Situational Awareness Numerous aircraft and operational displays, when combined with effective and efficient communications and facilities, provide Air Traffic Services personnel with the cues to devise and deliver essential instructions and information to aircraft.

In some situations aircraft maintain predefined flight path trajectories on published airways and in others, the aircraft may be in user-preferred trajectory (4-D). In practice, any one Air Traffic Service unit may have jurisdiction of a mixture of aircraft moving in four dimensions. Understanding of the situational awareness forms an integral part of the Air Traffic Services investigation. Information obtained, such as real or perceived differences in the Air Traffic Service personnel’s awareness of aircraft disposition and range may also be relevant to specific Operations and Human Factors investigations. Many of these aspects are often closely related and careful collection, collation and analysis of the information is required.

Dependent upon the nature of the occurrence, some or all of the following items may be relevant: a) active and pending traffic disposition b) flight progress display c) communications d) facility control and presentation settings e) aircraft performance f) actual and expected meteorological situation g) airspace operational configuration, instructions and limitations h) terrain and other obstructions

Separation Assurance Techniques Effective tactical and strategic air traffic management techniques, procedures and practices are essential elements for the implementation of separation assurance techniques in the Air Traffic Services system. Separation assurance as distinct from achieving separation becomes significant in any Air Traffic Service investigation where prescribed aircraft proximity standards have been violated due to human or system failures.

There are many situations where aircraft proximity standards could be violated even where all aircraft comply with their given instructions or information. For example, two aircraft operating at the same correct level may be converging on the same waypoint at the same estimated time. However, it is usually left to a matter of timing for Air Traffic Service units to recognize, respond and rectify potential aircraft proximity occurrences before a prescribed standard is violated. The Air Traffic Service investigation should establish if the required separation assurance was in place and if it could have been maintained in the event of failure of any single, or multiple component failure of the Air Traffic Service system, such as communications or surveillance facilities

Dependent upon the nature of the occurrence, some or all of the following items may be relevant to determining continuous effective planning and implementation of separation assurance techniques: a) selected procedure for vertical and horizontal separation b) tactical and strategic traffic processing including procedures for accommodation of non approved aircraft into RVSM airspace c) airways and available communications facilities d) conflict warning systems e) timely execution f) monitoring and surveillance of traffic g) re-evaluation of outcomes

Workload and Distractions Workload refers to the tasks performed by Air Traffic Services personnel relative to a given set of conditions, environment and air traffic complexity. It is more subjective than objective in the evaluation process, and normally the individual involved is best placed to assess the workload and any other distractions which may have contributed to an air safety occurrence.

For example, while all air traffic is being processed in a safe, orderly and expeditious manner and there are no abnormal or emergency situations present, an individual may assess the workload For example, while all air traffic is being processed in a safe, orderly and expeditious manner and there are no abnormal or emergency situations present, an individual may assess the workload as light. However, if the traffic level was reduced by half and the complexity or abnormal operations increased, the same individual may then assess the workload as moderate or high.

On some rare occasions the workload may exceed the capacity of the system and the individual Air Traffic Service officer to cope resulting in a serious air safety occurrence as light. However, if the traffic level was reduced by half and the complexity or abnormal operations increased, the same individual may then assess the workload as moderate or high. On some rare occasions the workload may exceed the capacity of the system and the individual Air Traffic Service officer to cope resulting in a serious air safety occurrence

Dependent upon the nature of the occurrence, some or all of the following items may he relevant to determination of workload: a) uninterrupted communications b) timely co-ordination c) airspace dimensions and configuration d) mix of aircraft types e) aircraft performance f) operational and non-operational activity in the workstation vicinity g) task complexity h) fatigue i) facilities status j) information queuing and processing time k) recognition of task saturation l) task reduction techniques m) system alarms and message queue processing

Conflict Detection and Safety Net The Air Traffic Services system has many built-in defences which form a safety net to protect it from human or system error. These defences include requirements to read back specific instructions, waypoint reporting and posting, one-way ATS route structures, standard levels, standard instrument departure and arrivals procedures, on-board and terrestrial conflict alerting systems.

These defences are intended to ensure that the potential for traffic conflictions resulting from errors or omissions on the part of aircrew or air traffic service personnel are minimized. However, in many cases the majority of conflict detection defences and safety net integrity depend upon the tactical and strategic situational awareness of individuals, i.e. awareness of the “big picture”. Aircraft proximity violations are the result of failures to detect conflictions or failure of safety net integrity. In the majority of cases the various layers of the safety net defences act to protect the Air Traffic Services system and participants pted communications

For example, should an incorrect clearance be directed to an aircraft, the aircrew may recognize and report that the instructions are not applicable or the Air Traffic Service personnel may detect the error or omission when reviewing or updating the flight progress display. Where system defences have been breached resulting in an aircraft proximity violation, or collision, there are normally a sequence of contributing causal factors. The Air Traffic Service investigation is tasked with establishing, recording and verifying the causal factors and formulating appropriate safety actions. Information relevant to determining how the conflict was detected and features of the safety net require a check list. Dependent upon the nature of the occurrence, some or all of the following items may be relevant:

a) situational awareness b) tactical and strategic plan c) flight progress display d) communications e) information flow f) conflict alert and avoidance systems.

Final Assignment Compare Pakistan and India Aviation safety record. Comment what all Pakistan Aviation associated agencies has done to improve Aviation Safety Standards Submission date 29 May 2013