UNCLASSIFIED Air Traffic Control for Candidates at Initial Test Stage

Welcome to the NATS guideline document to Air Traffic Control. This online document should provide the foundation for your ATC studies when attending the initial ATCO recruitment tests with NATS. You will be tested on the content of this document during the test process therefore it can not be stressed enough how important it is for you to learn the information enclosed.

Version 2 January 2010

NATS RECRUITMENT GUIDE

Copyright NATS 2010

CONTENTS

PAGE

Introduction. NATS Services and Air Traffic Control. How Air Traffic Control is organised over the UK. Future developments within NATS How Air Traffic Controllers operate. Radar and Navigational Aids. Air Traffic Control over the Atlantic. Air Traffic Control at Airports. The Aircraft and Airlines that use the System.

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INTRODUCTION
NATS Limited (NATS) provides air traffic control service at two en-route centres, Swanwick (including London Area Control Centre and London Terminal Control Centre), and Prestwick (including the Oceanic Control function), as well as at various aerodromes like Glasgow, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City, Belfast, Southampton, Luton, Bristol, Farnborough and Manchester. NATS will be opening the New Scottish En-Route centre in 2010. The en-route centre at Swanwick, near Southampton, handles traffic over England and Wales as well as flights around the busy London terminal areas. Looking at both en-route and terminal traffic the centre handles in excess of 3 million movements a year. Despite the current recession the projected future growth of air traffic in the United Kingdom (UK) means that recruitment of Trainee Air Traffic Controllers (TATC) will continue. Successful recruits will join the team of professionals who work for NATS at the various units around the country. Posting takes place after successful completion of air traffic control training, which takes place at the College of Air Traffic Control (CATC) in Bournemouth. The following document is designed to explain some aspects of what an Air Traffic Controllers job entails and some information about the services, which NATS provides, and other aeronautical information.

The information contained in this document will also form part of the first stage of the selection. You are strongly advised to read it carefully.

NATS and AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL.

NATS provides Air Traffic Control, in the skies over the UK, over part of the North Atlantic and at many airfields. The service NATS provides over the eastern part of the Atlantic is a responsibility assigned to them by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Air traffic in UK airspace is varied, ranging from modern airliners like jumbo jets on scheduled flights to the small single-engine light aircraft used by private pilots. To provide its wide range of services, NATS uses primary and secondary surveillance radar, computerized flight data, radar data processing systems, navigational aids, air to ground radio telephony and an extensive ground-toground telecommunication network linking UK ATC units and with immediate neighbouring Air Traffic Control Centres, like Shannon and Paris for example. Apart from its day-to-day operational responsibilities, NATS is engaged in planning the development of the ATC infrastructure to meet the projected future demand in civil air traffic. NATS also discharges the operational and technical commitments arising from the UK's membership of ICAO and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol).

HOW AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL IS ORGANISED OVER THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Airspace over the UK is divided into two Flight Information Regions (FIRs), called London and Scottish. The London FIR covers the majority of England and Wales and is controlled by the London Area Control Centre (LACC) at Swanwick in Hampshire, which also houses the London Terminal Control. The Scottish FIR, which covers the whole of Scotland and Northern Ireland and the immediate surrounding areas, is controlled by the Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (SCATCC) at Prestwick. The Oceanic Control Area, covering the eastern part of the Atlantic is also based at Prestwick. On January 20th 2005 the first phase of the Northern Oceanic Transition Area (NOTA) was established within the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area to the North of the Shannon FIR/UIR (Upper Flight Information Region). Shannon Area Control Centre has been delegated to provide air traffic services within the NOTA. The NOTA extends from FL55 upwards and this is classified as class A airspace. Below FL55 is class G airspace. The second phase of the NOTA was introduced in late October 2006 whereby the IAA (Irish Aviation Authority) became responsible for east and westbound flights in the NOTA. Within the FIRs there are two main categories of airspace - 'controlled' and 'uncontrolled'. The classification of the airspace within a FIR determines the flight rules which apply, and the minimum services which are to be provided. There are presently six classes of airspace, A and C-G. Classes A and C-E are classes for controlled airspace and outside controlled airspace there is class F (for advisory routes) or class G. In class A airspace only Instrument Fight Rules (IFR) flight is permitted. It is the most strictly regulated airspace where pilots must comply with ATC instructions at all times. Aircraft are separated from all other traffic and the users of this airspace are mainly the major airlines and business jet users. From 16th March 2006 Class B airspace ceased to exist in the London and Scottish UIRs. This was a result of the UK playing their part in the European airspace harmonization program and Class C airspace replaced all Class B airspace. Class C airspace replaced class A, D, F and G airspace above FL195 in the London and Scottish FIR/UIRs from 15TH March 2007. However to accommodate Visual Flight Rule flights VFR and autonomous military flying above FL195 NATS introduced 8 TRAs (Temporary Reserved Areas). These areas

