Newspapers / The Piedmonitor. / Jan. 1, 1957, edition 1 / Page 7
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WASHINGTON ARTC . . . (Cont. from page 6) takes or errors in the Control ler's judgement. There Is also an economic factor involved, and the.responsibility for the "orderly and expeditious movement of oircraff catapults him into the midst of a constant struggle to reduce the cost of flying an airplane. Reduced to its simplest terms, It costs a certain amount of money to fly an airplane from Roanoke to Washington. It becomes apparent then, that the cost of this flight (to piedmont Airlines) can be expressed in terms of cost per hour or cost per minute. |f the Controller, in the performance of his duties, delays this flight, then he has added to the expense incurred for operation of the fl ight, There is also another phase of aviation economy involved,that Is not immediately apparent. The business man, who, as an airline passenger, counts heavily onthe speed of the modern day air transport to save him time and money. An on-tlme arrival for this person is In accordance with his plan to save time by using air transport ation. However, If this flight is delayed, who can estimate the loss to the individual? It is along these same lines that we must re cognize the loss of revenue as the result of passen.gers who miss their connections or else do not fly at all ~ as the result of late arrivals. It is not u n u s u a 1 for one hundred (100) airplanes to operate In the Washington Metropolitan area within a space of one hour! Too, It should be borne Inmind,that a large number of aircraft approaching a busy terminal present a constantly changing picture. For example, in one minute an aircraft may travel ten m i les and so change the "picture" very rapidly. There is noway to estimate the cost of delaying any or all of these aircraft. The Controller's job requires a balanced application of all his skills to produce re sults that wil I Insure "the safe, orderly and expeditious movement of aircraft" without sacrificing safety for economy or economy for safety. It is no exaggeration to state that the air commerce of this country can be no betier than the degree to which the Controller, and his co-workers,can achieve such high itandards as are necessary in expediting tUe mass movement of aircraft throughout our entire federal airways system. A constant expansion is taking place - more airplanes each year; more tools needed to carry out control; more advanced tech? nlques r-equired to meet the demand for additional service;more trair>ed personnel. Yesterday, airplanes flew at 150 mph,to day at 600 mph, and tomorrow-? Aviation progress is well known to everyone; the ATC Controller must keep pace w.ith it. - Radar Scope at the Washington Center. Planes approaching the field are plotted on this scope by Center personnel. (CAA Photo) % INSAC portion of Washington Center. Flight information data broadcasted at least twice an hour. (CAA Photo) -7-
Jan. 1, 1957, edition 1
7
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