WORKSHOP 1 From December 12 to 16, 2016

Volume 1, nº 1

ATC SERVICES
ATS further provides four services:

 Air traffic control service, which is to prevent collisions in con-

trolled airspace by instructing pilots where to fly;
 Air traffic advisory service, used in uncontrolled airspace to
prevent collisions by advising pilots of other aircraft or hazards;
 Flight information service, which provides information useful
for the safe and efficient conduct of flights;
 Alerting service, which provides service to all known aircraft. AIR TRAFFIC SERVICE

In aviation, an air traffic

service (ATS) is a service
which regulates and as-
sists aircraft in real-time
to ensure their safe opera-
tions. In particular, ATS is
to: prevent collisions be-
tween aircraft; provide
advice of the safe and effi-
cient conduct of flights;
conduct and maintain an
orderly flow of air traffic;
notify concerned organiza-
 WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE AS A CONTROLLER? tions of and assist in
search and rescue opera-
tions.
 Explain the difference between ATC service and
ATC unit.
 Provided Activity 1. Fill in the blanks using the words
Zone from the left column.
Sector
GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR
Centre
AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES
Airspace RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
PROVISION OF
Tower
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SER-
Established
VICE
Unit Area control service
Aerodrome Area control service shall be pro-
vided:
Region a) By an area control ___________
Facilities (ACC); or
b) By the unit providing approach
Responsibility control service in a control
_________ or in a control area of
limited extent which is designated
primarily for the provision of ap-
proach control service, when no
ACC is _________________.
Approach control service
Approach control service shall be
________________:
a) By an _________________control
tower or an ACC, when it is neces-
sary or desirable to combine un-
der the _______________ of one unit
the functions of the approach con-
trol service and those of the aero-
drome control service or the area
control service; or
b) By an approach control
_________, when it is necessary or
desirable to establish a separate
unit.
Note. — Approach control service
may be provided by a unit collocat-
ed with an ACC, or by a control
__________within an ACC.
Aerodrome control service
Aerodrome control service shall
be provided by an aerodrome
control _____________.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
PROVISION OF FLIGHT IN-
FORMATION
SERVICE AND ALERTING
SERVICE
Flight information service and
alerting service shall be provided
as follows:
a) Within a flight information
_____________ (FIR): by a flight infor-
mation centre, unless the respon-
sibility for providing such ser-
vices is assigned to an air traffic
control unit having adequate
________________ for the exercise of
such responsibilities;
b) Within controlled
_______________and at controlled
aerodromes: by the relevant air
traffic control units.

 What skills do you need to have in order to work as an Air

Traffic Controller?

 Explain the difference between tasks performed by an Ap-

proach Controller and an Aerodrome Controller.

2
Activity 2. Look at the pictures and compare them. Mention the
similarities and differences you find.

USE THESE EXPRESSIONS

What’s the difference be-
 Both of them show…  But, however, while, on
tween an ATC Service and
 The two pictures… the other hand, … an ATC Unit?
 In both pictures…  Finally, i would say
The difference is that ATC
 Both photos show… that…
service is used as an ab-
 The main difference
 To conclude…
stract phrase to designate
between them…  To finish... functions or services ren-
 Another difference… dered, and the term ATC
unit is used to designate a
collective body performing
an ATC service.

Activity 3. Watch the video about ATC units SERVICE:

and answer the following questions.  Flight information ser-

vice.
 Air traffic control ser-
 Where are the interviews being held? vice.
 What control positions are there in that Radar Control  Alerting service.
Centre?
UNIT:
 What are the main objectives for the controllers accord-
ing to Paul?
 Control tower.
 What happens in the control tower when the rescue heli-  Approach control cen-
copter requests priority? tre.
 Area control centre.

3
 Activity 4. Read the article and paraphrase it.
PARAPHRASING I
AIRPORTS TEST UNMANNED TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWERS
Steps for effective Para-
phrasing Airports are increasingly using unmanned air traffic control towers
- relying on technology rather than humans to do a highly speciali-
 Read again the origi- sed job.
nal article until you
fully understand.
A remote system has just been
rolled out in Leesburg Executi-
 Jot down a few words
ve Airport in Virginia.
Sweden's Ornskoldsvik airport
(one per line) to re-
has had the same system -
mind you of important
which uses cameras and sen-
information.
sors - since April 2015. The
technology could revolutionise
 Identify key words or
air traffic services, according to
phrases to help your- the UK's National Air Traffic
self keep focused dur- Service (Nats).
ing the paraphrasing.
The remote system - designed by Swedish defence firm Saab - includes
 Link the key words or 14 high-definition cameras and sensors that can spot aeroplanes in all
phrases from the arti- weathers. At Ornskoldsvik, the planes are controlled by a person sitting
cle with the words you 90 miles (144km) away at Sunsvall airport. That airport is due to have
jotted down in order to the same system installed later this year.
start paraphrasing.
A spokesman for Saab told the BBC that the technology could be a huge
benefit to air traffic control by reducing costs.

