Presents an overview of the AC rating to include aviation weather; air navigation and aids to air navigation; military aircraft characteristics and performance; airport lighting, markings, and equipment; air traffic control equipment; airspace classification; flight assistance services; general flight rules and IFR/SVFR control procedures; control tower operations; radar operations; shipboard operations; and facility operations. Reviews air traffic control operator technical knowledge with emphasis on technical knowledge associated with supervisory performance such as air traffic control training certification, plans, reports, flight inspections, and required resources as well as aircraft accidents and incidents.
Providing a clear, conversational approach to radio communications, this sourcebook for pilots and aviation specialists features typical transmissions in order to explain how the air traffic control system works and presents simulated flights to demonstrate the correct procedures. Topics cover every aspect of radio communication, including basic system and procedural comprehension, etiquette and rules, visual flight rules, instrument flight rules, emergency procedures, ATC facilities and their functions, and a review of airspace definitions. Beginners and professionals alike will find this an invaluable resource for communicating by radio.
From the Foreword by Captain Daniel Maurino, ICAO: '...Air Traffic Control...will remain a technology-intensive system. People (controllers) must harmoniously interact with technology to contribute to achieve the aviation system’s goals of safe and efficient transportation of passengers and cargo...This book...considers human error and human factors from a contemporary and operational perspective and discusses the parts as well as the whole...I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.' The motivation for writing this book comes from the author’s long standing belief that the needs of Air Traffic Service personnel are inadequately represented in the aviation literature. There are few references to air traffic control in many of the books written for pilots and about pilots and this is also observed at the main international conferences. In line with the ICAO syllabus for human factors training for air traffic controllers, the book covers the main issues in air traffic control, with regard to human performance: physiology including stress, fatigue and shift work problems; psychology with emphasis on human error and its management, social psychology including issues of communication and working in teams, the environment including ergonomic principles and working with new technologies and hardware and software issues including the development of documentation and procedures and a study of the changes brought about by advanced technologies. Throughout the text there are actual examples taken from the air traffic control environment to illustrate the issues discussed. A full bibliography is included for those who want to read beyond these issues. It has been written for all in air traffic services, from ab initio to the boardroom; it is important that the men and women in senior management positions have some knowledge and awareness of the fundamental problems that limit and enhance human performance.
Automation in air traffic control may increase efficiency, but it also raises questions about adequate human control over automated systems. Following on the panel's first volume on air traffic control automation, Flight to the Future (NRC, 1997), this book focuses on the interaction of pilots and air traffic controllers, with a growing network of automated functions in the airspace system. The panel offers recommendations for development of human-centered automation, addressing key areas such as providing levels of automation that are appropriate to levels of risk, examining procedures for recovery from emergencies, free flight versus ground-based authority, and more. The book explores ways in which technology can build on human strengths and compensate for human vulnerabilities, minimizing both mistrust of automation and complacency about its abilities. The panel presents an overview of emerging technologies and trends toward automation within the national airspace systemâ€"in areas such as global positioning and other aspects of surveillance, flight information provided to pilots an controllers, collision avoidance, strategic long-term planning, and systems for training and maintenance. The book examines how to achieve better integration of research and development, including the importance of user involvement in air traffic control. It also discusses how to harmonize the wide range of functions in the national airspace system, with a detailed review of the free flight initiative.
Despite the strong safety record of the national airspace system, serious disruptions occasionally occur, often as a result of outdated or failed equipment. Under these circumstances, safety relies on the skills of the controllers and pilots and on reducing the number of aircraft in the air. The current and growing pressures to increase the capacity to handle a greater number of flights has led to a call for faster and more powerful equipment and for equipment that can take over some of the tasks now being performed by humans. Increasing the role of automation in air traffic control may provide a more efficient system, but will human controllers be able to effectively take over when problems occur? This comprehensive volume provides a baseline of knowledge about the capabilities and limitations of humans relative to the variety of functions performed in air traffic control. It focuses on balancing safety with the expeditious flow of air traffic, identifying lessons from past air accidents. The book discusses: The function of the national airspace system and the procedures for hiring, training, and evaluating controllers. Decisionmaking, memory, alertness, vigilance, sleep patterns during shift work, communication, and other factors in controllers' performance. Research on automation and human factors in air traffic control and incorporation of findings into the system. The Federal Aviation Administration's management of the air traffic control system and its dual mandate to promote safety and the development of air commerce. This book also offers recommendations for evaluation the human role in automated air traffic control systems and for managing the introduction of automation into current facilities and operations. It will be of interest to anyone concerned about air safetyâ€"policymakers, regulators, air traffic managers and controllers, airline officials, and passenger advocates.
