CASE STUDY On tour with Brent & Sid by Bengt Collin

In the cabin of X-Line 123 at the ground oor. It was a standard On the ight deck of X-line 123 “I don’t like sitting this far back in the sized room with a large table in the “What are your plans for this weekend” cabin”, Brent complained. He and his middle. At the far end of the table, to- Dirk, the Captain asked his First Of- best mate Sid were returning home gether with the usual dry biscuits, cof- cer Paul. “I take the Vespa out to the after a week in Spain. “But everything fee and tea was served. Bert remem- stables and do some horse riding, later worked out well, it’s been a fantastic bered the taste of the biscuits only too I’ll take a ride on my BMW motor cycle, week Sid”, he continued with a loud well. nally I plan to play some golf” Paul optimistic-sounding voice while he answered. And you? “My wife hasn’t carefully studied the cabin safety in- “We have just installed the new auto- decided yet, we’ll probably continue structions. “I Agree, it’s been a jolly matic back-up system for the upper renovating our new house”. “Why not good time Brent”, Sid replied. “In your airspace radar positions”, one of the ask for a direct route to BABLA?” Dirk opinion Brent, what was the highlight visiting software engineers named asked Paul in a quiet respectful way. of the week”, Sid asked. “Me dancing Anthony stated. “We were late so Flamenco”, Brent replied instantly with this time we did not involve any op- a big smile on his face. Sid re- erational people in the process” he membered far too vividly how continued. “We believe it’s more im- Brent, under the inuence of portant to get the system up and a jug of Sangria, the last eve- running” another of the visitors, Ton, ning dancing and singing at added. “Besides, the controllers are their local bar. “Viva España”! not interested in technical sys- tems anyhow”, he continued, smiling.

Bengt Collin “Can you please describe worked at EUROCONTROL the update”, Bert asked. HQ as a Senior Expert Anthony explained “it’s involved in operational ATC safety activities. relatively simple; if for Bengt has a long background as Tower and any reason the radar Approach controller at Stockholm-Arlanda data disappears, this system will automatical- Airport, Sweden ly continue to show the position of the aircraft based “I’m dying for some more orange juice”, on their ight plan data”. “So Brent moaned. “Press the button over the symbols for the aircraft your head”, Sid replied. “Really?”, Brent will continue moving even if didn’t sound too convinced. “Sure, just the radar data is gone?” Bert press the button”. Brent lifted the plas- asked, sounding a bit sur- tic cup to the panel above his head. prised. “No problem, this “I mean press the button to call the is only installed to assist cabin crew”; Sid was looking straight the controllers, an alert ahead, another two hours to arrival. on what happened will immediately be shown In a meeting room at the Centre at the supervisor’s po- The representatives from the com- sition” Ton responded. pany in charge of the software update “The supervisor should arrived 15 minutes late. Bert escorted take action as soon as it them to the meeting room located happens”.

26 At the centre for a coee and a cigarette outside the second fag; the sun was shining and “X-line one two three, y direct BAB- building. “X-line one two three contact the birds where singing. “It will be a LA”, Ann looked at her radar screen control on one one eight decimal two” nice summer!” she said. while replying to X-line’s request. Al- Alexander instructed. “One one eight most two hours in position, she was decimal two, X-line one two three”. On the ight deck of X-line 123 tired. She was just about to coordinate “OK, direct BABLA is set, it’ll save three the direct routing with the next sector In the cabin of X-line 123 minutes”. “Time for the ‘Descent’ check when Alexander arrived to release her. “They don’t serve Sangria Sid, I ordered list”. Both Dirk and Paul looked at their From experience she knew it would be a double whisky with Campari for each checklists although they knew them no problem even if she should formal- of us instead” Brent explained when by heart. ly have asked rst before giving the Sid returned from the toilet. “Thanks direct route to the pilots. “I have the Brent, but you can have mine too”. At the centre full picture Ann, very little tra c” Al- “Okay Sid and Alexander was looking at the radar exander said, plugging in his head- whilst nishing screen, he got the impression that the set to the right of her. Ann un- my drinks I’ll picture froze for a second, then start- plugged hers and headed look out of the ed moving again. Nothing to worry window to see about, it was o peak tra c ows. if I can see any Stan had just started reading the foot- other aircraft”. ball results. At this time of the day his work was really boring. They should At the centre try some training on how to avoid be- Stan was read- ing bored, he thought to himself and ing the morning smiled. “X-line one two three TCAS de- paper as he nor- scent”. Stan was fully alert in fragments mally did before of a second; his newspaper fell to the lunch time. The oor. “X-line one two three copied, only problem was there should be no other aircraft near that he did it while you”. He had only two aircraft on the actively working at radar screen, X-line just passing PUTTE the centre. “X-line turning west for BABLA plus another one two three on aircraft eight miles south of X-line, your frequency”…“X- heading east. At the supervisor posi- line one two three tion a red light was ashing. According radar contact”, he re- to information the investigators later turned to his paper. received from the software company, the aural warning should be available The supervisor was sit- later during the year. ting in the sun together with Ann, also smoking In the cabin of X-line 123 a cigarette and drinking “Sid, I just saw another aircraft passing a black coee. “It’s ter- over us rather close” Brent was excited, rible that I can’t smoke he was in a good mood, having just in position anymore, I nished his second drink. “Please don’t spend more time outside have any more Brent, or suddenly the operations room than you’ll start dancing Flamenco again”; in position these days” he Sid looked straight ahead and closed continued. Ann just lit her his eyes, he needed another holiday.

HindSight 20 Winter 2014 27