Civil Aviation Controller. "I see, I hear, I control", or everything about the profession of an air traffic controller. Air traffic controller requirements

Professions are taught only in seven educational institutions.

On October 20, 1961, the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations was founded in Amsterdam (Netherlands). The date is considered the day of establishment international day air traffic controller - a professional holiday, which is celebrated on the anniversary of the organization.

Russians increasingly prefer airplanes to other modes of transport: it is rightfully considered the fastest and most convenient way to travel. However, most people know little about the people who ensure flight safety, start take-offs, clear landings and coordinate the movement of aircraft in the air. Who are air traffic controllers, what specialties exist in this profession and how to become an air traffic controller "360" said the deputy CEO federal state unitary enterprise(FGUP) " State Corporation for air traffic management in Russian Federation» Sergey Pogrebnov.

- Who is an air traffic controller?

An air traffic controller is a conductor who controls a celestial orchestra of roaring aircraft turbines. An air traffic controller is an artist who paints his paintings on the blue canvas of the sky with the contrails of aircraft. An air traffic controller is a pilot who indicates to aircraft a safe route to the harbor. But if you adhere to the letter of the air law, this is a specialist who controls air traffic from the ground. His main function- ensuring the safe, orderly and regular movement of aircraft within the area of ​​​​responsibility established for it.

The air traffic controller informs the aircraft crews about the situation along the flight route and at aerodromes, provides meteorological information, maintains radio contact with the pilots in accordance with the rules and phraseology of the radio exchange. For example, communication with aircraft of foreign airlines is carried out exclusively on English language. Also, the air traffic controller enters into automated systems air traffic control the necessary data to assess the air situation. Its motto is "I see, I hear, I control."

It is the air traffic controller who takes measures to maintain safety in the event of an emergency. difficult situation in the air and special flight situations by providing safe intervals of longitudinal, vertical and lateral separation. Other functions of the air traffic controller are route straightening, aircraft traffic control with a small amount of fuel remaining, creation of safe intervals between aircraft. He also exercises control over the operation of radio equipment and communications, directs aircraft to alternate airfields, if necessary, assists crews when aircraft enter dangerous weather conditions for flights - thunderstorms, cyclones. In addition, air traffic controllers coordinate the organization of search and rescue operations in which aviation is involved. As the famous saying goes, “God created air traffic controllers so that pilots would also have their heroes.”

Most Russian air traffic controllers are employees of the national air navigation service provider - FSUE State Corporation for Air Traffic Management in the Russian Federation. However, some airports and aerodromes have their own air navigation services operating within the framework of the Unified Air Traffic Management System (EU ATM) existing in our country, but not included in the structure of the state corporation. The unit of the General Directorate of the State ATM Corporation - the Main Center of the EU ATM coordinates and plans the work of all air traffic controllers. The structure of the Enterprise is made up of seventeen branches located throughout the country. Between sixteen of them, Russian airspace is currently distributed (with the exception of the zones of the above-mentioned airports / airfields that have their own air navigation services).

For the provision of air navigation services by the enterprise, a fee is collected from airspace users. This is why air traffic controllers are sometimes referred to as "air traders".

- What are air traffic controllers?

There are several specialties in the air traffic controller profession. The dispatcher of the airfield control center draws up a daily flight plan, coordinates its implementation with other services, with his colleagues from other airports. The dispatcher of the departure service point Delivery issues permission to fly along the route declared in the submitted plan, based on information prepared in advance by the controller of the airfield control tower.

The taxi controller controls the movement of aircraft and aerodrome services on the territory of the aerodrome. It is he who allows the aircraft engines to start, directs the movement along the taxiways and gives the command to taxi to a preliminary start in front of the runway (runway). Launch and landing controllers direct the take-off and landing aircraft on the runway, give the command to take a line start and start take-off, and allow landing.

The circuit controller issues approach clearances for arriving aircraft and initial climb instructions for departing aircraft. The approach controller determines the sequence of landing approaches, builds the necessary separation intervals during landing and takeoff. The above dispatchers, as a rule, work directly at the airport at the control tower.

The dispatcher of the district center controls the movement of the aircraft within the boundaries established for him in the horizontal plane both along the air routes passing through his area of ​​responsibility, and outside these routes. His workplace is in the mission control center (MCC).

