Dublin Radar Fault
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Dublin Radar Fault
Heard earlier on the news that Dublin lost Radar for around 30 minutes yesterday evening. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0605/air.html They still don't know what was the cause.
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Sorry about the delays guys that's what happens when you buy something the makers promise won't fail(Titanic) as its got four back up modes before complete failure but still manages to fail .
This is actually the second time this week its collapsed on us.
We still don't know what the fault is and it can still collapse at any time so hence the flow rate to protect us and you.
Basically it went into emergency mode and everything decorrelated mean we only saw Sq codes andwere not able to interact with the system in any form. No new data was coming into the system. The next stage is a complete failure of the system.
So basically this can happen again at any time. As the fix takes ages i.e. as long as Thales take to sort it it could be around annoying us for a good few weeks if not months !
This is actually the second time this week its collapsed on us.
We still don't know what the fault is and it can still collapse at any time so hence the flow rate to protect us and you.
Basically it went into emergency mode and everything decorrelated mean we only saw Sq codes andwere not able to interact with the system in any form. No new data was coming into the system. The next stage is a complete failure of the system.
So basically this can happen again at any time. As the fix takes ages i.e. as long as Thales take to sort it it could be around annoying us for a good few weeks if not months !
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I'd say all the radar controllers will be feelling a bit sick 
and nervous 
coming to work for a while then. Typical what the Irish do..spend loads of money on something that doesn't work, just like the M50!
and nervous coming to work for a while then. Typical what the Irish do..spend loads of money on something that doesn't work, just like the M50!
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I can understand safety of course is an issue
but the controllers in Dublin know what kind of traffic is arriving.....by Callsign.... Stick a note on the ATIS for pilots to announce their SQ Code, would bring things pretty much back to normal.
I would ask the controllers / management there to trust your staff,
and stop giving the pilots 1 to 2 hour slots,
Yes it gets busy
but STICK ALL Aircraft on STARS and leave them on the STARS
this giving pilots Headings might seem to help the situation but only clogs up ATC and complicates the situation
So Pilots to announce SQ Code when contacting Director Frequency
, and more adherence to STARs at DUB
NO MORE SLOTS
and should the situation for SLOTS arise, management please stop throwing them out like confetti.
and before posters get a chance,
SAFETY is the most important thing at the end of the day
but look at these suggestions above,
it will help everybody get on with their work..
HighLow
but the controllers in Dublin know what kind of traffic is arriving.....by Callsign.... Stick a note on the ATIS for pilots to announce their SQ Code, would bring things pretty much back to normal.
I would ask the controllers / management there to trust your staff,
and stop giving the pilots 1 to 2 hour slots,
Yes it gets busy
but STICK ALL Aircraft on STARS and leave them on the STARS
this giving pilots Headings might seem to help the situation but only clogs up ATC and complicates the situation
So Pilots to announce SQ Code when contacting Director Frequency
, and more adherence to STARs at DUB
NO MORE SLOTS
and should the situation for SLOTS arise, management please stop throwing them out like confetti.
and before posters get a chance,
SAFETY is the most important thing at the end of the day
but look at these suggestions above,
it will help everybody get on with their work..
HighLow
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I can understand safety must come first.
If slots can be avoided then, as a passenger yesterday, may I illustrate why.
PIK - Dublin due to depart 0915 was held on the ground for nearly an hour, then travelled. Not a big deal.
Dublin - PIK due to depart 2115 departed at near 2300, landed 2345 ish, and returned then to Dublin. A Dublin based aircraft doing its last rotation of the day.
If these Dublin based delays continue, how close does it get to that final rotation of the day being cancelled ? That is a big deal, because we all know what happens when our favourite airline cancels flights !
If slots can be avoided then, as a passenger yesterday, may I illustrate why.
PIK - Dublin due to depart 0915 was held on the ground for nearly an hour, then travelled. Not a big deal.
Dublin - PIK due to depart 2115 departed at near 2300, landed 2345 ish, and returned then to Dublin. A Dublin based aircraft doing its last rotation of the day.
If these Dublin based delays continue, how close does it get to that final rotation of the day being cancelled ? That is a big deal, because we all know what happens when our favourite airline cancels flights !
