May 2, 2011
About Those Sleeping Air Traffic Controllers
Air traffic controllers have been in the news several times in the past month. First came the “asleep in the tower” stories at Washington National Airport and Reno, Nevada. Then the First Lady’s airplane had to go around at Andrews AFB because it was too close to other traffic. The 24-hour news monster has already moved on to the next “shiny object” (the Royal wedding), but I thought I’d share my thoughts anyway.
I was as surprised as anyone about the traffic controllers; I always assumed there was more than one guy in the tower at all times. Still, the comments I heard from the pundits on TV and radio had me shaking my head. There seemed to be a worry that pilots had to land without the security blanket of ATC, and I heard the phrase “landing blind” more than once.
The tower controller (aka Local Control) has jurisdiction over the runways at the airport. He or she clears planes to take off, land or cross any active runway. It’s important, especially at busy airports, but there are hundreds of airports in the country that are not served by a control tower, and pilots manage to sequence themselves for takeoff and landing just fine. In the wee hours (the period during which the DC and Reno controllers were asleep), there is very little traffic, and the danger posed by “do it yourself” is minimal.
At uncontrolled fields, pilots approaching the airport announce their position and intentions on a VHF frequency set aside for that purpose. It might be a Unicom frequency serving several small airports in the area, or a specific frequency for that airport called a CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency). The airlines don’t fly into many uncontrolled fields, but they do exist. When I worked for United Express, two uncontrolled fields I routinely flew into were State College, Pennsylvania and Shenandoah Valley Regional airport in Virginia.
I’m not trying to minimize the seriousness of falling asleep at the switch, but it just wasn’t as dire or life-threatening as some reports led you to believe.
The second story was even less serious, and shouldn’t even have made the news. Michelle Obama was on a plane coming into Andrews AFB, just outside Washington, and had to execute a go-around because her plane was too close to the plane in front of it.
First of all, “too close” doesn’t mean there was danger of them exchanging paint. It just means that someone was concerned that the first plane wouldn’t be clear of the runway before the second plane touched down. The rule is only one plane on the runway at a time.
I would be surprised if you could find any pilot who hasn’t had to go around at some point. It doesn’t happen to the airlines very often (or to planes carrying the First Lady, I’m sure) because the controllers and the pilots try hard to avoid it. But it does happen every day, at airports all across the country.
No need for the dreaded go-around (can you name the airport?)
There are a few possible scenarios that typically lead to a go-around. The first is when the controller is a little overzealous in trying to squeeze in arrivals. I’ve seen it on a handful of occasions where a controller, trying to keep the arrival rate up, vectors a plane in too close behind another one. Again, not dangerously close, but close enough that it becomes obvious at some point that it’s just not going to work out. Result: go around.
Other times, it’s strictly the pilot’s fault. A controller will often point out preceding traffic to us, and if we call it in sight we are likely to receive the following clearance: “Maintain visual separation from that traffic, cleared for the visual approach to Runway 31L.” If we accept that clearance, the burden is now on us to maintain adequate distance from the preceding plane so that it can land and clear the runway before we touch down. If we get too close, the controller will tell us to go around.
The pilot of the first plane can also mess things up by slowing unexpectedly during the approach. At busy airports, the controller issues exact speeds for the planes to maintain, and anyone who deviates from these speeds can ruin the flow. The approach clearance will often contain a final speed restriction, like “Cleared for the visual approach to three one left, maintain a hundred eighty knots to MEALS.” (MEALS is an intersection 5.4 miles from the end of the runway at JFK airport.) Occasionally we’ll get someone who slows to final approach speed too early, and, you guessed it: another go-around for the following traffic.
The last possibility is that the preceding traffic just doesn’t clear the runway expeditiously. At busy airports, the controllers are very sharp, and they expect the pilots to be on their game too. They know our capabilities and how much runway we need to land, slow and exit the runway. Occasionally a pilot surprises them by rolling out to the end of the runway, throwing a wrench in the beautiful arrival flow the controller has established. Some unlucky innocent on final approach has to go around.
I don’t know what happened with Mrs. Obama’s plane, but I’m pretty sure she was safe the whole time. A go-around is inconvenient, but it’s also routine.
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Boston Logan A/P, 33L!
Comment by Edward — May 2, 2011 @ 9:37 pm
Never been there, but clearly the pictured airport is Logan International. Only had to look at three airports to find it. Is there a prize?
Comment by Steven Collins — May 2, 2011 @ 11:06 pm
My flight instructor always said the following… “the best landing approach is preparing for the best go-around.” Yes, go arounds are very common in both commercial and private aircraft flights.
Comment by Mike Shaw — May 3, 2011 @ 12:20 am
I’ve been on flts that had to go-around numerous times. It always happens when I’m late and have a tight connection…
Is that KBOS?
Comment by Bob — May 3, 2011 @ 1:24 pm
You guys are sharp. Yes, it’s Boston. Maybe I should post some international destinations to up the ante a bit.
Comment by Steve Satre — May 3, 2011 @ 1:47 pm
Go for it! We’re up to the challenge…
Comment by Bob — May 4, 2011 @ 1:13 pm
[...] Originally Posted by W0X0F_2p2 Way overblown. Every airline pilot has experienced this situation at least a handful of times in their career … For anyone interested, I wrote more about this in my blog on the Air & Space Magazine web site: http://blogs.airspacemag.com/view/20…c-controllers/ [...]