are volumes of airspace where Air Traffic Services will be provided in accordance with UK Air Traffic Services Outside Controlled Airspace Rules. Class D airspace is for IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and VFR use and an ATC clearance is needed and compliance with ATC instructions is mandatory. Controllers will separate IFR from IFR and will pass information on VFR to IFR flights. If the pilot of an IFR flight requests avoidance instructions then they will be issued. Aircraft flying VFR will be given traffic information on VFR and IFR flights. Control areas around aerodromes are class D, and in class D airspace, a speed limit of 250 knots applies if the aircraft is below Flight Level 100. Uncontrolled Airspace In uncontrolled airspace, class F or class G, aircraft may fly when and where they like, subject to a set of simple rules. Although there is no legal requirement to do so, many pilots notify Air Traffic Control of their presence and intentions. The pilot of an aircraft is responsible for determining whether or not the meteorological conditions permit flight in accordance with Visual Flight Rules (VFR). A pilot must fly according to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) if the meteorological conditions preclude VFR flight and at night. Controlled Airspace Controlled airspace is provided primarily to protect commercial airliners and as such, aircraft which fly in controlled airspace must be equipped to a certain standard and their pilots must hold the necessary qualifications. Pilots must obtain a clearance from Air Traffic Control to enter such airspace and, except in an emergency situation, they must follow ATC instructions implicitly. Aerodrome Control Zones surround and protect major airports. Terminal Control Areas are normally established at the confluence of airways in the vicinity of one or more major aerodromes. The London Terminal Control Area is an example of this dealing with air traffic arriving and departing from London Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, London City, Northolt, Biggin Hill and from other minor airfields in the London area. Airways are corridors of airspace connecting the Terminal Control Areas and link up with airways in other countries too. Airways are normally 10 miles wide and have bases between 5,000 feet - 7,000 feet and they extend upward to a height of 24,500 feet. Upper air routes often sit above airways. Their vertical limits are usually Flight Level (FL) 250-FL 460. Airspace above FL 245 is classified now as class C airspace. It used to be known as Special Rules Airspace, then class B airspace. 6

Civil and military aircraft operating above FL 245 are subject to a full and mandatory Air Traffic Control Service. In controlled airspace each aircraft is separated from all other aircraft by internationally agreed standards. The Air Traffic Controller achieves this by allocating aircraft different heights or by issuing headings (vectors) so that the aircraft can be at the same height but a minimum horizontal distance apart. These rules vary depending on where the aircraft is flying. In the London Terminal Control Area for example, aircraft operating under radar control may not come within 3 nautical miles of each other at the same height. If they are less than 3 miles apart they must be separated by a minimum of 1,000 feet. However, outside the terminal control areas, aircraft operating under radar control must be kept 5 nautical miles apart if they are at the same level. If they are less than 5 miles apart horizontally they must be 1,000 feet apart vertically. Certain aircraft that fly above 29,000 feet must be separated from others by 2000 feet. These are aircraft which cannot comply with the reduced vertical separation minima, which was introduced in the UKs airspace in March 2001. The reason for the difference between the separation in the terminal and the en-route phase of flight is due to the speed of the aircraft. In the terminal area the speeds of aircraft tend to be slower due to the fact that they are slowing down to land or to hold at holding facilities for airfields. Aircraft are also more manoeuvrable at slower speeds. Outside Controlled and Special Rules Airspace NATS, along with other ATC agencies, provides ATC services to aircraft on request. In March 2009 the services outside Controlled airspace had name changes and radar advisory, radar information, and flight information services disappeared to be replaced by Deconfliction Service, Traffic Service and Basic Service. The other type of service that pilots can receive outside controlled airspace is a Procedural Service; this is a non radar-based service in which deconfliction advice is provided against other aircraft receiving a Procedural Service from the same controller. The avoidance of other aircraft remains the pilots responsibility. On certain routes, which are well used, but not busy enough to be classified as airways NATS has established Advisory Routes where pilots can receive an ATC service to ensure their separation from other participating aircraft. Safety is paramount in the aviation industry and NATS has a very open reporting scheme for many types of incidents. Controllers may at any time submit a safety observation report (CA4114) if they feel that a situation they encountered may be of interest in ensuring the same situation does not arise again. Pilots can also report if they feel a situation would or did lead to a loss of separation and in this instance it is mandatory for the controller to file a report. 7

Reports are also filed to keep on a database about level busts, vortex wake incidents, call sign confusion and sector overloads amongst others. NATS has dedicated teams of operational controllers and engineers who investigate all occurrences. This open reporting leads to a safety culture which is second to none.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN NATS. NATS was at the forefront of introducing Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM). Aircraft that have had their altimeters checked to a high degree of accuracy and which can comply with other strict criteria have, for the past seven years, been allowed to fly across the Atlantic track structure with only 1000 feet separation above Flight Level (FL) 290 and below FL 410. This separation standard allows many more aircraft to fly through airspace where RVSM is allowed. On the 24th January 2002 three days before the New ENRoute Centre at Swanwick in Hampshire went operational, RVSM was introduced into the whole of Europe. NATS introduced RVSM in March 2001 over UK airspace and was the first European country to do so. When the New En-Route Centre (NERC) became operational, RVSM had already have been in operation in UK airspace for 10 months. The advantage of RVSM is that it allows more aircraft to fly at the higher levels where they can take advantage of burning less fuel. Above FL410 2000ft separation is used. A lot of development in aviation is to ensure that either safety is increased and that capacity is increased without safety being compromised. As we saw with RVSM NATS was at the forefront of introducing a system whereby capacity was increased. NATS is presently developing the Interim Future Area Control Tools Support known as IFACTS. When it becomes operational in 2010 it will help NATS to meet the projected demand of 3 million annual movements at Swanwick by 2015. IFACTS has 3 main objectives for NATS. Apart from increasing capacity IFACTS aims to eliminate paper flight progress strips and reduce the number of safety significant events. IFACTS aims to reduce the controllers workload by equipping them with tools to aid them in medium term confliction resolution. Trajectory prediction will also assist the controller by calculating where the aircraft will be in 14 minutes based on the aircrafts level, speed and heading. If the controller inputs any tactical clearances the system updates the trajectory. Tactical controllers will have the use of a separation monitor which will help them monitor the traffic in their sector and will display to the controller the interactions that are predicted to happen within the sector in the next few minutes. IFACTS also allows the controller to check what might happen if a particular clearance were to be issued to an aircraft. This is called a tactical what-if and this will superimpose on the radar screen the predicted trajectories of the aircraft involved. Both the planner and the tactical controller are alerted by an interaction vector which is triggered by the system when a confliction is

detected which is going to take place within the next 5 minutes. This alert is a high priority for the tactical controller.

IFACTS also provides the controllers with a tactical bay and tactical list. At present controllers use the flight progress strips to detect possible conflictions. The tactical bay and task list in IFACTS will not be used for detecting conflictions instead the tactical bay will list all the aircraft in contact and being controlled by the relevant sector and the task list will have data in it which is outstanding to that particular flight. For example if the flight has yet to be cleared to the level that it has been coordinated out at then this will be listed in the task bay. As soon as all the outstanding tasks are completed the strip will be removed from the task bay. Although the use of paper flight progress strips is being removed in the area environment with the introduction of IFACTS in 2010 NATS has already successfully introduced electronic flight progress strips (EFPS) at Stansted Tower in November 2004 and at Gatwick tower in April 2005. The same system was introduced at Heathrow in April 2007 when the new Heathrow control Tower became operational.

