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The Future of ATC


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ADS-B will be cheap compared to what may be required for cockpit ATC texting one day. 

 

http://usat.ly/1Hl1ibg

I use the "texting" in my daytime flying job.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.....It is really fun over china when it does not work and you need to burn an extra 15 to20k lbs of fuel to go a different way.....

it will be years and years and many years after that before this becomes mainstream for us......I think our ideas are way to far ahead of reliable technology.  Solar flares and hacking, (which will always be around)  will never make it as reliable as VHF direct comm........

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So what is ACARS and CPDLC for? It has been in the cockpit for over 20 years. What is the first officer for? What is wrong with voice? So instead of getting voice radar vectors I would get text messages. Next will be a Morse Code key in the cockpit, so no need for a keyboard. When in a rush to convey your message why talk to a 911 operator when you can just text. Why bother with sound on movies, just show the text of the dialog like in the old days.

_ _... ..._ _

José

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So what is ACARS and CPDLC for? It has been in the cockpit for over 20 years. What is the first officer for? What is wrong with voice? So instead of getting voice radar vectors I would get text messages. Next will be a Morse Code key in the cockpit, so no need for a keyboard. When in a rush to convey your message why talk to a 911 operator when you can just text. Why bother with sound on movies, just show the text of the dialog like in the old days.

_ _... ..._ _

José

 

But with a modern twist - like in a comedy, the subscripts can be all "lol"

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So what is ACARS and CPDLC for? It has been in the cockpit for over 20 years. What is the first officer for? What is wrong with voice? So instead of getting voice radar vectors I would get text messages. Next will be a Morse Code key in the cockpit, so no need for a keyboard. When in a rush to convey your message why talk to a 911 operator when you can just text. Why bother with sound on movies, just show the text of the dialog like in the old days.

_ _... ..._ _

José

 

I was thinking the same thing. However, I can see it useful on the ground to transmit an IFR clearance if the text were going directly to the pilots phone. Imagine, no more readbacks.

 

-- .. -.- .

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I was thinking the same thing. However, I can see it useful on the ground to transmit an IFR clearance if the text were going directly to the pilots phone. Imagine, no more readbacks.

-- .. -.- .

Why stop there? Once you get your clearance or maybe a revised clearance make it so you can upload it to your navigation equipment with one key stroke.

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I'll carry it one further.  Here was my thought for ground communications at major airports for participating aircraft:

 

1.  A huge touch screen in the tower with a map of the airport diagram.

 

2.  MOST airliners have GPS and ACARS.  When ready to taxi they send an ACARS message to ATC telling them so.  The unit gathers the current GPS position and includes it in the message.

 

3.  When the message arrives at the tower, it is decoded and results in a blinking callsign at the correct location on the screen.

 

4.  When he is ready to let the plane taxi, the controller touches the blinking callsign and drags their finger along the desired taxi route.  This results in a blinking route line.  If they are to stop short, they simply lift their finger off the screen.  Once sure it is correct, they press a send button.

 

5.  Their computer encodes it and sends it back to the ACARS.  The aircraft decodes it and plots the route on a moving map.

 

6.  The crew knows they are cleared to taxi, along exactly what route, and exactly how far.

 

No radio call, no wrong turns, no need to contact three different ground controllers, no runway incursions.

 

Bob

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There is something about voice read back that you do not get any other way, and that is brain acknowledgement. No matter how many keys the pilot press to acknowledge the ATC instructions the controller needs to confirm from the pilot brain that he got it right. And that can only be done by voice read back. As an example the controller clears to land on runway 26R but the pilot read back 26L by voice. Obviously the controller will alert the pilot and repeat the clearance again. In view of the time constrains and pilot workload how texting will enhance safety in this case.

José

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Some of this stuff was being talked about a year ago. And it finally made it out into the mainstream press

 

I don't place much credence in this story because the certification process is pretty intense and those that don't make the grade are shoved aside. I have a friend that's a controller at a major commercial airport and two weeks ago he took me to the tower where he works. I met all of the controllers and he introduced me to the ground controller, who just received his certification for that position at that particular airport. Over lunch I asked my friend how long it took him to get certified as ground controller and he replied two years. Imagine the experience he had working two full years at just that one position. That tells me that the Jeff Spicoli's of the world need not apply because they simply won't cut it.

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With all the touch screen and no voice communications they could then farm it out

to a company in India for less cost ! Just a slight delay for satellite bounce

 

If the ATC system is turned over to private companies (as some politician's would like), don't think that they won't attempt something like that. 

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There's always going to be a better way...

People had the answers for the FAA test questions. Probably supplied by Gleim.

If Jeff Spicoli can afford a book, and somehow gets motivated enough to study he can qualify for a few FAA guided jobs.

Who here has to google Jeff?

Best regards,

-a-

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There is something about voice read back that you do not get any other way, and that is brain acknowledgement. No matter how many keys the pilot press to acknowledge the ATC instructions the controller needs to confirm from the pilot brain that he got it right. And that can only be done by voice read back. As an example the controller clears to land on runway 26R but the pilot read back 26L by voice. Obviously the controller will alert the pilot and repeat the clearance again. In view of the time constrains and pilot workload how texting will enhance safety in this case.

José

 

I disagree somewhat.  Sometimes (more often than we care to admit) the brain hears what it wants to hear, not what it actually heard.

 

Controllers frequently do not listen to the readback because they are busy formulating their next instruction to someone else.

 

With a text message, you can go back and read it again.  With a voice radio call you cannot.

 

When flying overseas, it is easy to misunderstand a controller's radio call.  I found Russians to be pretty easy.  Same with Japanese.  I had a bit more trouble with Koreans and believe it or not, British and French.  I could not for the life of me understand the Chinese.  Texting removes that problem.

 

Bob

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  • 2 weeks later...

With any profession there will be a few at the bottom that really need to be doing something else.

Some Doctor graduated at the bottom of his class.

With every airline I have been with, the bottom 1 or 2% were always a problem and should have been

doing something else.

Someone will always be "trainable" enough to barely get through a check ride but then slip back to sub-par

before the next training session.

How to weed them out is the problem. It always has been.

No different in the PP ranks.

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With any profession there will be a few at the bottom that really need to be doing something else.

Some Doctor graduated at the bottom of his class.

With every airline I have been with, the bottom 1 or 2% were always a problem and should have been

doing something else.

Someone will always be "trainable" enough to barely get through a check ride but then slip back to sub-par

before the next training session.

How to weed them out is the problem. It always has been.

No different in the PP ranks.

 

A few? I live by the 85% rule…As in 85% in all professionals need to go…At the very least, need to step down one notch…The entire world is run by people promoted to the point of incompetence…then they just stay there...

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I think the number is at least fifty percent are incompetent or don't care. This includes lawyers, teachers, computer programmers, fast food workers, doctors, everybody including flight instructors, mechanics, and atc.

 

I stepped down one notch and installed a guy over me to whom I actually answer when it comes to 95% of business. Clearly defined boundaries and very few things I can veto. I make a very incompetent manager. Most people don't have that option and it's sad. And most people would be happier stepping back down to their last point of happiness and productivity without their perks being cut. I like to design, code and sell. I hate minutia of maintenance and day to day operations...

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