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I can understand safety of course is an issue
but the controllers in Dublin know what kind of traffic is arriving.....by Callsign.... Stick a note on the ATIS for pilots to announce their SQ Code, would bring things pretty much back to normal
but the controllers in Dublin know what kind of traffic is arriving.....by Callsign.... Stick a note on the ATIS for pilots to announce their SQ Code, would bring things pretty much back to normal
Think of it this way.
Throw in 25 planes all showing SQ's that are in Dublin's airspace now throw in another 25/30 aircraft overflying or VFR's that you have to constantly filter but don't know who you are working it gets very complicated very fast.
No strips and possibly no computer lists of aircraft and assigned codes you have to be very savvy to figure out who is yours and who's not.
Now throw in one or two pilots not paying attention and you have one hell of a party on your freq.
Throw in split tracks and angels, coasting signals and our favorite this system makes aircraft disappear if your flying a very similar track to another aircraft i.e in a hold if the traffic below is just ahead of you in the hold so the system cannot see a difference between the two and it erases one track and then swaps the labels when you move slightly away.
Flying SIDS and STARS is done a lot more now than it was 2 years ago but there is still a good few people who think vectoring traffic is safer than letting them fly on the procedures
.That and when your delayed we get more requests for corner cutting to save time after all you are our customers and pay our wages so why not help you out if we can.
There are only inbounds slots no outbound as its quicker to put a ground stop on traffic than on planes in the air.
The issue has been described as a slow wind down to complete failure, its just been lucky that they have been able to restore it before the screens go BLANK. Then were all screwed.
I imagine that serious money is being thrown at this problem to make it go away so hopefully the slots will go away very quickly.
I do appreciate the pain this is causing you and your customers but its not our fault and certainly wasn't foreseen.
These things happen in Aviation sure look at the A330 issues last week at Aerlingus.
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Having an interest in radio,computers, and a proffesional aviator it sounds like Dublin could do with an sbs-1. Dont know what that is?? Its a passive decoding system for a laptop that decodes lat/long from mode ads-b transponders. It ends up displaying a radar on a laptop. Total outlay including aerial £500.
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Jumparound,
you have raised some interesting points there in your last post. I have the disadvantage of not being their in the tower. The only people that can appreciate how busy it gets are the controllers themselves. Dublin is getting busier by the day. I see some controllers doing a very professional job. All the controllers are safe and look after us well, however I would like to raise a few points, and your comments would be appreciated.
Having 30 SQ codes flying around Dublin Controlled Airspace I would imagine if no strips etc were available could be a very stressful situation. So I take your point that some restrictions have to take place. Can you confirm that the controllers at the moment with the problems being experienced by the radar, do NOT have strips detailing flight information of a particular aircraft once handed over to them by London for example. This would seem a very unacceptable situation if this were the case, I am sure you would agree.
The majority of controllers are doing a great job, but as you mentioned some seem not to trust Instrument Rated Commercial Airline Pilots to stay on published tracks when approaching the field they instead chuck us off on a radar vector towards Wales, slow us down to minimum approach speed, gear down at 20 miles, fuel dripping out the back of the a/c for so reason...
Gatwick is a great example.
The controllers can get A/c to land,another airborne, and the next to land all within 4 miles. A very efficient operation altogether. And to be honest I DO see some very capable controllers at Dublin doing the same. It is great to see. Where it falls down a bit is where you got the "other" controller chucking out instuctions for A/C to reduce, one day it might be to reduce 210 another day reduce 200 and another 215, turn right a bit turn left a bit, no info of track miles etc..
For GODS SAKE .... Keep us on published inbound tracks
Sod the aircraft who is looking for sneaky shortcuts,
in saying that if its not busy at all that is a different story, direct centre fix happy days, but for the majority of the time, the pilots MUST understand and maybe the controllers to a small extent.....DUBLIN is getting so BUSY...and with this increase of traffic, semi-rigid approach procedures must be in place. Not once in all my years flying have I completed on STAR at Dublin. Could you and your management maybe try it out for a month or so and see how things would improve.
Regards
HighLow
you have raised some interesting points there in your last post. I have the disadvantage of not being their in the tower. The only people that can appreciate how busy it gets are the controllers themselves. Dublin is getting busier by the day. I see some controllers doing a very professional job. All the controllers are safe and look after us well, however I would like to raise a few points, and your comments would be appreciated.