MODE S.
Mode S is a development to supersede the present Mode A and C technology and the limitations that this system has. At present the radars interrogate the transponders of aircraft and receive the information about the aircraft and its height. In areas of high traffic density, for example in the stacks around Heathrow the integrity of the mode A and C is sometimes adversely affected by the garbling of all the returns. Mode S will alleviate these shortcomings because the radar system will in effect target individual aircraft rather than trying to attempt to resolve all the replies. Another advantage of Mode S is that altitude reports can be in 25ft increments which is obviously a lot more accurate than the present 100ft increments. Mode S is the latest technology to come into operation in the London Terminal Area. After a series of development projects run by NATS Mode S offers 3 components to assist controllers in their work. The 3 components are a Track Data Block (TDB) containing Mode S data, a Vertical Stack List which displays the aircraft in the stack in a vertical form so the controller can continuously see the aircraft that are in the stack and the altitudes they are at and a Modem S data window which displays information relating to a highlighted aircraft. Information available consists of the actual and selected level, heading and speed, and the rate of climb or descent. The benefits of Mode S are that the controller should see a reduction in their RT workload because they can see the altitude of the aircraft in the stack and will 10

not need to ask the pilots, if the labels are garbling, as they do now. A reduction in level busts (where an aircraft climbs or descends to an incorrect level to the one issued by the controller) should also occur.

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HOW AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS OPERATE

Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) are responsible for keeping aircraft separated from each other. They maintain contact with the pilots through VHF radio telephone (R/T) service. The control of aircraft movements is achieved through radar surveillance. ATCOs are provided with details of any flight which intends to fly through the airspace they are responsible for. The route, altitude, speed and callsign of the intended flight are all detailed upon a flight progress strip which is generated by the ATC computers after the flight has got airborne, or has been transferred by an adjacent ATC centre. These details help the Controllers plan a safe flight level and route for the aircraft and to solve any potential conflictions. The Controllers use the paper or electronic flight progress strips in conjunction with the radar display to monitor the progress of the aircraft, either on the surface of the airport or in the proximity of the airfield or through an en-route sector. When the controller issues an instruction to an aircraft the pilot must read the instruction back. An aircraft must be coordinated from one sector to the next. This rule also applies if the next sector is one inside an adjacent centre's airspace. The UK must co-ordinate with Air Traffic Control Centres in Scotland, Dublin, Shannon, Brest, Paris, Brussels, Maastricht and Copenhagen. Likewise these adjacent centres must inform the UK about flights approaching UK airspace. Often the information is passed by a computer link but controllers also use telephones to communicate with these adjacent centres. At the Swanwick centre the sectors of airspace are numbered and represent certain geographical areas of the UK. For example sectors 24, 1 and 2 are the London Upper Sectors which control aircraft above Flight Level 310 (31 000 feet) above the London area. For aircraft heading north the controllers will send an electronic message with the flights details to the controllers working aircraft in the Daventry northbound sectors (sectors 28 and 34). In turn the sector 28 and 34 controllers will send details on to the Lakes controllers (sectors 3 and 4). This process will continue until the aircraft has safely transited UK airspace or has landed at its destination within the UK.

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RADAR AND NAVIGATIONAL AIDS.

Radar The use of radar, both primary and secondary, assists Air Traffic Controllers in their main task of ensuring safe separation between aircraft. There are radar sites at many airports around the country and at other strategic sites. These radars ensure that the controllers who work at the various units around the UK receive the best possible picture and information from the radars. Primary Radar Primary radar provides only very basic information about the position of an aircraft in relation to the radar. It will show all aircraft within its coverage and will also show other objects like high terrain, certain weather and possibly large flocks of birds. Secondary Radar Secondary Radar is selective, and only displays information from aircraft equipped with a transponder. All aircraft operating within controlled or special rules airspace must be equipped with a serviceable transponder. This rule also applies to aircraft operating outside controlled airspace above FL 100. Before an aircraft departs from a major airfield or before it enters the airways systems it is allocated an individual four-digit code, which the pilot dials up in the transponder. When the aircraft gets airborne, or before it enters the airways systems, the ground based radar interrogates the transponder. When it recognizes the code, which it allocated to that particular flight, the aircraft's height information and callsign, is displayed to the Controller in the form of a label next to the position of the aircraft. The Controller is also able to display maps of airways and upper air routes as well as coastlines and danger areas on the display. These as well as the displayed information about the aircraft assist the Controller in ensuring the aircraft flies safely along the route it wishes to fly. Navigational Aids NATS provides and maintains a large number of navigational aids, to enable aircraft to fly the airways systems with the necessary accuracy. The most accurate of the navigational aids is the VHF Omni-directional Range (VOR) which emits radial signal which aircraft can fly along. There are 360 radials, which an aircraft could fly toward or away from a VOR. Each radial represents 1 degree from 0-359 degrees, for example the standard arrival route inbound to Luton for an aircraft flying from Glasgow, requires the aircraft to fly to the Manchester VOR and then fly along the 157 degree radial which takes the

