An air traffic controller isn't that person on the ground who's standing in front of your airplane waving their hands around! That's an aircraft marshaller - these specialists assist pilots in stopping, turning, and shutting the engines down. Air traffic controllers are responsible for the safe plane movement in the air - and this profession's bound to have some exciting secrets!
Air traffic controllers speak not only English (the language of the skies) but also Aviation English! It consists of about 300 words and is a combination of good old English and professional jargon. This language was invented to prevent air controllers and pilots from mishearing each other - in their job, even tiny miscommunication can lead to disastrous consequences!
Unfortunately, not all air traffic controllers have a stunning office view. It's hard not to notice control towers - they're the first thing to catch your eye at any airport. But those controllers who work in tall glass towers are only in charge of the airport and the airspace right above. The rest of the airspace is controlled by professionals who are very likely to stay in dark rooms without windows. Plus, they can be miles away from the airports or sky sectors they monitor.
When you're flying, more than a dozen air traffic controllers take part in delivering you to your destination safely. It may seem that there's a lot of space in the sky, but it's just an illusion. Like a honeycomb, it's divided into sections, each with its own "highways" and "crossroads." All sections have different sizes, depending on the number of these "crossroads" and the length of the "highways." The bigger a section is, the more controllers are needed.
So, let's see: the tower controllers lead your plane from the gate to the runway and then get it airborne. Five miles later, your aircraft becomes a responsibility of the approach controllers (they handle airplanes during their climb and descent). When the jet reaches a height of 18,000 ft, the route center controllers take the reins. These specialists use radars to guide the planes flying at cruising altitudes. After that, right before the descent, the approach controllers take over again.
It's not uncommon for air traffic controllers to see unidentified flying objects! It mostly happens at night - that's when controllers usually spot blinking lights that aren't coming from airplanes. But don't rush to blame UFOs! Air traffic radars are so sensitive that they can easily pick up flocks of birds, big clouds, or even massive trucks on the ground. Or flying saucers… heh heh.
Even though air traffic controllers have special equipment, all of them have to be trained in meteorology. If the machines fail, they'll have to figure out the wind speed and direction with the help of a wind indicator. And to find out how good (or bad) the visibility is, controllers look at specific landmarks: neighboring buildings, water and cell towers.
Most air controllers find it exhausting to handle pilots with difficult accents. Yep, everyone whose job is to fly a plane is supposed to speak English fluently (it's the official aviation language, after all!). And still, communication problems with non-native speakers do exist. When talking to a pilot with a heavy accent, a controller tries to speak very slowly, pronounce all the words distinctly, and avoid route changes by all means.
Airport tower controllers don't spend all their time staring at the radar screens. Half of the time, they have to rely on their eyes. Some specialists confess they can deal with more traffic when they see what's happening directly in front of them. Ever had a delay due to bad weather? One of the reasons could be air traffic controllers being unable to see the airspace clearly.
Air traffic controllers have to train their voices. They can talk quietly and indistinctly in their private life, but at work, the way they speak has to change dramatically. Their voices need to be loud and clear, and sometimes, controllers deliberately exaggerate the pronunciation of particular words. It's crucial - otherwise, pilots can misunderstand the broadcasted information.
If something goes wrong with the airplane communication system (that's what controllers call "radio failure"), the airport tower uses a signal lamp to deliver messages to the pilot. With the help of this lamp, pilots figure out when and where they can land. All of them know where they need to look to get light directions from the controllers and what different colors mean. For example, if a pilot sees a green ray of light, they know they can land. If there are some obstacles on the runway, traffic controllers change this signal to flashing red light, and the pilot realizes that landing is dangerous.
Air traffic controllers aren't going to be replaced by robots any time soon. They do use a lot of machines and automated systems in their work. Radars do help to get passengers from point A to point B. But all this equipment wouldn't last without human specialists who make sure it doesn't malfunction.
Air traffic controllers often use binoculars! Even though there are tons of advanced observation
tools at hand, this seemingly outdated object is as useful as decades ago. Controllers use binoculars to look for different airspace invaders, like drones or flocks of birds. Plus, this tool can come in handy to pinpoint objects on runways and spot planes and vehicles.
There are a lot of myths about this profession. For example, you might have seen an action movie or two where air traffic controllers talked an aircraft down to a safe landing. It CAN happen in real life, but such cases are extremely rare. They mostly occur with small planes, flown by pilots who are used to relying on their vision. In bad weather, when the visibility is low, such pilots can lose control over the situation, and air traffic controllers have to assist them in landing the plane. But with large commercial airplanes, the pilot is the final authority. They're responsible for flying the aircraft and passengers' safety.
Most of the time, air traffic controllers are either bored out of their minds (especially during tedious and monotonous night shifts) or stressed out. They tend to miss family gatherings and birthdays and often have to work on weekends and holidays. What’s more, controllers must stay completely concentrated on the task at hand because a critical situation can come up at any moment.
An air traffic controller never knows what a curve every new shift is going to throw them. This unpredictability can keep a person rather tense, especially during bad weather or busy traffic. That's why air traffic controllers have to take regular breaks to relax. All airlines have their own rules, but it's usually a break of 20 to 40 minutes every 60 to 90 minutes.
Another misconception many people believe in is frequent near-misses happening because air traffic controllers are exhausted and stressed out. Mistakes do happen, but they aren't nearly as numerous as you can imagine. Controllers are super-attentive to vertical and horizontal distances between planes (aka "separation distances") and make sure aircraft stick to their routes.
And finally: you have to fit very strict requirements if you want to become an air traffic controller. They can't do without perfect vision, lightning-fast reactions, and a sharp mind. You also have to be able to think clearly and make the right decisions under pressure.
No comments:
Post a Comment