying rather quickly toward each other, especially when the spacings start getting a little tight. Managed a half respectable stream of inbounds with 5 mile spacing heading for Brum anyhow. You can see just how quickly it can all get away from you that is for sure. A distraction of a 7500 squawk soon builds the workload back up again.
After a while the information started to fall into place and it wasn't long before I was thoroughly enjoying myself on the Worlds Greatest Video Game
I will admit to being a little disappointed when the flow of aircraft ebbed and died 
Was almost as good a feeling as first solo (yeah I know, how sad!!)
Would love to give it a go under real pressure - hint!!!
THANKS GUYS FOR A HIGHLY ENJOYABLE DAY
Apart from learning a lot from the guys (Alan's & Eye In The Sky) I was given the opportunity to "volunteer" to be radar controller in the training room. I think I missed my vocation in life. Headset on, information being fed to me by my trainer, the screen started off with a couple of 737's, but it wasn't long before I had inbound and outbound aircraft appearing all over the screen awaiting descent/climb instructions and vectoring. Well, I say awaiting instructions, but they don't wait, they all keep flying and flying rather quickly toward each other, especially when the spacings start getting a little tight. Managed a half respectable stream of inbounds with 5 mile spacing heading for Brum anyhow. You can see just how quickly it can all get away from you that is for sure. A distraction of a 7500 squawk soon builds the workload back up again.
After a while the information started to fall into place and it wasn't long before I was thoroughly enjoying myself on the Worlds Greatest Video Game
I will admit to being a little disappointed when the flow of aircraft ebbed and died Was almost as good a feeling as first solo (yeah I know, how sad!!)Would love to give it a go under real pressure - hint!!!
THANKS GUYS FOR A HIGHLY ENJOYABLE DAY
Thank you Alan and Alan and Eye In The Sky---a really fab afternoon---very informative and such fun sitting in front of a Radar Screen with Andy R doing a really Super Job at controlling!!!!!!
Thanks BRL for arranging it all---a really great trip,would love to do that all again!
It was my dream to see Swanwick!!!!!
Thanks Andy R for the lift!
Thanks again for a super afternoon.
Charley B X
Thanks BRL for arranging it all---a really great trip,would love to do that all again!
It was my dream to see Swanwick!!!!!
Thanks Andy R for the lift!
Thanks again for a super afternoon.
Charley B X
Guest
Posts: n/a
Can only express the same as those above: my thanks to all. Also, good to meet some new (to me) PPRuNe faces (as well as the old!).
30 minutes or so of radar controlling was an eye-opener...I hope I caused no more than the one airprox! The most awkward thing initially was learing the difference between flight numbers and callsigns, e.g."FUA 1812" and "Skytrax 1812"
Got the hang of it in the end, although I appreciate the excercise was a lot less busy than one would normally expect!
Rob
30 minutes or so of radar controlling was an eye-opener...I hope I caused no more than the one airprox! The most awkward thing initially was learing the difference between flight numbers and callsigns, e.g."FUA 1812" and "Skytrax 1812"
Got the hang of it in the end, although I appreciate the excercise was a lot less busy than one would normally expect!
Rob
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Brighton. UK. (Via Liverpool).
Posts: 5,068
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, that was a brilliant visit. Huge thanks to Alan for sorting it out for us and to the other Alan for helping us out too. Thanks also to the people in the sim room who took us all on, many thanks for that.
Would have liked to have spent more time with 'eyeinthesky' talking about infringements and the likes of, one of the main reasons for doing these visits is to get pilots and controllers talking about important issues like this, a lot can be gained and has been learnt doing these visits. If only someone could come up with an online presentation like the ones we have seen in the past to be available for everybody to see, it would certainly open a few eyes out there. There should be something available to all schools in the form of a dvd or something like that to show students and experienced pilots too. I have an idea for something along these lines but obviously can't do it myself so NATS safety people, if your looking at this and want to get something going just get in touch with me.
Anyway, way off thread there so yes, thanks to all who helped make yesterday a great success indeed. Good to see everyone enjoyed it and got home safely in the bad weather.
Would have liked to have spent more time with 'eyeinthesky' talking about infringements and the likes of, one of the main reasons for doing these visits is to get pilots and controllers talking about important issues like this, a lot can be gained and has been learnt doing these visits. If only someone could come up with an online presentation like the ones we have seen in the past to be available for everybody to see, it would certainly open a few eyes out there. There should be something available to all schools in the form of a dvd or something like that to show students and experienced pilots too. I have an idea for something along these lines but obviously can't do it myself so NATS safety people, if your looking at this and want to get something going just get in touch with me.
Anyway, way off thread there so yes, thanks to all who helped make yesterday a great success indeed. Good to see everyone enjoyed it and got home safely in the bad weather.
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Savannah GA & Portsmouth UK
Posts: 1,784
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Fortunately I not only got back in time for the Roast Dinner, I even managed a pint in the pub first!
Interesting seeing London Information with not a radar screen in sight and a copy of the AA Road Atlas as part of the equipment!
The real highlight was the hands on on the TDU (Training Development Unit) running one of the training exercises. This is a fully fuctional suite of consoles, which in fact takes over control during upgrades of the main Control Room. Rob L (dubtrub) took the role of Tactical Controller with me sat alongside and plugged in trying to assist him. The operational setup has a Tactical Controller doing the talking and a Planner who deals with the handovers plus an assistant to handle the grunt work.