There are also dispatchers of the point of local air lines, local control center, dispatchers-informers. They direct flights and provide aircraft with flight information away from major air hubs and heavy traffic routes.

- What is the organizational vertical of air traffic controllers?

Intern; dispatcher of the first, second, third classes; senior dispatcher, dispatcher-instructor; flight director; head of the enterprise, its division, air navigation service of the airport / aerodrome.

- What are the criteria for the selection of dispatchers?

Firstly, very strict requirements are imposed on the air traffic controller for health reasons. It should not be worse than the pilot's civil aviation. Secondly, the dispatcher must be responsible, stress-resistant, restrained, physically developed. He must be able to concentrate on work, he must have a good reaction, an excellent memory. Thirdly, the dispatcher must have a mathematical mindset, be able to count quickly and well, keep a lot of numbers and other information in memory. Figuratively speaking, the work of an air traffic controller is similar to playing chess under conditions of constant pressure and occasional time pressure. This work is very difficult and extremely responsible. However, it often pays very well.

Air traffic controllers are trained in three higher and four secondary educational institutions subordinate to the Federal Air Transport Agency. These are the St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation, the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation (GA) and the Ulyanovsk Higher Aviation School (Institute), as well as the Aviation and Transport College of St. Petersburg University, the Krasnoyarsk branch of St. Petersburg University, the Rylsk Aviation Technical College ( branch of the Moscow State University of Civil Aviation) and the Omsk Flight Technical College (branch of the Ulyanovsk School). In addition, the non-profit educational institution additional vocational education"Institute of Air Navigation", which is a "subsidiary" structure of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "State ATM Corporation".

Training in a profession takes three to four years in secondary specialized educational institutions. In universities - five years. After training and internship, the dispatcher receives a certificate, which must be confirmed every two or three years (depending on the class). Professional development - every three years.

The air traffic controller must know: Air Code of the Russian Federation; laws and other regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation on the development of air transport; regulatory and methodological documents regulating the organization of the use of airspace, ensuring flight safety; air traffic service rules; federal rules for the use of airspace; flight operations manuals; dispatcher work technologies, rules and phraseology of radio traffic; aviation meteorology; aerodynamics and flight performance of aircraft; aeronautical and navigational, radio engineering and lighting support for flights; types of aviation telecommunications; professionally oriented English; basics labor law; rules on labor protection and fire safety.

An air traffic controller is an aviation employee who controls and maintains air traffic from his workplace in the control room. Its main task is to ensure the safe and orderly movement of various aircraft.

According to the psycho-emotional load, the profession of an air traffic controller is considered one of the most responsible and dangerous, because this specialist is responsible for the safety of not only equipment, but also human lives.

Places of work

The position of an air traffic controller is in demand in the dispatch services of airports.

Duties of an air traffic controller

Main official duties air traffic controller:

• Aircraft traffic control within the area of ​​responsibility of its control center.
• Strict observance of the regulations governing the work of air traffic controllers.
• Constant communication with the crews of reporting aircraft and colleagues from adjacent areas of responsibility.
• Interaction with meteorological services and the operational use of the information provided by them for the purposes of aircraft management.

Air traffic controller requirements

The main requirements for an air traffic controller:

• Higher specialized education.
• The conclusion of the medical expert commission on professional suitability.
• Knowledge of English (according to international standards).

Given the specifics of the work, only people with special training and high physical and emotional endurance can perform the functions of an air traffic controller. But there is a significant "plus" in this work - the right to early retirement(men at 50, women at 45).

How to become an air traffic controller

To become an air traffic controller, you need to undergo serious training: 3-4 years in specialized secondary schools and 5 years in higher educational institutions. In addition, every 3 years, the airline dispatcher takes advanced training courses, and every 2-3 years confirms the current certificate of the air traffic controller.

air traffic controller salary

The salary of an air traffic controller was not found in open sources, because. There are no vacancies on job sites. Generally speaking, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "State ATM Corporation" and its branches ("Air Navigation") are engaged in hiring and training air traffic controllers, and the pay rates are announced personally. According to reviews, the average salary of an air traffic controller is very competitive and decent.

