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117 Cards in this Set

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What does NATS (limited) do?
Provides air traffic control service at three en-route centres as well as various aerodromes as:
Glasgow, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City, Belfast, Southampton, Luton and Manchester
What are the three en-route centres called?
Swanwick (including London Area Control Centre and London Terminal Control Centre), Prestwick (including the Oceanic Control function) and Manchester
How much is the growth of future air traffic in the UK?
5% per annum
Air Traffic Control is assigned to NATS by;
ICAO which is a short term for;
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
How does NATS provide its range of service?
Uses primary and secondary surveillance radar, computerized flight data, radar data processing systems, navigational aids, air to ground radio telephony and an extensive ground-to-ground telecommunication network linking UK ATC units and with immediate neighbouring ATC Centres, like Shannon and Paris.
Nats is engaged in not only ATC but also:
Planning the development of the ATC infrastructure to meet the projected future demand in civil air traffic and;
Discharges the operational and technical commitments arising from the UK's membership of ICAO and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol)
How is air traffic in the UK divided?
Is divided into two Flight Information Regions (FIRs), called London and Scottish.
What areas does the London FIR cover?
The majority of England and Wales and is controlled by the London Area Control Centre (LACC) at Swanwick in Hampshire, which also houses the London Terminal Control.
What ares does the Scottish FIR cover?
Covers the whole of Scotland and Northern Ireland and the immediate surrounding areas, is controlled by the Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (SCATCC) at Prestwick.
Where is the Oceanic Control Area based?
Prestwick
When was NOTA established?
January 20th 2005 its first phase.
Where?
Within the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area to the North of the Shannon FIR/UIR
What is NOTA a short term for?
Northern Oceanic Transition Area
What FL does the NOTA extend from? And what class is NOTA?
The NOTA extends from FL55 upwards and this is classified as class A airspace.
Which class of airspace is under FL 55 (NOTA)?
Class G
When was the second phase of NOTA established?
And what was IAA´s ( Irish Aviation Authority) responsibilities?
The second phase of the NOTA was introduced in late October 2006 whereby the IAA (Irish Aviation Authority) became responsible for east and westbound flights in the NOTA.
Within the FIR´s there are two main airspaces called:
Controlled and uncontrolled
How many classes of airspace are there and what are they called?
Six classes from A to C-G
Which classes are controlled airspace?
A and C B D E. F and G are uncontrolled.
What is permitted in the class A?
Only IFR (instrument flight rules). It is the most strictly regulated airspace where pilots must comply with ATC instructions at all times. Aircraft are separated from all other traffic and the users of this airspace are mainly the major airlines and business jet users.
When did class B airspace ceased to exist?
From 16th March 2006 Class B airspace ceased to exist in the London and Scottish UIRs. What airspace class replaced class B?
Class C airspace replaced all Class B airspace.
Which airspace did Class C airspace replace and when?
Class A, D, F and G airspace above FL195 in the London and Scottish FIR/UIRs from 15TH March 2007
To accommodate Visual Flight Rule flights (VFR) and autonomous military flying above FL195 NATS did what?
Introduced 8 TRAs (Temporary Reserved Areas).
And these areas are:
Volumes of airspace where Air Traffic Services will be provided in accordance with UK Air Traffic Services Outside Controlled Airspace Rules
What is Class D airspace for and is ATC mandatory?
For IFR and VFR use and an ATC clearance is needed and compliance with ATC instructions is mandatory
What is the controllers task for aircraft in class D?
Controllers will separate IFR from IFR and will pass information on VFR to IFR flights. If the pilot of an IFR flight requests avoidance instructions then they will be issued. Aircraft flying VFR will be given traffic information on VFR and IFR flights.
What class is the control area around aerodromes? And what is the speed limit under FL 100?
Control areas around aerodromes are class D, and in class D airspace, a speed limit of 250 knots applies if the aircraft is below Flight Level 100
How can aircrafts fly in uncontrolled airspaces?
Aircraft may fly when and where they like, subject to a set of simple rules.
The pilot is responsible for:
determining whether or not the meteorological conditions permit flight in accordance with Visual Flight Rules (VFR). A pilot must fly according to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) if the meteorological conditions preclude VFR flight and at night.
Controlled airspace is provided primarily to:
Protect commercial airliners.
Aircrafts who fly in to controlled airspace must:
Be equipped to a certain standard and their pilots must hold the necessary qualifications.
