World AirNews June 2018

PERSONALITY
PETER TAKES UP
KEY INDUSTRY
POSITION
PETER AND HIS WIFE RONEL
M
EET AIR Traffic and Navigation
Service’s (ATNS) Senior
Air Traffic Controller, Peter Van Rooyen,
who was recently elected as Executive
Vice-President of the International Federation
of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations
(IFATCA).
His election took place during the final
plenary session of the association’s 57th
conference, held in Accra, Ghana.
Peter has been involved in Air Traffic
Control Professional activities since he
joined The Guild of Air Traffic Controllers of
South Africa (GATCSA) in 2000. “I have held
various positions on the GATCSA Executive
Board including being President of the
Guild. Currently I am the Executive Vice
President Professional on the Executive
Board of GATCSA”.
He has been a member of IFATCA since
2001. In 2008, he decided to challenge himself
more and made himself available for
elections to join the Professional and Legal
Committee of IFATCA, working on various
interesting topics and presenting papers
at the annual IFATCA Conferences. “I have
been very fortunate to have been elected
on this specific committee every year since
2008,” he said.
Another great opportunity came Peter’s
way when the IFATCA Executive Board
elected him as Chairman of Committee C at
the IFATCA annual conference, for the last
four years.
“The experience in GATCSA and IFATCA
has broadened my overall knowledge and
has given me a good international context
to several important issues that affect Air
Traffic Control in South Africa and globally,”
concluded Peter.
Peter has identified the professional challenges
the Board should concentrate on in
the next two years. Firstly, he believes priority
should be Fatigue Risk Management,
“There are still lots of Air Navigation
Service Providers (ANSP’s) rostering Single
Person Operations (SPO) in busy environments
and long hours of operational watch.
In some countries, Air Traffic Control
Officers (ATCOs) need to take second jobs
because of poor pay, this has a major effect
on fatigue. This topic is also very high on
ICAO’s list to implement,” he stated.
Secondly, competency and licensing.
“Competency has been an issue due to
many things; unfortunately a new angle in
competency is coming up very fast. Many
ANSPs have staff shortages, so they take it
upon themselves to “fast track” training of
ATCOs to meet the required capacity”.
Thirdly, there is “Just Culture”, Peter says.
“We still have a lot of cases where ANSPs
are punishing controllers for errors, even if
the errors are systemic errors”. Just Culture
still seems to be a very difficult concept to
understand by various ANSPs where the
biggest obstacle is the line between wilful
intent and human error. Who draws the
line?,” he asked.
“Lastly,” he said, “Although most ANSPs
today try to improve the working environment
of ATCO’s there are still some that
lag, and in some countries, controllers work
under unbearable conditions.
Peter believes IFATCA needs to focus its
resources on the above mentioned four
major areas to make a difference in the Air
Traffic Controller’s life. He suggested, “We
need to realise that all our members have
various work-related challenges and we
should, where practically possible, assist
and give guidance accordingly because they
are the Federation in the end.”
PETER VAN ROOYEN, THE MAN
Peter has been an Air Traffic Controller for
the past 26 years and has an International
Air Transport Association (IATA)-accredited
Diploma in Aviation Safety Management.
He has worked in a variety of training and
supervisory roles.
His career started in the South African
Air Force in 1989 as a tower controller and
he underwent his Approach Radar course
in 1995. He became an instructor at the Air
Space Control School in 1997. In 2000, he
moved to civilian life “wanting to challenge
myself in the busy civilian airspace” so he
joined ATNS where he was required to redo
the Approach and Area Radar and Procedural
Control Course in 2000.
Peter is currently an Area Radar Controller
at OR Tambo International Airport
(FAOR), Johannesburg.
Going back further, he was born in Johannesburg
where he attended primary school
in Kempton Park. Even at that young age
he had a passion for all things aviation, “I
can distinctly remember taking my bicycle
and cycling to OR Tambo wanting to see the
aircraft take off and land,” he said.
Aviation has been a passion of Peter’s
from the start. The family moved to
George, in the Western Cape, where he
matriculated from Outeniqua High school
in 1988. At school, Peter was an avid rugby
player and sportsman; he enjoyed touch
rugby and participated at the annual Stilbaai
derby every year with his friends.
After school Peter joined the South African
Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller and
met his wife Ronel on a “Train the Trainer”
Course. They got married in 2005 and have
lived in Centurion since then.
Apart from his passion for aviation, Peter
enjoys the bushveld and experiencing nature
how it was intended with his latest addition
to the family being a 4x4. With these
two passions, photography was a natural
selection for Peter as a hobby! Travelling is
another passion of Peter and Ronel as they
enjoy meeting new people and experiencing
new cultures.
He likes being active and participates in
mountain biking and running. Peter is a
wine and gin enthusiast and collector “We
like visiting wine farms and participate in
wine tastings and pairings,” he said adding
that he has a wine cellar with a “decent
amount” of top quality red and white
wines.
They also like entertaining at their
home with family and friends, “It’s such a
privilege in South Africa with our fantastic
climate and diverse culture to have friends
from abroad and showing them a tiny part
of our beautiful country,” he said. Q
World Airnews | June 2018
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World Airnews | June 2018
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