“The Investigative Committee dropped the charge against trainee dispatcher Svetlana Krivsun in the case of the crash of a Falcon plane at Vnukovo” - this is a two-week-old TASS report about an event that occurred almost a year and a half ago. Then the young specialist came under house arrest and all this time experienced considerable stress. Nice start to a career!

Yes, this is one of the risks of this profession. But such risks do not reduce its attractiveness. After all, an air traffic controller is a special profession, but how does it express itself?

How does is called?

Air traffic controller is the name of a whole family of air traffic control professions. If you think that a plane that has gained altitude flies as it wants, then you are deeply mistaken. He is closely monitored by the dispatcher who controls the horizontal flight on his territory. It not only ensures flight safety by suggesting the right altitude and lane for pilots, but also recommends the best route to help save fuel.

All dispatchers are connected and interact with each other within the framework of unified system organization of air traffic in the country, and outside it - guided by uniform international rules. What kind of controllers are there?

1. The departure controller issues permission to fly according to the declared flight plan.
2. The taxi dispatcher controls the movement of liners from the moment the engines are started to the preliminary start and from the moment they taxi into the taxiways after landing.
3. The launch and landing controller permits takeoff and landing, controls aircraft taking off and landing, controls traffic on the runway and the runway.
4. The "circle" controller controls the movement of aircraft in the take-off and landing zone at altitudes up to 1500 meters and within a radius of 50 km from the airfield. Issues approach clearance for arriving aircraft and instructions on initial climb for departing aircraft.
5. The approach controller controls the movement of liners at altitudes of 1,800-5,700 meters and within a radius of 90-200 km from the airfield.
6. The controller monitors the movement of aircraft at altitudes above 3350 meters within the established limits in the horizontal plane and transfers control of the flight to the next controller when the aircraft leaves his area of ​​responsibility.
7. The local air traffic controller controls flights up to an altitude of 1,500 meters within the area of ​​​​responsibility (usually commensurate in area with the administrative region) in the horizontal plane.

Seven types of controllers are listed here, but there are other types, for example, the area procedural and radar controller, the approach and procedural radar controller, the airfield controller, the landing radar controller, the simulator controller. So they are different.

How to become an air traffic controller?

The training of air traffic controllers, as well as representatives of any other complex profession, is a serious and responsible process.

Specialists are trained in specialized one-year courses, in secondary specialized educational institutions (for example, the St. Petersburg Aviation and Transport College of Civil Aviation) and in universities, for example, at the St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation, the Ulyanovsk Higher Aviation School of Civil Aviation and the Moscow State Technical University civil aviation. These universities have branches in different cities.

Dispatchers regularly undergo advanced training and certification with different frequencies, depending on the class - annually, once every two or three years. Managers are trained and certified less frequently.

Training is conducted either at the airline or on the basis of specialized educational institutions.

The future dispatcher passes a medical commission before entering the university. And becoming a specialist, he does it regularly. The medical flight expert commission issues a conclusion on professional suitability, allowing to continue working for the next 4 years, if the air traffic controller is not older than 40 years old, then every two years and from the age of 50 the air traffic controller must pass a medical flight expert examination commission each year if he has not retired by that age.

What qualities do you need to have to be successful in this profession?

Workplace air traffic controllers are equipped with navigation instruments, radio communication with pilots and telephone communication with other controllers and airfield services. In addition to a computer with specialized programs, there are monitors of the air and meteorological conditions, various displays, indicators and sources of sound and visual signals, tablets, charts, documents and reference books at the workplace.

At the same time, the specialist negotiates with the crew, monitors the progress of the flight on the radar or monitor screen, maintains contact with the weather service and the crews of the liners, informing them about the weather conditions or informing them of a route change.

At the same time, 10-20 aircraft can be under the control of one air traffic controller at the same time.

Working with technology, various sources of information and communication channels different levels imposes a number of requirements on controllers.

Requirements for professional qualities:

Secondary special or higher education in the specialty "Operation of aircraft and organization of air traffic" or "Air traffic control".

The air traffic controller must be proficient in English and be familiar with professional flight terminology in that language. According to modern requirements, only those who speak the language at level 4 (out of 6) according to the ICAO scale ( international organization civil aviation). If the dispatcher does not have such a certificate, he can only work on local lines.

Requirements for psychological qualities:

In terms of psycho-emotional load, this profession is one of the most difficult, since the dispatcher is responsible not only for expensive equipment, but also for human lives. Moreover, the emotional resonance in the media and people's minds from air crashes is stronger than, say, car crashes, although they occur hundreds of times less often.

Therefore, in addition to absolute health, for successful work, an air traffic controller must have high responsibility and discipline, stress resistance, volume RAM, spatial imagination, the ability to maintain attention to high level activity for a long time.

He must be able to quickly determine the air situation, since he has to simultaneously monitor several objects moving in three-dimensional space in different directions with different speeds, and manage them. The dispatcher must give commands on the air and synchronously listen to the conversations of his colleagues working in adjacent sectors. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the radar screen and keep records on the graph.

How is a career in this profession built?

The primary career step is a trainee dispatcher. Further, controllers can specialize, for example, in the direction of air traffic control or in the direction of aerodrome control. But, one way or another, they can be assigned classes: first, second or third. They reflect the degree of qualification of a specialist.

Further growth stages: senior dispatcher, dispatcher-instructor.

The head of the controllers is the head of flights, the head of the control center or the control center of various scales - the regional, zonal or main center of air traffic management.

If you visit dispatcher forums on the Internet, you can see how involved these people are in their work, how proud they are of it, realizing the complexity, importance and uniqueness of such work. They feel they are part of the world system, and these are not words: any controller who speaks English can work abroad, since the air traffic control system is international.

In this interview, the air traffic controller shared the intricacies of his profession, told what responsibility he had and shed light on the difference between Moscow airports.

I grew up in Ulyanovsk. At first I wanted to become a pilot - to go to the civil aviation school. But it so happened that I entered the dispatching department without exams. And then summer, hot, a river - I didn’t want to re-take the entrance exams, so I remained a dispatcher and I don’t regret it. A pilot is an interesting profession, but the romance of takeoff and landing passes quickly, and there are many minuses: difficult change of time zones, the need to constantly be on top, exposure, being away from your family. After graduation, I came to Moscow, now I work at the Mission Control Center.

Long time new people were not hired to work as an air traffic controller in Moscow for two reasons. First, in newest Russia a legislative vacuum appeared - Soviet norms were canceled, and new ones were not adopted. The documents currently do not define the size norms: how many controllers should work in a shift, provide the available number of sectors (a sector is a part of the airspace that has vertical and horizontal boundaries). Therefore, it depended only on the employer whether to hire new employees or not. Secondly, the intensity of flights in the 90s fell. They began to hire young people only in the last couple of years, before that there was one replacement dispatcher for five jobs, because of this it was very difficult.

Now we have an age vacuum - many dispatchers are under 50 and a certain number of people are about 20 years old, and there are almost no middle-aged people. There are frequent cases when an older dispatcher begins to put pressure on him with authority, makes mistakes, and the young one is embarrassed to argue with him.

By the way, the pilots had the same thing: at the beginning of the 2000s, they could not even graduate from high school normally: there was no kerosene for flights. And now we are talking about attracting foreign pilots.

Plus, ten-month training courses for air traffic controllers have now been opened. Of course, you can make a janitor a dispatcher, but higher education disciplines people, develops a sense of responsibility. The appearance of courses suggests that there are very few people.

About dispatcher tasks

The task of the dispatcher is to serve the schedule and the flights declared in it, while ensuring safe execution flights. Thinking that every mark on the screen in front of you is a plane with 200-300 people is going crazy. But at the same time, while working, I want to do everything as rationally and quickly as possible. There is an opportunity to start the plane for landing in the shortest way - and I do it. After all, if 200 people save ten minutes each, everyone will be fine.

My task is to optimize the pilot's work - to make it easier, safer, easier. Some pilots, however, perceive it this way: “Why am I the second to land?” Or “I’ll overtake him now” or “he’s bothering me, you want to slow me down.” But this happens infrequently.

Working day

We arrive at work an hour before the start of the briefing. This hour we are given to undergo a medical examination - they measure the pulse and pressure. There are alcohol testers, but I don't remember them being used. This is warned once again at the New Year or May holidays, but in order to take advantage of it, a person must behave inappropriately. I do not remember such cases.

At the briefing, we are given information about the weather, the operation of the airfield and, God forbid, about status flights (carrying important people). Then there is the reception of duty. Until now, negotiations are recorded on a tape recorder, and the entry on duty is made by hand in a journal. We are fighting this, because why this last century?

You work for about two hours, then - a break for rest, it happens that you rest for 50 minutes. The work schedule is as follows: the first day - a shift in the day, the second day - a shift in the morning, the next day - night. Then one day - dumping, then two days off. Years go by, and if earlier after a night shift I went to a friend, somewhere to relax, walk, now it’s already hard, I need to sleep.

What does a controller-pilot conversation sound like? For example, "go down, flight level 100, saveyolovo, 25 alpha." This means that the plane enters Sheremetyevo from a point called "Savelovo", that it must descend to the 100th flight level, and "alpha" is the name of the shortest approach to the runway. Echelon is a division by altitude, in feet. 50th echelon - 5 thousand feet. The corridor is what the plane flies into the city through. There is an entry point and an exit point in this corridor, ten kilometers between them.

Disengaging aircraft is the job of a dispatcher, in Moscow we do it every minute. The controller decides the issues of safe separation intervals between departing and arriving aircraft.

The area of ​​the Moscow air hub that we serve is a radius of a thousand kilometers around Moscow. When a plane takes off from Moscow, for example, to Nizhny Novgorod, its takeoff is provided by dispatchers at the airport. Then the plane is transferred to the Mission Control Center, and there the plane is driven by the circle controller, then the approach controller, then the regional Center - he lowers to Nizhny Novgorod and at a point at a certain height gives it to the controller in Nizhny Novgorod, seven to eight minutes before landing. Or a plane takes off from Nizhny Novgorod and, after crossing the 50th height, gets in touch with the Moscow dispatcher.

Working conditions

Now we have programs to attract young professionals: for example, they give money for a down payment to buy an apartment. If a person is from another region, they give 50% for renting housing. There is a one-time assistance - the first few years a certain amount is paid, in addition to the salary. When we came at the beginning of the 2000s, we did not even dream of such a thing.

We have the right to fly free of charge to anywhere in the world once a year. Previously, it was still possible to take children for free, now they pay only 50%.

Bandwidth and Responsibility

In Russia, there is no throughput standard - the number of aircraft per hour that the dispatcher can serve is not determined. Here, a turner can make 100 nuts in an hour, this is his norm. If you made 110 nuts, some of them may turn out to be defective, if you made 70 - you didn’t finish it. We do not have such norms, and when drawing up the schedule in Moscow, it seems that it is not taken into account that a person is in charge of aircraft, and a person has his own limits.

In June, there was a case when 74 aircraft passed through the sector in an hour. It was the upper sector, where the dispatcher sent planes to land, and raised those who took off. And reduced to three different airfields. Although there is an order from 1986, it contains the norm - 32 aircraft per hour. In general, our documents are written in such a way that it is impossible to work on them. If we start working on them, it will be impossible to service the schedule.

In the fall of 2013, the story in Vnukovo, when the dispatcher prevented a collision between two planes, hit the media. Transaero Airlines was offended then, but I understand those guys who leaked this to the media, because we always get that the dispatcher is to blame. There were attempts to accuse him that he started the Transaero flight to Moscow, that he should not have interfered. When the Tu-204 crashed in Vnukovo, the launch controller saw the plane and started shouting to it: “Brake!” The prosecutor's office then tells him: why did you interfere in the piloting of the liner, you had no right. But then the dispatcher was even given an award for preventing a collision.

We have a dangerous proximity warning system (FPOS): if there is a violation of safe intervals between aircraft, then their marks on the controller’s screen change and become crosses. The dispatcher visually immediately pulls out these two ships and sees: something is wrong. When this system is triggered, an investigation begins in relation to the dispatcher: why did he bring the situation to this. These investigations are carried out by a special inspectorate. However, there are also false positives.

