Air Traffic Controllers are in charge of assuring the safe movement of commercial and private (or general aviation) aircraft on the ground and through the air. These flights carry more than 1 million passengers a day. They must concentrate on safety by keeping the aircraft a prescribed distance apart horizontally and vertically (2000 feet vertically between planes at 29,000 feet or above, flying along or near the same flight path), and make sure they operate efficiently to avoid flight delays. They rely on radar and visual observation, communicating with pilots about other traffic in the area and any changing weather conditions, including any sudden changes in wind speed and direction.
Different controllers handle different parts of the aircraft’s movement. One controller may direct an inbound or arriving pilot to a runway or into a holding pattern, depending on other traffic and conditions in the area when the aircraft is many miles away. He or she remains in contact with controllers in other centers to make sure planes keep a safe distance from one another and do not arrive at the airport at the same time, at the same speed and altitude, or on the same flight path.
Another controller takes over as the pilot nears the airport and places the plane into the landing pattern. Finally, a ground controller directs it to the appropriate taxiway and its assigned airport gate. The reverse is true for departures, with such responsibilities as notifying the pilot of the wind and weather conditions, assigning an altitude and direction, and notifying the controller in the next tower along the route that the plane is about to leave one control center and enter the next.
There are 21 control centers across the country with 300 to 700 controllers. Busy airports may have 150 controllers or more on duty during peak travel times. Each team of controllers handles several planes at the same time: those approaching the airport’s airspace and those about to land. Other controllers work in more than 100 flight service stations around the country, providing pilots with weather and routing information, terrain information, and any other data that will help assure the safety of the aircraft. Although flight service station specialists may assist in emergency situations, they do not actively direct air traffic.
The entire system is under the control of the David J. Hurley Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Herndon, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. Controllers there keep watch over the entire system to eliminate traffic jams and provide guidance when there is a problem, such as fog or a bad storm system that could adversely affect traffic going into a specific geographical area. Controllers use glowing green computer radar displays to track all aircraft. By the end of 2010, they will use larger full-color monitors with zoom capabilities and touch screen options for changing radio frequencies to communicate with pilots and others.
Controllers must pass a physical examination each year and a job performance examination twice each year. Failure to become certified in any position at a facility within a specified time may result in dismissal. Controllers also are subject to drug screening as a condition of continuing employment.
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