Things to know about life of an Air Traffic Controller!
·
They
spend two million flights a year and behind each point on the screen an average
of 250 lives.
·
Some
cannot stand the pressure. Cardiovascular problems, dysfunctions of the
digestive system and sleep disturbances that can give rise to a multitude of
disorders are very common.
Some 2,400
air traffic controllers work in Spain, of which about 2,000
perform operational tasks. The work of the air traffic controllers, who
this weekend has called new partial stops, is still unknown for the vast
majority. It is one of the highest paid professions, but their shifts and
the level of stress they face daily to regulate airspace bill their
health. A controller is required a series of qualities that do not meet
all people, such as staying calm under pressure, taking certain
risks, ability to make fast decisions while processing various sources of
information at once, excellent spatial vision, work in Equipment and a high
capacity of abstraction.
In
essence, his job is to give pilots radio instructions to order the air
traffic in a fluid and safe way. Their work could be summarized in
telling the planes to rise or fall, turn right or left, and accelerate or
decelerate according to the circumstances of each moment. Radar, computers
and so-called 'flight progression chips' are their tools. "These
charts give us all the information related to the flight, they serve to record
all the instructions of altitude, speed and course that we give to the
aircraft, as well as backup in the event of a loss of radar data due to system
crashes," explains David Guillamón , controller of 43 years.
Its
first destination was the control tower of the Ibiza airport, but in 2005 it
was transferred to the Air Traffic Control Center
(ACC) in
Madrid, first as an air traffic control route, and currently approaching, that
is, managing the approximations of the aircraft to the airports of Barajas,
Getafe, Torrejón and Cuatro Vientos. " We work in real time with
machines that move at relative speeds of more than 1,000 km / h ",
says "Speak of the bad reputation that accompanies them:" In the
collective unconscious underlies the idea that we are conflictive, but I in 15
Years of profession is the first time that I strike. It is true that it is
very well paid all over the world (gross average salary usually exceeds 10,000 Euros
per month), but nobody talks about the counterparts. The shift work and
the adrenaline that is generated in many occasions during our work usually leave
great sequels. Cardiovascular problems, dysfunctions of the digestive
system and sleep disturbances that can lead to a multitude of disorders are
very common. "Controllers often remember that their function is not to
give orders to pilots, but to issue authorizations (for example, to land or
take off. All pilots or aircraft commanders are the decision makers, even in
cases of emergency).
The three types of
controllers:
Regarding
the type and place of work, not all the controllers operate in the control
towers. There are three broad categories: tower controllers, area controllers,
and route controllers. The route and approach control units are usually in
the same control center, but not at the airports themselves. Route
controllers handle aircraft traffic when they fly at high altitudes through the
large 'freeways' Continents. These professionals determine with radar the
position of the aircraft and maintain the separation of safety between
them. They are in constant contact with pilots through the radio,
directing traffic through the airspace sector under their responsibility.
"In
the case of European skies, they can be considered to be saturated at certain
times in many areas, and this is to a large extent the reason for the delays
suffered by passengers," says Guillamón, although there may also be delays
Which Eurocontrol reports promptly) due to adverse weather conditions such as
storms or fog, variables that add workload to the controller. Regarding the
type and place of work, not all controllers operate in the control
towers. There are three broad categories: as aircraft approach airports,
they are transferred to approach controllers, which place them on a first-come,
first-served basis. It is also the function of this group to allow both
the take-offs and the initial ascent of other aircraft departing towards their
destinations. Meanwhile, when aircraft are already approaching the runway, the
communication is transferred to the tower controllers, which Takes traffic from
the last 10 or 15 miles to land on the taxiways. In addition, they direct
other aircraft to the runway to authorize this operation. The joint work
of these three types of controllers allows millions of passengers to travel
safely around the world. David recognizes that he loves his work, but also
confesses that some colleagues have not put up with the pressure and have
abandoned operational tasks to assume other more
administrative. "Even so, the most difficult moments are usually
the most rewarding, because they are emergency or danger situations that are
usually solved happily."Guillamón recalls one of those complicated
experiences:" Once an ambulance plane failed the autopilot taking off from
Ibiza, in the summer season with more than 400 movements a day and the aircraft
almost crashed against the Atalaya, the largest mountain on the island. He
had to disconnect a good part of the electrical system and was not able to land
in an emergency. "" In the end, coordinating with Palma's comrades,
we sent the aircraft to Barcelona to burn fuel, "he
continues. It was very tense moments, because we could not see it on the
radars and we had to position it based on the reports of the crew.
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