Familiarization Flights for ATCOs

The Flying Engineer had long believed in cockpit jump seat flights for air traffic control officers (ATCOs). Seeing each other's work helps both pilots and controllers understand each other's roles, problems and needs.

Why it matters

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) asks ATCO applicants for a degree in electronics. The air traffic system relies heavily on electronics, but the degree does not guarantee that a controller will be good at sequencing, vectoring, decisions, or understanding flying.

Two examples were given. On 10 November 2009 a Kingfisher ATR 72-500, VT-KAC, made a steep, unstable tailwind approach to runway 27 at Mumbai, in light rain. The pilot saw that the aircraft would overrun and steered off the runway. None of the 42 on board were hurt. The runway had patches of water, which cause aquaplaning and reduce braking. A pilot who had landed earlier had reported aquaplaning, but the controller probably did not understand the term or its meaning. With that information, the captain might have gone around.

The second example was turboprops. Controllers often assume turboprops are slower and give jets landing priority. That is true only in cruise. A jet's final approach speed is about 140 knots, while a turboprop may approach at up to 200 knots and slow to about 100 knots within a few miles, because propellers in fine pitch add drag. Pilots of the ATR 72, ATR 42 and Q400 often ask for priority since they can land and clear the runway in the time a jet takes to finish its approach.

The fuel discussion

The author visited the head office of a regional airline in a Tier II city. His own flight had started its descent early and been vectored far out, though there was no other traffic. The airline was moving from start up to streamlining operations, so fuel saving was important. Early descents are mainly the pilot's choice and vectors are the controller's. Some controllers are rigid and do not see the effects of their instructions. The author proposed flying controllers on board to show how every mile and minute add up to a large annual fuel bill. The reply was negative about the DGCA and the system, and over a beer, he took up the challenge of showing it could be done.

The past programme

Familiarisation flights had been run before. Pilots and examiners at IndiGo, Jet Airways and Kingfisher remembered carrying controllers, but nobody knew how the programme worked. The author obtained a letter dated 6 March 2009 from the Joint General Manager of ATC training and coordination to regional directors and airport directors at Hyderabad, Jaipur, Nagpur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Goa, Madurai and Bhubaneswar, and to the deputy general managers at Imphal, Safdarjung and Juhu. It listed 75 AAI staff, from junior executives to senior managers, at airports including Chennai, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. It authorised route familiarisation flights in 2008 to 09 on IndiGo domestic sectors. It said airlines should be told in advance about tickets, controllers should have their managers' approval, flights should not hurt day to day ATC operations, controllers should wear uniform and show their ID, and each one should send a debriefing report.

Rules and answers

In India the AAI runs airports and air traffic, while the DGCA sets airworthiness, safety operations and crew training standards, and decides who may sit in a cockpit. DGCA circular AIC 03/1997 lists who may use the jump seat: crew; authorised civil aviation or meteorological department officers; Ministry of Civil Aviation officers of Joint Secretary rank or above; airline employees whose duties need it; airline officials sent for familiarisation with the captain's permission; manufacturer representatives; and anyone else the DGCA authorises. Air traffic controllers were not named. A DGCA spokesperson confirmed the circular does not include them. The DGCA said it had no programme like the FAA's voluntary Flight Deck Training Program, and none was planned.

J.S. Sandhu, General Manager (ATC-HRD) at the AAI, answered in writing. The AAI does not run these flights. It only nominates officers when airlines offer them. Experienced ATM cadre officers are picked. How many flights had been flown, and what share of controllers took part, were not recorded. The programme depends on airline offers and DGCA approval, and the AAI had not studied its effect on controller knowledge or performance. The activities during the flight are left to the airline.

The DGCA then contradicted itself. Deputy Director Sunil Kumar said the DGCA can issue orders under clause 4(d) of the circular for familiarisation flights by the AAI or a scheduled operator.

The final call

Familiarisation flights help the operation as a whole. Controllers who understand aviation terms and the cost of their instructions can make a difference to safety and airline finances. It was alleged, but not proved, that air traffic control gives IndiGo preference, which helps its on time performance and fuel use. The author said that flying controllers in the cockpit improves how they treat airlines, perhaps simply through understanding.

Many pilots are glad to hear controllers who speak clear English and understand aviation. To bring all controllers closer to the system, familiarisation flights are the way. Neither the DGCA nor the AAI will run them but both allow them. For an airline that wants to save fuel, this is the way to improve its chances of shorter vectors.