![]() The recording is broadcast on a loop using local navigation aids (usually a VOR). Each hour, a controller records the current airport conditions. Chicago, Van Nuys, New York, and San Francisco/Oakland where the first airports to test the new system called ATIS – Automatic Terminal Information Service. In early 1964, the FAA began testing a service to give pilots timely airport information without burdening air traffic controllers. This technique helped, but was far from a satisfactory solution. ![]() When it came time to call the tower, pilots would report “we have your numbers,” saving the controller from repeating the same information. In an effort to relieve the congestion, pilots would often monitor the tower frequency early, hoping to overhear the controller issue the information to another pilot. Busy airports, like Chicago, had so many arrivals that tower controllers spent most of their time repeating the same information to every pilot. This worked fine when an airport had a handful of arrivals each hour. The controller would respond with cloud conditions, altimeter setting, wind speed and direction, active runway, and any other information the pilots needed to know. As aircraft arrived in the terminal area, pilots would contact the tower and request the current airport information. A serious bottleneck was the tower control frequency.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |