Newspapers / Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter / Jan. 1, 1957, edition 1 / Page 6
Part of Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
WASHINGTON ARTC . . . AIRWAYS NERVE CENTER CONTROLS 110,000 SQUARE MILES By R. H. Kitchen The Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center combined with the Interstate Airways Communications, is located at the Notional Airport in Washington, D. C. There are 26 similar groups throughout t h e L). S., each performing the same function and each responsible for a given area for control purposes. The area controlled by the Washington Center is one of the largest in the U.S. This area runs along an imaginary line from Millville, N. J. to Wilmingtcn, Del.,thence to Harrisburg, Pa.,Martins - burg, W. Va., Elkins, W. Va.,Roanoke, Va., Greensboro, N. C., Florence,S.C. Wilmington, N. C., and thence north on the Atlantic coastl ine to Millvil le, N J. The area to the east of the coastline (sea ward) is a little more difficult to define, but starting again at Millville, N. J.,to a point 150milessoutheastwardtothe73rd meridian to the 35th paral lei, thence south ward to a point approximately 125 miles southeast of Wilmington, N. C. The area described encompasses an area of over 70,000square miles inland and40,000 square miles seaward. Duties of ATC Con trollers are concerned with the movement of certain aircraft within this area from 700 feet above the ground upwards, and their objective is to promote the safe,order- lyand expeditious movement of air traffic within the assigned area. This in cludes; 1. preventing mid-air collisions be tween aircraft and between aircraft and obstructions on the route over which the air craft will fly. 2. Expediting and maintaining an order ly flow of air traffic. 3. Assisting the person in command of an aircraft by providing such advice and information as may be useful for the safe and efficient conduct of a flight. 4. Providing Security Control of air traffic in conjunction with the U. S. Air Defense Command. 5. Broadcasting by radio certain flight information data at least twice an hour and more often when necessary. 6. Notifying appropriate organizations ATC Radar Control, Controller "sees" pilot. regarding aircraft known or believed to be in need of s e a r c h and rescue aid, and' assisting such organizations as required. The Washington Cente^/Station employs the use of long-range radar for the control of airplanes flying along the airways. A special rating is required by Controllers, acquired after considerable training, be fore they may use radar to control air traffic within a 70 mile radius of Washington, D.C.. Radaraids include Approach Radar, Departure Radar, GCA(Ground Controlled Approach) and Surveillance Radar. "Tools" used by ATC,other than radar are GFP (Government Full Period) and PL (Private Line) telephones which facilitate direct communications with a! I airport con trol towers, INSAC stations. Airline oper - ations offices,and military installations within the Washington Control Area. Add itional "tools"are the fl ight progress boards and radios. The flight is first posted on a fl ight progress strip,which is a piece of cardboard eight inches long and one inch wide. Mounted in a metal holder,the information displayed gives the Controller a "four" dimensional "picture"of the traffic; that is,direction of flight,altitude,route andtime involved. ,Afterthe first flight progress strip has been -6- the flight and talks directly with the (CAA photo) made up, additional strips are made for each fixor reporting point (range stations, fan markers, radio range intersections, etc.) over which the fl ight wil I pass. These strips are posted at the various sectors of control with the estimated time the flight will pass over the fix. This enables the Controllers to coordinate and pre-plan some of their work because it shows the traffic "picture" in advance. Having surveyed the traffic picture in the Washington Area and coordinating with fel low Control lers,the Control ler then issues a clearance via GFP telephone, jf the Controller must change the flight in some manner he must call a radio operatorby the same type of phone and issue a clearance. If the pilot requests a change in his flight, this is relayed to ATC by the ground radio operator and the Control ler acts upon it as the circumstances may require. when the flight enters the ATC range of operations on the radar scope (70miles)the Controller may then "see" the flight on radar and talk directly with the pilot by radio instead of going through a radio operator. The rapidity with which the Controller must make changes and issue clearances increases as the flight ap proaches the Washington Terminal, Serious consequences can result from mis -
Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 1, 1957, edition 1
6
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75