Airspace Management

Meanwhile, further development is proposed for the Darwin RAAF base and involves relocation of the ATC facilities. The RAAF provides the tower and approach control services out to about 35 miles.

A site has been selected on the northern, or FAC side of the airport. Construction is under the control of Incoll Management and is expected to cost $3.64 million. A 40-meter high control tower and a 600-square-meter approach control and maintenance building form part of the development to be built adjacent to the RPT apron and civil terminal. Construction is expected to start mid-’95 and fitout and completion late ’96.

ATC Training

The Australian Air Academy (AAA) at Tamworth, New South Wales is to assist in the training of air traffic controllers. Under a contract with the Civil Aviation Authority, the AAA will provide initial training for recruit ATC officers (ATCOs) this year and early in 1996.

In the four-week segment of ATC training, the trainees will receive a thorough introduction to the Australian aviation environment with an emphasis on the role of ATC in that environment. Subjects studied will include Aeronautical Principles, Meteorology, Navigation, Altimetry, and Air Legislation. Three courses will be held this year; the first commenced in March. There will be 16 students on each course. After initial training at Tamworth, the students will move to the CAA’s Air Traffic Services Training Colleges in Brisbane and Melbourne for classroom and simulator training.

The CAA is actively recruiting ATCOs after a long period of recruiting inactivity. In recent years, the CAA has offered ATC training to Flight Service Officers and Airways Data Systems Officers as an alternative to retrenchment. The CAA now sees the need to recruit and train young people to fill the gap created by not having recruited for three years and an aging controller population approaching retirement.

A recent recruiting drive has been encouraging women to “take control” in what has previously been a male-dominated field. Potential ATCOs of either sex are offered $20,400 to $30,600 while training for 12–15 months and a base salary of $41,000 pa on successful completion of the course.

Due to the increased activity (pilot and air traffic controller training), Tamworth is to have its ATC facilities upgraded with the proposed development of a new control tower. Construction of the 20-meter high tower and associated infrastructure is expected to cost $4.325 million.

Over The Horizon

Visitors to Airshow Downunder ’95 may have noticed the Telstra stand in the exhibition pavilion and the Jindalee demonstration. Telstra, along with its major team partners, GEC Marconi and Lockheed, are involved in the development of the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN).

Jindalee is a sophisticated ultra-long-range early warning radar surveillance system. The system uses High Frequency (HF) signals which will reach across more than 3,000 km of airspace and ocean with a single installation blanketing more than 5 million square km. Conventional ground-based microwave radar operates line-of-sight and is therefore limited by the horizon. Objects over the horizon are undetectable.

Digital receivers, fixed beacons, and mini radar reference information are used to enhance tracking accuracy. Until recently, “backscatter” echoes from the earth’s surface could obscure the target, but advances in computer signal processing have reduced this problem to acceptable levels. Research and development programs are continuing to enhance OTHR capabilities so that they embrace the widest possible range of applications.

Jindalee OTHR can be custom designed to meet any combination of applications. These include fully networked military and civilian surveillance capability, aircraft and ship detection and tracking, and cost-effective weather surveillance, including sea-state sensing and cyclone detection and tracking.