In general, this system should help the dispatcher, but I heard on the recordings how, after the system is triggered, the dispatcher begins to speak quickly and give conflicting commands. He begins to release adrenaline into the blood - "that's it, I hit it," and he begins to unconsciously bring the planes down. We have a limit - the speed of speech is not higher than 100 words per minute, but when the system works, you chatter so much there!

About the structure of the air zone

The current structure of the Moscow air zone is almost 30 years old, there are continuous intersections, which limits throughput- the tasks of breeding and observing safety intervals have to be solved constantly. We need to make a new conflict-free structure, now they are working on it.

Before, as it was: there was Moscow, it had four airports. Since there was a single Aeroflot airline, the geographical principle was respected: Bykovo - flights to the southeast, Sheremetyevo - to the north and west from the capital, Vnukovo - to the west and south, Domodedovo - east and south. Private capital has come in, and now companies want to fly when it suits them and from where they like. And today the UTair plane flies from the north - it flies past Sheremetyevo and flies to Vnukovo, at the same time their board takes off from Vnukovo, also bypassing Sheremetyevo. And from Sheremetyevo, on the contrary, some plane flies south, past Vnukovo. It turns out a layer cake, the planes fly towards each other, cross each other's paths.

The current structure is outdated, you can fly on it if there are two or three aircraft, and now there are more and more flights in civil aviation, international companies. We are suffocating during rush hour, people sometimes work to the limit of their capabilities. It is necessary to stretch the schedule of flights, but we have peaks, then recession. And when there is a recession, a person relaxes - chat with a colleague, hee-hee-ha-ha, and then again - and a dangerous rapprochement.

About how planes are bred

The pilot during the flight moves along a certain route - he sees it in his cockpit in the Flight Management System, that is, in the flight control system. On this route there are points with certain geographical coordinates through which the aircraft must pass. For example, a flight flies to Vladivostok, it has a route, but it cannot immediately head for Vladivostok. The points are needed to separate incoming and outgoing aircraft flows. In the airfield area, aircraft taking off and landing interfere with each other, because there is no conflict-free entry / exit system. Dispatchers have to breed them.

Or, for example, a flight to the north took off from Vnukovo, and to the south from Sheremetyevo, and at the same moment a flight arrives at Vnukovo and arrives at Sheremetyevo. And it turns out that four planes are at the same point at once. With such a structure, the probability of human error increases. Moreover, both the dispatcher and the pilot can make a mistake. It happened to me that I gave the pilot a command to take the 70th echelon, because another ship was flying towards him at the 80th echelon. The pilot confirms the 70th echelon, climbs - and went even higher, straight to the other side. Although I told him that an oncoming one was flying there! What happened, why did he do this - he entered the wrong data, started talking to the co-pilot, thought? I see this, I begin to intervene - shout to him, turn him away. But it's good when I have three planes at the same time, and when there are two dozen, I may not see it. Or I'll only be able to see when the FPIC is triggered. The system is activated 45 seconds before the collision and, in principle, this time is enough for the crews to react and disperse. But when the system worked, it means that the dispatcher did not intervene in time, did not do his job, did not warn.

My colleagues in 2010 had such a case: two planes converged on the same point and at the same height. Moreover, one aircraft was an AN-26, it did not have TCAS equipment (aircraft collision warning system in the air). Somehow the pilots were able to cope and everything ended well. The controllers saw the plane, but then something went wrong with one of them, he decided that they had already dispersed, and issued a command to climb. Then the dispatcher said: “It didn’t happen, he himself began to dial” - and even after listening to the recordings of the negotiations, he could not believe for a long time that he himself had given the command.

We somehow found the perpetrators, kicked them out, but the problem remained - then we had so many dangerous encounters at this point! Such a conflict structure. If the dispatcher constantly makes mistakes in one place, then, probably, the question is about the structure? And there are a lot of such loaded points in the Moscow air hub.

About the new mission control center

Our Center automated control air traffic for more than 30 years, it has a Swedish equipment complex called "Terkas". New center flight control has been trying to launch for a year now. Now a building has been built - the rest room is smaller than in the old one, and more people should work there. They made the halls for the traffic service small - if you want to expand the number of sectors, you can no longer. We started installing equipment from a St. Petersburg company - the ergonomics of the workplace are better even on old equipment. The software leaves much to be desired. In our country, everything is done for show.

