REGIONAL CONTROL CENTERS
Immediately following this tragic accident, the government started work on a vastly improved air traffic control system that depended on a network of radar antennas, some 133 of them altogether. Today an air-plane is constantly in view of two or more radarscopes, and its location is accurately plotted on the scopes of one of the twenty regional air route traffic control centers. In addition an elaborate computer system tracks all of the aircraft and warns of any possible midair collisions. To see how this system works, let us follow the progress of Captain Tracy Bigelow's flight, which was scheduled to take off from Kennedy International Airport at four o'clock for Los Angeles.
By three o'clock Captain Bigelow had completed his flight plan and his airline filed it with the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center at Ronkonkoma, Long Island. There the plan was programmed into a computer, which checked to see if it conflicted with any other proposed traffic leaving Kennedy at four o'clock. It then automatically transmitted information about the plane to the departure controllers at TRACON, the terminal radar approach control facility, and to the Kennedy tower.
At exactly four o'clock the plane pulled away from the loading gate. As it taxied slowly from the terminal building, Captain Bigelow radioed the tower for taxiing instructions and clearance for takeoff. The tower gave him his clearance based on the information previously relayed to it by the regional control center. After the plane was airborne, the tower told Captain Bigelow that he was being handed over to the TRACON departure controller who had already been following the flight.
TRACON is headquartered in a complex at Garden City, Long Island. The most important part of the TRACON operation is the large darkened room with its rows of radar screens where all the traffic coming into and leaving the New York metropolitan airports can be seen as small "blips." A three- or four-person team works at a radar screen. Next to each blip is a "data block" that moves with the blip and tells the name of the airline, the flight number, the assigned altitude, and the current altitude. All this information is automatically fed into the screen by radio waves that are sent out by each airplane and received by the large radar antennas that continuously sweep the sky.
When Captain Bigelow's plane had flown west about forty miles, he was told that he was cleared to continue his climb to "three-five-zero" (35,000) feet. From here on, as the flight crossed the country, it would move from one radarscope sector to another. Each air traffic control center is responsible for a region that may have as many as thirty or forty sectors, with a team of controllers monitoring each sector. As a plane nears the boundary between two sectors the computer flashes an "H" in the data block to tell the next sector that the flight is approaching. Those working the console in the next sector check to make certain there are no problems or possible conflicts and then accept control by flashing an "O" in the data block of the flight before it leaves the previous sector.
Captain Bigelow's flight passed from sector to sector as it proceeded across the country. At any time if the plane were to start converging with the route of another plane, the computer would issue a "conflict alert" in the data blocks of each plane. The controller would then order one of the pilots to change course.
When Captain Bigelow's plane entered the Los Angeles Control Center, he was given instructions on which way to descend and at what speed. Some fifty miles from Los Angeles, the regional center gave control over to the Los Angeles Terminal Control Center, which thereafter instructed the captain on his descent right to his touchdown. The airplane taxied toward the terminal while the blip and data block disappeared from the screen, marking just one more flight guided safely to its destination over one of the most remarkable and sophisticated-but human-guided-systems the world has ever seen!
THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
The greatest number of aviation jobs found within the federal government, outside the Department of Defense, is offered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the Department of Transportation. The FAA, with approximately 46,000 employees, is charged with the administration and enforcement of all federal air regulations to ensure the safety of air transportation. The FAA also promotes, guides, and assists the development of a national system of civil airports. It provides pilots with flight information and air traffic control services from flight planning to landing.
All of the FAA aviation jobs come under the Federal Civil Service, and wage scales are determined by Congress. A normal workweek consists of forty hours, with additional payment (called premium pay) made for shift work involving duty between 6:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. and for work on Sunday and holidays. Merit promotions are awarded under provisions of a Civil Service-approved merit promotion plan. Employees also participate in a liberal retirement plan, while health insurance, low-cost group life insurance, compensation, and medical care for injury on the job and other benefits are offered.
FAA PROBLEMS
At the outset we should tell you about some of the FAA's principal problems because they might have a bearing on your career plans. The nation's air traffic system as of 1996 was relying on much outdated technology, some of it dating from the 1960s. Back-up systems occasionally failed; some replacement parts were no longer manufactured and had to be made by veteran employees; ground-to-air radio equipment would go dead. In 1981 in New York 546 controllers handled the work, but in 1995 there were only 305 controllers, although traffic had increased by 30 percent!
Modernization of the whole system originally targeted for 1993 was postponed to the year 2003. Chicago, New York, and Washington, three of the nation's busiest airports, did not expect their much-needed new computers until 1998 at the earliest. There simply had not been enough money, and with Congress fighting to balance the federal budget, in the future there could be fewer instead of more controllers and computers.
Since the FAA expects air travel to double during the twelve years following 1995, it is planning a revolution in air traffic control a passive system known as "free flight." Under this plan, aircraft (flying at 29,000 feet or higher) could fly the altitude, speed, and route the flight crew decides best, and FAA "air traffic managers" would order changes only when necessary to prevent collisions and airport delays. Although the required technology was readily available, as of 1996, there was no target for its inauguration. If adopted it could help solve congestion problems at airports and in the nation's skies.
In view of the threats the FAA faces from increasing traffic and financial problems, some of the following information relating to FAA operations, personnel requirements, and career opportunities could change. Nevertheless, this chapter provides a good overall picture of the normal job opportunities. It would therefore be best to obtain the latest information about the personal qualifications, job training requirements, and employment possibilities before you enroll in any extensive preparatory training program.
Of all the job openings in the federal government probably those of air traffic control specialists are considered the most exciting and glamorous. They can also prove the most stressful because with the ever-increasing traffic in the skies, the chances for error also grow. Nevertheless, it can be a challenging career and a highly satisfying one.
The FAA, with approximately 46,000 employees, is charged with the administration and enforcement of all federal air regulations to ensure the safety of air transportation. The FAA also promotes, guides, and assists the development of a national system of civil airports. It provides pilots with flight information and air traffic control services from flight planning to landing.
