BEHIND THE SCENES AT GATWICK AIRPORT - British Airways ...

This is Speedbird 8040 at FL161, heading towardsGatwick (EGKK). The other data shows the assigned FL,ground speed in knots (N375), any Assigned Headingand any Assigned Speed. The information in this datablock can be quickly and easily manipulated in line withgiven ATC instructions. Different controllers will useslightly different set ups according to their personalpreference or the area that they cover but theinformation imparted is very similar. As you can seefrom all the screenshots shown, we can see exactlywhere you are and what you're doing!Your Flight planFinally here is a screen shot of something I will useregularly as an Aerodrome controller. Whilst the radarclients have many other functions, far too many to coverin this article, here is one of the windows that is relevantto pilots. This is how the flight plan you submit looks inEuro Scope:As you can see it mirrors the information pilots input,even including your estimated time of departure, fuelendurance and all the remarks you add. The remarks youput in your flight plan are easily accessible and throughthis page controllers can also edit your flight plan ifnecessary. Also it is not necessary to put your SID orSTAR in. This flight plan has LOGAN as its finalwaypoint and Euro Scope has extrapolated that data intoa LAM3A arrival something that cuts down on thecontroller's workload.In summary, I hope this brief guide has given you aninsight into the information an online controller has attheir fingertips. The software we use means we can makethe ATC experience “as real as it gets” within the limitsof Flight Sim (scenery, squawk modes, etc.) and byhaving an appreciation of what controllers see I hope itmakes you as BAV members more active and skilledonline pilots. If you would like to start flying online orwant to know more about Air Traffic Control there is awealth of knowledge within BAV as well as on thewebsites of the two online networks. The environmentthat is created by flying with real people means thatmany who start flying online never look back.Airways magazine October/Nov ember 2010 33