Train them well… but watch your step!

During my ATC years and also after, I did a fair amount of training that ranged from ICAO Annex 14 (Airports), radio telephony procedures and ATC automation to HMI design and airspace user requirements in the future ATM system. The students represented a similarly broad spectrum from ab-initio controller trainees to ATC supervisors, engineers and… Continue reading Train them well… but watch your step!

EUROCONTROL Experimental Center INO Workshop – Call for Papers

The 9th Innovative Research Workshop and Exhibition will be held at the EUROCONTROL Experimental Centre at Brétigny-sur-Orge, France on 7 – 9 December 2010. Submission of papers for this event is now open.  With some 200 participants the INO Workshop has become an important event in the ATM calendar, providing researchers an open and stimulating… Continue reading EUROCONTROL Experimental Center INO Workshop – Call for Papers

European ATM – Is there anything really new under the Sun?

Back in March, Daniel Calleja, Director of the European Commission’s Air Transport Directorate, informed his audience at the ATC Global conference in Amsterdam, that “…despite six years’ effort, Europe has yet to achieve its objective of creating a Single European Sky (SES).” Six years indeed… make that thirteen Mr. Calleja. Thankfully I do not attend… Continue reading European ATM – Is there anything really new under the Sun?

Volcano kicks European ATM cooperation into high gear

In the past, programs to improve European air traffic management went under the name EATCHIP (1 to many) and the results were meager at best. More recently we got the Single European Sky (SES 1 and now 2) and of course SESAR. Introduction of SES was a major problem even for the European Commission powerhouse… Continue reading Volcano kicks European ATM cooperation into high gear

Shanwick Oceanic 5 minute longitudinal separation trial starts

News from EUROCONTROL’s aviation safety knowledge base SKYbrary. On 25 May 2010, a trial of a 5 minute along track longitudinal separation minimum will commence in the Shanwick OCA. To participate in the Trial and subsequent full implementation, operators will be required to have an ADS-C log-on with Shanwick, possess MNPS approval and utilise CPDLC… Continue reading Shanwick Oceanic 5 minute longitudinal separation trial starts

SESAR’s progress – real achievements, real issues

Exclusive interview with Michael Standar, Chief Operational Concepts and Validation, SESAR Joint Undertaking. Since the inception of the current phase of the SESAR program, we have come to expect regular updates published by the SESAR Joint Undertaking telling the ATM community how things were going. SESAR has introduced a refreshingly innovative way of communicating with… Continue reading SESAR’s progress – real achievements, real issues

EUROCONTROL reorganizing – is this good for you?

Visiting EUROCONTROL these days is a bit like entering a five star hotel during off-season in a bad year. Empty offices at every turn and talk in the corridors that tends to focus more on individual futures than on trajectory based operations and other exotic ideas. Yes, EUROCONTROL is reorganizing (again…) but they are also… Continue reading EUROCONTROL reorganizing – is this good for you?

Safety Behaviours – Guide for Pilots

News from EUROCONTROL‘s aviation safety knowledge base SKYbrary SKYbrary has announced the integration of the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s human factors toolkit “Safety Behaviours – Guide for Pilots”. The toolkit comprises videos and supporting training resources and is focused on the needs of small regional air carriers and charter operations, flying training organisations and… Continue reading Safety Behaviours – Guide for Pilots

EUROCONTROL ATM Lexicon – A single point of access to validated ATM terminology

The EUROCONTROL ATM Lexicon offers the whole aeronautical community single access to a terminology tool containing ATM-related terms and their validated definitions. Based on a semantic MediaWiki platform, it also provides an environment where experts can make their own contributions and discuss new concepts and definitions. “One sky – one term“ is what EUROCONTROL is… Continue reading EUROCONTROL ATM Lexicon – A single point of access to validated ATM terminology

The communications related aspects of runway incursions

More than two incursions a day… Few other incidents return with the grim and persistent regularity of runway incursions. A lot of effort by all concerned has resulted in a reduction of the total number of incidents but there are still, on average, more than two runway incursions in Europe per day. Clearly, there remains… Continue reading The communications related aspects of runway incursions