The new center should have an automatic dependent surveillance system. This is when the dispatcher sees a plane flying in the sky not thanks to the locator, but because the ship sends signals to the satellite. And in this system, the dispatcher sees what the crew sets on their altimeter: that, for example, they accidentally set the 90th flight level instead of the 70th. The same with speed: they gave him 200 knots, and he keeps 250 - and this immediately comes to the dispatcher. That is, he controls once again what the crew did. There will also be a system when the dispatcher does not send a voice command “climb”, but presses a button, and the pilot in the window on the dashboard displays the message “dial 150”, like an SMS.

About training and ship captures

The simulators in the Moscow Center, alas, do not work - in the sense that we do not hone our skills there in special cases. While you are an intern, you are taught this, as soon as you become a dispatcher - all this has passed into the category “for show”. Trainings are held after work, I come to the simulator, I have such eyes after two days, I just flew flights, I ask them: “What do you want to teach me? Let me teach you something better." - "Well, sit down, sit here then," they say.

How to behave to the dispatcher during the seizure of the vessel? We have a paper, I can’t tell all the secrets, but the instruction is quite simple - a report to higher management. Well, you need to find out from the pilot whether he can talk or not. For example, a pilot may say a code word that makes it clear that his plane has been hijacked.

About the difference between Moscow airports

The most problematic airfield is Vnukovo: an air terminal was built there, but the airfield itself is not very good in terms of traffic service. Bad taxi routes, always some kind of government restrictions. Near restricted areas - Moscow, Barvikha. If it is not possible to maintain a safe interval between aircraft, you cannot even get an aircraft there, you have to take it to the second circle and again try to squeeze it into the runway. When I fly, I try to buy flights to Domodedovo or Sheremetyevo. Let me stay there longer at customs, but in Vnukovo, after a quick customs, I can sit for an hour and a half and wait for departure.

More people fly in Europe. But they are preparing for any increase in the number of flights: structure, documents, personnel, equipment. And Vnukovo is a vivid example of the opposite approach: they built large bright air terminals, but ran into the sky. You can build two more, but the sky, as it was limited to 40 sorties per hour, remains so.

About error statistics

Planes fly at intervals of ten kilometers, because it is safe according to our standards: if something happens to the first, the controller will turn the second away.

There are statistics on how many errors of dispatchers in Moscow account for the number of flights they serve. Let's say it's normal if there was one interval violation for 10 thousand flights. In 2012, there were four to five dangerous close encounters (this is when the distance between aircraft is half the allowable distance), in addition to the usual incidents.

We had such a case last year. The Moscow mission control center wrote on its website that according to the plan there will be only two dangerous rendezvous. The wording is, of course, incorrect. So they immediately publicized that the Center had two dangerous rapprochements in its plans, and if it didn’t happen, then it had to be done. They, of course, then removed it from the site.

About safety standards "with us" and "with them"

When the Germans arrive at Vnukovo, they are told: you are number 30 for landing, wait an hour. “How so, I bought this time, we are on schedule, minute by minute, why should we wait?” It is useless to explain that planning does not work for us - everyone bought this time and everyone flew in. And at the English airport Heathrow, for example, how? Our uncle Zhenya comes there on a business jet and says: I want to fly at such and such a time. And they have a norm - 80 operations per hour. And they tell him: you want to fly at such and such a time, but we will not sell you this slot, because for us it will be the 81st operation, and this is a violation of safety standards. If you want, buy a slot from another airline. And on January 12, we announced 120 business jets to Vnukovo in Moscow. There were delays of two hours, the controllers could not release the plane, because they were landing other planes. Vnukovo wrote a complaint against the dispatchers, but according to the plan, they were supposed to have 79 operations in these three hours, so the dispatchers provided even 89, ten more. What claims to us? If you want to pour half a liter of water into a bottle right away, it will spill. It is necessary to either expand the neck, or pour slowly.

They are often referred to as "Air Traffic Controllers", "Air Traffic Control Specialists" or "Air Pilots" and refer to themselves as Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) or simply controllers. Who are the controllers?