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aircraft towards a position called ROGBI (a position on the MCT 157 degree radial) and then on towards the arrival into Luton. Some VOR's have an associated DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) with them. This shows the pilot how far the aircraft is away from the VOR. Less accurate than a VOR is an NDB (Non-Directional Beacon) which just emits a signal which the pilot navigates toward. The range of most NDBs is in the region of about 25 nautical miles whereas a VOR has a much greater range, in the order of 125 nautical miles. A lot of airfields have an NDB which can be used as an approach aid to the airfield. For example Leeds-Bradford has an NDB. There are some NDBs like the examples at Lichfield (LIC) and Westcott (WCO) which are used as en-route navigational aids and are not associated directly with any airfields. Much of the radar and navigational equipment is connected to remote control and monitoring systems at the Scottish and London Air Traffic Control Centres. This ensures that these services are maintained to a very high standard of reliability and that the information about failures is passed immediately to Air Traffic Controllers and also pilots.

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AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL OVER THE ATLANTIC.

Responsibility for air traffic control over the North Atlantic is shared by the UK, Portugal, the USA, Canada and Iceland. NATS is responsible for the Eastern portion of the Atlantic which stretches between latitudes 45 degrees North and 61 degrees North and westward to longitude 30 degrees West. As mentioned earlier the first phased of the NOTA was established in early 2005 within this airspace. This area that NATS is responsible for is known as the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area and the responsibility for providing ATC services to aircraft flying in this airspace is that of the Oceanic Control Centre at Prestwick. Voice communication is maintained through HF (High Frequency) radio, which is based at Shannon in the west of Eire. The North Atlantic flow of air traffic conforms mainly to one of two flows. Traffic bound for the United States of America (USA) from the UK and European airfields flys westbound through UK airspace between 10am and 4pm arriving in the USA in the late afternoon/early evening. It will then return from the USA arriving in the UK or over flying the UK, between 4am and 1pm. There are of course exceptions, and with the increase in freight and parcel deliveries a lot of these flights seem to be travelling the opposite way to the main flow. To provide the best service to the bulk of traffic, a system of organised tracks is constructed by the relevant OACC every 12 hours to accommodate as many aircraft as possible on their most economic flight path. Prestwick OACC is responsible for the westbound track system and Gander OACC, Canada, for the eastbound track system. When organizing the track structure the prevailing wind is taken into account. Airlines like to take advantage of a tailwind, which is more fuel economical and gets the aircraft and passengers to their destinations quicker. The tracks are generally 1 degree of latitude apart, due to the absence of radar coverage over the Atlantic Ocean. Somewhere over UK airspace, aircraft wishing to travel over the Atlantic make contact with Oceanic control on VHF radio, requesting their Oceanic route and clearance. The clearance will include the track, flight level and speed, any time restrictions for entry on to the track structure will also be given. Planners on either side of the Ocean consult with each other and co-ordinate as necessary with adjacent OACCs as well as domestic ATC agencies, to ensure the system provides sufficient capacity for the anticipated demands. Modern equipment installed at Prestwick ensures that the Air Traffic Controllers are able to detect and resolve conflictions on the Oceanic tracks and thus issue safe clearances to the participating traffic. As the aircraft fly Eastbound or Westbound the pilot makes a position report on HF radio, this is usually done at every 10 degrees of longitude.

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AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL AT AIRPORTS.

