Air Traffic Management

The future of ATC seems that will be governed by:

• More flexibility
• Less tactical interventions
• Equivalent complexity

I explain:

More flexibility:

Airspace blocks should be built around functional requirements [i.e traffic flows] and not around state boundariesAt a lower level, sectors need to be designed to best accommodate the main traffic flows.  Modern systems will be able to allow for dynamic re-sectorisations once these traffic flows change.

Air routes as we know them are a dying breed, and the future flights will fly through a contracted trajectory which will be an agreement between those who want to fly and those providing ATC service on the best compromise between a direct flight and airspace constraints. Instead of flying through routes, aircraft will fly through ‘air gates’ which will be opened and closed depending on need and on constraints [e.g. military activity]

This means that the sector in which a controller works can change size and shape several times a day.  Gates can be closed and re-opened at different occasions.  Changing traffic flows within a given piece of airspace will mean changes in conflict areas and scanning routines.

The controller’s job will become a more flexible endeavour.

Less tactical interventions:

Currently, one of the biggest funnels in ATM capacity [even though it is way behind the big number 1: airport handling capacity] is the amount of tactical interventions an executive controller can safely handle at one given moment.

With greater automation and improved flight prediction systems, the idea is to push the majority of today’s interventions by a number of minutes.  MTCD and other future looking systems will enable planners, at multi sector level to resolve conflicts at a very early stage.  The turn left 10 degrees by the area executive controller or the descent to FLXXX due to crossing traffic clearance should be come rarer. The majority of these interventions, in the future ATM system, would have been identified and acted upon at an earlier stage.  The result is two fold: The interventions on flights will be less abrupt [the earlier the intervention the lower the change necessary to solve a problem] and the interventions which will be left to the executive controller will be less on a similar traffic sample to that of today.  The idea is that then the sector capacity will be increased…

This brings us to the third point:

Equivalent complexity [from a controller's view point]:

A new breed of automated systems, both airborne and ground based, will be able to take over some of today’s controller’s responsibilities.  Taking today’s traffic samples, the automated systems of tomorrow would render the situation less complex.

However the situation of tomorrow will not be that of today.  The traffic is predicted to continue to increase at a steady rate [and has anyone yet seriously thought of the possible implications VLJs might have on the ATM system?] and the industry is making tremendous efforts to improve its services in terms of efficiency to the airspace user – this the flexibility demand that I described under the first point.

The conclusion on complexity is that today, in many busy European airspaces we have reached the complexity limits that a human can safely handle.  The new generation of systems will only allow us to handle more aircraft more flexibly at the same level of complexity [for the controller - the technological complexity, will of course continue to increase].  For the controller, the system cannot become more complex but will never get less complex neither.

So what about the future breed of controllers?

The future breed of controllers will be of flesh and blood and will still be highly needed.  However, the nature of their work will undergo considerable changes.

Because of the frequent changes in airspace configuration, the key will probably not be to learn the patterns [e.g. conflict areas, levels, etc] but more learn to identify the patterns which would lead to conflicts.

The rate of change of things will make it that the successful controller will not be the one who has learnt well to do his job, but the one who has learnt to keep learning well every time [and it will be often] changes happen.

The controller’s work will be less linear, e.g. clearance readback, clearance readback etc, but will be more based on multi tasking, e.g. sending a number of clearances and then monitoring their execution in parallel.

Controllers’ will probably have less tactical manoeuvres to clear than today – or maybe the equivalent of today’s but with double the traffic, but they will have a lot of more work to do at a pre-tactical level, that is identifying potential problems on a 20 minute horizon and solving them, while taking into account an array of items which could take place in those 20 minutes.

Finally, with improved information management, and with the increase in collaborative decision making, controllers will have to learn to include others while taking decisions. Needless to say that they will be given the right tools and the right training to enable them to do so.

Having said this on an ATM training blog, what will be the implications of these changes on future recruitment and training of controllers?