Interesting to see that we had flights not following their FP route without our knowledge. When we queried this we found that clearances are not passed across by the previous controller so someone whose FP route is A DCT B DCT C could be cleared by the previous controller "Direct to C" or he could have been given avoiding vectors by the previous controller, putting him off the expected track and making it important to listen carefully to the inital call to hear what he is really up to!
We managed to avoid carnage but I think the Birmingham controller must have been cursing us for sending him/her a stream of traffic with built-in future conflicts.
I'd like to add my thanks not only to BRL and our hosts but also to the ATCOS who took time out to run the simulator exercise for us. Without their input we'd have had no-one to control and no radio calls.
Interesting seeing London Information with not a radar screen in sight and a copy of the AA Road Atlas as part of the equipment!
The real highlight was the hands on on the TDU (Training Development Unit) running one of the training exercises. This is a fully fuctional suite of consoles, which in fact takes over control during upgrades of the main Control Room. Rob L (dubtrub) took the role of Tactical Controller with me sat alongside and plugged in trying to assist him. The operational setup has a Tactical Controller doing the talking and a Planner who deals with the handovers plus an assistant to handle the grunt work.
Interesting to see that we had flights not following their FP route without our knowledge. When we queried this we found that clearances are not passed across by the previous controller so someone whose FP route is A DCT B DCT C could be cleared by the previous controller "Direct to C" or he could have been given avoiding vectors by the previous controller, putting him off the expected track and making it important to listen carefully to the inital call to hear what he is really up to!
We managed to avoid carnage but I think the Birmingham controller must have been cursing us for sending him/her a stream of traffic with built-in future conflicts.
I'd like to add my thanks not only to BRL and our hosts but also to the ATCOS who took time out to run the simulator exercise for us. Without their input we'd have had no-one to control and no radio calls.
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Brighton, UK
Posts: 434
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by BRL
If only someone could come up with an online presentation like the ones we have seen in the past to be available for everybody to see, it would certainly open a few eyes out there. There should be something available to all schools in the form of a dvd or something like that to show students and experienced pilots too.
Funny you should say that BRL
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
Originally Posted by MikeT, as per a comment on "the other forum"
There is the possibility of an infringements DVD being produced at some point.
That's about all that can be said on that front at the moment.
That's about all that can be said on that front at the moment.
Moderator
Join Date: Jul 1997
Location: Europe
Posts: 3,228
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Glad the visit was worthwhile, most ATC units appreciate seeing pilots take the time to look around and receive some 'education' and it's often a two way street too.
Very confusing as FUA uses the callsign 'Futura' 
- there's a 'Sky Tour' and a 'Sky Truck', but can't seem to find 'Sky Track(s)/Trax' in the ICAO book. I know what you're getting at though 
and it's often a two way street too.
The most awkward thing initially was learing the difference between flight numbers and callsigns, e.g."FUA 1812" and "Skytrax 1812"
- there's a 'Sky Tour' and a 'Sky Truck', but can't seem to find 'Sky Track(s)/Trax' in the ICAO book. I know what you're getting at though
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have passed on you thanks to all the staff involved in your visit, it was great to be able to show you round and that you enjoyed yourselves. It was a pity we could not get you into the main ops room to see the FIR for real and chat to the AFISO's, or sit in on the sectors.
Maybe one day in the future when the political climate changes we might be able to do these visits again and we will expect you to know all the RT callsigns
Best regards
AG
ps Andy R keep an eye open for an envelope with NATS in the corner
Maybe one day in the future when the political climate changes we might be able to do these visits again and we will expect you to know all the RT callsigns
Best regards
AG
ps Andy R keep an eye open for an envelope with NATS in the corner
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Brighton. UK. (Via Liverpool).
Posts: 5,068
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi. I think the Swanwick visit was a one off. It was hard to get in and it took a long time to organise, I am sure though there won't be anymore in the foreseeable future. It was a great success that visit and I do hope another one can be arranged but the way things are at the moment I am not sure. One can only hope!
I do have a few visits to Heathrow tower lined up, Possible dates, maximum 6.
Saturday 11th March
Sunday 9th April
Saturday 6th May
Sunday 4th June
Don't use this thread to show interest for these visits, please wait until you see my thread in the forum which should be soon.
Also waiting to hear back for a visit to Gatwick tower. More details to follow.
I do have a few visits to Heathrow tower lined up, Possible dates, maximum 6.
Saturday 11th March
Sunday 9th April
Saturday 6th May
Sunday 4th June
Don't use this thread to show interest for these visits, please wait until you see my thread in the forum which should be soon.
Also waiting to hear back for a visit to Gatwick tower. More details to follow.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Hants, UK
Posts: 1,064
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm glad you enjoyed your visit, and that you were patient enough to let me ramble on while you were a captive audience. I hope that I was able to convey the message of what we are trying to do about reducing infringements from both sides of the R/T and enlist your help in spreading the world. As someone said (was it AndyR?), there is give and take on both sides, and we are keen to exploit all the available avenues to make this work.
Safe flying up there, and don't forget to watch for those boundaries!
Safe flying up there, and don't forget to watch for those boundaries!