NATS is responsible for providing air traffic services at the majority of British Airports Authority (BAA) airports including Heathrow and Gatwick; NATS also provides services under competitive contracts to other major airfields such as Manchester and Birmingham. Local authorities and business consortiums run certain airfields and as such, must employ their own staff, including Air Traffic Controllers. Aerodromes, which handle certain categories of public transport flights, are required to employ licensed controllers. The Safety Regulations Group of the CAA has the responsibility for ensuring that all Air Traffic Control and telecommunications facilities provided at these aerodromes are inspected and approved. There are 3 types of controllers who work at aerodromes. Approach Controller Approach Controllers are responsible for aircraft approaching the airfield who wish to land and for any aircraft which may wish to transit the aerodromes control zone. The control zone is airspace around the aerodrome which is designed to protect aircraft which fly in and out of that aerodrome. Approach control receives aircraft from the area centre after co-ordination has taken place between the two controllers. The co-ordination is usually the Flight Level which the aircraft will be at when it is transferred from the area to the Approach Controller. The Approach Controller, if using radar, will issue the aircraft with headings, altitudes, speeds and any other relevant information to guide it towards the final approach path. At major airfields there are holding facilities called "Stacks", which aircraft may be, required to enter, if a delay is expected. At Heathrow there are four stacks, two to the north of the airfield and two to the south. The stacks at Heathrow are all above VORs, so the aircraft can hold over the stack with a high degree of accuracy. Aircraft circle over the VOR in a special holding pattern based on a particular radial from that VOR. They are all 1,000 feet apart vertically and when the lowest aircraft is allowed to leave the stack to make an approach to land, the remaining aircraft in the stack are then laddered down, so that the top level in the stack becomes available again. As aircraft approach the airfield the Approach Controller must establish the correct landing intervals between aircraft on final approach. The spacing between aircraft depends on a number of factors, such as the prevailing weather conditions, the size of the aircraft involved and the number of aircraft waiting to depart. Larger aircraft create more wake turbulence than smaller 16

aircraft and Approach Controllers must provide the correct vortex wake separation between aircraft on the final approach track for example a Boeing 737, which is a medium-sized jet, must approach the airport 5 miles behind a Boeing 747, which is a large jet and as such is classed in the heavy vortex wake category. However, if the 747 were to follow the 737, a distance of only 3 miles would be required. The Approach Controller will issue instructions to enable the aircraft to intercept the Instrument Landing System (ILS). The ILS is a ground-based radio guidance system, which transmits two directional radio beams, the localiser and the glide path. The localiser aerial, which is situated at the end of the runway, transmits a signal for about 25 miles along the approach path, defining the centreline of the runway. The glidepath aerial is situated at the side of the runway and transmits a signal which defines a descent path, which is usually 3 degrees. This descent path enables the aircraft to arrive at the runway threshold. The ILS has its own radio frequency, which the pilot can tune into. The pilot then receives indications in the cockpit advising him if he needs to fly up/down or left/right to keep on the correct approach path. When the aircraft is established on the final approach at between 6 - 12 miles from the runway the approach controller will transfer the aircraft to the Aerodrome Controller. Aerodrome Controller The Aerodrome Controller will either instruct the aircraft to land, or continue to approach if there is traffic occupying the runway having just landed or waiting to depart. After the aircraft has received its landing instructions and landed safely the Aerodrome Controller transfers the aircraft to the Ground Movement Controller. (At airfields with two runways such as Heathrow there are two Aerodrome Controllers. One is responsible for the departures and the other for the runway dealing with air arrivals). Ground Movement Controller The Ground Movement Controller (GMC) is responsible for an aircraft once it has vacated the runway. The Ground Movement Controller is responsible for the movement of all vehicles and aircraft on the airport. During the daytime and in good visibility, aircraft and vehicles are controlled by direct observation. When the visibility is low or during the night, aircraft are guided about the airport by red and green lights embedded in the taxiways. At some airfields a lighting control operator carries out this task. At less busy units the Ground Movement Controller carries out this function. At really busy units there is also a Ground 17

Movement Planner (GMP) who issues to the pilot the expected standard instrument departure that the aircraft is expected to fly on departure along with the transponder code that the computer has allocated to the aircraft.

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THE AIRCRAFT AND AIRLINES THAT USE THE SYSTEM.

Users of UK Air Traffic Control systems are mainly those Airlines, which fly to and from the USA, from the UK and mainland Europe, and those European airlines which fly to and from the UK from within Europe. The biggest daily users of the UK ATC system are the major UK and Irish carriers, British Airways, BMI, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Virgin Atlantic, Easyjet and the charter airlines like Thomson Airways, Monarch and Globespan. The major companies of the UK's geographical neighbours like Air France, KLM (Holland), Iberia (Spain), Lufthansa (Germany), SAS (Sweden, Denmark and Norway), Alitalia (Italy) and Swiss, not only operate to and from the UK, but also to the USA as well. Many other operators from all over the world fly into and across UK airspace, it is therefore, easy to imagine where 6000+ daily flights over UK airspace appear from. The majority of airlines operate a mixture of jet and propeller aircraft, which operate on certain routes depending on the amount of traffic that route, generates. For example; Heathrow to Newcastle is a popular route so the aircraft which operate the route are jet aircraft with over 130 seats. However, the route from Southampton to Newcastle isn't so popular (at present), so the route is flown by propeller aircraft with fewer seats than a jet or by smaller regional jet airliners. The information below shows the jet aircraft which are popular amongst the European airlines, and various routes they fly and some performance characteristics and statistics. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. AIRCRAFT TYPE:SEATING DETAILS:CRUISING LEVEL:SPEED:TYPICAL ROUTES:OPERATED BY:-