What must the pilot do to enter controlled airspace?
Pilots must obtain a clearance from Air Traffic Control to enter such airspace and, except in an emergency situation, they must follow ATC instructions implicitly
What does aerodrome control Zones do?
Surround and protect major airports
Where are Terminal Control Areas normally located?
Terminal Control Areas are normally established at the confluence of airways in the vicinity of one or more major aerodromes
What are airways?
Corridors of airspace connecting the Terminal Control Areas and link up with airways in other countries too.
How are airways structured?
Airways are normally 10 miles wide and have bases between 5,000 feet - 7,000 feet and they extend upward to a height of 24,500 feet
Say three things about "upper air routes"
1.Upper air routes often sit above airways
2.Their vertical limits are usually Flight Level (FL) 250-FL 460
3. Airspace above FL 245 is classified now as class C airspace
Info;
It used to be known as Special Rules Airspace, then class B airspace. Civil and military aircraft operating above FL 245 are subject to a full and mandatory Air Traffic Control Service.
How are aircrafts seperated from each other in the London Terminal Control Area?
Aircraft operating under radar control may not come within 3 nautical miles of each other at the same height. If they are less than 3 miles apart they must be separated by a minimum of 1,000 feet.
How are aircrafts seperated outside the Terminal Control Area operating under radar control?
Aircraft must be kept 5 nautical miles apart if they are at the same level. If they are less than 5 miles apart horizontally they must be 1,000 feet apart vertically.
Facts ;
Certain aircraft that fly above 29,000 feet must be separated from others by 2000 feet. These are aircraft which cannot comply with the reduced vertical separation minima, which was introduced in the UK’s airspace in March 2001.
What is the reason for the difference between the separation in the terminal and the en-route phase?
It is due to the speed of the aircraft. In the terminal area the speeds of aircraft tend to be slower due to the fact that they are slowing down to land or to hold at holding facilities for airfields. Aircraft are also more manoeuvrable at slower speeds
How does NATS, Outside Controlled and Special Rules Airspace provide ATC services to aircraft on request?
It is either, Radar Advisory, Radar Information or a non-radar service called Flight Information Service.

facts;
On certain routes, which are well used, but not busy enough to be classified as airways, NATS has established Advisory Routes where pilots can receive an ATC service to ensure their separation from other participating aircraft
What is RVSM a short term for?
Reduced Vertical Separation Minima
What is RVSM?
Aircraft that have had their altimeters checked to a high degree of accuracy and which can comply with other strict criteria have been allowed to fly across the Atlantic track structure with only 1000 feet separation above Flight Level (FL) 290 and below FL 410.
What does RVSM's separation standars allow?
This separation standard allows many more aircraft to fly through airspace where RVSM is allowed.
What date was RVSM introduced to the whole of Europe?
The 24th January 2002, three days before the New EN-Route Centre at Swanwick in Hampshire went operational.
When did NATS introduce RVSM in the UK?
NATS introduced RVSM in March 2001 and was the first EU country to do so.
Above FL 410 when RVSM is used the separation is:
2000 ft horisontally
What is the advantage with RVSM?
The advantage of RVSM is that it allows more aircraft to fly at the higher levels where they can take advantage of burning less fuel
How is the term of development within the aviation?
It is to ensure that either safety is increased and that capacity is increased without safety being compromised.
Interim Future Area Control Tools Support known as IFACTS will help NATS to:
to meet the projected demand of 3 million annual movements at Swanwick by 2015.
When did IFACTS (Interim Future Area Control Tools Support) become operational?
2010
What are IFACTS 3 main objectives for NATS?
1. IFACTS aims to eliminate paper flight progress strips and reduce the number of safety significant events
2. IFACTS aims to reduce the controller’s workload by equipping them with tools to aid them in medium term confliction resolution
3
Trajectory prediction will also assist the controller by calculating where the aircraft will be in 14 minutes based on the aircrafts level, speed and heading
What does IFACTS allow the controller to do?
It allows the controller to check what might happen if a particular clearance were to be issued to an aircraft.
IFACTS also provides the controllers with a tactical bay and tactical list. At present controllers use the flight progress strips to detect possible conflictions.
The tactical controller are alerted by an interaction vector which is triggered by the system when a confliction is detected which is going to take place within the next 5 minutes
This alert is a high priority for the tactical controller
What will the tactical task and bay list be used for in IFACTS?
