Australian air traffic control

Air traffic control in Australia is provided by two independent organisations, one civilian and one military. The civilian provider is Airservices Australia, which controls civilian airfields and airspace. The military provider is the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which controls military airfields and adjoining airspace. This includes Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy aviation bases.

Some airfields in Australia are categorised as Joint User airfields, where there are both civilian and military operations based at the airfield. Joint User airfields have air traffic control provided by the RAAF. Currently these are located at Darwin, Townsville and Williamtown (Newcastle).

Air traffic controllers manage the safe and orderly flow of aircraft into, out of, and between airports throughout Australia and with overseas regions adjoining Australian airspace.^[1] Australian civilian air traffic controllers are employed under an Air Traffic Control Enterprise Agreement.^[1]

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I work for the Royal Australian Airforce I initially joined as a pilot, but I didn't pass pilot's course, so I switched to air traffic control A lot people here have a background in aviation and it can be advantageous. However there are air traffic controllers from all walks of life. (Background chatter) I have to check the day's schedules before I start and see if there has been any changes to the local orders, including any changes to radio telephony or separation standards. Safety is our primary concern. They're regulations for just about every situation, and I need to know them all! This is a training base, so the pilots are learning basic skills. In this room we're monitoring the flight paths outside the Tower and letting the pilots know what they can and can't do! (Background chatter) Its a team environment, It takes more than just a pilot, to safely fly a plane. You've also got Ground control, Tower control people like myself in the approach room. and other traffic control agencies all needing information on each individual flight. You might have to take information from all different areas at once. You might have aircraft talking to you, other controllers talking to you, taking information from the radar screen and also needing to write on flight progress strips. You need to be able to calmly interpret all the information. Determine what you are going to do and say. Make a plan and carry it through! Time for a break! It's good to get away from the screens for awhile although most times, you find your self doing more work on tasks such as administration, stock control briefings and training. (background chatter) (background chatter) (background chatter) Part of the job is to provide training to other people so they can learn the skills to be able to do the job by themselves. ".. by talking to tango 211 first when you cross the line, that way, when 226 calls us, we have time to sort him out, where as if we waited 226 calls us we deal with him have a bit of a chat, tango 211 now gets initial approach fix, we haven't given him decent, so if we can do it get it out of the way, straight out of the way." Working for the defense forces you get posted different places roughly every three to five years. Some people don't like it. But would be good to see new places, faces and bases. " Kilo Whiskey Oscar, Pearce Centre identified seven zero miles south of Perth veered Bunbury Perth, Jandakot flight level One Three Zero Raptor, Pearce Centre, we have a civil aircraft transiting Romeo One Six Six at flight level One Three zero Can you except operation not below five one four zero?" (Radio chatter: not below five one four zero and how long) Its good to have maths and physics skills to this job. The one thing you learn is diplomacy. Sir! we got Kilo Whiskey Oscar tracking Bunbury to Perth at flight level One Three Zero we also have raptor tracking down to gulf flight level one four zero Their not willing to accept operations not below flight five four one zero what do you reckon we should do? keep Kilo Whiskey Oscar over land and we will get Raptor over water there OK! for the transmit Raptor! do expect under restricted operations over water and gulf, turn right, heading One Niner Zero to establish If we could do something with Springbok two eight zero and Raptor there They are going to conflict at Canac so we probable need to give them on track direct! to his way point position Springbox two eight zero cancel sid. Redirect position to three three south one zero five east. see if we can push them down quickly sir! Max rate of decent we'll tidy this up. Get Raptor full clearance Everything that you do is recorded every transmission, every mouse click! these are kept upon backup tape for thirty days. So we can review them and see exactly what happened This is an environment governed by regulations but it isn't black and white either. You need to be flexible in applying the rules, to achieve the results Every air traffic controller has had a time when they've thought, Boy that was close! But everyday brings a new sequence of aircraft and getting through it successfully is really rewarding

History

Civilian air traffic control developed after WWII when returning servicemen gained employment as both aircrew and ground control.^[2] From 1988 to 1995 air traffic control in Australia was the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority.^[3] The CAA was split into two separate government organisations in July 1995: the regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and the service provider, Airservices Australia.

CASA was made responsible for aviation safety regulations and approvals: licensing of pilots, aviation engineers and air traffic controllers; airworthiness of aircraft; medical standards for aircrew and air traffic controllers; aviation services, including air transport operations (airlines and charter), maintenance operations, ATC services an aviation rescue and fire fighting.

Airservices Australia was made responsible for delivery of services to aviation: airspace management, aeronautical information, communications, radio navigation aids, airport rescue fire fighting services, and aviation search and rescue. The role of aviation search and rescue was transferred from Airservices Australia to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in 1997. Airspace management was transferred to CASA in 2007.^[4]

Civilian air traffic control

Airservices Australia is a government-owned corporation that provides air traffic control (ATC) services, as well as other related services such as communications, navigation, surveillance, aeronautical data and airfield fire services. ATC services include tower, approach and centre (en route) services.

Currently, most Airservices Australia ATC units use The Australian Advanced Air Traffic System. The introduction of the new computerised system increased controllers' productivity.^[5]

Towers

Airservices Australia operates from the following air traffic control towers:

Terminal Control Units

Airservices Australia has six terminal control units (TCU). Controllers in a TCU use radar and other surveillance technology to manage the flow of aircraft arriving and departing from major city airports. Airservices provides air traffic control services in an extended area around capital city airports, and maximise the safe use of this airspace. The TCU services are provided around the following major airports:

Adelaide, SA (integrated into Melbourne Centre, as of mid-2017)
Brisbane, QLD (integrated into Brisbane Centre)
Cairns, QLD (integrated into Brisbane Centre, as of mid-2017)
Canberra, ACT (integrated into Melbourne Centre)
Hobart & Launceston, TAS (located in Melbourne Centre, commenced 16 June 2022)
Mackay & Rockhampton, QLD (located in Brisbane Centre, commenced 16 June 2022)
Melbourne, VIC (integrated into Melbourne Centre)
Perth, WA (shared facility with Pearce air traffic controllers, located at Perth Airport)
Sydney, NSW (located at Sydney Airport)

Area control centres

Airservices Australia manages 11 per cent of the world's airspace, including very large portions of the Indian and Southern Oceans, and parts of the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea. The airspace consists of two flight information regions (FIR), the Brisbane FIR and the Melbourne FIR. Each FIR is managed by its respective area control centre (ACC), which provide en-route services.

