Factor
Woodstock, VA
Male, 65
My life in ATC began with 4 years Air Force then another 30 years with the Federal Aviation Admin. working tower & radar at some big international airports. I fought in the 1981 war with PATCO, survived the strike and kept a job that was just too exhilarating to walk away from. While there was nothing better than working airplanes, I did move on through several air traffic supervisory and management positions. It was a long, crazy career but I wouldn't trade a moment of it for love or lucre!
Hello Austin! Your question brings us to an important but relatively rare aspect of air traffic control. Here’s the short answer. There is generally no difference between the way passengers and cargo flights are handled. If two B-747s are headed from Dallas to Dulles; it won’t matter that one was full of people and the other full of boxes. Guided by egalitarian principles, controllers apply the same priority to both. It’s referred to in the business as “first come, first served.” Just like the ticket line at a movie theater; nobody cuts in. There are, however, exceptions.
One important exception would be an aircraft using the word “Lifeguard” in their radio callsign. Whenever an air carrier or air taxi flight uses the “Lifeguard” term in their callsign, it tells ATC they are transporting important and highly perishable cargo such as vital organs, blood, urgently needed medical material or patients. For obvious reasons, these guys get priority handling. That means ATC will get them airborne as quickly as possible, try to give them “shortcuts” to their destination and steer them around rough weather along the way. We’ll even phone ahead if needed to make sure they get expeditious ground handling when they land. This is how the surgeon quickly gets a much needed kidney from Illinois to a transplant patient in New York. It’s a thing of beauty.
I hope this answers your question!
Cheers,
Factor
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I appreciate your interest in the profession Aaron. Although I've spotted a lot of crazy things and witnessed a few serious mishaps; I've never personally had to tell a pilot to abort the landing because of an observed problem with the aircraft. I have, however, been in the tower when other controllers had to.
During my Air Force career, a teammate waved off an F-4 Phantom pilot who was about to land without his plane's wheels down. The pilot later sent a case of beer to the tower, which we quickly consumed after work!
While working overseas, another tower controller tries to warn a pilot of the same problem. Unfortunately, the pilot wasn't paying attention and landed, gear up. There were a lot of sparks but luckily - no fire.
One night in the tower, I watched a TWA B-707 takeoff. It looked a little odd to me because it seemed the runway lights were all behind the plane as it passed, left to right, in front of us. Sure enough; the guy had taken off from the parallel taxiway. Realizing what he'd done, the pilot quipped something about how blue the runway lights looked. Not another word was spoken.
I saw an Eastern Airliones B-727 make an intentional gear-up landing due to mechanical problems. It was textbook perfect. The plane slid to a stop and was immediately surrounded by emergency vehicles. Everyone in the tower cab clapped.
Then there was the foreign air carrier pilot who advised, as he approached the airport, that he was going to test the plane's new 'autoland' system. Cool! We cleared him to land. It was one of the craziest landings I ever saw. The plane bounced, swerved and actually rolled off the runway edge then back on again before eventually finding a taxiway to turn onto. Suspecting the pilot may have a bit, err, "impaired" - we called the airline's operations office on the airport. After explaining what the pilot told us, the company representative said that particular aircraft was not fitted with an autoland system. I sometimes wonder whatever happened to that pilot.
No matter how well trained we are or how far the technology advances; aviation remains far from being an exact science. It's crazy but maybe that's why I love it.
Thanks again for writing!
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Interesting that the recent conversation turned to drug use as it relates to controllers. It gives me the opportunity to highlight related safety measures taken by those responsible for our air traffic control system. Although I can’t say there isn’t abuse of drugs and alcohol in the profession, those instances are rare. In my entire career I saw just one controller fired for alcohol use and one for drugs. I should add that controllers don’t have to completely abstain from alcohol use. That would never do! However, Federal regulations prohibit both controllers and pilots from consuming alcoholic beverages within eight (8) hours of going on duty. We always made up for that after work – but rarely for eight hours!
Adderall is a Schedule II controlled substance. Unauthorized use of any such drugs by controllers will get them fired quicker than you can say “DEA.” If use of a Schedule II drug is prescribed by a physician (it happens), the controller will be removed from active ATC and placed on sick leave or possibly assigned administrative duties until it is determined they no longer need the drug.
Since controllers directly affect public safety, job applicants can expect to be tested for drugs during the hiring process. Controllers on the job are also subjected to random drug and alcohol testing for the same reason. The testing personnel arrive, unannounced, at an ATC facility and will not leave until testing is completed. Testing positive for either drrugs or alcohol will buy you a bunch of trouble - but not nearly as much as being involved in an accident or serious incident while on duty. Controllers involved in an aircraft accident will be tested as soon as possible. As you might imagine; any controller found to be under the influence will see their troubles multiply exponentially.
Thanks for a great question!
Factor
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Absolutely! We’ll shove as many departures into the sky as we can before a storm shuts off the exit routes. Of course, we can’t put more planes in the air than the receiving controllers can safely handle. Wouldn’t want to throw too many balls to the jugglers! But still; we’ll try our damndest to get as many flights out of town as we can before it's too late. The same applies with arriving flights. As long as we can get planes to the airport before the storm gets there; we’ll keep on running the traffic. Once the weather blocks an arrival route, we can sometimes get the impacted flights routed onto another arrival route. ATC’s actions during severe weather can go even further than that to keep traffic moving.
