Shri D.K.Behera, DGM ATC, Genl. Secy. ATC Guild, India

Two decades back, when I applied for a job in Air Traffic Control, I was not fully aware about the nature of job. Even though I could collect some information from different sources, the most surprising was that many, including, persons involved in Aviation did not know what the profession was all about. In general, public, bureaucrats, and politicians –all perceived that ATC is a part of airlines. Today the role and responsibility of an Air Traffic Controller is known to many, if not all.

 

The task of ensuring safe operations of commercial and private aircraft falls on Air Traffic Controllers. They must coordinate the movements of thousands of aircraft, keep them at safe distances from each other, direct them during takeoff and landing from airports, direct them around bad weather and ensure that traffic flows smoothly with minimal delays.

 

 Air Traffic Controllers are widely recognized as an occupational group which has to cope with a highly demanding job that involves a complex series of tasks, requiring high levels of knowledge and expertise, combined with high levels of responsibility, not only with regard to risking lives, but also the high economic costs of aeronautical activities.

 

A lot of water has flown under the bridges in the last two decades. Air Traffic Control (ATC) has become a pet word in aviation community. ATC Guild has played a pivotal role in popularizing this profession in India.

 

From day one I remained an active member of the ATC Guild. The initial nightmarish days of Kolkata Airport are still in my mind. The first night duty I performed in Control Tower, I handled one training flight doing circuits and landing. When the pilot reported ‘Good Morning’ while in operation, I looked at my watch. I became very emotional, thought seriously about the plights of the Indian Air Traffic Control Officers. A group of employees earning crores of revenue in foreign exchange were leading a very miserable life. They were treated like any other government officers. Nobody was able to understand this profession and the intricacies of doing difficult shift pattern duties. Probably, these were  the driving forces for me in working devotedly and sacrificing my precious personal and family-life time for the cause of Air Traffic Controllers in India.

 

Gone are those days when Area Control Centres are manned by two ATCOs. Air Traffic must have increased, safety must have taken a front seat but the continued effort of ATCOs from ATC Guild platform has transformed the scenario of eighties and nineties-but still a long way to go before ATCOs in India get their due at par with their counterparts in foreign countries. ATCOs are no more known for wrong reasons, they are no more villains of the civil aviation industry.

 

With increase in air traffic, I envisage two major changes in the coming days. For Air Traffic Management to prosper in India, Government is thinking in terms of ATC Corporation. I am sure there will be organizational changes in the near future. ‘Users pay, users say’ is the concept that runs the business model. The customers have a larger say and are entitled to demand for the account of their investment. While trying to do so, they have to pay sincere attention to the safety hands on ground, more importantly Air Traffic Controllers. The pressure on the employer will be enoromous, to honour the statement that ‘Air transportation is the safest mode of transportation’.

 

I expect that ATCOs should be true professionals. By virtue of their professional qualities and role/responsibility in air safety, they are destined to command respect for time to come. They need not demand anything. The more it comes under public scanner, more will be the recognition. ATCOs must try to enhance their knowledge and keep pace with the technological developments taking place globally. Even though, member associations and IFATCA are trying to safeguard the interests of ATCOs in industry driven environments. Whether it is needed or not, lot of things will be imposed and dumped on ATCOs. If we are not literate, if we cannot differentiate between good and bad, others will have a bigger say in our domain. I think an environment will be created where there is sharing of knowledge amongst ATCOs. In short, there has to be continuous enhancement of knowledge.

 

Transition from ground based  navigation to satellite based navigation is another area of concern. Even if ATCOs are kept out of the loop, they need to educate themselves and educate others about this technology so that they are not declared overnight. Evolution of automation in the national airspace system in the next decade is an worrying factor for lot of us because we have not been given an opportunity to update ourselves periodically.