The tactical bay will list all the aircraft in contact and being controlled by the relevant sector and the task list will have data in it which is outstanding to that particular flight.
What is MODE S?
Mode S is a development to supersede the present Mode A and C technology and the limitations that this system has.
Why isn't mode A and C(the present mode) as good as MODE S?
Areas of high traffic density, for example in the stacks around Heathrow the integrity of the mode A and C is sometimes adversely affected by the garbling of all the returns.
What will MODE S do compared to MODE A and C?
The radar system will in effect target individual aircraft rather than trying to attempt to resolve all the replies.
Another advantage of Mode S is that altitude reports can be in 25ft increments which is obviously a lot more accurate than the present 100ft increments.
Where is MODE S operating?
Mode S is the latest technology to come into operation in the London Terminal Area and the London Terminal Controllers have the benefit of this technology.
What are the three components in MODE S developed by NATS Terminal Control?
1.Track Data Block (TDB) containing Mode S data
2.Vertical Stack List which displays the aircraft in the stack in a vertical form so the controller can continuously see the aircraft that are in the stack and the altitudes they are at
3: a Modem S data window which displays information relating to a highlighted aircraft
Benefits of MODE S?
The benefits of Mode S are that the controller should see a reduction in their RT workload because they can see the altitude of the aircraft in the stack and will not need to ask the pilots, if the labels are garbling, as they do now. A reduction in ‘level busts’ should also occur.
What are an ATCO´s main work task?
Air Traffic Controllers (ATCO’s) are responsible for keeping aircraft separated from each other. They maintain contact with the pilots through VHF radio telephone (R/T) service
How is the control of the aircraft movements achieved?
Through radar surveillance.
What details are ATCO’s provided with about aircrafts entering their airspace?
The route, altitude, speed and callsign of the intended flight are all detailed upon a flight progress strip.
Where does the ATCO´s get the information about a flight?
It is is generated by the ATC computers after the flight has got airborne, or has been transferred by an adjacent ATC centre.
How does the controllers monitor the aircraft?
The Controllers use the paper or electronic flight progress strips in conjunction with the radar display to monitor the progress of the aircraft, either on the surface of the airport or in the proximity of the airfield or through an en-route sector
What does the pilot have to do when ATCO's issues an instruction to its aircraft?
When the controller issues an instruction to an aircraft the pilot must read the instruction back.
How must an aircraft be coordinated between sectors? Does this rule apply if the next sector is inside an adjacent airspace?
An aircraft must be coordinated from one sector to the next. This rule also applies if the next sector is one inside an adjacent centre's airspace.
The UK must coordinate with ATC centres in:
Scotland, Dublin, Shannon, Brest, Paris, Brussels, Maastricht and Copenhagen.
Facts
Likewise these adjacent centres must inform the UK about flights approaching UK airspace. Often the information is passed by a computer link but controllers also use telephones to communicate with these adjacent centres.
Does the Swanwick Centre number sectors of airspace? If they do, how?
At the Swanwick centre the sectors of airspace are numbered and represent certain geographical areas of the UK.
FACTS
For example sectors 1 and 2 are the London Upper Sectors which control aircraft above Flight Level 310 (31 000 feet) above the London area. For aircraft heading north the controllers will send an electronic message with the flights details to the controllers working aircraft in the Daventry northbound sectors (sectors 28 and 34). In turn the sector 28 and 34 controllers will send details on to the Lakes controllers (sectors 3and 4). This process will continue until the aircraft has safely transited UK airspace or has landed at its destination within the UK.
What does radar help the ATCO's with?
Assists Air Traffic Controllers in their main task of ensuring safe separation between aircraft. These radars ensure that the controllers who work at the various units around the UK receive the best possible picture and information from the radars.
There are two kinds of radars, Name them.
Primary Radar and Secondary Radar.
What is the Primary Radars task?
Primary radar provides only very basic information about the position of an aircraft in relation to the radar. It will show all aircraft within its coverage and will also show other objects like high terrain, certain weather and possibly large flocks of birds.
What is the Secondary Radars task?
Secondary Radar is selective, and only displays information from aircraft equipped with a transponder
What does aircraft operating within controlled or special rules airspace be equipped with?
They must be equipped with a serviceable transponder
What rule applies to aircraft operating outside controlled airspace above FL 100?
They must be equipped with a serviceable transponder
Before an aircraft departs from a major airfield or before it enters the airways systems it is allocated an individual four-digit code, which the pilot dials up in the transponder. What is this for?