In areas like the Northeast, where there are several large cities and many busy airports, consideration is given to which airports have the most airplanes waiting to go. For example; the New York area has LaGuardia, Teterboro, Kennedy and Newark Airports. Each one can be very busy. At any given moment, each could have several flights waiting to go. There is an element of ATC known as “Traffic Management.” Their staff will assess the four airports and determine which has the most departures waiting. That airport may be given priority consideration for a while to get their traffic going – while the other airports keep theirs on the ground.
There are many other initiatives, too numerous to mention, that ATC will take to reduce or avoid weather delays. One thing we try especially hard to avoid is having so many airplanes waiting on taxiways that the landing flights can’t get to their gates or parking areas. That’s a situation we call “gridlock” and it’s not a pretty sight! There are certain airports out there, busy ones, that were built in the early days of commercial aviation for piston-powered airplanes. These places are prone to gridlock because of runway/taxiway configurations that were not designed for today’s jets and the heavy traffic volume. They get special attention when the skies turn unfriendly.
Thanks for the great question!
Factor
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Greetings Scannerfan! I believe I’ve heard of NYC. It’s somewhere near New Jersey, right? But seriously; I don’t know very much about scanner technology so I’m not sure I can answer your question. I can tell you that ATC radio frequencies are not encrypted.
As a scanner fan, I’m sure you’ve checked your receiver and antenna for malfunctions. Among the questions I’d ask you, if I could, would be; Are you able to receive any other transmissions? Do you know anyone else who listens to New York ATC? If so; are they receiving any transmissions? Have any new buildings gone up that might be blocking your reception?
Although it doesn’t happen very often, ATC frequencies occasionally change. Have you verified you still have the current frequencies selected in your scanner? I believe there are websites that provide ATC frequency information. You could also check the most current aeronautical charts for the New York area to see if the frequencies you’ve selected are correct.
As a secondary source; I know there are several websites where you can monitor ATC frequencies.
Thanks for writing and I hope this helps you!
Cheers,
Factor
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Controllers in airport towers are mainly responsible for takeoffs and landings. There may occasionally be some low altitude traffic (helicopters and small planes) that need to cross over the airport at very low altitudes. They will call the tower for permission to fly through their traffic pattern. These flights won’t be landing but tower controllers must keep them safely separated from traffic operating in and out of the airport.
Tower controllers do not handle aircraft operating at cruising altitudes. Those flights are controlled by facilities known as “Air Route Traffic Control Centers” or simply “centers.” Working in large buildings that may not be anywhere near an airport, center controllers provide radar service over huge portions of airspace. For example; Cleveland Center controls an area that extends from central Pennsylvania, West to central Michigan!
Thanks for your interest!
Factor
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Thanks for writing, Matthew. I am glad to hear you are working on your instrument rating. It’s a great way to build confidence in your airmanship! Once you receive your rating you’ll have more options when it comes to traveling between points A and B. Just take it slow for a while after your check-ride. Getting an instrument rating doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready for long flights in actual IFR conditions; especially if you are flying solo! As you may have already noticed, cockpit workload is much higher on an IFR flight plan. If possible, take a qualified friend along as an extra set of eyes, ears and hands.
To your question, it is definitely possible to practice Departure Procedures (SIDs) and Standard Terminal Arrivals (STARs) in conjunction with your flight plan. When published for a particular airport; SIDs and STARs are usually the ‘default’ setting with ATC. If you don’t include them in your flight plan, they may be assigned anyway. They can be difficult to avoid unless you add “SSNO” (pilot cannot accept SIDs or STARs) to your remarks section.
Assuming such procedures are published and available for your departure and arrival airports and you want to fly them, you should include them in your flight plan (FP). You might even add a remark to the FP regarding instrument training. That will indicate to ATC that you need to practice the procedures you filed. Many controllers besides myself held Instrument ratings and I’m sure many still do. It helps them better understand “the big picture.” Your remark should resonate as they’ve experienced the critical training you’re now going through.
If, when you receive your IFR clearance, it does not include the SID you filed for; advise the controller you’d like to fly that procedure if possible. Same with the STAR arrival. When enroute, if ATC offers a shortcut or takes you off your planned route for another reason, let them know you’d like to fly the full arrival procedure if possible. I’ll put a qualifier on that though . . .
One of the most important skills any pilot who deals regularly with ATC can learn is the ability to estimate your controller’s workload. If you hear a lot of other planes on the frequency, the controller sounds a bit harried or is handling a specific issue at the time – it might not be a good idea to make special requests. It’s a judgment call, I know. Just try not to limit your listening to the transmissions directed at you. There is much to learn by being aware of what is going on around you.
Finally, listen to your instructor! If he or she disagrees with anything I’ve said here – go with your instructor’s guidance! They hold all the cards until you’ve completed your check ride.
Thanks for writing!
Factor
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