Having 30 SQ codes flying around Dublin Controlled Airspace I would imagine if no strips etc were available could be a very stressful situation. So I take your point that some restrictions have to take place. Can you confirm that the controllers at the moment with the problems being experienced by the radar, do NOT have strips detailing flight information of a particular aircraft once handed over to them by London for example. This would seem a very unacceptable situation if this were the case, I am sure you would agree.
The majority of controllers are doing a great job, but as you mentioned some seem not to trust Instrument Rated Commercial Airline Pilots to stay on published tracks when approaching the field they instead chuck us off on a radar vector towards Wales, slow us down to minimum approach speed, gear down at 20 miles, fuel dripping out the back of the a/c for so reason...
Gatwick is a great example.
The controllers can get A/c to land,another airborne, and the next to land all within 4 miles. A very efficient operation altogether. And to be honest I DO see some very capable controllers at Dublin doing the same. It is great to see. Where it falls down a bit is where you got the "other" controller chucking out instuctions for A/C to reduce, one day it might be to reduce 210 another day reduce 200 and another 215, turn right a bit turn left a bit, no info of track miles etc..
For GODS SAKE .... Keep us on published inbound tracks
Sod the aircraft who is looking for sneaky shortcuts,
in saying that if its not busy at all that is a different story, direct centre fix happy days, but for the majority of the time, the pilots MUST understand and maybe the controllers to a small extent.....DUBLIN is getting so BUSY...and with this increase of traffic, semi-rigid approach procedures must be in place. Not once in all my years flying have I completed on STAR at Dublin. Could you and your management maybe try it out for a month or so and see how things would improve.
Regards
HighLow
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Can you confirm that the controllers at the moment with the problems being experienced by the radar, do NOT have strips detailing flight information of a particular aircraft once handed over to them by London for example.
Not once in all my years flying have I completed on STAR at Dublin.
Its rare on the northside to fly a full STAR as they are NAV aid based and therefore involve some strange unpredictable turns. So direct the hold is the name of the game there.
But that will change later this year when the Northsides airspace is finally fixed so expect new SIDS/STAR's and holds yay a useful DINIL hold(to be moved northwest). Plus a wider P600 through GELKI that will be unidirectional so expect a four lane airway with two lanes to service the much busier EGAA-EGAC dep's/arr's.
Keep your comments and questions coming as its good to hear what were doing right and wrong and where we can improve.
Last edited by jumparound; 7th Jun 2008 at 12:38.
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"Confirmed and not acceptable should have been the first thing to return."
There have been some mutterings about reintroducing strips, but this enviroment can not just 'return'. All our procedures are stripless based. Some controllers have never worked with strips. We don't even use strips to control the hold. Some of the older controllers may be able to botch together some ad-hoc system using strips, but I wouldn't touch strips without clear procedures of how and when they are to be used.
There have been some mutterings about reintroducing strips, but this enviroment can not just 'return'. All our procedures are stripless based. Some controllers have never worked with strips. We don't even use strips to control the hold. Some of the older controllers may be able to botch together some ad-hoc system using strips, but I wouldn't touch strips without clear procedures of how and when they are to be used.
jumparound:
As a regular passenger into and out of Dublin and as a result someone who while "sitting in the back" has gone around more than once at ROKNA, I find this very, very disturbing.
JAS
Throw in split tracks and angels, coasting signals and our favorite this system makes aircraft disappear if your flying a very similar track to another aircraft i.e in a hold if the traffic below is just ahead of you in the hold so the system cannot see a difference between the two and it erases one track and then swaps the labels when you move slightly away.
JAS
Last edited by Just a spotter; 8th Jun 2008 at 01:34.
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There is no way this carry on would go on at Heathrow!
Why dont Dublin send some of their lads down to Heathrow to see how they operate, and even get on some of their training courses to allow reduced separations?
Why dont Dublin send some of their lads down to Heathrow to see how they operate, and even get on some of their training courses to allow reduced separations?
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Why dont Dublin send some of their lads down to Heathrow to see how they operate, and even get on some of their training courses to allow reduced separations?
We are hamstrung by rules and regs. By an idiotic airport operator. This summer we are going to run 48 ops per hour off one runway with poor RET's and poor airfield design.
There is no way this carry on would go on at Heathrow!
+
Did NAT's not have serious issues when they introduced there Radar system.