It is for when the aircraft gets airborne, or before it enters the airways systems, the ground based radar interrogates the transponder. When it recognizes the code, which it allocated to that particular flight, the aircraft's height information and callsign, is displayed to the Controller in the form of a label next to the position of the aircraft.
Why does NATS have navigational aids?
To enable aircraft to fly the airways systems with the necessary accuracy.
Which one ist the most accurate navigational aid? What does it do?
VHF Omni-directional Range (VOR) which emits radial signal which aircraft can fly along
Explain further about the VOR
There are 360 radials, which an aircraft could fly toward or away from a VOR. Each radial represents 1 degree from 0-359 degrees.
For example:
for example the standard arrival route inbound to Luton for an aircraft flying from Glasgow, requires the aircraft to fly to the Manchester VOR and then fly along the 157 degree radial which takes the aircraft towards a position called ROGBI (a position on the MCT 157 degree radial) and then on towards the arrival into Luton
What is an DME (Distance Measuring Equipment)?
This shows the pilot how far the aircraft is away from the VOR
What is an NDB (Non-Directional Beacon)?
Less accurate than a VOR is an NDB (Non-Directional Beacon) which just emits a signal which the pilot navigates toward
What is the range of an (Non-Directional Beacon)?
The range of most NDBs is in the region of about 25 nautical miles
What is the range of a VOR?
VOR has a much greater range than the NDB, in the order of 125 nautical miles.
What can a NDB (Non-Directional Beacon) also be used as?
NDB which can also be used as an approach aid to the airfield.
For example Leeds-Bradford has an NDB. There are some NDBs like the examples at Lichfield (LIC) and Westcott (WCO) which are used as en-route navigational aids and are not associated directly with any airfields.
How is the radar and navigational equipment connected?
Much of the radar and navigational equipment is connected to remote control and monitoring systems at the Scottish and London Air Traffic Control Centres.
Who has the responsibility for air traffic control over the North Atlantic ?
It is shared by the UK, Portugal, the USA, Canada and Iceland.
What is NATS responsibilities over the north Atlantic?
NATS is responsible for the Eastern portion of the Atlantic which stretches between latitudes 45 degrees North and 61 degrees North and westward to longitude 30 degrees West
How is voice communication maintained over the north Atlantic? and where is it based.
Voice communication is maintained through HF (High Frequency) radio, which is based at Shannon in the west of Eire
How does traffic bound for the U.S fly from the UK? And what time?
Traffic bound for the United States of America (USA) from the UK and European airfields fly’s westbound through UK airspace between 10am and 4pm arriving in the USA in the late afternoon/early evening.
How does traffic bound for UK fly from U.S? and what time?
It will return from the USA arriving in the UK or over flying the UK, between 4am and 1pm. There are of course exceptions, and with the increase in freight and parcel deliveries a lot of these flights seem to be travelling the opposite way to the main flow.
What is OACC?
Oceanic Area Control Centre
What tracks are Prestwick OACC responsible for?
Prestwick OACC is responsible for the westbound track system
What tracks are Gander OACC, Canada responsible for?
They are responsible for the eastbound track system
What is taken into account when organizing the track structure?
When organizing the track structure the prevailing wind is taken into account.
What does airliners want to take advantage of? And why?
Airlines like to take advantage of a tailwind, which is more fuel economical and gets the aircraft and passengers to their destinations quicker
How many degrees are the tracks apart? and why?
The tracks are generally 1 degree of latitude apart, due to the absence of radar coverage over the Atlantic Ocean
What does aircraft wishing to travel over the Atlantic do?
Make contact with Oceanic control on VHF radio, requesting their Oceanic route and clearance
What will the clearance include that the aircraft gets from ATCO when wishing to fly over the Atlantic?
The clearance will include the track, flight level and speed, any time restrictions for entry on to the track structure will also be given
What does planner on OACC do to ensure the system provides sufficient capacity for the anticipated demands?
Planners on either side of the Ocean consult with each other and co-ordinate as necessary with adjacent OACCs as well as domestic ATC agencies
What must the pilot do while flying Eastbound or Westbound over the Atlantic? What instrument does he use?
As the aircraft fly Eastbound or Westbound the pilot makes a position report on HF radio, this is usually done at every 10 degrees of longitude.
There are 3 types of controllers who work at aerodromes. What are they called?
