B controllers
- Thread starter Kingairer
- Start date
NovemberEcho
Dergs favorite member
It's called a D-side in the center, hand off in approach. I can't speak for center, but in my sector only 3 positions have a hand off, departure, satellite departure, and mugzy (TEB arrivals) and I've never seen the mugzy handoff position open in the 4 years I've been here. And the departure handoff coordinates for both departure and satellite departure if they're split, but usually they're combined. That's why when I say I was on the landline, it's cause I actually was cause I have to do all my own coordination on top of working the position.
In the Air Force though every position had a hand off (called an assist in the Air Force)
nabbyfan
Well-Known Member
Enroute enviroment, All of our sectors have an R-side and a D-side. The guy you're talking to is the R-side, the D-side is sitting next to him helping with the coordination and other stuff to keep the R side on the radios and eyes on the scope as much as possible. If there is no D-side, the R side is working both the R and D functions by himself, and thats where 'Sorry, i was on the landline' comes from. At least in my area at my facility, the R side is working alone 85%+ of the time.
When you train, you go through all the D-sides first, then back upstairs for R side school. Our staffing isn't good enough to have D-sides on a normal session, so you generally only have one when theres a trainee working on that sector, or if you're really busy and ask the Sup for a D-side. Obviously taking a CPC as a D side is taking away a break from an R-side, so when it slows down again you'll generally release the D side and go back to 'One Holing it', aka working the sector alone.
Theres some times where its so busy and theres so much going on at the sector that you really need a D side just to take some of the phone calls and evaluate handoffs for traffic conflicts, so the R side can work the traffic already in the sector.
At least in enroute, we have another position called the 'Tracker' or 'Overhead'. That person is plugged in and literally just a third set of eyes on the scope. Ive never seen it actually used in anything other than a training scenario.
https://www.kongsberggeospatial.com/images/capabilities/atc.jpg
If you look at that image, its 4 R sides working a sector alone. The D side would sit in front of that second keyboard, and manage the little screen kind of tucked away off the right hand side there. That screen has all the Flight Plans and info for aircraft projected to enter the sector in the next 20-30 minutes or so.
When you train, you go through all the D-sides first, then back upstairs for R side school. Our staffing isn't good enough to have D-sides on a normal session, so you generally only have one when theres a trainee working on that sector, or if you're really busy and ask the Sup for a D-side. Obviously taking a CPC as a D side is taking away a break from an R-side, so when it slows down again you'll generally release the D side and go back to 'One Holing it', aka working the sector alone.
Theres some times where its so busy and theres so much going on at the sector that you really need a D side just to take some of the phone calls and evaluate handoffs for traffic conflicts, so the R side can work the traffic already in the sector.
At least in enroute, we have another position called the 'Tracker' or 'Overhead'. That person is plugged in and literally just a third set of eyes on the scope. Ive never seen it actually used in anything other than a training scenario.
https://www.kongsberggeospatial.com/images/capabilities/atc.jpg
If you look at that image, its 4 R sides working a sector alone. The D side would sit in front of that second keyboard, and manage the little screen kind of tucked away off the right hand side there. That screen has all the Flight Plans and info for aircraft projected to enter the sector in the next 20-30 minutes or so.
DE727UPS
Well-Known Member
Did the whole ATA thing go away? Clearance delivery at LAX back in the day before PDC's was staffed by an ATA. Some of the controllers said it was the hardest position in the tower. I was an ATA at the TRACON and ripped strips, ran the FDEP for the satellite airports, and did the ATIS. I guess all that became obsolete. Too bad they can't figure a way to bring back the ATA as an entry way to a possible ATC job (that you'd have to earn) to help staff control positions. It's probably not any harder than it was working clearance at LAX.
Cessnaflyer
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Whoever works 128.15 in Central Oregon needs a few D-sides I feel bad for those controllers because someone is always screwing something up over there. They really need an approach control for those airports.
nabbyfan
Well-Known Member
At the center, we have Flight Data people that work on all the international flight plans, making sure the format is correct for our system and whatever system the destination country uses. They also open/close sectors and do some other behind the scenes functions. Thats probably the closest thing we have to an ATA. With the exception of our Oceanic sector, all of our strips are electronic, and for the Ocean, the R side generally just finds time to sort and stuff all the strips himself, or asks the Sup to help.
I know some people have washed out of the Enroute training program and been offered jobs in Alaska as FSS, but I don't think theres any real path between the Flight Data and actual 2152 ATC jobs.
RetiredATLATC
Well-Known Member
Never, unless the wx/situation is so dangerous that one is asked for..... Doesn't mean you'll get one.
