Volitation
Pre-takeoff checklist
Took a tour of the Ft. Worth (ZFW) ARTCC this afternoon through the FAAST Operation Raincheck Program - the tl/dr version is if you get a chance, go!
There were 24 of us, and the 3 controllers conducting the tour. Our hosts were wonderful, all 3 were GA Pilots, with a passion for aviation, their jobs, and sharing what they do.
The presentation started with an overview of the system, how traffic flows in, out and around the DFW Bravo, etc. We then split into smaller groups and went down to the control floor. One stop was the Weather section, with meteorologist on duty explaining what they did, tools they used, and how their forecasts are shared with the controllers, carriers and other users and applied to the traffic patterns. Next stop was the Traffic Management Unit. These guys analyze and manage the overall flow in and out of DFW, in the air and on the ground. It was fascinating, for example, how they might reroute fights around a weather system to avoid overloading sectors while trying to minimize delays.
The third stop, and highlight, was getting to spend about twenty minutes sitting with an on duty controller, listening in as he worked the flights in his sector, and getting to ask him questions as traffic allowed. My guy’s area was east of DFW, so he was catching east-west DFW Traffic, as well as NE/SW traffic for Houston. Even on a slow Saturday afternoon it was amazing watching him manage the three dimensional puzzle of a couple of dozen flights! I can’t imagaine the busy days, when he might have 3 or 4 times as many.
We finished up with a Q and A, and a couple of videos showing conflicts caused by unpredictable VFR flights not using Flight Following. The take away, and they sincerely stressed this, is they WANT us to use FF, every flight, because it makes their job easier!
I highly recommend you going if you have the opportunity. These guys and gals do a phenomenal job, and I came away with a real appreciation of what they do for us!
There were 24 of us, and the 3 controllers conducting the tour. Our hosts were wonderful, all 3 were GA Pilots, with a passion for aviation, their jobs, and sharing what they do.
The presentation started with an overview of the system, how traffic flows in, out and around the DFW Bravo, etc. We then split into smaller groups and went down to the control floor. One stop was the Weather section, with meteorologist on duty explaining what they did, tools they used, and how their forecasts are shared with the controllers, carriers and other users and applied to the traffic patterns. Next stop was the Traffic Management Unit. These guys analyze and manage the overall flow in and out of DFW, in the air and on the ground. It was fascinating, for example, how they might reroute fights around a weather system to avoid overloading sectors while trying to minimize delays.
The third stop, and highlight, was getting to spend about twenty minutes sitting with an on duty controller, listening in as he worked the flights in his sector, and getting to ask him questions as traffic allowed. My guy’s area was east of DFW, so he was catching east-west DFW Traffic, as well as NE/SW traffic for Houston. Even on a slow Saturday afternoon it was amazing watching him manage the three dimensional puzzle of a couple of dozen flights! I can’t imagaine the busy days, when he might have 3 or 4 times as many.
We finished up with a Q and A, and a couple of videos showing conflicts caused by unpredictable VFR flights not using Flight Following. The take away, and they sincerely stressed this, is they WANT us to use FF, every flight, because it makes their job easier!
I highly recommend you going if you have the opportunity. These guys and gals do a phenomenal job, and I came away with a real appreciation of what they do for us!
