Exam prep Flashcards
(41 cards)
Name the major international conventions that have shaped Civil Aviation. (3
marks)
Paris Convention
Chicago Convention
Montreal Convention
(could also be Warsaw)
ICAO specifies 5 objectives for Air Traffic Services. Name them. (5 marks)
Prevent collisions between aircraft
Prevent collisions between aircraft on the manoeuvring area and obstructions on that area.
Expedite and maintain an orderly flow of air traffic.
Provide advice and information useful for the safe and efficient conduct of flights.
Notify appropriate organizations regarding aircraft in need of search and
rescue aid, and assist such organizations as required.
what three services does ICAO
prescribe for Air Traffic Services? Include details of any sub-services of the
three services.(5 marks)
Area Control Service
Approach Control Service
Aerodrome Control Service
Flight Information Service – service provided for the purpose of giving advice and information useful for the safe and efficient conduct of flights.
Alerting Service – service provided to notify appropriate organizations regarding aircraft in need of search and rescue aid, and assist such organizations as required.
How shall ATS airspaces be classified?
What is the aim of establishing airspace classifications? (3 marks)
Alphabetically A-G. The aim is to manage the level of risk to RPT and Charter IFR operations. The degree of risk is governed by the class of operations of aircraft wishing to use the airspace, and the traffic complexity and frequency.
Many recent ATS systems have discarded the use of paper strips.
(a) Apart from recording information on the strips, how did the use of paper strips assist controllers in their work?
(b) What has been provided in recent systems to substitute for the loss of paper strips in this role? (Exclude electronic strip displays) (2 marks)
In a procedural system, if the strips are arranged on a Flight Progress Board to reflect the route structure they are an important tool in helping the controller to ‘visualise’ the three-dimensional traffic picture.
In the Tower, they are a tool that can be used to indicate when the duty runway is occupied by a departing aircraft, or one that has been cleared to land. In a Radar environment they are used for information and data recording.
(b) An Air Situation Display, which is capable of displaying Radar, ADS-B and ADS-C symbols, as well as a ‘Flight Plan symbol, which is a symbol placed at the calculated position of the aircraft based on updated Flight plan data.
This assists in visualisation.
ICAO recommends three steps when implementing a significant change to an
ATS system.
(a) What are those steps?
(b) Can operational judgement be used in the process? Explain (5 marks)
Identify actual and potential hazards and determine the need for remedial action:
Ensure that remedial action necessary to maintain an acceptable level of safety is implemented
Provide for continuous monitoring and regular assessment of the safety level achieved.
(b) When, due to the nature of the change, the acceptable level of safety cannot be expressed in quantitative terms, the safety assessment may rely on operational judgement.
What is the aim of a ‘Just Culture’? (2 marks)
Under “Just Culture” conditions, individuals are not blamed for ‘honest errors’, but are held accountable for willful violations and gross negligence. It is not a ‘no-blame’ culture. The aim is to encourage honest reporting of
incidents.
According to ICAO, who, or what is responsible for the establishment and implementation of an ATS system? Can this be delegated? Explain. (3 marks)
The Contracting State. Yes it can be delegated, wholly, or in part, to other Governments or to private organisations
Where a radar system is used by Air Traffic Control, ICAO recommends that the system should provide certain safety related alerts. Name three of those
alerts. (3 marks)
Where radar systems are utilised by ATC, the system should provide for the display of safety related alerts and warnings, including conflict alert, conflict prediction, minimum safe altitude warning, unintentionally duplicated SSR codes, Route Adherence Monitoring, Missed Position
Report, Incorrect estimates.
There are four types of separation that can be applied between aircraft.
Longitudinal, Lateral, Vertical, visual.
