You may also be subject to getting a European Class 3 medical certificate, which tests your general health, ensuring that your health doesn't impair your ability to be an effective air traffic controller. There are often random tests at work to check your blood alcohol levels fall under strict limits, which are well below those set by drink-driving laws. Air traffic control requires long periods of concentration and few breaks, which requires mental stamina and endurance.Īs an air traffic controller, you are also subject to the Rail and Transport Safety Act, which sets strict limits on blood alcohol levels and drugs. You almost always work at your desk and you usually stay at your desk for at least two hours at a time before taking a break. Typically, you work in shifts to ensure that someone is covering all sections of airspace 24 hours a day.
#Air traffic controller salary uk 2020 full#
What is it like to be an air traffic controller?Īs an air traffic controller, you usually work around 37 to 40 hours per week full time and may work days, nights, weekends and even holidays. This includes communicating the details of the event to other staff members, officials and stakeholders within a set time frame. Overseeing aircraft control transfers: Air traffic controllers regularly have to coordinate handovers of aircraft to another controller throughout a flight.įollowing emergency protocols: Air traffic controllers are responsible for following emergency procedures when emergencies occur. Air traffic controllers give instructions to pilots about when and where they can operate an aircraft, and give pilots critical safety instructions. This typically includes tower controllers tracking aircraft still on the ground, approach and departure controllers tracking flights during takeoff and landing, and en-route controllers tracking flights in the air.Ĭommunicating with pilots: Throughout the day and night, air traffic controllers communicate with pilots to provide critical information relating to weather, runway issues and other aircraft locations.
Monitoring and controlling aircraft movement: ATC professionals track flights at different stages using computers and radar systems. Here are responsibilities ATCs may have during their schedule: Some air traffic controllers may also work in 'uncontrolled airspace', where military and recreational pilots fly, but in most cases, it is the pilot's responsibility in the uncontrolled airspace to look out for and avoid other planes and aircraft. Air traffic controllers may also work in 'controlled airspace', which is airspace for commercial and private flights where radar systems help to keep aircraft a safe distance apart. They coordinate a flight's handover to another controller when an aircraft reaches the edge of their airspace, all the way through a flight until there is a handover to the destination airport. What does an air traffic controller do?Īir traffic controllers oversee all aircraft movement in their section of controlled airspace. Once a flight is airborne, pilots stay in contact with air traffic control, using a radar screen to track the location of their own aircraft in relation to others. At the airport, pilots are in constant communication with air traffic control, asking for permission from ATC before taking off.
Before a flight, airlines file a flight plan with air traffic control, detailing an individual flight's route. This is a multi-step process that begins before a flight even takes off the ground. Air traffic controllers monitor individual flights in the air to ensure that no collisions occur during air travel. If you're wondering 'What is an air traffic controller?', it's important to understand how air traffic control works.
In this article, we discuss what an air traffic controller is, what the job comprises, the average salary and work environment and the necessary skills to be effective in this role.
Air traffic controllers communicate with pilots to ensure that aircraft maintain safe distances from one another at all times. If you're considering a career in air traffic control (ATC), it's important to understand what an air traffic controller is and what your responsibilities as an air traffic controller are. Air traffic controllers are an essential part of safe air travel all around the world.
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