Contribute to maintaining the separation of aircraft on or near the ground
Overview
This standard is about contributing to maintaining the separation of aircraft on or near the ground. 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 on or near the ground. 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 on or near the ground
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 the request for air traffic control clearance in relation to the resources available and other traffic in the area
- Apply separation standards with the required agencies in line with organisational procedures and 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 on or near the ground in line with your organisation's procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Use flight plan and other information sources to formulate control instructions in line with your organisation's procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Issue aircraft start up approval in line with your organisation's procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Pass on taxi instructions in line with your organisation's procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Operate the required aircraft control equipment in line with organisational procedures and relevant legal requirements
- Contribute to monitoring the progress of aircraft on or near the ground 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
- Co-ordinate actions with other agencies and provide the required information to them 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 on or near the ground
- 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 identify airport/airfield resource availability
- The airport/airfield’s ground procedures
- How to co-ordinate responses to requests
- How to evaluate and analyse flight plan data
- Your organisation’s procedures and relevant legal requirements for recording clearances issued
- How to identify and report potential aircraft traffic conflictions to your supervisor and the types of avoiding action to take in response
- How and when to communicate and co-ordinate with other agencies
- 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
- Your organisation’s procedures for passing on taxi instructions
- The airport/airline traffic zone and radar perimeters
- The aircraft operating characteristics
- Your organisation’s procedures and relevant legal requirements for issuing aircraft start up approval
- How to contribute to the control and co-ordination of aircraft on or near the ground and operate aircraft control equipment
- Your organisation’s procedures and relevant legal requirements for monitoring and maintaining aircraft separation standards
- Your organisation’s vectoring, speed control, navigational assistance, 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 method
- 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
- How to contribute to monitoring the progress of aircraft on or near the ground
- The actions to take to rectify deviations from separation standards
- 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
Resource availability includes:
a) Runway length
b) Runway availability
c) Taxiway stands
d) Airport/airfield lighting Other traffic in the area includes:
a) Current
b) Predicted
c) On the ground
d) In the air Clearances include:
a) Take off clearance
b) Runway clearance
c) Landing clearance
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
Relevant agencies include:
a) ATSUs
b) AFIS
c) A/G units
d) ATCC sectors
e) Operators
f) Aerodrome authorities
Control instructions relate to:
a) Flight profile
b) Circuit joining instructions
c) Co-ordination with approach control
d) Other traffic information
Control instructions take account of
a) The validity of flight plan
b) Existing traffic
c) Possible traffic Taxi instructions include:
a) Departure runway holding point
b) Air temperature
c) Wind velocity
d) Airport/airlfield QNH
e) Stand number
f) Taxiway
g) Information on other aircraft
h) Clearance limit
i) Push back clearance
Control equipment includes:
a) ATM
b) SMR
c) ADIS
d) CCTV
e) IRVR
f) Computer systems
g) Rotary hydraulic arrester gear
h) Safe land barriers
Aircraft control and co-ordination include:
a) Obtaining information
b) Updating flight plan
c) Establishing category and type of aircraft
d) Prioritising Start up approval relates to:
a) Departure runway
b) Air temperature
c) Wind velocity
d) Airport/airfield QNH
e) Weather conditions
Radar perimeters include:
a) Range
b) Video maps
c) Offsets
d) Suppresser
e) Primary radar
f) Secondary radar
Information to communicate incudes:
a) Time intervals between aircraft
b) Issue and revision of EATs
c) Issue and revision of ETAs
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.
ADT
Approved Departure Time
EFPS
Electronic Flight Progress Strip
EATs
Estimated Approach Time System
ETAs
Estimated Time of Arrival
RT
Radiotelephony
ATSUs
Air Traffic Services Units
AFIS
Aerodrome Flight Information Service
A/G units
Air/Ground Communications Unit
ATCC
Air Traffic Control Centre
ATM
Air Traffic Management/Aerodrome Traffic Monitor
SMR
Surface Movement Radar
ADIS
Airport Display Information System
CCTV
Close Circuit Television
IRVR
Instrumented Runway Visual Range
QNH
Altitude above mean sea level based on local station pressure