Ask the staffer
#242
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: LHR Air Traffic Control
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 868
One for the pilots/flight planners. How does the final flight plan that is filed with UK ATC get to all the area control centres on route? For example, say LHR-SIN, how does each ACC know what the plan is? I can’t imagine it’s individually submitted to every single FIR the flight is due to pass though.
If I’m not mistake, Russia charges a hefty fee to flyover Siberia and China only allows commercial flights on a number of the very limited airways. So does each FIR have to approve the route before it’s accepted?
If I’m not mistake, Russia charges a hefty fee to flyover Siberia and China only allows commercial flights on a number of the very limited airways. So does each FIR have to approve the route before it’s accepted?
So for the portion of an LHR-SIN flight that is inside the IFPS zone, that’s simple, but yes, for the portion outside the IFPS zone, it needs to be addressed to individual ACCs (or more accurately FIRs - Flight Information Regions, some FIRs might have more than one ACC within it, but the ANSP is responsible for ensuring the dissemination within FIRs).
I’m no expert, so imagine some areas/states might have similar arrangements to IFPS (Australia I think?), where one address is used for a flight plan processing system and that system then further cascades the flight plan out as appropriate.
#243
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,095
The Reds will formate on the Jumbo, they have the skills,the practice and the aircraft with the agility to do it. The jumbo will probably be hand flown or use very basic autopilot inputs. The Jumbo must not do any unannounced or unpredictable manoeuvres so turn entry needs to be smooth and gentle not sudden or initiated without due warning. This is most easily achieved by hand flying. There may well be a member of the Reds on the Jumbo flight deck to co-ordinate and " lead" the formation, I'm not certain of that though. There will be meetings and liaison between the pilots flying the Jumbo and the Reds, and the BA pilots are likely to be ex military themselves so not unfamiliar with the procedures and skills required
with a few more details for the public. Four pilots are listed (and named) including two safety pilots, and Flight Technical Manager on-board to manage the cameras. No word on manual flying.
#244
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,149
After discussion with uncle T I am posting here
as some of you may or may not know, I hail from Australia, land of CTAFs, uncontrolled airspace and not that many control towers
currently in the Scottish islands and surprised to find places such as benbecula, barra etc have ATC Towers (haven’t made it to westray airport yet but I suspect they do not)
in australia I doubt any of these places would- smallest I can think of with a tower is Albury (possibly due to a large amount of flight school traffic), Ayers Rock is uncontrolled, places like Horn Island and certain fields on the Tiwis that can exceed 50 movements per hour (I believe) at peak times also uncontrolled
so the question is, what’s the deal? Does the UK have uncontrolled airspace/uncontrolled fields at all, or are the limits just different or...what’s going on?!
furthermore. If you are an ATCO in say Barra, are you expected to multi role? Or is it a part time job? (i’d imagine they’d need at least 2 controllers but obviously don’t know this, could be some kind of fly in arrangement maybe?). And if it’s a multi role thing, what on earth does an ATCO do the rest of their time?
so many questions for a confused Australian!
(also what’s all this about a bear obsession?!)
as some of you may or may not know, I hail from Australia, land of CTAFs, uncontrolled airspace and not that many control towers
currently in the Scottish islands and surprised to find places such as benbecula, barra etc have ATC Towers (haven’t made it to westray airport yet but I suspect they do not)
in australia I doubt any of these places would- smallest I can think of with a tower is Albury (possibly due to a large amount of flight school traffic), Ayers Rock is uncontrolled, places like Horn Island and certain fields on the Tiwis that can exceed 50 movements per hour (I believe) at peak times also uncontrolled
so the question is, what’s the deal? Does the UK have uncontrolled airspace/uncontrolled fields at all, or are the limits just different or...what’s going on?!
furthermore. If you are an ATCO in say Barra, are you expected to multi role? Or is it a part time job? (i’d imagine they’d need at least 2 controllers but obviously don’t know this, could be some kind of fly in arrangement maybe?). And if it’s a multi role thing, what on earth does an ATCO do the rest of their time?
so many questions for a confused Australian!