Air traffic controllers are specialists who control and ensure the safe and orderly movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air in order to prevent their collision, and in special situations occurring in flight, to provide the crew of the aircraft with the necessary assistance. Control over the movement of the aircraft is carried out from the moment the engine is started, before takeoff at the departure aerodrome, until taxiing to the parking lot after landing at the destination aerodrome.

The air traffic controller carries out the “wiring” of the aircraft along a given route at the aerodrome and further along its area of ​​responsibility in a part of the airspace called a sector, and then transfers control of them, like a baton, to controllers of other zones. To successfully perform this function, the air traffic controller uses knowledge of aviation regulations, aircraft performance, air navigation, aviation meteorology, English, etc.

Today, the work of an air traffic controller is considered one of the most intelligent, responsible and interesting.

On air traffic control in the area of ​​responsibility of MC ATC

Air traffic control service at the airport

All airports have the tallest building - the command control tower (CDP), in English - Tower, and translated into Russian - Tower.

Airport controllers or, as they are also called, tower controllers, directly control the takeoff and landing of aircraft, as well as the movement of aircraft around the airfield. In addition, these controllers control the movement of special ground vehicles on the airfield.

At large airports, the functions associated with the control of takeoff, landing, maneuvering aircraft on the ground are divided between different controllers. Being on the top floor of a high-rise building with all-round glazing and observing aircraft taking off, landing and taxiing along the apron, the Tower launch controller controls the takeoff and landing of the aircraft at the airfield, and the Tower taxi controller controls the movement of aircraft along the airfield at departure from the parking lot to the runway and vice versa upon arrival.

Moscow air hub and regional dispatch centers (RDC) for air traffic control.

Controllers of the Moscow air hub control center (MADC) control the movement of arriving or departing aircraft at a distance of up to 200 km from the aerodrome, during the flight climb upon departure or descent for landing approach upon arrival. Helps them in this special radar equipment. Controllers also use various radio equipment, radio communications with aircraft crews, as well as telecommunications with controllers from adjacent sectors and other specialists. The workplace of the air traffic controller is equipped with monitors for displaying the air situation, meteorological conditions, various signal displays, reference information, etc.

Air traffic controller controls the maintenance by aircraft crews of the flight route and specified altitudes (not higher, but not lower) and has the right to set pilots the altitude, flight speed and direction of movement. After reaching the predetermined altitude, at which the aircraft will continue its flight along the route, the IADC controller transfers control to the ACC controller, and also takes control of the arriving aircraft, which begin to descend for landing approach.

Moscow air hub and regional dispatch centers air traffic control are located in specially equipped control rooms outside the territory of airports.
To control the movement of aircraft in flight, the airspace is divided into sectors. Aircraft flights in each sector are controlled by air traffic controllers of the Moscow air hub and regional centers.

ACC dispatchers fly aircraft on high altitudes(levels), they control the longest part of the flight of the aircraft.

The main task of air traffic controllers is to maintain a safe distance between aircraft horizontally and vertically. To do this, controllers, guided by the established flight rules and observing the aircraft with the help of radar equipment, issue the appropriate commands to the pilots.

What does it take to become an air traffic controller?

If you want to become an air traffic controller, you need to have some mandatory qualities and abilities, namely:
- be able to navigate well and represent the position of an object in space;
- memorize the required number of numbers and words;
- remain calm and confident in stressful situations;
- be able to analyze the situation and creatively apply the established rules.

The air traffic controller must be able to choose the necessary information from a large volume of messages, as well as have a developed spatial imagination, which allows you to correctly represent the position of aircraft in the airspace and predict their position after a certain time during the flight.
An important factor in the work of the dispatcher is the state of health. Throughout professional activity the health of air traffic controllers is under the close attention of highly qualified specialists in the field of aviation medicine. Dispatchers pass regularly medical commission, as well as a medical examination before each shift.

Why do you need to have all these abilities?

The answer is simple - in order to make the right decisions within a limited time when controlling aircraft flights, depending on their relative position in the airspace and at the aerodrome, as in regular situations, and in special cases in flight.

Air traffic controller is a highly qualified aviation specialist with versatile erudition and psychophysiological qualities necessary for this profession, having physical health that meets the established medical requirements for the flight and dispatching staff of civil aviation.