And with the increased dependence and complexity of ATM systems what are the implications on ATSEPs, their responsibilities, their recruitment and training?

What do you think?  Send me some comments…Â

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My colleagues are developing a game which will teach student air traffic controllers to appreciate bearings and distances while having fun.  What a great idea.  Even better they intend to make an abstraction of the skills necessary to perform the tasks, take them out of the immediate context of air traffic control, and place them in another environment.  In this way, the students will feel like they are doing something else whilst in fact they are learning.

When would you think you would remember a lesson better, when the meaning is abstracted and told in a fable in the Esopic style or when you are told bluntly: You should do this or that?

Stories are being used extensively to teach young and adults alike, and air traffic management is no exception to this.  We already prefer to illustrate learning objectives by telling stories, especially in the context of refresher training where the audience is experienced and can easily relate with the stories told.  The results are impressive.  Those using this technique usually get feedback such as: “Me too I have had a similar experience”;  Every learner knows that when a student tells him this, they have hit goal!  Needless to say, those not using this technique are strongly encouraged to do so.

Now back to games.

Similar to stories, games have the ability of giving a context to the objectives to be learned [skill, knowledge or attitude based].  In addition the context can be different to the working one and thus in a number of situations can be perceived by the student as alternative, fresh and fun.

Games also have the ability of including elements such as competition in an environment where its serious counterpart [real life] should not be.  A game which has nothing to do with air traffic control but which teaches bearing and distance appreciation could be competitive, for example having a car riding through a track and arriving first to destination can easily be competitive, whilst giving headings to aircraft to maintain separation is too near to reality and probably should not be perceived as a competitive endeavor.

Outside ATC and into the broader ATM environment, games could also be used to teach how to deal with new situations.  Imagine a future supervisor having to deal with his staff, the operational environment and his management in a ‘Sims’ way, or a future safety manager having to provide related services in a different environment than air traffic management – maybe for example within a formula 1 team!

To conclude, both games and stories have high training potential.  We just need to be creative to be able abstract what we want to teach from its immediate context, put it into an alternative one, and create an environment which naturally motivates the student to listen or to play!Â

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Web 2.0 is the term in use to describe the new generation of internet based services which emphasise collaboration and sharing between users.

In the same strain, Learning 2.0 refers to a new way of seeing learning where “The learner is no longer viewed as a “recepticle” for knowledge but rather a participant in the creation and/or discovery of what is to be learned. The learner’s role is to contribute their knowledge and (more importantly) experience to the learning environment….”

So what about learning 2.0 in ATM Training?

Well, in some areas, especially when it comes to refresher training, for example, many have been advocating for a long while that the accent should be put on facilitating the discussion between professional learner on the subjects they master because between them they can basically teach each other.

But I think we can use this notion also in other areas of training:  Different subjects in ATM, be it AB-Initio ATC CCC training, safety regulation training, CNS training or other, all could be taught using this philosophy.  We teachers / instructors could design our training to entice the thirst of learning from our students.  We can make them to collaborate in order to find the knowledge, and then we could take the roles of guides and sounding boards. They, in turn, will own the learning.

In the present world where a lot of information and knowledge is available a number of clicks away on the internet [even if this might not be the case for some of the more specialised knowledge in the ATM environment], today’s learners are getting accustomed to be the masters of their own learning.  So how about mirroring the training experience we could provide them with to what they are generally used to?

To help us further, a lot of collaborative and knowledge sharing services / tools are being put at our disposal on the internet.

How about starting to use a blog [well if you are reading this you are already familiar with the tool! ] to disseminate knowledge?  Or better still why not asking the students to keep a blog of their learning experience -  this could substitute their note books – e.g. Today I learnt that…. and this could be shared with peers, which in turn increases the learning experience.

