Health as One of the Criteria of Air Traffic Controller Professional Selection

No doubt, a person who would like to be an ATCO should have a good health. He must pass a lot of medical examinations. Having become an ATCO, he gets the Medical Certificate which must be renewed every two years. If an air traffic controller has got some problems with his health the Aero Medical Section decides whether Medical certificate should be issued or refused.

An air traffic controller’s job is very stressful and responsible. He is responsible for the safety of flights. Any condition causing pain, discomfort or irritation can distract an ATCO from his tasks and thus, affect safety.

According to European Air Traffic Management Programme there are a lot of medical certification requirements:

· Particular attention is paid to heart diseases. If a controller has any symptoms of heart diseases he should pass exercise electrocardiography and it should be investigated. It means that he shall have complete investigations. The ATCOs who have heart diseases are assessed as unfit.

· Psychiatric and psychological requirements are very important. If a controller has got any problem with his state of mind it can lead to unforeseen consequences. That is why, any progressive disease of the nervous system is disqualifying. A full investigation by a specialist must be made. The psychological evaluation is broad-based and includes medical history, life event history in addition to personality tests and psychological interview.

· A controller shall have a good vision and shall not possess any abnormality of the function of the eyes.

· An ATCO should take a routine Ear-Nose-Throat examination. Of course, he must have a perfect hearing, which is tested at all examinations; he must understand correctly conversational speech when tested with each ear at a distance of two meters from. In the event of any significant defect being found, an ATCO is sent to a specialist for further evaluation, if his hearing has improved and achieved a normal standard a controller is assessed as fit.

· Like any human being, ATCOs can have different kinds of diseases, among them asthma, pancreatitis, diseases connected with the stomach and liver and so on. ATCOs may be temporally assessed as unfit. Then, licence privileges may be resumed upon satisfactory confirmation of full recovery.

Answer the questions.

1. What should a person who would like to be an air traffic controller have?

2. How many medical examinations must he pass?

3. What does a person get after he has become a controller?

4. How often must this document be renewed?

5. When does the Aero Medical Section decide whether Medical certificate should be issued or refused?

6. What kind of job does an air traffic controller have?

7. What is he responsible for?

8. What can distract a controller from his tasks?

9. Are there any medical certification requirements a controller has to satisfy?

10. What kind of diseases is particular attention paid to?

11. What should a controller do if he has any symptoms of heart diseases?

12. Does it mean that he has to pass complete investigations?

13. Is the controller who has a heart disease assessed as fit?

14. Which requirements are very important?

15. If a controller has got any problem with his state of mind what can it lead to?

16. Which disease is also disqualifying?

17. Who must a full investigation be made by?

18. What is the psychological evaluation based on and what does it include?

19. Does a controller have to possess a good vision?

20. What can you tell about a routine Ear-Nose-Throat examination?

21. Must a controller have a good hearing?

22. What must he understand correctly and from what distance?

23. What is done in the event any significant defect has been found?

24. What happens if the controller’s hearing has improved?

25. What other diseases can a controller have?

26. May a controller be assessed as unfit only temporally?

27. When may licence privileges be resumed in such cases?

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Safety can be defined as “being safe”. Safe may in turn be defined as free from danger or not involved in risk. Safety is an objective of utmost importance in air travel, allowing passengers to be safe by eliminating or minimizing risk.

All activities in life involve risk. The dangers of driving a motor car or, indeed, walking along a street are well known, and flying an aircraft has, of course, its own inherent dangers. One may seek danger in sport, for example, for excitement. But before engaging in any activity, the wise person considers the degree of risk involved and decides whether the safety level of the activity is acceptable. If the safety level is too low, the person avoids that activity.

If a prospective passenger feels that flying is not safe, he will either not travel or will find another means of reaching his destination. He must be reassured that flying is safe and the only way to do that is to ensure that all aspects of aviation are indeed as safe as human ability can make them.

The aim of aviation security is to safeguard civil aviation operations against acts of unlawful interference. The safety of persons (passengers, crew, ground personnel and the general public) is the primary objective.

Airport operators have the responsibility of implementing security measures for the operation of the aerodrome and ensure that access control systems and emergency procedures are in place. Air Carriers implement security measures applicable security programmes which contain detailed procedures for screening passengers, baggage, cargo, and mail. The procedures also cover the security of aircraft and facilities they are required to have response to threats against their operations

Implementation of these security has evolved over a period of many years, particularly from 1968 to the present time. At first, security focused on the most common crime, hijacking. The record year for this type of crime was 1969, when there were 82 occurrences. Security was strengthened world-wide and virtually every country introduced pertinent procedures and eventually refused to accept hijackers and grant them refuse. Thus with no country to flee to or be accepted in this type of crime diminished. However, hijacking remains a very problem. The tragic deaths of 123 passengers and crew when in November 1996 a B757, hijacked from Addis Ababa, ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea off the COMORO Islands remind us of this.

Hijacking was in turn replaced by acts of sabotage civil aviation. Notable atrocities are the destruction of B747s over the Atlantic ocean south of Ireland and over Lockerbie in Scotland with enormous loss of life.

The “bomb on board aircraft” was now part of the security nightmare and procedures to prevent the terrorist gaining access to the aircraft or to baggage and cargo were developed.

There are several organization and legal conventions which assist civil aviation to combat terrorism and extortion, some of which are briefly discussed here.

The International Civil Aviation Organization is a specialist agency of the United Nations formed to promote the safe and orderly development of civil aviation.

Standards and Recommended Practices on security were adopted by the Council in March 1974, and were designated Annex 17 to the Chicago Convention.

