Random Thought of the Day

Ok, I'll try it. Not nearly as entertaining as the Blackbird jock, though.

Setting the scene:

In the years 1998-2001, before 9/11, I was working at Daytona Beach tower/TRACON. We had 10 radar positions (which included more than one person in many cases, with assigned radar assists and/or coordinators working a scope with the radar controller) and 4-8 tower positions running, depending on traffic complexity and local flow.

We were running 200-300 operations/hour, 12-16 hours a day, and were routinely reporting numbers that made us one of the 10 busiest airports in the world, occasionally the busiest.

The FAA thought we were padding our numbers (our pay changed dramatically in 1998, when we left the GS scale and were instead paid by operation with complexity factors in the formula), so they set an audit team which included controllers from Chicago Ohare, Atlanta, and other busy airports. They plugged in and watched our operation with expert eyes and mouths hanging open at the difficulty and volume we were doing with only 2 parallel runways.

The Ohare guy, a professional skeptic, awarded us the nickname "SLOhare", which was a supreme honor, (perhaps inside baseball) that we shared among ourselves with pride. The point being, we were running the tightest, busiest airport in the world, but everybody was moving at 70 knots, not jet speed.

Due to the FAR rules, we could do tricks with little planes jet jockeys could not imagine. For example, on our 11,000 foot runway, I could have 1 or at most 2 jets, or I could have 6 little planes moving at the same time, just on that runway, plus a stacked final, guys on my downwind basing over the top of landers for the short parallel, and be shooting departures out in front of the landers and under the basers .

I could land 3 airplanes at the SAME TIME, same pavement, legally, just by telling them where on the runway they could touch down, and still pump departures out in front of all 3. We could even launch a departure, have him sidestep the pavement a few yards after airborne, then tuck in a quick arrival opposite direction, and they would pass wing-and-wing over the runway. We also had a crossing runway we could use for some really stupid pet tricks if the wind was right, and a few times when that one was available, we topped 400 ops/hour. All legal, if you knew the tricks.

We needed all those tricks and more to keep up with demand. If you had a chickens#!t Local (tower) who would only run one at a time, there would be guys taxiing out #30 for departure, with an hour lesson at $300/hr or more, and never get airborne. Unsat.

The real trick to making this work is communication. You have a rolling plan, you tell the pilots what to expect so they're ready, and then you time it to the second to stay legal. And you NEVER stop talking except to get the pilots to acknowledge your instructions.

So that's the general background of the operation at that time. On that specific day, spring of 2000:



I was Local 1 on the long runway, 25R. I had a coordinator plugged in. The crossing runway, 16, could not be used that day because of wind, so it was another taxiway. I have departures waiting at the numbers (approach end), N7, N6, E (from the south side). I have crossing traffic holding (with Ground Control) at 16 southbound, and W northbound. I also have part of N5 for exiting (ho-speed) and the other side of N5 with departures waiting, too. There are at least 3 departures waiting at each point, 8 aircraft on 16 outbound to the small runway, 5 aircraft taxiing inbound on W.

And, of course, a full final, with at least 10 aircraft already lined up 1 mile apart (jets get 3 to 5 mile spacing - again, a function of speed)

I hope you all can follow this. Maybe waaay too inside baseball, but I'll try and find a legible field diagram for the airport. (Edit:inserted above, showing positions just before everyone started moving and crossing. Red is departures, blue arrivals, yellow crossing to ramps or other runways.)

So I warn the 1st departure at E "hold short, expect immediate", get a roger. I've told the landing aircraft flaring to expect exit at N5. The next lander is 1/2 mile from the threshhold, trying to stay slow, and he's been warned about crossers and departures .

As the lander over the runway passes E, I tell that departure "position and hold, prepare for immediate"; lander passes 16 (about 500 feet down) I tell the coordinator "cross 5 (airplanes) at 16". 5 seconds later, behind the lander, "cross 3 at W". 4 seconds later, lander starts to exit at N5 (y shaped hi-speed) and I clear the N5 departure for immediate. 2000 ft built in between him and the guy holding at E, so I really just need him airborne, and I can launch the other guy. He's (E) 1800 or so down the runway from the threshold, so there's more built-in spacing in front of the next arrival.

I have a good coordinator and GC, so those taxiing aircraft are moving FAST, and I'm counting them.

Midfield departure airborne same second 5 at 16 and 3 at W are clear of the runway. I clear the guy at E for immediate takeoff. With the lander on short final. He jams full power.

NO WARNING. Airplane 6 goes from a slow pull up to the line to full jam taxi on 16 and crosses my runway in front of the departure. There is no way they will not hit and fireball at the intersection. None.