How about creating a wiki and ask the students to collaborate on a piece of work?  Is it not a good learning experience to build knowledge while collaborating with others and where the end result is a document which witnesses this knowledge-gathering and which could be used as training notes…

Well, there are a myriad of things that could be done to put the learner at the centre of the learning experience and to encourage them to actively participate into this experience and to teach each other.  Personally I find it more satisfying to push others to draw a conclusion themselves than me giving it to them on a silver plate – how about you?

This is learning 2.0 putting the learner at the centre of the experience and letting them own the learning.

By the way, if you would like to know more about  the technologies which could eventually help you in this quest, here is a link to an interesting blog where the  Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County decided to introduce its staff to learning 2.0 – check this out: http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/Â

*Post linked from Corporate eLearning Strategies and Development blog

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To date, in most of the ATC training institutions I know, common core content [CCC] training for ATCOs is delivered in a classical format, that is on-site learning made up of theoretical [mainly classroom] sessions and practical sessions [simulations, some times preceded by part task training].

What would be the benefits and constraints should part of this training be delivered in distance mode?

And how much of this training could already be delivered in distance mode?

Finally, what are the methods and media that could likely be used do deliver CCC in distance mode.

Let’s start by the 1st question first:

What would be the benefits and constraints should part of this training be delivered in distance mode?

There are a number of benefits that I can think of; here I’ll just name 3:

The first benefit I can think of is that the selected candidates [yes, I am still assuming that a selection process takes place prior to the start of training] do not need to move to a location where the course is being delivered, at least in the initial stages.  This will in turn reduce their costs in finding new accommodation arrangements for a few months more [and with the renting prices in some cities these days, this could be of enormous benefit!]

If the company hiring these students is in some ways subsidising the cost of travel and relocation – for example in the form of allowances or direct remuneration or subsidy of accomodation fees, then these costs could be radically reduced during the period when distance learning is being provided.

Thirdly,for the training organistaion, providing distance learning where it fits, frees classroom space for sessions where on-site training is more beneficial over distance learning.  Therefore a gain in effectiveness of space usage.

A coin has 2 sides, so let us now turn to the second part of the questions and describe the constraints; here again I’ll just name 3, but I’ll also hint as to how to overcome these.

The first constraint is that it is new.  It is easier for anyone to keep doing what they have been doing [successfully] for a number of years than it is to venture into new and uncharted seas, after all ATCO training is a regulated environment.  However if budgetary constraints on the students’ employer  and or the training institution, or space constraints for the training institution to grow are bigger, then changing over [and innovating] may well be a competitive advantage over other training centres…

The second constraint I can think of regards motivation:

Since distance learning reduces the physical human contact that is created between peers and between students and the training team, and since this human contact is one of the main sources of motivation, then distance learning may well pose a problem – if motivational issues are not dealt with during the the training programme planning.

Motivational problems may hit both students [who might feel isolated] and instructors [who might also feel that their main platform or outreach has been taken away and that they are now confined to work permanently behind a computer]

To prevent this from happening a number of measure may be taken.  I will only mention some at a very shallow level.

For students:

Distance learning should not mean web based learning in stand -alone mode in front of a computer [like many of today's ATC instructors seem to think].  Instead a series of tools an methods are used to get the students to learn and explore new subjects.  Group sessions [eg. virtual classrooms] can be organised remotely over the web.  Peers can get connected to one another.  Students can get assignments and they can have scheduled 1 on 1 sessions with their tutors – using for example voice enabled chat sessions]  The training could be divided into phases, and the tutor would be able to enter in relationship with the students at every phase.  A number of collaborative sessions between peers could be organised and of course a number of stand alone WBTs could be used!

To improve motivation the students could also be invited for a first week of on -site presentations.  This would allow them to meet each other and the training staff and also for introductions to be done on items such as expectations, culture, rigour, ways of doing etc.  Also a social bonding could be created and this could then be used as an advantage to learning during distance mode.

