A STRESSFUL JOB

A good air traffic controller needs to have spatial awareness and mathe­matical abilities. Above all, a con­troller must stay calm under pressure.

He or she must be able to absorb data, assess a situation accurately, and make the right decision quickly. Fitness, good vision and hearing, and a clear radio speaking voice are also essential. A controller should be a good team worker because safe air travel requires cooperation from many people. Air accidents are rare, but near misses sometimes do occur. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, terrorism brought a new dimension of risk, adding to U. S. air traffic controllers’ responsibilities.

In 1981 air traffic controllers in the United States went on strike. They were protesting their increasing workload and the stress and dangers of handling more airplanes every year. The federal government dis­missed 10,000 controllers. To reduce pressure, however, a flow control system was introduced. Under this system, an airliner could not leave an airport unless landing space was available at its destination airport at the time it was due to arrive. This eased the stress on controllers who were handling the holding stacks of airplanes waiting to land.

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on a highway. The difference, of course, is that aircraft travel much faster than cars and fly at different heights. Several aircraft may be flying over an airfield while other planes are preparing to land or take off below. For safety, all these aircraft must keep safe distances apart, both vertically and horizontally. The normal vertical distance between air­craft, known as safe vertical separation, is 1,000 feet (305 meters) below 29,000 feet (8,840 meters) and 2,000 feet (610 meters) at altitudes above 29,000 feet (8,840 meters). For planes at the same height, a distance of at least 10 miles (16 kilometers) apart is regarded as safest.

In the United States each ARTCC’s zone is divided into smaller sectors. Around airports, the airspace comes under Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON). Each TRACON covers rough­ly a 50-mile (80-kilometer) radius of air­space, and within each airspace is at least one airport. Each airport also has its own airspace, with a radius of 5 miles (8 kilometers). Around some busy inter­national hubs, one main computerized center handles all traffic. London, for example, has one main center that con­trols air traffic in and out of the city’s five major airports.

At a small airport, controllers may have control of aircraft on the ground and in the air around their airfield. Small flight service stations (FSS) help and advise private pilots flying in coun­try districts or from small airfields.

At a larger, busier airport, different types of controllers may be assigned to

various tasks. Tower con­trollers keep a visual watch on aircraft as well as using radar. Approach controllers follow the movements of airplanes approaching and leaving the airfield, usually up to a distance of 50 miles (80 kilometers) and to a height of 10,000 feet (3,050 meters). Area controllers are responsible for planes flying at higher altitudes.

The duties of an air traffic controller include using the radio to pass instructions to pilots about takeoff and landing and to relay weath­er information. Controllers use radar to track airplanes during their flights and plot the locations of aircraft on charts (maps). They check aircraft speed, direction, and altitude and keep a record of all movements and commu­nications. Computers are vital to air traffic controllers for processing and accessing information.