1: Approach Controller 2: Aerodrome Controller 3:Ground movement Controller
What is the Aerodrome Controllers task?
The Aerodrome Controller will either instruct the aircraft to land, or continue to approach if there is traffic occupying the runway having just landed or waiting to depart. After the aircraft has received its landing instructions and landed safely the Aerodrome Controller transfers the aircraft to the Ground Movement Controller.
(At airfields with two runways such as Heathrow there are two Aerodrome Controllers. One is responsible for the departures and the other for the runway dealing with air arrivals).
What is the Ground Movement Controllers task?
The Ground Movement Controller (GMC) is responsible for an aircraft once it has vacated the runway. The Ground Movement Controller is responsible for the movement of all vehicles and aircraft on the airport. During the daytime and in good visibility, aircraft and vehicles are controlled by direct observation. When the visibility is low or during the night, aircraft are guided about the airport by red and green lights embedded in the taxiways.
What is an Ground Movement Planner (GMP)?
At really busy units there is also a Ground Movement Planner (GMP) who issues to the pilot the expected standard instrument departure that the aircraft is expected to fly on departure along with the transponder code that the computer has allocated to the aircraft.
What are Approach Controllers responsible of?
Approach Controllers are responsible for aircraft approaching the airfield who wish to land and for any aircraft which may wish to transit the aerodromes control zone
Where is the control zone for Approach Controllers?
The control zone is airspace around the aerodrome which is designed to protect aircraft which fly in and out of that aerodrome
What will the Approach Controller issue to the aircraft if using Radar?
The Approach Controller, if using radar, will issue the aircraft with headings, altitudes, speeds and any other relevant information to guide it towards the final approach path
At major airfields there are holding facilities, what are these called?
"Stacks"
What are holding facilities, "stacks" used for?
Where aircraft may be, required to enter, if a delay is expected.
How many stacks are there in Heathrow? and where?
There are four stacks. Two to the north of the airfield and two to the south.
Why can the aircrafts in Heathrow stacks hold a high degree of acurracy?
The stacks at Heathrow are all above VORs, so the aircraft can hold over the stack with a high degree of accuracy.
Aircrafts circling over the VORs hold a special pattern based on a particular radial form that VOR. How many feet are they apart vertically? What happends when the lowest aircraft is allowed to leave the stack?
They are all 1,000 feet apart vertically and when the lowest aircraft is allowed to leave the stack to make an approach to land, the remaining aircraft in the stack are then laddered down, so that the top level in the stack becomes available again
What must the Approach Controller estacblish when the aircraft approach the airfield?
As aircraft approach the airfield the Approach Controller must establish the correct landing intervals between aircraft on final approach
What factors are in consideration about aircrafts distance from eachother? Name three
The spacing between aircraft depends on a number of factors, such as the 1.prevailing weather conditions, 2.the size of the aircraft involved and 3the number of aircraft waiting to depart. Larger aircraft create more wake turbulence than smaller aircraft
Give an example where the Approach COntroller must give the correct vortex wake separation on the final approach.
Approach Controllers must provide the correct vortex wake separation between aircraft on the final approach track for example a Boeing 737, which is a medium-sized jet, must approach the airport 5 miles behind a Boeing 747, which is a large jet and as such is classed in the heavy vortex wake category. However, if the 747 were to follow the 737, a distance of only 3 miles would be required.
Which instructions will the Approach COntroller issue to the aircraft?
The Approach Controller will issue instructions to enable the aircraft to intercept the Instrument Landing System (ILS).
What is the ILS (Instrument Landing System?
The ILS is a ground-based radio guidance system, which transmits two directional radio beams, the localiser and the glide path. The localiser aerial, which is situated at the end of the runway, transmits a signal for about 25 miles along the approach path, defining the centreline of the runway.
Where is the glidepath aerial situated? What does it do?
The glidepath aerial is situated at the side of the runway and transmits a signal which defines a descent path, which is usually 3 degrees.
Information Landing System has its own radio frequency which the pilot can tune in too. What does it do?
The ILS has its own radio frequency, which the pilot can tune into. The pilot then receives indications in the cockpit advising him if he needs to fly up/down or left/right to keep on the correct approach path.
When will the Approach Controller transfer the aircraft to the Aerodrom Controller?
When the aircraft is established on the final approach at between 6 - 12 miles from the runway the approach controller will transfer the aircraft to the Aerodrome Controller