Facility Focus: Unique traffic management issues
When it comes to unique air traffic patterns, not all facilities are created equal. Every air traffic control center, tower and TRACON faces distinctive traffic patterns, equipment issues, and other factors which test controllers’ skill.
Aspen
When people think of Aspen, Colo., complex air traffic isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But for NATCA members tasked with maintaining safety at Aspen Tower during ski season, an unrelenting traffic load combined with mountainous terrain and other complexities make their jobs anything but fun and games.
“During ski season, traffic at our facility nearly quadruples,” says Matt Martin, NATCA’s representative at the facility. “Planes come from literally everywhere, and aircraft begin arriving from the east coast before we even open for business. We are a Level 5 facility, but controllers work Level 8 or 9 traffic this time of year.”
Restrictions on when most types of aircraft can land at the facility also make for fast-paced traffic that leaves no room for error. “With the terrain around here, 90 percent of planes can’t land after dark,” Martin notes. “Our facility is also unique in that radar controllers are in our tower cab. The radar controller must maintain eight miles of separation when aircraft are lined up for final approach so that other aircraft can immediately depart after a plane lands. If the separation is off, departures will grind to a halt simply due to heavy seasonal volume.”
Aspen is one of several facilities that would face significant difficulties if the FAA were successful at ending the practice of taxi into position and hold (TIPH), which enables controllers to safely and efficiently move aircraft by instructing pilots to assume takeoff position on the runway.
“During ski season, our facility depends on TIPH to keep up with volume,” Martin remarks. “Without it, our capacity could be cut in half during daylight hours.”
Boston
The media has shined the spotlight on an increase in runway incursions at Boston’s Logan International Airport. But those who work traffic at the tower are quick to point out one of the key factors in recent incidents: an intricate and cramped runway layout that can lead to pilot errors.
“The rising number of incidents can be attributed to simple math,” explains Tom Coronite, NATCA’s facility representative at Boston Tower. “Our airport has a compact and complex layout that features five intersecting runways. Pilots have to cross many runways to get from point A to point B, and this is very different from what they might encounter at other airports.”
Coronite believes improving the situation at Logan boils down to awareness and communication. “Airports that have a little more room to work with might have some room for sloppiness in readbacks (where pilots repeat a controller’s instructions to make sure they were properly understood). We don’t have that luxury here,” Coronite says. “In addition, I think we can reduce the margin of error through better education and communication with local users. I would like to see a local forum where pilots and controllers express their concerns to each other.”
Daytona Beach
Controllers at Daytona Beach Tower are busy as usual, directing heavy traffic and communicating with student pilots who haven’t yet mastered the finer points of air traffic control communication. The facility primarily handles traffic from nearby flight school Embry Riddle; about 90 percent of pilots who fly into the airport are students.
“Patience is a virtue here,” says Russ Campbell, NATCA’s facility representative at Daytona Beach Tower. “I feel that NATCA members here serve as ATC instructors as well as controllers. We serve as a training ground, affording these young pilots the opportunity to learn to speak to ATC before they fly into even busier airports.”
What’s the difference between working with students and seasoned pilots? Campbell believes it is the ability to follow instructions. “These pilots don’t pay as much attention and may not follow all of our instructions,” Campbell explains. “It might take two or three transmissions for one move. It’s a training ground here, so we like to slow it up a bit and listen to the frequency for the way a pilot speaks to get an idea if he can fly the aircraft. A crisp transmission is a good indicator that he knows what he’s doing.”