1. Boeing 737-300/400/500 series 2. Seating 300 series, 128 standard, 400 series standard 146 with a maximum 171 seats. 3. FL290-370 4. 430 knots 5. Popular charter destinations and European short haul and domestic routes, e.g. London to Palma, London to Copenhagen and London to Edinburgh. 6. British Airways, Lufthansa and KLM. 1. Boeing737-600 /700/800/900 series known as Next Generation 19

2. 3. 4. 5.

Standard seating 108/128/160/177 FL330-410 460 knots Popular charter destinations and European short haul and domestic routes, e.g. Copenhagen-Dublin, London-Edinburgh, Manchester-Istanbul 6. SAS, Easyjet, THY and KLM.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Boeing 747-400 series Maximum 568, standard 390 FL310-390 500 knots Far East, Australasian and Transatlantic routes. London-Mexico City, 6. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, Lufthansa.

e.g. London-Hong Kong,

1. Boeing 757-200/300 series 2. 200 series. Maximum 239, standard 178. 300 series. Maximum 289, standard 240 3. FL310-410 4. 450 knots 5. UK to the East Coast of US and European schedule, charter and domestic routes. e.g. Birmingham-New York, London-Moscow, Glasgow-Palma, London-Glasgow 6. British Airways, Monarch, and Icelandair.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Boeing 767-200/200ER/300/300ER series 200 series standard seating 210, 300 series standard seating 250 FL310-430 470 Knots European long haul, the Near East and all Transatlantic destinations and European charter destinations, e.g. London-Moscow, London-Jeddah, London-Dallas 6. British Airways, Alitalia, Thomson Airways, United Airlines. Boeing 767-400 series also fly through UK airspace. It has a maximum seating capacity of 305 seats and a standard layout of 261. Continental Airlines and Delta Airlines of America operate this type of B767.

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1. Boeing 777-200/200ER/300 /300ER series 2. 200/200 ER series seats between 250-400 passengers while the 300 series carries between 368 and 450 passengers 3. FL310-430 4 .490 knots 5. Transatlantic and Near East routes, e.g. London to Boston and London to Dubai. 6. British Airways, Air France, United Airlines and Emirates. 1. Airbus A300 and A300-600 2. Seating on the A300 252 and on the A300-600 a maximum layout of 375 and a standard seating arrangement comprising of 266 seats. 3. FL290-330 4. 460 knots 5. European charter destinations, e.g. Manchester to Palma. 6. Monarch Airlines. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Airbus A310-200/300 Series Maximum 280, standard 210-250 FL310-370 470 knots There are very few operators of this type of aircraft left. Air Transat and CSA Airlines fly transatlantic routes like London-Toronto. Prague-New York. 6. Air Transat and CSA. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Airbus A318 Normal configuration 107 seats. FL310-370. 450 knots. European short haul e.g. London-Paris. Air France and Tarom.

Airbus A319 Maximum 148, standard 124 FL290-370 450 knots. European schedule, charter and domestic routes, e.g. London to Belfast and Manchester to Alicante. 6. British Airways, Air France, EasyJet and Lufthansa. 1. Airbus A320-100/200 series. 2. 100 series seats 130-140 and the 200 series a maximum 180 passengers with the standard layout being 150 seats. 21

3. FL290-390 4. 450 knots. 5. European schedule, charter and domestic routes, e.g. London-Newcastle, London-Paris, Dublin-Rome. 6. British Airways, Aer Lingus, Alitalia, and Air France. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Airbus A321 100/200 series Between 180-220 seats. FL310-370. 450 knots European schedule, charter and domestic routes, E.g. London-Rome, Manchester-Alicante, London-Edinburgh. 6. Lufthansa, Air France and BMI. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Airbus A330 200/300 series. Between 250-400 seats. FL310-410. 480 knots. High density short haul and long haul flights. Monarch, Swiss and Lufthansa.