Brisbane Centre

The Brisbane FIR consists of New South Wales north of Sydney, all of Queensland, most of the Northern Territory and the northern half of Western Australia. It also contains the Australian Tasman Sea airspace. Due to the nature of the airspace, it controls most international flights in and out of Australia (except Indian Ocean flights), and domestic flights operating to airports within the FIR. As only two of eight capitals are located in the Brisbane FIR, it handles a lesser volume of traffic than Melbourne Centre. However, Sydney is just south of the border of the two FIRs (the Sydney Basin is part of the Melbourne FIR), and thus Brisbane Centre has control of flights arriving or departing in Sydney from the north.

Brisbane Centre is located adjacent to Brisbane Tower at Brisbane Airport. It also contains Brisbane Approach and Cairns Approach.

Melbourne Centre

The Melbourne FIR consists of all other Australian airspace outside the Brisbane FIR. This includes Victoria, Tasmania, southern New South Wales including Sydney, most of South Australia and the southern half of Western Australia. It also contains the Australian Indian and Southern Ocean airspace. Apart from international flights arriving from the Indian Ocean, most international flights will pass through Brisbane Centre first. However, as the FIR contains six of the eight capital cities, a very large portion of domestic flights are controlled from Melbourne Centre.

Melbourne Centre is located adjacent to Melbourne Tower at Melbourne Airport. It also contains Melbourne Approach, Canberra Approach and Adelaide Approach.

Military air traffic control

Like civil air traffic control, the Australian Defence Force provide tower and approach services but do not provide en route services.

Although historically each of the three services had its own air traffic controllers, the Royal Australian Air Force exclusively provides air traffic control services to the Australian Defence Force.

44 Wing (44WG) was formed to centrally manage ATC personnel and facilities at 11 defence bases. 44 Wing is an Air Command unit, belonging to the Surveillance and Response Group and is headquartered at RAAF Base Williamtown, Williamtown, NSW. 44WG is divided into two squadrons; No. 452 Squadron which consists of all ATC units at bases north of the Queensland border, and No. 453 Squadron which consists of ATC units at bases south of the Queensland border. The ATC unit established at each base in known as a flight and belongs to one of the two squadrons. Each flight manages air traffic control services at the base, although is ultimately commanded from HQ452SQN, RAAF Base Darwin or HQ453SQN RAAF Base Williamtown.

The RAAF provides both tower and approach services, and in some cases a limited centre (or en route) service. However, centre services are normally amalgamated with approach control. Two bases, Richmond and Edinburgh, provide only a tower service, given their close proximity to Sydney and Adelaide respectively. Civilian ATC provides approach services to these bases.

Tower and approach services are normally located within the control tower or an adjacent building. Unlike civilian ATC, no approach or en route services are provided remotely.

Currently, most military ATC units use the Australian Defence Air Traffic System. The RAAF use Airservices Australia's TAAATS systems in Perth to provide approach services to RAAF Base Pearce.

Military ATC units

Royal Australian Air Force

RAAF Base Amberley - 452SQN AMB FLT (Tower and Approach)
RAAF Base Darwin - 452SQN DAR FLT (Tower and Approach)
RAAF Base East Sale - 453SQN ESL FLT (Tower and Approach)
RAAF Base Edinburgh - 453SQN EDN FLT (Tower only)
RAAF Base Pearce - 453SQN PEA FLT (Tower, Approach and Centre)
RAAF Base Richmond - 453SQN RIC FLT (Tower only)
RAAF Base Tindal - 452SQN TDL FLT (Tower and Approach)
RAAF Base Townsville - 452SQN TVL FLT (Tower and Approach)
RAAF Base Williamtown - 453SQN WLM FLT (Tower, Approach and Centre)
RAAF Gingin - (Pearce provides a Tower and Approach service)

Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Albatross Naval Air Station Nowra - 453SQN NWA FLT (Tower and Approach)
Jervis Bay Airfield (Nowra provides Approach services only, there is no Tower service)

Australian Army

Army Aviation Centre/Army Airfield Oakey - 452SQN OAK FLT (Tower and Approach)

Joint User Airfields

Darwin International Airport - (co-located with RAAF Base Darwin)
Townsville International Airport - (co-located with RAAF Base Townsville)

References

^ ^a ^b "The role - Airservices". www.airservicesaustralia.com. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
^ Owen, Christine (2005). "Diagnosis and Culture in Safety Critical Environments". In Wiggins, Mark W; Loveday, Thomas (eds.). Diagnostic Expertise in Organizational Environments. Ashgate Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 1472435176. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
^ Livermore, John (2011). Transport Law in Australia. Kluwer Law International. p. 26. ISBN 978-9041133953. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
^ "Commencement of operations of the Office of Airspace Regulation". Australian Government. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
^ Air traffic control characteristics and performance of selected international air navigation service providers and lessons learned from their commercialization: report to congressional requesters. DIANE Publishing. 2005. p. 21. ISBN 1428932143. Retrieved 9 September 2015.

This page was last edited on 5 January 2024, at 10:54

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