ATC Training and Standards Department

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ATC Training and Standards Department

With the recent influx of members and the transition to new and exciting ATC client software, the Training department has created the ATC Standards role to help controllers develop their skills beyond their initial rating training.  Stay tuned for regular tips & tricks, as well as additional resources to expand your ATC skillset.

This month’s area of interest is airwork and ops normal times.  Pilots may advise ATC of intended airwork in order to complete practice instrument approaches, survey work, SAR ops, or a range of other operations.  Generally, this will involve advising the vertical and lateral boundaries of the airwork, and nominating an ops normal time, which is the latest time ATC should expect to hear back from the pilot once the airwork is complete.

E.g. VH-NEZ is a Piper Arrow operating IFR outside controlled airspace who wishes to conduct a practice instrument approach at Mount Gambier.  They are enroute and are currently receiving an identification service from Melbourne Centre.

VH-NEZ: NEZ, airwork details.
ML CTR: NEZ, send airwork details.
VH-NEZ: NEZ will be conducting airwork within a 20nm radius of Mount Gambier, surface to 5000ft, ops normal 45.

The Melbourne Centre controller should make a note of the intended airwork and acknowledge the ops normal time, then give the pilot directed traffic information on any applicable IFR or observed VFR aircraft who are currently within, or will be shortly transiting, the defined airspace.

ML CTR: NEZ, copy ops normal time 45, no reported IFR traffic.
VH-NEZ: NEZ.

It is recommended that you update the aircraft’s tag with the relevant airwork details and utilise the timer system in your ATC client to ensure you don’t miss the nominated ops normal time.  In vatSys, this can be achieved using the built-in clock timer, or preferably, by setting a SAR timer on the aircraft itself.  Right mouse click the callsign to open the SAR Window, then select the nominated ops normal time to set the timer.  If the pilot fails to report by the nominated time, the SAR alert will activate.

If during the airwork period, a second aircraft was inbound to Mount Gamiber, they would need to be advised of VH-NEZ’s airwork boundaries so they can maintain their own separation during descent and landing.

ML CTR: RXA4635, IFR traffic for your arrival is NEZ, an IFR Arrow, currently conducting airwork within a 20nm radius of Mount Gambier, surface to 5000ft.

Remember to pass this traffic information to VH-NEZ as well.

ML CTR: NEZ, IFR traffic is RXA4635, SAAB 340, inbound from the west, descending from flight levels, estimating Mount Gambier at 29.

On completion of the airwork, VH-NEZ will report ops normal and may issue a departure report if departing the vicinity for another aerodrome.

VH-NEZ: NEZ, ops normal, 3nm southeast of Mount Gambier, passing 2600ft, climbing 7000ft, estimate NOGIP 04.
ML CTR: NEZ, identified, no reported IFR traffic 7000ft.

 

Matt Kelly - Manager ATC Standards