Air Traffic Control Safety Issues

¶ … 911 tragedy, many politicians and airline industry representatives began to search for improvements to the Airline Traffic Control system, or ATC. These improvements were deigned to increase security and safety for all flight personnel, as well as for all passengers. This paper will outline some of the changes made to the ATC systems, and will discuss the benefits of each new policy or procedure.

One of the most significant changes to ATC has been the implementation of key technology, deployed at the headquarters of NORAD, located in Colorado Springs. This technology, known as Explorer, enables the NORAD team to monitor all commercial aircraft flying across the country at any given time. Previously, the technology had been used solely to monitor for incoming missiles, or military planes (Carr and Cone, 2002). The FAA also added a staff of air traffic controllers to the NORAD base, as well as in many busy sectors across the country, to assist local ATC operators in the event of a hijacking situation (Strohm, 2004).

In an effort to ensure proper handling of airline safety issues, the FAA also separated the responsibility of those dealing with hijack situations. The TSA, or Transportation Security Administration, has been established. In the event of a hijacked flight, the TSA is responsible for all actions while the plane is in the air. When the flight lands, the FBI is responsible (Strohm, 2004).

Additionally, communications between the civilian and air defense crews has also been improved. The FAA has introduced a "domestic events net," known as DEN, which operates 24 hours a day. The purpose of the DEN is to allow air traffic controllers to discuss air emergency issues on a national level, ensuring prompt and equal responses to all types of air traffic issues. The DEN communication system is in operation 24 hours a day, and includes the FAA traffic facilities, NORAD, TSA officers, the Secret Service, the FBI, and Customs officers (Strohm, 2004). If any trends are spotted by any agency, the DEN allows them to communicate those trends to other agencies quickly.

The addition of a direct phone line between the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Defense, and NORAD will allow for faster and more effective communication between these groups (Carr and Cone, 2002). FAA air traffic control personnel worked with many federal agencies to enhance communication efforts between all sources, including local law enforcement agencies, in areas of the highest air traffic (Strohm, 2004). This enhanced communication on both a local and national level will allow air traffic control personnel to quickly and effectively identify suspicious aircraft (Griffith, 2004).

Another communication enhancement has been the addition of enhanced NOTAM processing capabilities. NOTAM, or Notices to Airmen, provide valuable information to pilots and other aircraft personnel. With increases to national airspace restrictions, increasing the capabilities of the NOTAM communications is vital to ensuring proper airspace clearance. Further, the creation of a Flight Service Operations Support Center allows for experts to explain the difficult NAS regulations in place to air traffic controllers and flight crew (FAA, 2002).

Further, the FAA has developed enhanced air traffic control procedures to assist controllers in relaying information through the DEN network. Timely notification between air traffic control and NORAD is now required in the event of a suspicious aircraft. This communication is to occur immediately upon noting a flight path alteration of any commercial flight, which allows NORAD and other federal agencies to assist in determining the issue at hand (Griffith, 2004).

Another enhancement to security in air traffic control in the implementation of airspace changes by the FAA. Air traffic controllers are now able to more easily enact temporary flight restrictions and other airspace control measures. This ability assists controllers in their support of the Department of Defense. In the event that the DoD agency alerts any area of a suspicious flight pattern, air traffic controllers can now close the airspace to any other commercial or non-commercial craft, in the event the off-track flight presents a danger (Griffith, 2004).

Technological advancements in air traffic control have also been implemented. The FAA has developed software which maps any temporary flight restriction currently in effect. This information is then transmitted to all air traffic control stations within the region, to ensure that no controller accidentally leads a flight into restricted air space (Griffith, 2004).

The FAA has also integrated long-range radar capability with the NORAD system. Measures are being taken to integrate short-range and terminal radars into the system as well (Strohm, 2004). These enhancements, when used in combination with the Explorer system, will further enhance NORAD's ability to monitor all air traffic (Griffith, 2004).

Additionally, new air traffic control regulations have been implemented to allow for specific responses in relation to current threat levels. As the DoD raises or lowers the level of national threat, air traffic controllers now have specific instructions to follow for each of the three levels (Griffith, 2004). This level of specification allows air traffic controllers to respond to threats with the national threat level in mind, rather than just local levels. This further enhances their ability to correctly handle and monitor situations.

The FAA has also increased security measures at all air traffic centers, and in some cases, have implemented physical security systems (Griffith, 2004). Temporary guards at air traffic control centers and additional monitoring equipment can help ensure a high level of security within the air traffic control station, making it difficult to hijack the area. Additionally, higher levels of screening for air traffic control officers can improve the likelihood that all personnel are of the highest standards, further ensuring safer flights.

The FAA has also set out procedures which allow them to constantly monitor and update all procedures relating to air traffic control (Belger, 2004). These constant revisions, while at first confusing for air traffic control specialists, allow the organization to evaluate and reform their concepts of air traffic control procedures. This effort can enhance the response of air traffic controllers.