For instructors:

We are all afraid of what we do not know and understand, so the first steps should be explaining and providing training to instructors on how to deliver training in distance – mode.  They should also be involved in the development phase of the programme.  The instruments they use should be user friendly and ones which facilitate their life.  Finally the reasons why the shift is done and the fact that the personal contact with the students would not be taken away, but just changed should be explained…

Now let us turn to question 2:

How much of this training could already be delivered in distance mode?

In the ATCO CCC, a good chunk of the basic training could in my opinion be already be delivered in distance mode. I will come to what I mean by ‘already’ later on.

Most of the subjects contain objectives which are at a taxonomy level 1 or 2.  These objectives normally require knowledge and understanding of the corpus included in the objective.  Knowledge acquisition is something that could be thought in distance learning.  Subjects such as meteorology and navigation, as well as others could be almost completely covered by distance learning [taking my description of the provision and not the stand alone WBT mode].

At this stage I would stop at objectives in the levels 1 & 2 categories for the simple reason that from level 3 onwards we start looking at application of knowledge and skill acquisition. Â

A word about the ‘already’:  I think that stopping for the time being on level 1 and 2 would be a good idea for 2 main reasons:  Firstly because skill acquisition requires different types of techniques that would need to be developed to be effective and efficient in distance mode – and I do not think we are there yet – but we will get there.  Secondly because with any new thing it is better if it is phased – to enable everyone to understand what it takes in a more paced way -rather than jumping into the deep end as they say!

And now the third question:

What are the methods and media that could likely be used do deliver CCC in distance mode?

This question has partly been explored in the 1st question, however here are some methods and tools.

The right blend should consider that the training experience should be effective and efficient and realistic.

Synchronous sessions on particular subjects with student – student – tutor interactions.  This is like a remote classroom session.

Delivery of training notes and video casts and pod casts containing knowledge

Assignments and a focus on 1 on 1 student tutor – chats – voice chats

Asynchronous WBT modules

Access to a knolwedge library

Possibiity of contact the tutor via email outside scheduled time

Peer collaborative assignments – where peers learn together and from each other

Etc. Etc

To conclude

So to conclude this rather lengthy post:

I believe it is possible to deliver considerable parts of the CCC for ATCOs [objectives at levels 1 & 2] via distance learning

I believe that this can have benefits mainly to the students [pockets] and to the organisations effectiveness in fulfilling their training mission of quality and growth

The quality would not be impaired

Proper planning should be done – in particular about the subjects to be thought, the blend, the motivation of staff and students and resources.

Well that is it.  If you have more thoughts on this, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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 Training provision will always be made up of at least two ingredients:  Subject matter expertise and knowledge in pedagogic issues. Concentrating on one and neglecting the other would inevitably lead to an imbalance and by consequence an ineffective training provision.

If the imbalance tilts towards subject matter, you run the risk of losing your business because you are weak when it comes to teach the subject.  If on the other hand your scale leans toward pedagogy to the detriment of subject matter, then you risk of failing because your clients are expecting you of teaching some sort of subject matter!

Finding the right balance does not mean that you need to have a 50/50 division in your resources, budget, personnel, etc.  It however means that the two components need to be in harmony.  The subject matter delivered must be of excellent quality, and the delivery vehicle must be effective, motivating, interesting, and in today’s environment also innovative.

How does this relate to ATM training?

ATM training is highly specialised and is delivered to a specialised and professional workforce.  Finding people who have enough knowledge and credibility to teach ATM related subjects is very difficult.  So the training academy’s prestige lies in having a pool of highly credible and knowledgeable persons ready to give training in its name.

Moreover, with budgetary constraints, many training academies have taken a strategic decision to concentrate their shrinking budgets into its core business, i.e. hiring these prestigious persons to enable the organisation to mark itself from other organisations with the same vocation but with less qualitatively apt academic personnel.  This strategic decision has most often turned out to be the right one.