What tools are available to apply separation? What determines the choice
of which tool shall be used? (6 marks)
Radar, ADS (B or C), Procedural; Choice depends on what CNS elements are available.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of CPDLC? (4 marks)
Advantages: o Allows ATC and pilot to communicate via text message o No third party relay o Printable messages o Feeds to aircraft FMS o No “read-back” required o Error reduction Disadvantages o Reduced situational awareness for pilots o Slower than voice
What are the benefits of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast for both present and future Air Traffic Services? (3 marks)
System Safety o more accurate and timely o reduction in human error o no third-party communication Greater Accuracy o reduction in aircraft separation o increases system capacity Cost Savings for Airlines o preferred cruising levels = reduced fuel burn o Negates requirement for ground based radar and navigation aids
What is a Runway Incursion? (2 marks)
Any occurrence at an airport involving an aircraft, vehicle or person on the
ground that creates a collision hazard or results in a loss of separation with
an aircraft taking off, intending to take off, landing or intending to land.
ICAO requires an ATS provider to establish an SMS (Safety Management System). What are the elements of an SMS when dealing with changes to a system? (5 marks)
Any significant safety related change to the ATC system, including the implementation of a reduced separation minimum or a new procedure, shall only be effected after a safety assessment has demonstrated that an acceptable level of safety will be met and users have been consulted. When appropriate, the responsible authority shall ensure that adequate provision is made for post implementation monitoring to verify that the defined level of safety continues to be met.
What is an Airways Clearance? (1 mark)
An authorization to enter, move in, or leave controlled airspace. It consists of route tracking details, flight levels and restrictions/requirements.
Briefly describe Wake Turbulence and its effect on operations. (5 marks)
Caused by meeting of the airflow over upper and lower wing surfaces, causing vortices to form.
Gets worse with size and weight of the aircraft.
Exists only when the wings are generating lift.
May move with the wind.
May last for some minutes, gradually sinking.
Depending on relative weights, aircraft may be delayed by an extra time or distance standard.
In your own words, describe the ICAO concept for future Air Traffic Management systems. (3 marks)
To achieve an interoperable global air traffic management system, for all users during all phases of flight, that meets agreed levels of safety, provides for optimum economic operations, is environmentally
sustainable, and meets National Security requirements.
What are the primary reasons for the use of Standard Instrument Departure (SID) and Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STAR) in terminal Control Areas? (2 marks)
standardisation for both pilots and controllers
o safety
o reduction in communications
o enhances ATC capability to increase departure rates
o enhances crew planning – programming of Flight Management System
(FMS)
. Name the types of Air Traffic Flow Management. Briefly describe the differences between them. (3 marks)
It can be Strategic Pre-tactical or Tactical. Strategic refers to long-term Flow planning and uses departure/arrival slot times as its tool. It may be conducted by a dedicated unit, such as the Flow Management Centre in Brussels which serves most of Europe. Pre-tactical covers the period within the hours close to departure. Tactical flow covers the immediate measures from two hours before start-up until arrival,
What are the four methods available to the controller to implement delay? (4
marks)
speed control
radar vectoring
holding
specified time at a fix
Briefly describe the procedure that may be used to increase the useability of intersecting runways
LAHSO; Aircraft may operate on intersecting runways without the required separation normally required for such operations. One landing aircraft is required to hold short of the runway intersection. Only certain types and classes of operation qualify; the pilots must be trained in, and
accept the procedure.
WAAS and GBAS are acronyms for two systems associated with GPS navigation.
(a) What are the respective aims of those two systems?
(b) How do they differ in the way they work? (4 marks)
WAAS: Aim is to provide accurate GPS signals for precision navigation and approach over as big an area as possible
GBAS: Aim is to provide accurate GPS signals for precision navigation on a reduced scale, eg an airport.
(b)WAAS- GPS signals are corrected by master stations that are located across a continent. The corrected signals are sent to master satellites, which then transmit them across their footprint. Appropriate aircraft equipment is required to receive and use them. The data can be used for precision navigation and precision approach.
GBAS - Uses a pattern of up to 4 local ground reference stations which receive and then correct the down linked GPS information. This data is then sent to a ground processor for synthesis. Data is then sent to aircraft via a VHF data broadcast. Data is processed on board by a GNSS Landing System (GLS) unit and displayed as a normal ILS presentation. One GBAS installation is sufficient to cover all runways at an airport.
There are seven ways that radar vectoring may assist arriving aircraft. Name three of them. (3 marks)
Apply separation Sequencing Establish an aircraft on final approach Cloud break for a visual approach Make maximum use of available airspace Noise abatement Assist the pilot to avoid hazardous weather
