International Air Traffic Controller Day

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Hoy 20 October, International Air Traffic Controller Day is celebrated, which is a tribute to those anonymous beings who, day after day, are responsible for always taking our flights safely to their destinations..

Read here the Guide to be an Air Traffic Controller: www.nlarenas.com/2018/10/guia-para-ser-controlador-de-trafico-aereo-en-ecuador

This day is celebrated as the founding date of IFATCA – International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations o International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations and Amsterdam 1961, time when aviation required better organization of airspace and air traffic control needed to be improved in an industry that was developing and growing. IFATCA globally encompasses and represents more than 50.000 members of 125 countries.

¿Qué es el control de tránsito aéreo?

It is a set of integrated systems, where air traffic controllers are responsible for air safety and the control of these systems and procedures. Since a plane is at the gate, then follows the trailer and taxis to the takeoff runway, rises into the air, reaches its final flight level, comes down, approaches, lands and taxis back to the gate, Controllers are responsible for guiding and monitoring each flight in the world at all times..

¿Qué es un controlador o ATC?

An Air Traffic Controller is a highly trained professional, who during his career will have various responsibilities or positions to occupy. The general belief is that air traffic controllers are only the people that can sometimes be seen in the Control Towers of all airports., but what people do not know is that there are more hard-working and self-sacrificing people who are waiting for the second of each flight. These other characters are the radar controllers, they, in a closed room, they are always in front of a screen and can see in real time every flight that is flying in their jurisdiction without the need for visual contact, as if it happens in a tower.

The controllers of the Control Towers, usually, pueden controlar lo que se llama posición de superficie, donde se encargarán de las autorizaciones de los planes de vuelo, towing and taxiing authorizations. La otra posición es netamente de torre, donde la persona encargada será la responsable de coordinar los despegues y aterrizajes de los aviones. In some airports around the world there are other control positions, such as authorizations, for example, aunque estos están siendo reemplazados por procesos automáticos e incluso, remote control towers.

radar controllers, They are responsible for guiding planes from when they rise into the air until before landing, autorizando desvíos en ruta por mal clima, changing flight levels or even giving vectors to planes to help them approach the runway or shorten their flight paths. Radar controls are divided by coverage zones, for example in Ecuador, is divided into TMAs (terminal manoeuvring area) or terminal maneuvering area of ​​Quito, Guayaquil, Manta, Cuenca, etc. where specialized controllers in the airspace of those cities will guide the planes according to the procedures and complexities of each area. The other division is radar or control, which would be the control of Guayaquil FIR or the control of all of Ecuador, which is done from the Radar Control Center located on one side of the passenger terminal of the Guayaquil Airport.

We need to remember, that air traffic control is one of the most demanding and stressful jobs in the world, very closely to the situation of the pilots.

¿Dónde estudian los controladores de tráfico aéreo?

In most cases, If someone wants to study to be a controller, You must do it in an institute certified and endorsed by the aeronautical authority of each country. For example in Ecuador, can only be studied in ETC – Civil Aviation Technical School attached to the DGAC, where courses are opened on a generally annual basis. To enter, Applicants must pass a series of English exams, National reality, mathematics and others to be selected and have a maximum age of 25 years. This course lasts 10 months, where students will acquire knowledge and skills to qualify as controllers, later, They will begin their career in some Control Tower in the country and gradually, growing in your professional career.

This is a small recognition for those heroes who daily and anonymously, They carry out the fundamental task of controlling airspace around the world..

¡Feliz Día Internacional del Controlador Aéreo!

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