However, what about the delivering vehicle?  What would Michael Schumacher be without a very fast car?

An ATM training centre needs to have expertise in the fields of ATM training and it needs to teach it.  Its core business lies in providing training in ATM fields [and not solely in "ATM fields" as some have defined it].  Therefore in taking the strategic decision of concentrating on the core business, some have failed to identify a part of this core business – the training provision.

What does this training provision part entail?

There are a few items within the scope of the training provision part of the core business.  Some of these are:

• Personnel who support the training academy by supporting the subject matter experts in developing their training content and by helping them in training delivery techniques.
• Research and development on new training and educational techniques which fit the changing environment and the changing market [innovation].
• The budgeting for and the use of the appropriate technology which supports the training delivery.
• Benchmarking with others in the training / education arena, who are not necessarily in the same subject matter field and who are perhaps more budgetary challenged [this is where often innovation takes place].

The training academies who have concentrated their strategy around their core business are not wrong. However, they need to incorporate the training provision within their definition of core business.Â

This will in turn bring a right balance between subject matter expertise and the pedagogical elements. As we have seen, what should be sought is not a 50/50 balance. It is more like the balance between food and spices in tasteful recipes. Â

However, even if the spices are used in low quantities, it is not so long ago that empires thrived from and fought fiercely to control their supremacy in the spice market!

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 In his blog, Brent Schlenker reported about a study by the University of Rochester showed that people who played action video games for a few hours a day over the course of a month improved their vision by about 20 percent.

This was mainly due to the fact that the games push the visual system to its limits and the brain adapts to it.

In the context of air traffic control, this news for me has possibly three implications.

I made the connection because air traffic control [ATC], like a shoot them up game, also pushes the visual system to its limits as air traffic controllers [ATCOs] have to continually scan for detailed information on their screens, such as mode C, trajectory and velocity.

The possible implications:

1 If an adaptability of the brain and improvement in sight has been demonstrated, this means that there might be a parallel with adaptation and learning for new recruits.  Does their brain adapt to process operational ATC type information?  Can this adaptation be enhanced by training? To what extent can initial low capacity to processing ATC type information [the reason for which so many ATC students fail] be enhanced through training and regular exposure – such as in the case of the games mentioned in the study?

2 The adaptability of the brain is something that experts in the field are calling: brain plasticity.  Even the adult brain is not hard-wired and it adapts to new challenges through continuous exposures.  The second considerations is: What else adpats in the brain on the way to becoming a competent ATCO?  If this happens through prolonged exposure, then are we giving our students the right kind of exposure in the right doses so that their brain adapts?  Here, we need to identify what else is special in a controller’s brain and see how this evolves over time.

3. The third implication is a direct one: Given that an ATCO’s brain and visual system needs to be well developed so that the person can process the information on a radar screen, then are students who play shoot-them-up-games more successful in their training than the others who don’t? Can we offer training using other tools than ATC simulations to improve the chances that our students become competent controllers?

I think that many processes in ATC have parallels in video-gaming.  Research on the gamers can help us learn more on trainee-ATCO needs.  Games can also offer us alternative training opportunities to offer to our students.

We need to learn more about these things as they can hide potential to improve our delivery results.

What do you think?

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About Me:

I am an ATS training expert working in an international agency responsible for harmonising air traffic management.

My main interests are in management and in innovative, human centric ways of providing training in ATM.

My current main responsibilities are managing the e-learning activities of my agency, including: content portfolio development [e.g. e-learning modules], platform delivery management [LMS and LMS related services] and the provision of consultancy on technology in learning to internal and external stakeholders to the agency.  

About this blog:

With this blog I intend to present ideas, raise issues and raise questions related to training in Air Traffic Management.

The blog aims to serve as a place where ideas are developed and discussed.

If you are interested in the subjects, please do not hesitate to share your opinions and ideas either by directly placing comments to the posts or by sending me an email at max@bezzina.cc

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