During the past year local and international media reports on India's increasing and far reaching ATC problems have skyrocketed. It’s difficult to say if this happens because of a true rise in near misses, combined with an increase in air traffic, or if it is due to a renewed journalistic interest in air travel. What is certain is that what appears to be going on in India is worrying.

Among helicopters and airplanes, there have been other fascinating flight machines designed and constructed for experimental purposes by the US, which sometimes led to actual production.
US X-Craft
In the United States, most prototype and test aircraft contain an “X” series name/designation; though, there are some without the “X” label. Of course, pre-production models are not always suitable for flight, and are usually intended to be an idea or inspiration – such as the following “X” series designs which were purely experimental:

The ability to physically remote (non-tower) ATC Units has become quiet common for economic and/or efficiency reasons. Vast volumes of airspace are routinely controlled from hundreds (or even thousands) of miles away. Area control units no longer have to be sited on or near airports or radar stations.

The FAA recently announced that they will put air traffic controllers back in the skies as part of a familiarization program to view life “on the other side of the frequency” after an almost decade-long suspension. I’ve experienced a few of these, but what are the benefits of such programs? read more

please see the link
http://atcactivity.blogspot.com/

Gaining the respect from peers in the air traffic control profession and users of the service is pretty much premised on the same principles as any other profession. Respect has to be earned above and beyond the mystique that comes with the profession. In my book, respect is given when there is a display of honesty, knowledge of your role, acceptance of responsibility, acceptance of limitation, embracing conventional wisdom, and the good old desire to do the right thing.

Over the years that I’ve been in the air traffic control profession, I’ve seen all sorts of characters with various attitudes being displayed in an attempt to gain respect. But inadvertently, perhaps through ignorance, they achieve the opposite. Here are some points to consider: read more

Toronto, Canada (CNN) — It’s a witty irony that Kurtis Arnold’s claim rings true for him on most days; the most stressful part of his job as an air traffic controller is his commute in by car.

As the scrutiny over air control safety continues, Arnold admits it can be a stressful job but that Nav Canada, his employer and Canada’s only air traffic control provider, has put the training and tools in place to manage that stress both on duty and off.

“I think the air traffic controllers are like the wizard who’s behind the curtain,” says Arnold while perched in a tower high above Toronto’s Pearson Airport on a hectic day with fog finally rolling out and severe thunderstorms rolling in.

The French Civil Aviation Authority is going to organize a competitive exam for European ATCOs. The successful candidates will be recruted as Air Traffic Control Engineers and as such considered as Civil Servants. More info : www.bluesky-atc.org

After reading all the commentary which ensued following the news of a controller who took a nap on an overnight shift at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, I’m compelled to throw my hat in the ring.
After failing to get a response from the controller on duty shortly after midnight last Wednesday, American Airlines and United flights landed about fifteen minutes apart without incident at the Reagan airport.
Whether the two aircraft should have landed on their own, or diverted to another airport is the subject of another discussion, but I do not believe that their safety was in jeopardy at any time. After all, when all else fails, pilots still have the general rules of the air to follow to avoid collisions. I am also not au fait with the FAA regulations in these circumstances.
I will focus on the issues surrounding the controller, working at nights, and duty rosters.

Another weekend has passed, another explosion of traffic, and ATC capacity and frequency congestion has become more real to me. With the weekend being the peak traffic days, I’ve had the fortune [or misfortune] of being called out or rostered for duty for at least the last six weekends in a row. On Saturday afternoon, I experienced the mother of all peak traffic levels. With aircraft stacked to what seems like infinity, aircraft were calling in reports and making requests faster than I can respond. I think any novice can conclude that ATC capacity was exceeded. read more

Source: Wayne Farley's Aviation Blog