Pingback by Ask a Delta Pilot: Result from Interesting Delta pilot post on poker forum - Page 45 - FlyerTalk Forums — May 4, 2011 @ 10:36 pm
I am not a pilot but recognized BOS right away…..that long dock right at the end of the runway jutting into BOS harbor…
Comment by dede pittman — May 4, 2011 @ 11:02 pm
Always the best explanation in town…
Too many Monday QB doing the aviation news on national TV. I am up for some international airports challenge!
Comment by DLroads — May 5, 2011 @ 1:18 am
Logan with that loong dock at end of runway jutting into BOS Harbor.
Comment by dede pittman — May 5, 2011 @ 9:18 am
There’s another reason for a go-around that you didn’t mention. One in the 1970s night I was on a very short commercial flight from Los Angeles to San Diego. As it happened, SD was socked in with 00 visibility. If you’ve ever landed at SD in good weather, then you know that it’s a challenge…in the fog, it’s impossible. The pilot tried twice to get on the ground and twice had to perform a go-around. After the second one, he aborted the flight and went back to LAX where I rented a car and drove myself down there. One of the scariest flights I’ve ever taken!!
Comment by Barry Barker — May 24, 2011 @ 8:17 pm
I was tower control at Simmons AAF, Ft Bragg ’58, ’59, &’60and there were plenty of go-arounds but always 2 in the tower. We worked 6 days then 3 off with shift change. When I “got out” I went to ATCC Kansas City 2 day shifts, 6hrs off, 2 evening shifts, 6hrs off, one night shift, 3days off. By the end of a cycle we were totally numb. We were also seriously understaffed in 1961 and the controllers seemed to think higher salaries would solve the problem. I resigned the day after the understaffing had caused an assistant controller to pass a rack of strips too late to avoid an “incident”. We need to understand peoples’ lives depend on us and Benny Hill was right; “Put more men on the job”! I believe any field that handles commercial passenger traffic should be staffed by 2 controllers at all times. It certainly is possible to land without a tower controller but when I was at Simmons we sure got a lot of calls for assistance in the wee hours and lives could have been in jeopardy had we missed a Mayday call.
Bill Johnston
Comment by Wm Johnston — May 25, 2011 @ 2:34 pm
The spacing interval criteria is set to avoid wing tip vortices which flow from the wingtips of aircraft and are particularly violent for aircraft following large, heavily loaded aircraft. These vortices have damaged and destroyed aircraft following to closely. But they dissipate after 30 seconds or so.
Comment by Rudolf Boentgen, PE — May 25, 2011 @ 5:35 pm
When I was a new pilot I took too long clearing the runway at Jacksonville ,causing an Eastern jet to have to go around.as it flew directly overhead at full t o power,it is something I never forgot.I always made sure to get off the runway as fast as I could after that.
Comment by bob johnson — May 25, 2011 @ 8:07 pm
Barry, I should have mentioned this scenario and the reason I didn’t is that we call this a “missed approach,” which occurs when we can’t complete an instrument approach (usually due either to inadequate visibility or a ceiling that is too low). This is a different category from a “go around” which is done for a variety of reasons (such as the ones I discussed).
It’s a nitty point and even pilots sometimes use the terms interchangeably, but that’s why I left your example out.
Comment by Steve Satre — May 25, 2011 @ 8:48 pm
Wake turbulence considerations will often increase the separation distance, but a minimum separation will be used by ATC even where this threat does not exist (e.g. a 757 following a regional jet). On takeoff following a “heavy” aircraft,or the 757 (which is known for its wake turbulence), the tower will usually allow for two minutes before the next plane is cleared to roll.
Comment by Steve Satre — May 25, 2011 @ 9:00 pm
I agree William. I like the “buddy system” in the control tower.
Comment by Steve Satre — May 25, 2011 @ 9:01 pm
At Ft. Bragg/Simmons due to heavy training traffic there were lots of 360s on final and a lot of extended downwinds to space traffic but let’s get back to sleeping controllers; Two operators on duty one night, very slow, one controller felt the urgent call of nature. The other controller spotted running lights and then landing lights on lonnng final. Started calling “unknown aircraft” on
VHF and UHF no ans. Went to V & U emergency freqs. No ans. Grabbed the light gun and started flashing red light. No indication aircraft had understood. After a moment’s thought called Pope AFB on landline (They had Approach Radar) asked what they saw. They replied they had a C130 on final. I asked if they could see him. Pandemonium! Finally determined it was him heading for us and they gave him a wave-off and sorted it out just as our second controller came back upstairs from the restroom. Our field was designed for Bird dogs, Beavers Aero Commanders etc. We might have been able to handle a DC3 with a sharp pilot but a 130 would have wiped out the Ops building with a wingtip but then, of course, both sets of wheels probably wouldn’t have fit on our asphalt at the same time. Good thing there were two of us.
Wm Johnston
Comment by Wm Johnston — May 27, 2011 @ 4:04 pm
Steve,
You may refer to it as a “missed approach” but as a passenger on a full L-1011 landing at Dulles in a thunderstorm in “1992″, it was certainly a “go around”. Sitting next to the window and knowing that the landing gear had been down for sometime, I anxiously awaited a visual that finally came well down the runway and I would estimate little more than 300 feet elevation. I soon learned the thrust this plane had as we were plastered to our seats for the 1st and thankfully only “go around”. When I heard of the First Lady go around, I immediately recalled my one and only.
Ron Heck,
Waldorf, MD
“On approach to Andrews”
Comment by Ron Heck — May 31, 2011 @ 2:52 am
I know I’m late with this, but the airport is Boston’s Logan! & it only took me two tries (& I’m not a pilot, either)
Comment by Rob Young — June 5, 2011 @ 4:49 pm