The technology can do a better job than humans, he said. "The cameras
and sensors pick up and see aircraft in any environment - in fog, rain and
the dark. It is better than the human eye." The system would also allow
for emerging airports that the military could deploy in war zones - atta-
ching the system of cameras to trucks rather than towers.

He said that interest in the system is increasing, with some major air-
ports considering installing remote towers as back-ups and added that
the company is negotiating with UK airports. The UK's Nats said that it
was in discussions with a number of manufacturers about offering the
service in the UK.

"The introduction of remote

control towers is one of the
most exciting technological
developments in the history
of our industry," said Nats
general manager of opera-
tions Paul Jones. "We're exci-
ted by what remote towers
could mean for airports' busi-
4 ness."
Activity 5. What would you do in these situa-
tions? Share your ideas.

Situation 1.
You are an approach controller in a busy airport. An incoming
English - speaking pilot has requested a priority landing for a
heavy aircraft. He has repeated the request but you still cannot
understand the reason.

Situation 2.
You are an approach controller and have twice issued instruc-
tions to an approaching B757 but have had no response. The pla-
ne is at the outer marker and appears to be on course for landing
as instructed.

In each case, what would you say to deal with the situation?, provide a sample of
your radio message.

Situation 3.
You are an aerodrome con-
troller and you have a fo-
reign flight waiting to take
off from runway 09. An in-
bound A320 was about to
land, but before touching
ground it makes a balked
landing and you have al-
ready instructed the foreign
flight to join the runway and
your second inbound is 7
miles on final.
Situation 4.
You are an enroute con-
troller and you have
heard some reports from
a station requesting in-
mediate descent. You
can’t recognise the sta-
tion callsing but it’s a
foreign pilot who is tal-
king and you only have
under your control do-
mestic flights.

For imaginary situations ...

 I would give priority to the flight.
 I would coordinate with the aerodrome controller.
 I would advise about the weather conditions.

5

PROMPT QUESTION
In your opinion, at what
age shall an air traffic con-
troller retire from active
control?
Consider the following
prompts in your answer:
 Memory issues
 Fatigue
 Financials
 Local regulations
USE THESE EXPRESSIONS
 That was a(n) shocking/
impacting/ astonishing/
unthinkable/frightening
picture…
 It was about a ...
 On the left side there
were...
 In the middle there was…
 At the background there
were…
U - CLI
Activity 6. After reading provide your opinion.
VETERAN EYE ON THE SKIES
In the five-story control tower at one of
the busier small airports in the nation,
air traffic controller Robert Craig is just
beginning his regular eight-hour shift
on a job consistently ranked near the
top of the most demanding, stressful
occupations.
At least three small planes are circling
the partly-cloudy skies over North Perry
Airport, a student pilot is practicing
touch-and-go landings, a Piper PA-18 is
swooping in to pick up an advertising
banner and a helicopter is hovering
nearby.
"If the world knew that an 80-
something-year-old was working their
flight, that's pretty scary," Craig said
with a laugh.
At 81, the silver-haired Craig has been
certified by the Guinness World Records
as the oldest active air traffic controller
in the world.
"November 1253, one-zero runway
right. Cleared for take-off," Craig said as
he and two other controllers kept track
of dozens of simultaneous operations of
small planes and helicopters one after-
noon last week. All wore headsets. And
as they looked back and forth between
the skies outside and the radar screens
on the console, they spoke to the pilots
Activity 7. Scan the picture from left to right,
and say what you remember about it.
in voices low and firm.
"Bob was a legend at MIA [Miami Inter-
national Airport]," said Ron Brinson, air
traffic manager at North Perry and also
a former FAA air traffic controller.
"There is a lot of knowledge there."
Craig is too old to work as an air traffic
controller now for the FAA, which has a
mandatory retirement age of 56. He is
also too old to be a commercial pilot;
they must quit at 65.
Thanks to the federal Age Discrimina-
tion in Employment Act, mandatory
retirement is prohibited and not an is-
sue for most American workers, includ-
ing those employed by RVA, Inc., con-
tracted by the federal government to
manage air traffic operations at North
Perry and dozens of other small airports
in the U.S.
Bob Craig represents a growing national
trend of older workers staying on the
job. Almost 20 percent of Americans 65
and older are now working.
"Expectations are high in this job, and I
enjoy having demands made on me," he
said. "When you can provide that assis-
tance to a pilot, and get the guy back
home safely, it's very gratifying. I like
going home at the end of the day know-
ing I did a good job."