(also what’s all this about a bear obsession?!)
#246
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,149
#247
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 9
- Anything above FL195 (19,500ft) is Class C Controlled Airspace (with a couple of weird exceptions)
- Below 19,500ft, inside Airways and anywhere near major airports it's Class A/D Controlled Airspace, everywhere else it's Uncontrolled
The vast majority of UK airports that have commercial service will be controlled (i.e. staffed by an ATCO), even ones that are outside Controlled Airspace (e.g. Exeter, Newquay, Farnborough, Humberside). At Barra and Benbecula (as with lots of small airfields) they have a tower but the people inside aren't controllers, they're Flight Information Officers. In the US/Australia e.t.c. their uncontrolled airports have no-one at all there, which we have here for really small airfields/airstrips, I don't believe anything commercial here flies into any uncontrolled airfields.
We have far less uncontrolled airspace here than Australia as there's an awful lot of commercial aircraft to fit into not a very big country!!
#248
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,124
The upcoming development is ‘remoted ATC’, with operations being controlled at another location. ISTR trials are being conducted for London City to be controlled from London Centre down at Swanwick in Hampshire, using a battery of video cameras. And the RAF is also considering a similar ‘clutch airfield’ arrangement at some locations.
I believe such ‘remote control’ is used in Oz and the US already.
I believe such ‘remote control’ is used in Oz and the US already.
#249
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,124
#250
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,914
The vast majority of UK airports that have commercial service will be controlled (i.e. staffed by an ATCO), even ones that are outside Controlled Airspace (e.g. Exeter, Newquay, Farnborough, Humberside). At Barra and Benbecula (as with lots of small airfields) they have a tower but the people inside aren't controllers, they're Flight Information Officers.
#251
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,149
Not sure about remote control in Oz, not that i’ve heard of although haven’t conducted an exhaustive survey 🤔
eta hmm apparently it was trialled in 2012 at my/our home airport (YBAS/ASP/Alice springs). Obviously went well as tower is fully staffed as before
eta hmm apparently it was trialled in 2012 at my/our home airport (YBAS/ASP/Alice springs). Obviously went well as tower is fully staffed as before
#252
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Up North.
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 310
The upcoming development is ‘remoted ATC’, with operations being controlled at another location. ISTR trials are being conducted for London City to be controlled from London Centre down at Swanwick in Hampshire, using a battery of video cameras. And the RAF is also considering a similar ‘clutch airfield’ arrangement at some locations.
I believe such ‘remote control’ is used in Oz and the US already.
I believe such ‘remote control’ is used in Oz and the US already.
https://www.atc-network.com/atc-news...wer-technology
#253
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,124
Only a standby facility of course, although no less valid for that.
In the RAF we had alternate ATC facilities on our major airfields for wartime use in case the primary facility was knocked out. They were, and undoubtedly still are, exercised regularly. I could tell some funny tales on that subject, but too much of a thread diversion.
In the RAF we had alternate ATC facilities on our major airfields for wartime use in case the primary facility was knocked out. They were, and undoubtedly still are, exercised regularly. I could tell some funny tales on that subject, but too much of a thread diversion.
#254
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,465
Let me welcome you to Flyertalk and also to the BA board JAtko. And thank you also for the interesting background that you have given us in your first post. I know that one of the Barra Flight Information Officers is also a farmer / crofter with quite a few agricultural sidelines thanks to his large polytunnel, so I imagine a rather different way of life to those working in the Heathrow Tower. I hope we will hear more from you in the future.
#255
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: UK
Programs: Lemonia. Best Greek ever.
Posts: 2,259
The RAF and various little "commercial" airlines are constantly arguing about which airspace is/isn't/should be/shouldn't be Controlled. Not enough air up there causes a lot of hot air down here.