The International Conventions concerning security are:

· Tokyo Convention, 1963 concerns offences and certain other acts committed on board aircraft.

· Hague Convention, 1970 concerns the suppression of unlawful seizure of aircraft.

· Montreal Convention, 1971 concerns the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of civil aviation.

· Montreal Protocol, 1988, to the Montreal Convention, 1971. “It is an offence for anyone to endanger safety at aerodromes serving international civil aviation by carrying out acts of violence against persons or facilities at such aerodromes”.

· Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives.

Everyone in the airline industry must play a part in ensuring that security is effective and taken very seriously. Aviation security is dynamic. As the tactics of the criminal vary, so must our response. It is not simply a matter for the Pilot in Command and Airport Police. All of this, whether professional or passengers, must co-operate and play our part.

This is why, at the security check, security officers examine the traveller’s boarding cards and both they and their various items of carry-on baggage are subjected to physical and electronic search for explosives and other weapons. The security check will also look other forbidden or dangerous items such as pressurised canistres, flammable liquids or gases, and matches. Any such items found will be confiscated.

Many travellers regard security as a nuisance and an unwarranted intrusion into their privacy. However, these security checks are compulsory and persons refusing to be examined will not be carried. The checks are designed for the passengers’ own protection and should be fully co-operated with. Passengers should pack their own bags, and know exactly what they contain. Questions asked at check-in and during the security check should be advanced honestly and any concerns or doubts about the security or integrity of one’s reported. Bags should never be left unattended and most certainly, packages should never be accepted from strangers for carriage on board the aircraft.

1. What does this module discuss?

2. What do these aspects concern?

3. What can safety be defined?

4. What is safety? / What does “safety” mean?

5. How do all activities in life involve risk?

6. What does the wise person consider before engaging in any activity?

7. What does the person avoid? In what case?

8. What will a prospective passenger do if he feels that flying is not safe?

9. What must a passenger be reassured?

10. What is the aim of aviation security?

11. What is the primary objective?

12. What do airport operators have the responsibility of?

13. What do air carrier implement?

14. What do security programmes contain?

15. What are procedures required for?

16. How long has implementation of these security evolved?

17. What did security focus at first?

18. What year was the record one? Why?

19. Why is hijacking a very big problem?

20. What happened in November 1996 with B757?

21. What was the security nightmare?

22. What are notable atrocities?

23. What do several organizations and legal convention assist?

24. What is the International Civil Aviation Organization?

25. What does ICAO stand for?

26. What were Standards and Recommended Practices adopted by?

27. What International Conventions do you know? Name them.

28. What does each convention concern?

29. What do security officers examine? Why?

30. What can be confiscated?

31. What do many travellers regard?

32. What should passengers pack and know?

33. Bags should never be left unattended, shouldn’t they?

Unlawful Interference and Aircraft Bomb Threat

Whenever unlawful interference with an aircraft is suspected, and where automatic distinct display of SSR Mode A Code 7500 and Code 7700 is not provided, the radar controller shall attempt to verify any suspicion by setting the SSR decoder to Mode A Code 7500 and thereafter to Code 7700.

Whenever unlawful interference with an aircraft is known or suspected or a bomb threat warning has been received, ATS unit shall promptly attend to requests and anticipated needs of the aircraft.

ATS units shall also:

a) transmit, and continue to transmit, information pertinent to the safe conduct of the flight, without expecting a reply from the aircraft;

b) monitor and plot the progress of the flight with the means available, and coordinate, transfer of control with adjacent ATS units without requiring transmissions or other responses from the aircraft;

c) inform, and continue to keep informed, appropriate ATS units;

d) notify the operator; the appropriate rescue coordination centre in accordance with appropriate alerting procedures; the designated security authority;

e) relay appropriate messages, relating to the circumstances associated with the unlawful interference, between the aircraft and designated authorities.

The ATS unit in communication with the aircraft shall ascertain the intention of the flight crew and report those intentions the other ATS units.

The aircraft shall be handled in the most expeditious manner to ensure the safety of ground installations.

Aircraft in flight shall be given reclearance to a requested new destination without delay. Any request by the flight crew to climb or descend shall be approved as soon as possible.

An aircraft on the ground should be advised to remain as far away from other aircraft and installations as possible and if appropriate, to vacate the runway.

An aircraft known or believed to be the subject of unlawful interference or which for other reason needs isolation from normal aerodrome activities shall be cleared to the designated isolated parking position. Where such an isolated parking position has not been designated, or if the designated position is not available, the aircraft shall be cleared to a position within the area or areas selected by prior agreement with the aerodrome authority. The taxi clearance shall specify the taxi route to be followed to the parking position. The route shall be selected with a view to minimizing any security risks to the public, other aircraft, and installations at the aerodrome.

Answer the questions.

1. Which SSR codes are set in case of unlawful interference with an aircraft?

2. What information shall ATS unit transmit in case of unlawful interference with an aircraft or a bomb threat?

3. What shall ATS unit coordinate in case of unlawful interference with an aircraft or a bomb threat?

4. Who shall the ATS unit notify concerning the unlawful interference with an aircraft or a bomb threat?

5. Do the ATS units require transmissions or other responses from the aircraft while coordinating transfer of control with adjacent ATS unit?

6. How shall the aircraft be handled?

7. What actions should an aircraft on the ground be advised to do?

8. Where shall an aircraft be cleared to if it needs an isolation?

9. What service selects an isolated position if it is not designated or is not available?

10. How shall the taxi route be selected?