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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 0144.PDF
50 FLIGHT. JANUARY 21, 1937. VITAL CO-OPERATION Airport and Area Control Methods Developed During the Past Decade : The Need for Rationalisation Illustrated with Flight Photographs By H. A. TAYLOR Jk T this very moment, when we are waiting almost /\ daily for the appearance of the Maybury Com- £ \, mittee's report and when the majority of people intimately connected with airport control are expecting to learn of fairly drastic changes in the system, an article on air line control systems is perhaps some what premature. Nevertheless, this particular issue is designed largely for the benefit of those who are interested in the whole business of airports and their operation, and it would be incomplete if this vital aspect of the matter remained untouched. Fortunately, it would seem that the main principles will not be altered. At a guess one would say that the greatest need is for a central " signal box." Whether this " box " is at the Air Ministry, in a bomb- and soundproof shelter at Tooting, or in a house at Bexhill, is a matter of small importance so long as the system of communication with the various airports is beyond reproach and so long as Control Officer No. 1 can work uninterrupted. Only in this way can the movements of aircraft be In Gatwick's recently constructed airport building it might be expected that the all-round view from the control room would be perfect. Above, the chief officer, Mr. Simmonds, is seen at his desk. On his left is the position chart, while in front of him are the airport lighting switches. Among the business-like array of telephones two are for direct land-line communication with Heston and Croydon. On the right is the short-range D/F equipment at Gatwick. When this photograph was taken a British Airways' D.H.86 was being brought in on bearings, and one of the company's latest acquisitions, a Junkers 52, was being tried out, in and above the prevailing low clouds. R A N C E The communication areas and controlled zones as they appear at present. Croydon, it will be noticed, is almost exclusively concerned with Continental traffic, while the nearby airport of Gatwick is under Heston's control. accurately followed and planned. Only so can the control officers at each busy airport be free to deal with the imme diate and practical details of the final approach and landii g of a dozen machines in conditions of poor visibility or low cloud. At present these control officers, though harassed by the thousand and one matters requir ing immediate attention, must still keep track of the .various machines which are, in fact, well out side the airport zone. Any form,of rationalisation which will relieve the airport officers' responsibili ties will be more than welcome, both to them and to the pilots who are dependent on them for the safety of their passengers. Further, the system as it stands at present has been built up very largely by the individual con trol officers, each of whom has a vast experience on which to draw, and success of operation depends
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