I recently read a post on linkedin from SkysoftATM that they were sponsoring a Skyguide controller who was competing in the recent Ironman World Championships in Kona. In my 'down time' over the summer in the last 8 years I have been involved in organising the Ironman events here in Maastricht. One of my tasks was meeting the international athletes at registration. So many interesting stories from thousands of participants. I have always been fascinated by the dedication of the athletes that compete and the application and focus that is required to train for an Ironman triathlon where in the …

The Yorkshire Air Museum based on the site of RAF Elvington Airfield is raising money to save a historical Air Traffic Control tower. RAF Elvington was originally a grass airfield but quickly became a key RAF base during WWII.During the war it was known as "Base 42" and was home to the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley aircraft but these were quickly replaces by the 'Halifax' four-engined bombers. Many of the bases sorties suffered heavy losses and over 500 aircrew were killed or taken prisoner.

There has been much published regarding the development of urban air mobility (UAM). The term refers to vehicles, often uncrewed, that may be described as flying taxis. Without a vested interest in any party, Lilium and Volocopter are two examples of UAM manufacturers. Whilst there have been announcements heralding the age of city-centre to city-centre transfers, there has been less attention given to exactly where such flights will start and end. There has been even less attention to the shape of the protected airspace that will be needed.

At 1341 hrs on 13 September 2021, the AAIB was informed that a serious incident had occurred to Boeing 737-800, registration G-FDZF, during a go-around at Aberdeen Airport on 11 September 2021. The AAIB began an investigation assisted by the operator, the National Transportation Safety Board in the USA, and the aircraft manufacturer. The aircraft deviated significantly from the expected flight path, initially climbing, but just before it reached the cleared altitude began to descend.

C.B. 'Sully' Sullenberger was appointed as the US ambassador to ICAO on December 2nd. It is coming up to 13 years ago that Sullenberger rose to fame when he successfully ditched Airways flight 1549 (A320) on to the Hudson river. All 155 passengers survived the water landing and were rescued by nearby boats.Sullenberger has stated that aircraft emissions are top of his agenda as the new ambassador to ICAO.He stated he would "underscore the administration’s commitment to meaningful action on carbon offsets, sustainable aviation fuels, and gradual direct emissions reductions."

After a year away due to the pandemic the Godron Bennet Cup returns to the skies this year from Toruń in Poland. 15 teams will be competing in this years event: AUT 1/2, FRA 1/2/3, GER 1/2/3, POL 1/2/3, SUI 1/2/3 & USA 1 The rules are unchanged from the inaugural event in 1906. The goal is to fly the furthest non-stop distance measured in straight line from the launch site.ATC and MET coordination is paramount with this competition and PANSA will be the ANSP responsible for the initial safe passage of the balloons after their launch which is scheduled for 19:00 local time on …

Air traffic controllers recently moved into a new air traffic control tower at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. Work first began in June 2015 on a replacement for the existing tower that was built over 45 years ago. At 19.4 metres high (63 ft.), the new tower is almost five metres (16 ft.) higher than the previous structure. A larger cab increases controllers’ workspace from the current 24 square metres (260 sq. ft.) to 32 square metres (345 sq. ft.). The four storey building also has an elevator, unlike its predecessor.

At a gala White House event on June 5th, the Administration made its strongest endorsement yet of converting the FAA's Air Traffic Organization into a self-supporting ATC corporation, along the general lines of what was narrowly approved last year by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Chairman Bill Shuster (R, PA), who has championed the idea for several years, also spoke at the event and has said repeatedly that this year's version will include changes based on feedback received over the past year.

The problem with ATC in Europe is not the organizational structure of ANSPs: nearly all have been corporatized, and all charge their customers for ATC services in accordance with ICAO charging principles. The problem is Balkanization—within the European Union alone there are 27 separate ANSPs, leading to a system far more-costly and less-efficient than that of the United States, with a single ANSP and significant economies of scale. The Single European Sky project is an attempt to fix this, but has foundered on the rocks of nationalism, since no government has been willing to shut down …

The interest for Remote Tower Operations (RTO) is increasing. More and more ANSPs are considering implementing remote towers. Reasons for this change are foreseen efficiency, both in terms of costs as well as execution of the operation. But is this enough? A typical set-up for a remote tower system consists of a set of high quality cameras that are mounted at an airport, often on top of the tower building or on a high pole. The camera output is projected on a large wall of monitors in a room, either at the airport itself or at a remote location.