Airbus A340 200/300/500/600 series Between 260-440 seats. FL310-410 480 knots. Transatlantic and long haul flights. E.g. London-Los Angeles and LondonLagos. 6. Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa and Swiss. Deliveries of the Airbus A380 has started with Qantas, Emirates and Singapore Airlines amongst the first customers. The aircraft will be capable of carrying 555 passengers. At present they only operate into Heathrow airport in London. 1. McDonnell Douglas MD80/81/82/83/87/88/90. 2. The MD family of aircraft seats between 109 and 172 passengers. The MD87 being the smallest of the family with the MD88 and 90 seating the most. 3. FL290-350 4. 440 knots. 5. European charter and scheduled routes, e.g. Belfast to Vienna and London to Oslo. 6. SAS, Iberia and Alitalia 1. McDonnell Douglas MD11. 22

2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Primarily used as a cargo aircraft now. FL280-370 480 knots. Transatlantic routes, e.g. London to Memphis FedEx, UPS and World Airways.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Fokker 70/100 Standard seating in the F70 is 79 and 97 in the F100 FL280-330. 430 Knots European short haul and domestic routes, e.g. Birmingham to Amsterdam, East Midlands to Jersey 6. KLM .Austrian Arrows. 1. 2. 3. 4 5 Embraer 135/145 37 and 50. FL280-370. 425 knots. European short haul and domestic routes, e.g. Manchester to Geneva and Southampton to Glasgow. 6 Flybe, BMI. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Embraer 170/175 The 170 has 70-80 seats and the 175 78-88. FL310-370. 450 knots. European short haul, e.g. Warsaw-Dublin Alitalia and LOT of Poland. Embraer 190/195 The 190 has 98-114 seats and the E195 108-122 seats. FL310-410. 450 knots. European short-haul e.g. Paris to Aberdeen. Flybe Air France. (Based on the Bae146-

1. Avro Regional Jet 70, 85 and 100 series. 100/200/300 series) 2. The RJ70 offers seating for 82-94 passengers.

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The 85 series carries up to 112 seats The 100 series offers up to 128 seats. 3. FL260-330. 4. 400 knots. 5. European short haul and domestic routes, e.g. London to Glasgow, and Brussels to Manchester. 6 Brussels Airline and Swiss. This list of jet airliners is by no means complete and there still are certain aircraft which fly through UK airspace which have not been included. Some of the types are perhaps not as common today, due to the strict implementation of noise categories which aircraft operators must adhere to and the fact that they are older airliners which are being replaced by more modern, fuel-efficient aircraft. The information above and below is by no means definitive due to the fact that different airlines operate their aircraft in different ways and also in different configurations. The information below shows the propeller driven aircraft, which are commonly used on routes within UK airspace. The same information is shown as for the jet aircraft above. Seating capacities in propeller driven aircraft are usually less than 80 seats. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 ATR 42/72 Standard 42 seats for the ATR42 and 65 seats for the ATR72. FL170-250 250 knots. European short haul and domestic routes, e.g. Cork to Luton. Aer Arran. Fokker 50 Maximum 68, standard 50 FL150-230 250 Knots European short haul and domestic routes e.g. Manchester to Brussels VLM Airlines (City Jet) of Belgium.

1. Dash 8 series 100/200/300/400 2. The 100 series seats up to 45 whilst the stretched 300 seats up to 55 and the 400 series can seat up to 78. 3. FL140-250. 4. 250 knots for the 200/300 series and slightly slower for the 100 series and 280 knots for the 400 series. 5. European short haul and domestic, e.g. Bristol to Paris and Edinburgh. 6. Flybe and Luxair. 24

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Jetstream 41. Maximum 29 seats FL140-250. 250 knots. European short haul and domestic routes, e.g. Newcastle to Southampton. Eastern Airways. Saab 340. Standard 35 seats FL140-240. 240 knots. European short haul and domestic routes, e.g. Manchester to Aberdeen. Loganair.

As well as these passenger aircraft there has been a marked increase in private business jet traffic. Aircraft like Gulfstreams, Cessna Citations, Dassault Falcons, and Canadair Challengers are now common throughout UK airspace. These aircraft can fly at slightly higher levels than passenger aircraft but are doing similar speeds to the likes of Boeing 757s. They are used for short trips around the UK and Europe and also for longer transatlantic or Far East flights.

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