Airspace Management

In a somewhat desperate step, the RAAF has recently advertised nationally for qualified air traffic controllers and former RAAF controllers to apply for full or part-time positions at bases throughout Australia. The advertisement states: “Length of service, location and other conditions will be subject to negotiation. Applicants requirements will be catered for wherever possible.” Maybe if this attitude was adopted earlier the RAAF might not have had a manning problem in the first place.

RAAF controllers are, naturally enough, attracted to the wages and conditions at AirServices. ASA, who has a controller staffing problem of its own, is happy to accept RAAF trained controllers who can slot into civil ATC positions with minimal training.

AirServices has stirred a hornets nest amongst its own kind however, by putting newly arrived ex-RAAF controllers into GAAP towers and procedural approach towers much to the chagrin of long serving ASA sector controllers. Many controllers have been waiting years for an opportunity to escape the dimly-lit area approach control centres and look out a tower window, some of which are in desirable locations.

Military and civil air traffic control recruiting and training will be the subject of future articles in Australian Aviation this year.

A Sign Of Things To Come?

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is calling for the closure of most of the USA’s long range enroute primary radars by the turn of the century due mainly to the cost of maintenance and spare parts.

The FAA said it would cost $US1.4 billion to replace existing equipment, some of which has been operating for over 30 years. It is unlikely the country’s budgetary problems will allow such a project to go ahead.

The planned removal of the radars follows a 1990 report indicating that around 97% of aircraft flying under IFR conditions were transponder equipped and had altitude reporting – negating the need for primary radars. However, the plan has been met with alarm by the US AOPA.

President of AOPA, Mr Phil Boyer said that without primary radar, controllers would not be able to see non-transponder equipped aircraft. Also if a VFR aircraft, not communicating with ATC, suffered a transponder failure, it would become invisible to ATC and the collision avoidance systems on airliners.

There are currently 113 long range radar sites in the US, most of which are along its borders and in coastal areas. Forty of these are scheduled to be replaced with upgraded Air Route Surveillance Radar equipment under a joint FAA/Department of Defense programme.

AOPA and the US military are both concerned that, apart from the safety aspect, there may now be a requirement to fit dual transponders and other expensive electrical backup systems to all GA and military aircraft. A cost to the taxpayer in the case of the military and a cost to the already impoverished GA operator – sounds familiar.

Oz Technology For Nasa

The Preston Group of Richmond, Victoria, has won an order to supply its Total Airspace and Airport Modeller (TAAM) to the NASA research facility in Ames, Texas.

NASA has bought two licence agreements from Preston for free-flight simulators and planning software. The modelling tool is already used by Boeing to simulate new routes in parts of Asia and recently by Federal Express to optimise traffic flow at Memphis. The TAAM licence deal is worth $US350,000.

Free-flight is the logical extension to Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) as demonstrated by the recent implementation of FANS-1 avionic equipment and procedures.

Preston’s managing director, Malcolm Toohill said “there is pressure on the FAA to redesign the airspace. Within the next five years the eight or so airspace regions will need help.”

To support its growing customer base in the US, Preston entered into an agreement with software firm CACI. NASA becomes the seventh US firm/organisation to select The Preston Groups planning tools.