Since the last edition of abc Air Traffic Control in 2009 there have been many changes in the air traffic control industry in the UK and UK-related airways. Air traffic is set to increase in the future resulting in a demand for more complex air traffic control systems which still fulfill safety and environmental regulations.
Covering current issues facing the air traffic control industry, the author covers the opening of the new Prestwick control centre in 2010 and the success in managing airspace during the Olympics in summer 2012 and also looks at the problematic congestion plaguing the UK skies, particularly in the busy Southeast. The National Air Traffic Services, which took over from the Civil Airliner Authority in 2001 following partial privatisation of the industry, is also consulting with the Spanish to develop the next generation of air traffic management systems for Europe.
Graham Duke is an authority in the study of Air Traffic Control and has been writing these useful pocket guides since the very first edition in 1984. In this latest volume he covers all the latest developments within the industry, explaining the structure of the system and the regulations controlling it in a straightforward manner, with a window into military air traffic control systems as well. Alongside this wider picture, intimate details are also revealed about the operations of ground control, the communications systems in the aircraft flying, the standard modes of communication, and airport procedures. The North Atlantic system and other aeronautical information such as charts, weather and airfield data are explained, as well as a full assessment of future developments. This is the essential handbook for anyone interested in civil aviation and the operation of modern air traffic control practice.