Join us for the 2006 "Communicating for Safety" conference which will feature panels focusing on pilot and controller training for a number of technical systems and new procedural implementations, as well as question and answer sessions with leaders from a variety of aviation organizations. "The concept of this conference is simple. Pilots and controllers communicate millions of times over the course of a day. We're coming together to discuss how we can do it better," said Wes Stoops, chairman of NATCA's National Safety Committee and "Communicating for Safety" moderator. "Safety is the bedrock of the aviation system. We all have a vested interest in maintaining the safest system the world." The 2005 conference panels included four Air Traffic Organization (ATO) vice-presidents, along with ATO Chief Operating Officer Russ Chew and NATCA President John Carr.  Communicating for Safety is unique in many respects and the only event of its kind to focus on the specific air traffic needs of pilots that fly within the National Airspace System (NAS). For more information on the 2006 "Communicating For Safety" event, please click on the following link : Communicating For Safety Conference, 2006 Spread the word about the Conference. Send an invitation. Communicating For Safety Postcard

 

Schedule from 2006:

April 20, 2006
9:00 - 9:15 AM: Opening Remarks Introductions of key participants and an overview of the conference objectives.

9:15 -10:45 AM : NTSB Incident Data Review and Analysis Aviation safety experts will analyze and discuss NTSB investigative data. The panel will offer a perspective on how an organization's culture can inhibit making the changes necessary to improve safety.

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM: Human Factors: Managing Risk Pilots and controllers are constantly having to make timely and more importantly accurate decisions. When faced with more than one option to accomplish a task, like taxiing an aircraft to the active runway, how does the individual arrive at the most correct choice? The intersection departure may be the most expeditious option; however, when you factor in the other operations on the airport surface and the aircraft in the traffic pattern, departing from the intersection may not be the safest one. This panel will explore the ways pilots and controllers manage risk.

1:30 - 3:15 PM: Airborne Surveillance This panel will explore how the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) has evolved into a major component of the aviation safety system. They will review the technical aspects of the equipment and how it has altered the way pilots and controllers interact. They will also look at the newest technologies being tested at various airports in the United States.

3:30 - 5:00 PM: Aviation Safety Reporting The panel will present an overview of the various data collection methods commonly used for gathering aviation-related information and explain how the data is used to effect change within the aviation industry.

5:30 - 8:00 PM : Reception Hosted by NATCA, this gathering will provide a relaxed atmosphere to explore the various technical advances and initiatives intended to enhance aviation safety.

April 21, 2006
8:30 - 10:00 AM : OPEN PANEL The FAA has begun the process of reorganizing the various air traffic divisions into the Air Traffic Organization (ATO). The panel will consist of several of the vice-presidents of the key operational divisions of the ATO. The panelists will offer an overview of the current phase of the transition and answer questions from the audience.

10:15 - 11:45 AM: GPS - The Next Level The potential for Global Positioning System (GPS) / Area Navigation (RNAV) technology to enhance the National Aviation System (NAS) is boundless. A number of issues have surfaced during the initial phase of implementation.
In some cases, the technology has outpaced the development of procedures. Representatives from the pilot, controller, and technical communities will focus on how we can minimize the operational impact of assimilating this advancement in technology.

1:00 - 2:30 PM : Pilot - Controller Communications The foundation of a safe aviation system is based on how well pilots and controllers interact on the radio. Technical advances aside, we still rely on the VHF radio as our primary means of communication. The panel will explore a variety of ways to improve the methods we use to exchange critical information.

2:45 - 4:45 PM: Panel Discussion Led by NATCA President John Carr and Russ Chew, the chief operating officer of the FAA's new Air Traffic Organization, this panel will discuss the direction of the aviation industry. Increased security measures, system capacity, the increased use of regional jet aircraft, and addressing challenges in a collaborative way are just a few of the subjects this group will discuss.

4:45 - 5:00 PM: Closing Remarks

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By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News IRVING

 

Have you heard the one about the air-traffic controller who found a genie in a bottle?

 

When asked his one wish, he said he wanted a bridge built to Hawaii.  The genie said that would be too hard, because the road would have to be earthquake-proof and tsunami-proof.  So the air-traffic controller made a second wish - that whatever he said, pilots would understand him completely.

 

The genie responded: So you want two lanes or four?

 

The joke got a roomful of chuckles Tuesday at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association conference in Irving.  But the punch line strikes at one of the conference's main objectives - improving communication between controllers and pilots.

 

"Oftentimes, in a cockpit, you'll hear the phrase, 'Now why is that controller doing that?' and down there, you'll hear them say, 'Now why is the pilot doing that?' " said Capt.  Larry Newman of the Air Line Pilots Association.

 

"We see the world in two different ways.  We see the world from inside our cockpit and don't see the airspace around us.  They see the world as their airspace and don't see the individual aircraft."

 

Although the error rate is extremely low, confusion can lead to disasters.

 

Controllers complain that pilots read back the controllers' instructions and then do something else, while pilots complain that controllers give them too many instructions in one transmission, attendees said.

 

Linda Connell of NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System said her office has noticed an increase in reports from pilots citing a lack of timely responses from controllers about altitude, route and airspace restrictions as well as arguing while the plane is in the air.

 

But despite the bickering, air-traffic controllers and pilots actually have a fairly congenial relationship because they depend on one another, said Wes Stoops, chairman of the controller association's safety committee.

 

"Every time [pilots] step into an airplane, they're relying on us," he said.  "I think it's healthy for us to sit down, just like in a marriage, on some things we might not necessarily agree on."

 

In addition to the annual conference, a committee of pilots and controllers meets several times a year to discuss problems.  The associations also work on procedures and issue pamphlets on topics such as radio communication and runway safety.

 

About 200 air-traffic controllers and 80 pilots are attending this week's convention, titled "Communicating for Safety." They will hear from accident investigators, behavior psychologists and experts on new technology.