Except, the E departure is not a stupid student. He's an old hand with skill and wits. He pulls his power (he's nearly airborne in just a few hundred feet) just enough for his wheels to grab the tarmac again, steers BEHIND the idiot without going off the runway (only 150 ' wide) and passes maybe 2 feet behind his tail, - maybe 2 feet - his aircraft wings are 60 feet wide, and the student nose-to-tail is about 40 feet long -, jerks it back straight, and full barrels the power again, gets airborne 200 ft later, exactly 3000' in front of the arrival just now crossing the threshhold. Which kept me legal, for what THAT was worth.

My knees gave way, but I caught myself on the counter before I hit the floor. The pilot said, "(callsign), airborne." I said, "roger, leaving 800 feet, turn left heading 210. Contact departure." And went on working. Pandemonium behind me. Guys screaming at each other trying to lay it off, figure out what happened, just vent the shock of what they saw.

Heard the tape, of course, we had an investigation. I sounded totally cool on the air, as did he. I don't know how, other than learning how for 15 years before that.

And now, for the rest of the story...

Airplane 6 was a green student. His instructor was the Chief Safety Pilot for the largest flight school in the US. Presumably he earned that title by being the best. However, he lost his job that day.

Turned out, as they saw the planes ahead of thme moving, the CP asked the STUDENT (insert eye roll ) "did we get clearance to cross?" And the student said "yes", so the instructor said "move it" and pushed up the throttle himself. Oops.

Honestly, I have other close call stories, but that's the one that just took. me. out. Closest I ever came to having people die on my frequency. Tyank you to that incredibly good pilot. And thank you to Whomever I went 25 years active ATC without.

Illuminations:

Taxi instructions usually have a designated route but in taxiing one uses a direct route but NEVER taxis onto or across an ACTIVE RUNWAY without permission.

"Cleared for immediate takeoff" means EXACTLY that. You are cleared to ram that throttle all the way forward and take off IMMEDIATELY, you are NOT cleared to dawdle or waste time on the frequency and THEN push the throttle forward slowly. Its "ram the throttle acknowledge with 123 rolling and steer straight down that center line and take off because when the controller tells you to go immediately it usually means there is a plane just about to land where you are and the controller expects you to be GONE, not dawdling.

Taxi to a certain Runway is clearance to taxi TO the runway but not enter upon it. There is usually a white line and you can not cross it or even touch it but must HOLD SHORT which means there will most likely be runway traffic you are not part of it.

Taxi into position and hold means taxi onto the runway as if you were about to take off but DO NOT TAKE OFF merely EXPECT a later clearance to take off (and more likely expect a later clearance to take off immediately).

Bad situation is when words mean two things or are interpreted to mean two things. Example in the above is the term "numbers'. Even a student pilot on day ONE will often be told pick up the microphone and say "Cessna November 123 Romeo has "the numbers" and blah, blah blah. Here the word "numbers" means "I've listened to the latest automatic broadcast and just heard and understood "information Charlie" giving me all the repetitive stuff that controllers would otherwise have to give me about winds, active runway, etc. However, BBB, above uses the tern "numbers" in its alternative meaning which is the AREA on the runway where that great big Runway Number is painted in white.

CP is Chief Pilot and every FBO MUST have a CP but it is merely a designation it is NOT a certification of competence or experience. He is licensed and he is the poor sod that got designated Chief Pilot. USUALLY it means he has been at the FBO the longest and knows what he is doing but there is no such guarantee of competence or experience.

I was at Santa Monica Airport once at there are TWO run-up areas: single engine run up and twin engine runup. One plane was cleared to the twin engine run up area that was fifty feet in front of him and had this great big sign but he did NOT go there because it meant crossing the start of the active runway and he was uncertain about doing this. He was a fool but he did the right thing. Having the slightest doubt about his authorization to enter upon or cross the active runway he did not do it. That is how pilots should behave.

I was once at Van Nuys and had clearance to taxi to a runway and hold short. So I did so. The controller was bringing in this twin engine aircraft who was only seconds from touching down when the controller asked me what my intentions were. Now I KNEW he meant "are you departing North or departing South or Doing Close Traffic" but my response was 123Romeo will continue to hold short will later be doing closed traffic. I wanted no one to be confused as to my intention to continue to hold short until told to do otherwise. That Twin pilot about to touch down does not want to SEE or HEAR anything about me moving an inch. My instructor criticized me for this and that is why he was a Jerk.

The principle is important. Taxi TO a runway means do not enter it. Taxi into position means taxi onto the runway and line up with that center line and most important of all is that "cleared for immediate take off" means "cleared for IMMEDIATE take off".

In BBBs statement I think what happened is a Chief Pilot asked his student and the student gave the wrong information but the chief pilot acted upon it and ventured onto a runway without authorization.

All those N1, N2, N3 ...things are locations for taxiing onto and off the runway an airplane landing real slow might be asked to take the first exit that he can safely take but its on the basis of 'if able'... so if braking is poor and you are going too fast to turn off safely then keep going but it will probably annoy a controller who may have intended to authorize a take off or entry at that area since the runway is long enough.

