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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0404.PDF
248 FLIGHT MARCH 20m, 1947 CIVIL AVIATION NEWS Institute of Navigation Formed: Civil Aviation Debate in Channel Islands SECOND SHETLAND : Nearingcompletion at Short Bros.' Rochester works is the second(civil) version of the Shetland, powered by four Bristol Centau-rus engines. The span is 150ft 4in and length 107ft. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM ^ Lines on which the Ministry of Civil Aviation are Planning THE present inadequacy of,air traffic control over thiscountry is well known to the Ministry of Civil Aviationand to all the airlines responsible for running services.The state cf affairs is not by any means peculiar to the United Kingdom, and it is with the idea of standardizing equipmentand procedures throughout the world that the P.I.C.A.O. recommendations have been made. It will be some time,however, before complete standardization can become effective, and in the meantime, as scheduled and non-scheduled flyingoperations become more intensified, some provisional form of control is necessary. In an interview with G/C. H. R. Graham, Deputy-Directorof Control at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, it was clear that there is a definite plan in its final stages which will be put intoeffect, it is hoped, in the neai future. The main problem is not scheduled airline operations, or the non-scheduled transportflights which are flown mostly by experienced commercial pilots, usually with good navigational facilities and some formof communication. The real problem is the small aircraft being flown by the private owner, club member or trainee,which is not normally fitted with the means of precise naviga- tion 01 the means of communicating with the ground and is,consequently, quite uncontrollable by an air traffic organiza- tion once it is airborne. There is also the problem of theServices. Not only may certain traffic regulations hamper the necessary training flights of R.A.F. and Naval aircraft,but they hamper the Army's activities with certain weapons. These divergent interests have to be catered for in the plan,which must therefore be flexible. Before the war ground facilities for civil aircraft in theUnited Kingdom were organized on an area basis, which made adequate provision for the comparatively few aircraft oper-ating. During the past few years the range and speed, as well as the number, of aircraft have increased. This has conse-quently presented new problems for providing aircraft with flight separation and navigational and safety services fromthe ground. In the past the military and civil air traffic control organizations were separate bodies working in parallel.It is now accepted, however, that a comprehensive control service can be provided to cater for the particular operationalrequirements ol all users, and a national unified air traffic control organization is envisaged with the object ofco-ordinating all aircraft movement and promoting safe flight in all weather conditions. The primary object of this organization is the safe, orderlyand expeditious movement of air traffic, and will include the prevention ot collision between aircraft and between aircraftand obstacles on airfields; the expediting and maintaining of an orderly flow of air traffic ; and assistance for persons in com-mand of aircraft by the provision of advice and information. It is also necessary that appropriate organizations should benotified when aircraft are known or believed to be in need of search and rescue aid To meet these objectives, appropriateservices will h^ive to be set up and suitable Air Traffic Control procedures and practices will have to be evolved so that air-craft may either be controlled or the captains given advice. It is the formation of these services which is now under dis-cussion. "Air Traffic Control policy will be formulated by the Inter-Departmental Air Safety Committee, which will issue directions through those authorities responsible for the particular controlunits concerned. The responsibilities of the various formations will be as follows: A Regional Air Traffic Control headquarterswill cover each Flight Safety Region charged with responsibility for the safety and co-ordinated control of aircraft throughoutthe region. Detailed operating procedures will be laid down and issued, and navigational warnings, serviceability of air-fields and the preparation and despatch of briefing material will be disseminated. It will also be the responsibility of thisheadquarters to organize and operate diversion control. Area Controls Within each Region there will be a number of Area Controls.These will be responsible for the movement of all aircraft flying through their denned area of responsibility. They would initiateor assist in diversion, distress and rescue action, and will keep available such information as may be necessary to aircraft.Approach and Airport Control will be established by the State at all permanent civil airfields other than a few which areprivately owned. All airfields will be linked to the appro- priate Area Control by a landline or point-to:point W/T. Theefficiency of Approach and Airport Control will rest with the airport superintendent, who will be responsible for all safetymeasures and all flying within the Airport Control Zone. Responsibility for the safety and control of flights externalto Airport Control Zones will be divided into two categories. One category covering flights within Control Areas, directionsbeing given through the appropriate Area Control Centre, and the other covering all flights outside Control Areas but withinFlight Safety Regions. Notification of the intention of making flights will be given to appropriate Area Control Centres insufficient time to enable co-ordination of movement in the same Flight Safety Region for the general safeguard of all otheraircraft. If diversion is necessary it will be done by consulta- tion wifli the air traffic control organization. For simpliii^and speed military formations could be granted block clearan for specific exercises. . There are two fundamentals to the efficiency of the controlservice which must be clearly understood. The speed of hand- ling aircraft movements and the accuracy of control is directlyrelated to the accuracy of the information received by the organization frcm aircraft. This implies that the higher thestandard of navigational aids carried in aircraft, and, there- fore, the accuracy with which positions and track can be deter-mined and maintained, the better able is control to feed aircraft into airfields without delays. The success of the whole air traffic control organizationmust depend upon adherence to the laid-down procedures by all concerned and upon adequate and rapid communications,not only between aircraft and the ground but also from one ground station to another. For this reason Area ControlCentres in the U.K. should be based on the former R.A.F- Fighter Command landline communications network, and on
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