Contribute to maintaining the separation of aircraft in the air
Overview
This standard is about contributing to maintaining the separation of aircraft in the air. In air traffic control, separation is the name for the concept of keeping an aircraft outside a minimum distance from another aircraft to reduce the risk of those aircraft colliding, as well as prevent accidents due to secondary factors, such as wake turbulence. This involves contributing to the formulation of air traffic control clearances, the planning and control of aircraft and monitoring the progress of aircraft in the air. This also involves understanding flight plan data and taking action if this data is incorrect.
This standard is for those working in airports/airfields in air traffic control roles.
When you have completed this standard, you will be able to demonstrate your knowledge of and ability to:
- Contribute to maintaining the separation of aircraft in the air
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- Evaluate the accuracy of flight plan data and take the required action to respond to incorrect flight plan data in line with organisational procedures
- Assess requests for air traffic control clearance in relation to other current and predicted air traffic in the area
- Apply separation standards in line with relevant legal requirements
- Contribute to the formulation of air traffic control clearances in line with organisational procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Record clearances issued in line with your organisation's procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Contribute to the planning and control of aircraft to maintain the separation of aircraft in the air in line with your organisation's procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Formulate control instructions appropriate to flight plan and other information sources in line with your organisation's procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Monitor flight profiles, existing and requested, to confirm that safe traffic levels are not exceeded in line with organisational procedure and relevant legal requirements
- Identify and report potential aircraft traffic conflictions to your supervisor and recommend avoiding action in response in line with your organisation's procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Calculate onward clearance times to aircraft held en-route in line with organisational procedures
- Co-ordinate actions with other agencies and provide the required information to them in line with organisational procedures
- Co-ordinate diverted aircraft traffic in line with organisational procedures
- Co-ordinate non-standard and special flights in line with organisational procedures
- Contribute to monitoring the progress of aircraft in the air in line with organisational procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Monitor and maintain aircraft separation standards using the required methods and equipment in line with organisational procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Take the required action to rectify any deviations from separation standards in line with organisational procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Contribute to developing instructions to be given to aircraft in line with organisational procedures
- Report any failures of procedures or equipment to your supervisor in line with your organisation's procedures
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- The required aircraft separation standards, and the legal requirements and organisational systems and procedures for maintaining them
- Your role and responsibilities for contributing to maintaining the separation of aircraft in the air
- How to use the required standard terms and phrases when communicating
- Your organisation’s procedures and relevant legal requirements for contributing to the formulation of air traffic control clearances
- How and when to issue air traffic control clearances
- How to calculate current and predicted workload and analyse flight plan data
- How and when to communicate and co-ordinate with other agencies
- Your organisation's procedures and relevant legal requirements for recording clearances issued
- Your organisation’s procedures and relevant legal requirements for contributing to the planning and control of aircraft
- How to formulate control instructions appropriate to flight plan and other information sources
- How to monitor flight profiles, existing and requested, to confirm that safe traffic levels are not exceeded in line with organisational procedure and relevant legal requirements
- How to identify and report potential aircraft traffic conflictions to your supervisor and the types of avoiding action to take in response
- Your organisation’s procedures for co-ordinating diverted aircraft traffic
- How to calculate onward clearance times to aircraft held en-route
- How and when to co-ordinate actions with other agencies and provide the required information
- Your organisation’s procedures for co-ordinating non-standard and special flights
- How to contribute to monitoring the progress of aircraft in the air
- Your organisation’s procedures and relevant legal requirements for monitoring and maintaining aircraft separation standards
- The actions to take to rectify deviations from separation standards
- How to contribute to developing instructions to be given to aircraft
- How to issue vectoring and speed control instructions to maintain separation
- How to control and co-ordinate aircraft in line with organisational procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Your organisation’s terrain clearance and vortex wake spacing procedures
- Your organisation’s procedures for verbal communication
- The methods and equipment used to monitor the progress of aircraft, including radar and procedural methods
- How to contribute to monitoring the progress of aircraft in the air
- The content of release messages
- The radar advisory, information and control services, how to monitor radar displays, conduct handovers and identification, and the actions to take in the event of radar failure
- The importance of calculating the estimated time of aircraft arrival
- How to identify and report any failures of procedures or equipment to your supervisor in line with organisational procedures
- Your organisation’s recording and reporting procedures
Scope/range
Clearances include:
a) Departing
b) Crossing
c) Joining
d) Changes in light profile
Flight plan data includes:
a) Flight progress slips
b) Electronic flight progress strip (EFPS)
c) Electronic display data (EDD)
d) Data lines
e) Fight plans
Aircraft separation standards include:
a) Vertical
b) Horizontal
c) Standard
d) Increased
e) Reduced
f) Deemed
Other agencies include:
a) ATSUs
b) ATCCs
c) AFIS
d) A/G units
Verbal message include:
a) Radiotelephony
b) Telephone
c) Direct speech
Avoiding action includes:
a) Applying departure restrictions
b) En-route holding
c) Re-routing of traffic
d) Down grading a service
e) Limiting a service
Co-ordination with relevant agencies includes:
a) Collecting information
b) Communication
c) Providing information
d) Responding to requests
e) The conditions agreed
f) Amending flight plan and other records
Aircraft operating characteristics includes:
a) Speed parameters
b) Climb and descent rates
c) Cruising levels
d) Rates of turn
e) Systems and equipment
f) Cockpit workload
Content of release messages in clue:
a) Aircraft type and identity
b) SSR code
c) Point of departure
d) Release point
e) EAT
f) Contact point
g) ETA at holding facility
h) Release level
Terrain clearance procedures include:
a) minimum sector altitude
b) Approved levels
c) IFR
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Organisational standards
are those relating to air traffic control unless otherwise specified.
Separation standards
are provided in accordance with (iaw) the airspace classification the Air System is operating within and any extra military specific requirements. A reduction in separation may impact on the Risk to Life associated with mid air collision. Prescribed separation criteria is required in order to maintain a safe and expeditious flow of air traffic.
Aviation terms and phrases
have been standardised to improve communication and safety across the global aviation industry. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) set out the common language used for verbal communication including radiotelephony, the phonetic alphabet and phraseology to be used.
ATSUs
Air Traffic Services Units
AFIS
Aerodrome Flight Information Service
A/G units
Air/Ground Communications Unit
ATCC
Air Traffic Control Centre
EAT
Estimated Approach Time System
EFPS
Electronic Flight Progress Strip
ETA
Estimated Time of Arrival
FDD
Flight display data
FDPS
Flight Data Processing Systems
RT
Radiotelephony
SSR
Secondary Surveillance Radar (Squawk Code)
IFR
Instrument Flight Rules
VFR
Visual Flight Rules
LARS
Lower Airspace Radar Service
EATs
Estimated Approach Time
ATC
Air Traffic Control
SVDR
Simplified Voyage Data Recorder or “Black box"