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| Media about us |
| „Military” and „civil” sky together |
| (Narodna armiya (The Popular Army) Daily Newspaper of Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 19.10.2005) |
Nowadays the world aviation community celebrates International Day of the Air Traffic Controller. National mass media do not often pay attention to this profession.
Specialists know that the perfect performance of professional duties by each air traffic controller – both civil and military – is obligatory task providing the airspace and air traffic safety for all users.
The Ukrainian State Air Traffic Service Enterprise (UkSATSE) is the main provider of air traffic services in Ukraine. It is responsible for provision of ATC at all stages (on en-route, approach, terminal manoeuvring areas and control zones), provision of air traffic with radio communication, navigation and surveillance facilities, planning of Ukrainian airspace utilisation, provision of its users with Flight Information Services. Owing to the enterprise and its personnel the national air navigation system is developing most dynamically among other post-soviet countries.
Creation of the Joint civil-military system of air traffic management of Ukraine in 1999 by the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers has brought our state closer to such developed European countries as Germany and Sweden. Such step implemented the single rules of flights and procedures between civil and military bodies that allowed to extend efficiency of the country’s airspace utilisation and at the same time to increase the safety level of the air traffic on the whole. Since that both civil and military UkSATSE personnel have been working in the same room. They take care of the single goal – safety of air traffic in the area of Ukraine’s responsibility without proving each other whose interests are more essential.
Year by year the airspace of Ukraine is becoming more open and attractive to users. In the last decade the number of international flights and overflights has grown, the length of routes has increased six times – up to 47000 km. Air traffic controllers have now much more work to do.
Victor Dobrivskyi, Head of “Kyivcentraero” Area Control Centre, UkSATSE Regional Branch, says: ”We co-operate with many services – military and meteorological, aerodrome service, lighting engineering, navigation, radio communication service – we can not list all of them. Controllers study the information received from these services during briefing before each shift. First of all they obtain permission to work from pre-start doctor (reason for non-allowance can be among other such trivial illnesses as rhinitis, headache etc). There are many other structures involved in Air traffic safety. For example, meteorologists submit requests to launch radio sounder because the controllers have to be aware of such objects as well. All developers of high-rise buildings must install special light marking being approved.”
No one knows the name of the first Air Traffic Controller but everyone knows the name of Right brothers. When they just started to fly no one talked of air traffic control yet. Later aircraft started to fly for longer distance, became heavier, started to transport cargo. One needed specially equipped sites where the aircraft could land. Moreover, the necessity of accounting characteristics of wind directions in different location was evident as far as aircraft should upwind approach landing. After starting multi-aircraft landings it appeared that the sequence must be kept. Then appeared a person who assisted pilots and gave all necessary information for flight performance. He was the first Air Traffic Controller.
Today the air traffic controlling is supported by automated air traffic management systems. The system allows to foresee the aircraft traffic, warns against possible dangerous situations. Monitors produce qualified picture – routes, moving pictures – aircraft en-route and various types of additional information. Previously controllers worked with old equipment, had to keep in memory everything: call sign, aircraft type, flight, flight plan, flight level, speed, altitude, departure and destination aerodromes, etc. New equipment made flight schedules became rare museum exhibits.
As Anatoliy Dolzhenkov, Head of “Kyivcentraero” museum says: “Air traffic of 70-th – 80-th in the last century was very heavy. There were periods when controllers served up to 60 takeoffs and landings per hour, which was а heavy burden for air traffic controllers who controlled several flights simultaneously within the limited time period for decision making. That is why there never have been casual people in such profession, only devoted people remained to work there. Among them there were a lot of military pilots who had got corresponding retraining.
One may think that job of air traffic controller seems to be an exciting computer game in 3-dimensional space: rules not boring and possibility of emergencies is quite real (as well as criminal charge for introduced mistakes). But unlike computer games this “game” never ends on the earth, giving no chance to exit and reboot or push the button “cancel the last move”...
That is why not all graduates of the State Flight Academy of Ukraine in Kirovograd or National Aviation University in Kyiv remain to work as Air Traffic Controllers. One needs to have that temper, which would allow adequate performing of necessary tasks.
Sergiy Loboda, President of Ukrainian Federation of Air Traffic Controller’s Unions (UFATCU), says: “The air traffic controllers on shift can not allow themselves to celebrate their professional holiday in traditional way, rising their glasses, like people of many other professions can. It may cost too much for air traffic servicing. Nevertheless, everyone wish each other that number of takeoffs would amount the number of landings.”
Reference of „Narodna Armiya Daily Newspaper”.
Ukrainian State Air Traffic Service Enterprise (UkSATSE) was established on 24 December 1992. UkSATSE reports to the State Administration of Ukraine for Aviation Safety Oversight (State Aviation Administration). Yuriy Cherednichenko is UkSATSE Director General.
UkSATSE comprises 7 Regional Branches: "Kyivcenteraero" (Boryspil’Airport), Dnipropetrovsk RB, Donetsk RB, Lviv RB, Odesa RB, “Krymaerorukh” (Simferopol RB), Kharkiv RB, Ukraeroservice, Ukrainian Airspace Management and Planning Center “Ukraerocentre”, Aeronautical Information Services (AIS), Ukraerotraining and "UkSATSE" Airline.
Natalia Lytvynenko, UkSATSE. Picture by Anastasia Sirotkina. |
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