I hope this overly wordy illumination is correct and helpful.

Thank you Babs and Fleastiff. Could you explain the role of the Coordinator?

Quote: beachbumbabs

I was Local 1 on the long runway, 25R. I had a coordinator plugged in. The crossing runway, 16, could not be used that day because of wind, so it was another taxiway.
.

H'mmm,,, perhaps BBB should chime in here.

My take is:
She was at a workstation for a Local Controller. This in an airport's TOWER not an Air Route Traffic Control Center handling planes that are already flying. After takeoff a plane gets handed off to Departure Control and thence to an Air Route Traffic Control Center. From some such Center the plane will get handed off to an Approach Controller. This is IFR traffic but VFR traffic ain't much different. There are regs about wind directions and what Runway Visual Range is needed for an airport to be in VFR status but in sunny Florida Daytona is probably in VFR conditions pretty much all the time and controllers keep track of taxing and landing planes visually.

There are two parallel runways; The are 25 Right and 25 Left. 25R is the long one; 25 Left is probably shorter but I don't know. The 25 comes from the magnetic heading (rounded off). That means its got a big 25 painted at the end of it. If youse got math smarts and can do math involving a 180 degree reciprocal you know what big number will be painted at the other end of the runway.

Crossing runway 16, means a shorter runway, 16, crosses runway 25. Often an "oops" situation but on this day wind conditions meant the controllers could allow planes to taxi on it and reach runway 25 somewhere near its middle but not allow planes to take off from 16.

A coordinator plugged in means she's got someone else who has plugged his headphone jack into her terminal to hear what she is saying. I do wish BBB would confirm this as I'm not quite sure of it. Perhaps a Taxi Coordinator.

I'm unable to recall the name of the flight school there but it was one of the largest and it took about two-thirds of all foreign students. Much of the traffic was light training aircraft but there were also people going for Air Transport Pilot tickets.

Added a crusty diagram to the description above .


Re-coordinator.

When a controller is plugged in a position, they are doing several things. They are keyed up, talking to pilots. They are calling and coordinating aircraft movement, getting info, using the same headset equipment, but not keying their radio mic, talking to approach, center, other places. And they are coordinating things in the room with people nearby.
Controllers usually have a physical area of jurisdiction. The surface of one or more runways for a local, and usually some airspace very close to it. The paved surfaces of taxiways and some ramps for Ground Control. The Departure corridor or the Final approach area, or other sectors of airspace assigned to that position for radar approach or en route center.

The planes move from one area of responsibility to the next, so they change frequencies as they use each area. So there is constant side talk the pilots can't hear as we plan, move, adapt, and borrow each other's areas.

There's also paperwork, data entry, screen updates, and other miscellaneous duties.

As it gets busier, the radar or tower controller will continue to be the decision maker for the sector/area, but they will split off coordination and paperwork duties to a coordinator.

The coordinator is required to be certified on the sector. They plug in and monitor the frequency, anticipate and react with any coordination needed with another controller or party, but they cant cUT off or override the radis.. In the tower, they plan and authorize runway crossings with the local and ground controllers, but the actual authorization has to happen in real time, on recorded lines, w/no qualifiers (no "after him, you can...").

There are also radar assist and data assist positions, where the person is trained to do data updates, flight plans, and some coordination, but might not be fully certified on positions. Sectors can be split, runways or other pavement can be split, it all tends to be very fluid based on demand. The idea is to keep the controller from going "down the tubes" whIle overwhelmed with primary and secondary duties. When split, the positions have pre-assigned responsibilities.

In particular runway crossings, they are required to be recorded, even though you're standing next to the person in most cases. And it's always up to the local controller on crossing permission; they can't be overruled or surprised. Some cab coordinators and supervisors will do a look-and-go(tell GC to cross a runway they're monitoring without getting LC permission first) but it's a job-ending risk in most facilities.

I've heard a lot of these rogue taxidermists are women

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1920&bih=915&ei=I_6bWq_CAtOsjwPgvIroCA&q=rogue+taxidermy&oq=rogue+taxid&gs_l=img.1.0.0l3j0i30k1l2j0i24k1l5.2296.5877.0.8240.11.10.0.0.0.0.757.1458.6-2.2.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..9.2.1456....0.YJ4Rc_oR6gc

NPR recently had a feature on rogue taxidermy describing it as the intersection of taxidermy, art and the SteamPunk movement emphasizing bizarre juxtaposition of images. I imagine its profitable.

I don't argue. I explain why I'm right.

Quote: Nareed

I don't argue. I explain why I'm right.

I have a t-shirt that says that.

Quote: DRich

I have a t-shirt that says that.

Probably the one with Rick saying "I'm not arguing. I'm explaining why I'm right."

I think he stole it from me ;)