 

The pressures for automation of the air traffic control system originate from three sources

• The needs for improved safety and efficiency (which may include flexibility, potential cost savings and reductions in staffing)

• The availability of technology

• The desire to support the controllers

 

Zero accident philosophy of the industry shall not only rely on technology, but human factor aspects too. The need for improvement is perhaps more strongly driven by the desire to improve efficiency without sacrificing current levels of safety. Efficiency pressures are particularly strong from the air carriers, which operate with very thin profit margins, and for which relatively short delays can translate into very large financial losses. For them it is desirable to substantially increase the existing capacity of the airspace and the runways.

 

The rapid growth in commercial air travel, both in domestic and international sector is putting immense pressure on the ATC system. Consequently, several proposals have been put forward for modernizing ATC to meet the demands for enhanced capacity, efficiency and safety. Foremost among these proposals for changes in ATC procedures is the effort to give the users (e. g. pilots, airlines, dispatchers) more freedom in their operations within the airspace.

 

These concepts represent a change in ATC procedures in which responsibility for separation between aircrafts will be increasingly transferred from air traffic controllers to pilots. Even though pilots would be responsible for separation and awareness of immediate traffic, ATCOs would be required to oversee separation assurances, intervene under emergency conditions like failure of on-board traffic awareness system and monitor the transition of traffic to managed air space.

 

Studies have shown that better traffic conflict detection performance and better memory of the location and other characteristics of aircraft is possible only for active traffic control as against passive traffic control.

 

The profession demands highest degree of co-operation amongst ATCOs. Bitter relationship only adds to our owes. Let good will prevail amongst us and see each other as a member of the community.

 

The potential of Air Traffic Controllers shall be exploited. Even though India is a software giant, we procure every thing from foreign countries. There is no research and development in the organizational set up. Even I believe there is no initiative on the part of individuals. All these deficiencies can be attributed to shortage of man power and proper man power planning. Human resources are an area that needs to be attended to by Guild in future. Those who are talented must be patronaged. Exposure of ATCOs to aviation around world through foreign trainings, tours and familiarization flights will be done.  Tomorrows ATCOs will design Air Traffic Management from Air Traffic Control. Systems we use will be developed by us. I intend to do all these for the ATC community so that they have a feel of the system they use and what  they can do.

 

The journey of thousand miles starts with a single step. The beginning has already been made. It is a matter of time. A lot to be achieved for Air Traffic Controllers in India, the road is long and steep. I have undertaken the journey with all of us, for all of us. The journey has begun .And we have many promises to keep.....And miles to go before we sleep.

 

SELF SPEAK

 

"I was born in a very remote tribal village of Mayurbhanj district, Orissa. My track from this backward village to present position gives me a lot of strength to move forward. I did my schooling in a village school and the school performance ensured a seat for me in the no. one college in Orissa. Thereafter, I never looked back. Initial days in the city life was awkward.

 

Every minute was a learning phase for me. In the process of learning, I never compromised with the values of life. Innocence, honesty and straight-forwardness were some of my strengths and I consolidated on these attributes. In every walk of my life I analysed my past track. I never got bogged down with the past nor got satisfied with what-so-ever I achieved compared to past. The hallmark appetite to better present position and the zeal to compete within myself has paid me all through my life.

 

At Bhubaneswar, Temple City of India, I started  my college career. Completed my MSc..  in Physics from Ravenshaw  College, which was one of the oldest colleges in India. A lot of adverse conditions in my life could not change my career path, and I maintained a career First Class record in academics.

 

In service, besides acquiring all ratings at the earliest, I became an On-the-job training instructor in the first ever recruitment process of OJT. Whether it was coincidental or post ’99 effect a posting at CATC in 1999 added more value to my service career. I will claim, an ATCO’s service career is not complete without a tenure at CATC. Besides enhancing your knowledge, you get an opportunity to interact with a lot of trainees, asking you several questions-some relevant-some intended to test your knowledge. My strength was to identify the weaknesses of the participants at the earliest. Once you identify the problems/weaknesses, solutions are always available.

 

Respecting humanity is my special attribute. Through this art I have a big friend-circle. Relationship is a weakness some say, for me it is a real strength. Sometimes I sit alone and start replaying my past record, all activities, all friends, and I reach at the conclusion ‘I would not have reached this stage without my friends and well wishers around me’. "