Air traffic controllers at Noi Bai Airport (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Lasting a maximum of two hours, the shift of anair traffic controller is strenuous and full of pressure.
Any distractions or mistakes could result in the deaths of hundreds ofpassengers.
The air traffic controllers are responsible for safe, orderly and expeditiousflow of air traffic by organising orders of airplanes and controlling theirdistances between each other when they take off and land at the airports.
The 88-metre-high Air Traffic Control Centre building at Noi Bai InternationalAirport in Hanoi, the tallest in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, is surrounded byglass where air traffic controllers can have a view of the runway and airplane parkingarea. They exchange flight information with pilots via radio to monitorposition, speed and altitude of airplanes.
Nguyen Ngoc Quang, head of the Noi Bai Air Traffic Control Centre, said theairplanes are assigned to land in specific spaces to ensure distance betweenairplanes. The controllers will be notified if the airplanes land in the wrongarea.
The minimum safe distance between two airplanes is five miles or 9.3km.
“At Noi Bai Airport, the air space division is done very well, reducing landingwaiting time,” Quang said.
Tran Xuan Loc, deputy head of the centre, said takeoff, landing and exchangesbetween air traffic controllers and pilots are recorded. If there is anymistake made by controllers or pilots, the records will be played to find whois responsible.
“To make sure pilots do not get the wrong orders, the air traffic controllersand pilots have to keep repeating what they want to say to each other,” Locsaid.
Air traffic control is considered to be one of the most mentally challengingjobs in the world.
The centre’s head Nguyen Ngoc Quang said that one of the challenges is weather.
When the pilots face difficulties, the work of air traffic controllers is morechallenging. Like police officers for the air, air traffic controllers mustmaintain safety.
In case of bad weather conditions, distances between airplanes must beincreased. In case of storms or any incident on the runway or in urgentsituations, air traffic controllers issue orders asking planes to wait.
Tran Hoang Linh, a female air traffic control at Noi Bai Airport, said thecontrollers usually face strenuous situations, for example, when planes are hitby birds or need security assistance. Air traffic controllers must be calm,determined and focused to offer support.
Besides highly specialised knowledge, skills and abilities, a ‘cool head’,calmness and determination, concentration and especially heath are what airtraffic controllers need while on duty.
Before and after work, the controllers have their health checked. They are notallowed to work if they are sick or experiencing psychological problems.
The work of air traffic controllers is more and more strenuous with theincreasing number of flights. It is also an opportunity for them to improvetheir skills. The controllers at Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang, Phu Bai, CamRanh and Cat Bi airports are more skilled than those of the other airports,said Quang.
On average, one flight departs or lands in HCM City every minute and one flightevery two minutes from or to Hanoi. With such numbers, the capacity ofVietnamese air traffic controllers is similar to staff of any other country, saidDoan Huu Gia, general director of Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation(VATM).
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, air traffic controllersnationwide direct more than 750,000 flights every year.
The VATM currently has nearly 5,000 air traffic controllers working at airtraffic control centres nationwide and directing more than 16,000 domestic andinternational flights every day.
According to Nguyen Ngoc Quang, it takes graduates a long time, about fiveyears, for training before they can work independently. The graduates aretrained at the flight management professional skill training centre and thencontinue to be trained at their workplace. Passing practice testing afterwardsand being given a certificate is not enough, they must work under thesupervision of a senior member of staff before being able to workindependently.
All air traffic controllers must sit for a test by the International CivilAviation Organisation to be granted a certificate. Every year, they must attend40 to 80 hours of training.
Once every year, the VATM tests air traffic controllers’ capacity to transferunqualified officers to other work.
Gia said in spite of the strenuous workload, a lot of students apply for thismajor at the national entrance exam. According to Vietnam Aviation Institute,about 4,000 students applied in this year’s exam to compete for only 40 slots.-VNS/VNA
Any distractions or mistakes could result in the deaths of hundreds ofpassengers.
The air traffic controllers are responsible for safe, orderly and expeditiousflow of air traffic by organising orders of airplanes and controlling theirdistances between each other when they take off and land at the airports.
The 88-metre-high Air Traffic Control Centre building at Noi Bai InternationalAirport in Hanoi, the tallest in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, is surrounded byglass where air traffic controllers can have a view of the runway and airplane parkingarea. They exchange flight information with pilots via radio to monitorposition, speed and altitude of airplanes.
Nguyen Ngoc Quang, head of the Noi Bai Air Traffic Control Centre, said theairplanes are assigned to land in specific spaces to ensure distance betweenairplanes. The controllers will be notified if the airplanes land in the wrongarea.
The minimum safe distance between two airplanes is five miles or 9.3km.
“At Noi Bai Airport, the air space division is done very well, reducing landingwaiting time,” Quang said.
Tran Xuan Loc, deputy head of the centre, said takeoff, landing and exchangesbetween air traffic controllers and pilots are recorded. If there is anymistake made by controllers or pilots, the records will be played to find whois responsible.
“To make sure pilots do not get the wrong orders, the air traffic controllersand pilots have to keep repeating what they want to say to each other,” Locsaid.
Air traffic control is considered to be one of the most mentally challengingjobs in the world.
The centre’s head Nguyen Ngoc Quang said that one of the challenges is weather.
When the pilots face difficulties, the work of air traffic controllers is morechallenging. Like police officers for the air, air traffic controllers mustmaintain safety.
In case of bad weather conditions, distances between airplanes must beincreased. In case of storms or any incident on the runway or in urgentsituations, air traffic controllers issue orders asking planes to wait.
Tran Hoang Linh, a female air traffic control at Noi Bai Airport, said thecontrollers usually face strenuous situations, for example, when planes are hitby birds or need security assistance. Air traffic controllers must be calm,determined and focused to offer support.
Besides highly specialised knowledge, skills and abilities, a ‘cool head’,calmness and determination, concentration and especially heath are what airtraffic controllers need while on duty.
Before and after work, the controllers have their health checked. They are notallowed to work if they are sick or experiencing psychological problems.
The work of air traffic controllers is more and more strenuous with theincreasing number of flights. It is also an opportunity for them to improvetheir skills. The controllers at Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang, Phu Bai, CamRanh and Cat Bi airports are more skilled than those of the other airports,said Quang.
On average, one flight departs or lands in HCM City every minute and one flightevery two minutes from or to Hanoi. With such numbers, the capacity ofVietnamese air traffic controllers is similar to staff of any other country, saidDoan Huu Gia, general director of Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation(VATM).
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, air traffic controllersnationwide direct more than 750,000 flights every year.
The VATM currently has nearly 5,000 air traffic controllers working at airtraffic control centres nationwide and directing more than 16,000 domestic andinternational flights every day.
According to Nguyen Ngoc Quang, it takes graduates a long time, about fiveyears, for training before they can work independently. The graduates aretrained at the flight management professional skill training centre and thencontinue to be trained at their workplace. Passing practice testing afterwardsand being given a certificate is not enough, they must work under thesupervision of a senior member of staff before being able to workindependently.
All air traffic controllers must sit for a test by the International CivilAviation Organisation to be granted a certificate. Every year, they must attend40 to 80 hours of training.
Once every year, the VATM tests air traffic controllers’ capacity to transferunqualified officers to other work.
Gia said in spite of the strenuous workload, a lot of students apply for thismajor at the national entrance exam. According to Vietnam Aviation Institute,about 4,000 students applied in this year’s exam to compete for only 40 slots.-VNS/VNA
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