ATC Training News

Aurora air traffic control facility fire investigation calls for change – CInewsNow

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 05:44:02 +0000

CInewsNow Aurora air traffic control facility fire investigation calls for changeCInewsNowAURORA, Ill. — A Department of Transportation investigation has revealed insufficient security protocols and contingency plans after a 2014 fire at the Aurora, Ill. FAA air traffic control facility. Six members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation …Report: FAA had poor contingency and security plans at […]

Luxair Q400 comes to rest on fuselage after aborting take-off

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 04:47:11 +0000

One of Luxair’s Bombardier Q400 turboprops has come to rest on its lower fuselage after aborting take-off from Saarbrucken. news

Air traffic control for drones in development at Griffiss – Utica Observer Dispatch

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 09:43:58 +0000

Air traffic control for drones in development at GriffissUtica Observer DispatchNUAIR is one of six Federal Aviation Administration designated test sites for the integration of unmanned craft, or drones, into civilian air space. The NUAIR test center is already equipped with sophisticated air traffic control technology and is …and more » air traffic control – Google […]

One year after Aurora air traffic control fire, only limited improvements – WLS-TV

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 13:45:35 +0000

WLS-TV One year after Aurora air traffic control fire, only limited improvementsWLS-TVIn the wake of the Aurora air traffic control fire the FAA also vowed to enhance contingency planning. They're proceeding with the decade-long roll-out of "Next Gen," which will give the air traffic control system far more flexibility. But like …It's time to corporatize […]

America’s Air Traffic Control System is Finally Going Digital – Fox Business

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 17:43:13 +0000

Fox Business America's Air Traffic Control System is Finally Going DigitalFox BusinessThat's the dream of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is about a third of the way through a massive overhaul of America's air traffic control system. Instead of the cumbersome radar and radio system used to direct airplanes that's been in …Controlled chaos heard […]

Flights Delayed in Spain by Air Traffic Controller Work Stoppages – TravelPulse

Sun, 27 Sep 2015 21:43:27 +0000

TravelPulse Flights Delayed in Spain by Air Traffic Controller Work StoppagesTravelPulseHave one of Spain's airports on your itinerary? Get comfortable — you could be in for a bit of a wait. According to The Spain Report, work stoppages by air traffic controllers in the USCA union are causing delays. This strike is slated to last […]

Cathay Pacific investigating A330 emergency diversion

Sun, 27 Sep 2015 21:35:25 +0000

Cathay Pacific is investigating an engine issue that forced the crew of one of its Airbus A330s to make an emergency landing at Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai International airport on 24 September. news

Should air traffic controllers be privatized? – Philly.com

Sun, 27 Sep 2015 01:43:56 +0000

Philly.com Should air traffic controllers be privatized?Philly.comAmong its many duties is overseeing thousands of air traffic controllers at hundreds of airports and planes ranging from private jets to passenger airliners to military transports. Conversation is building in Washington on this question: Would the FAA …Air traffic controllers remain on the job despite errorsWKMG Orlandoall 2 […]

Air traffic controllers remain on the job despite errors – WKMG Orlando

Sat, 26 Sep 2015 05:43:50 +0000

WKMG Orlando Air traffic controllers remain on the job despite errorsWKMG OrlandoAnchor: AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS HELP PLANES TAKE OFF AND LAND BUT SOMETIMES THEY MAKE MISTAKES WITH DEADLY CONSEQUENCES. WHEN AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER CONTRIBUTES TO A PLANE CRASH MITES ASSUME … air traffic control – Google News

One Year Since the Chicago Center Fire: Teamwork, Dedication Across the Midwest

Sat, 26 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

NATCA is commemorating the one year anniversary of the Sept. 26, 2014 Chicago Center fire with a pair of videos.

Editorial – A Better Way – ATWOnline

Fri, 25 Sep 2015 09:43:27 +0000

Editorial – A Better WayATWOnlineNorth of the 49th Parallel, they've figured out how to manage an air traffic control system safely and efficiently. South of the border, the US can still pride itself on the safety of its airspace management system, but few would now call it efficient … air traffic control – Google News

NASA Developed Technology Aims to Save Commercial Airlines Fuel, Time

Fri, 25 Sep 2015 06:48:23 +0000

Original news story:

http://www.gizmag.com/nasa-airline-traffic-aware-planner/395...

Two passenger airlines soon will test NASA-developed software designed to help air carriers save time and reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

During the next three years, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines will use the Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) application, to make "traffic aware strategic aircrew requests" (TASAR).

"TAP connects directly to the aircraft avionics information hub on the aircraft," said David Wing, TASAR project lead at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. "It reads the current position and altitude of the aircraft, its flight route, and other real-time information that defines the plane's current situation and active flight plan. Then it automatically looks for a variety of route and/or altitude changes that could save fuel or flight time and displays those solutions directly to the flight crew."

NATCA Calls on Congress to Prevent Shutdown, Provide Stable Funding for National Airspace System

Fri, 25 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The clock is ticking as members of Congress work to provide the federal government funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 before the September 30 deadline. NATCA is calling on Congress to prevent a government shutdown and provide stable funding for the National Airspace System.

World's first remote-control air traffic control tower is up and running

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 07:14:44 +0000

Original news story:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/09/15/world...

Passengers landing at remote Ornskoldsvik Airport in northern Sweden might catch a glimpse of the control tower — likely unaware there is nobody inside.

The dozen commercial planes landing there each day are instead watched by cameras, guided in by controllers viewing the video at another airport 90 miles away.

Ornskoldsvik is the first airport in the world to use such technology. Others in Europe are testing the idea, as is one airport in the United States. While the majority of the world's airports will, for some time, still have controllers on site, experts say unmanned towers are coming. They'll likely first go into use at small and medium airports, but eventually even the world's largest airports could see an array of cameras mounted on a pole replacing their concrete control towers.

The companies building these remote systems say their technology is cheaper and better than traditional towers.

Snowplow driver, air traffic controllers responsible for Falcon crash in Vnukovo

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:13:14 +0000

Original news story:

http://m.rbth.co.uk/news/2015/08/28/snowplow_driver_air_traf...

A snowplow that entered the runway and the erroneous actions of air traffic controllers are responsible for the crash of a Falcon jet of Total CEO Christophe de Margerie at Moscow Vnukovo airport, Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told Interfax on Aug. 28.

"Detectives have established that a direct cause of the Falcon crash was a collision between the jet, which was taking off, and a snowplow that breached the rules and entered the runway in the absence of control over the driver's operations by a senior shift engineer, Markin said.

"Air traffic controllers had a chance to prevent the plane-snowplow collision but did not do anything," Markin said.

FAA To Replace ATC Digital Voice Recorder Equipment

Mon, 24 Aug 2015 07:18:17 +0000

Original news story:

http://aviationweek.com/awin-only/faa-replace-atc-digital-vo...

The FAA is gearing up to replace the digital voice recording equipment in 450 civilian and 300 U.S. military air traffic control (ATC) facilities before the legacy technology becomes “unsustainable” beyond 2021.

FAA Responds to NASA Controller Fatigue Study Findings

Wed, 12 Aug 2015 16:29:26 +0000

Original news story:

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2015/08/faa-responds-nasa-cont...

In response to the Associated Press (AP) outing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) surrounding ongoing risks associated with air traffic controller fatigue, the FAA yesterday released a Q&A, reprinted below, to the press discussing fatigue in controllers. The AP obtained the hidden report, which only became available on the FAA’s website several hours after the AP published its story, that found air traffic controllers’ work schedules often lead to chronic fatigue, making them less alert and endangering the safety of the national air traffic system.

What steps has the FAA taken to relieve the problem of controller fatigue?

In 2012, the FAA implemented a comprehensive Fatigue Risk Management System to manage controller fatigue. This Fatigue Risk Management System includes policy and practice changes, along with fatigue education to raise awareness about the personal responsibilities associated with managing fatigue.

AP EXCLUSIVE: Air controller study shows chronic fatigue

Wed, 12 Aug 2015 16:27:48 +0000

Original news story:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/74e1e3ac86a04c119f6fdff235847...

Air traffic controllers' work schedules often lead to chronic fatigue, making them less alert and endangering the safety of the national air traffic system, according to a study the government kept secret for years.

Federal Aviation Administration officials posted the study online Monday, hours after The Associated Press reported the findings — and noted that agency officials had declined to furnish a copy despite repeated requests over the past three months, including a Freedom of Information Act filing.

The AP was able to obtain a draft of the final report dated Dec. 1, 2011. The report FAA posted online was dated December 2012, although the findings appear to be nearly identical to the draft.

Google, NASA work together to design drone air-traffic-control system

Sat, 25 Jul 2015 07:07:41 +0000

Original news story:

https://www.rt.com/usa/310705-drone-air-traffic-control/

Google is partnering with NASA and 13 other companies, including Amazon and Verizon, to create an air-traffic control system for drones, called the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Traffic Management.

Drones are the way of the future, and ? rather than let the air be clogged with unruly, unregulated unmanned robots ? the government is seeking to work with the private sector to create rules of the aerial road. The move comes after a series of incidents involving drones, including crashes at national parks and on the White House grounds. Yet, for some businesses, the regulations can’t come fast enough.

ATCO Workload

Fri, 24 Jul 2015 09:04:07 +0000

Original news story:

http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/3062.pdf

Interesting and useful discussion on ATCO workload:

http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/3062.pdf