The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : To them all that matters is the blips on the radar

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Sunday, Aug 19, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

To them all that matters is the blips on the radar

Ananth Krishnan

An air-traffic controller speaks on one of the most challenging professions

— File photo

View from the top: Air traffic controllers have to make split second decisions to ensure the safety of millions.

Chennai: “The first time I put the headset on and heard the voice of a pilot asking me a question, I opened my mouth to answer him and found no words coming out. That was one of the most frightening days of my life.”

In 15 years Vinod Kumar has come a long way. During this time, he has learned the ins and outs of, arguably, one of the most challenging and nerve-wracking professions one would ever come across.

While the idea of watching planes go by all day (and all night) might seem the perfect job to many, working as an air-traffic controller (ATC) involves levels of stress that most of us cannot even comprehend. This is especially true in a place like Chennai, where besides the more ‘routine’ concerns of mid-air collisions, thunder storms and emergency landings that come with the job, stray dogs on the runway, power outages and airline politics play on your mind.

Every second counts

“The first thing you should know about being an ATC is that it is not like any office managerial job,” says Vinod. If you are lucky enough to make your way up to a control tower, the first thing you will notice is that here is a line of work where every second can make a huge difference.

“You delay a decision for two seconds and suddenly the aircraft is a mile away, the control tower is in trouble, the aircraft is in trouble and well, everyone is in trouble,” says Vinod.

An ATC’s work begins the second an aircraft is within range of the airspace a particular airport is responsible for – Chennai controls the largest airspace in India, stretching far into the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal – and ends only when the aircraft is safely tucked into its parking gate.

ATCs monitor and direct everything, from take-offs and landings and taxing on the tarmac to the flight plans of aircrafts passing over Chennai and even the weather.

Working as an ATC isn’t for the faint of heart. “This is a job for someone who likes to take on risks,” warns Vinod. “Except here the risk involves thousands of innocent lives, which is always on your mind.”

Still fancy the job? Becoming an ATC requires passing an intense, one-year long course at the Civil Aviation Training College in Allahabad.

Candidates are put through rigorous tests on simulators where you have to manage crowded landing sequences and terrifying emergencies.

“I was literally reduced to tears during the tests,” Vinod reminisces. “But, they really prepare you for the real thing like nothing else. Some mornings I have to deal with 15 or 16 aircrafts within an area of 50 miles, when you start feeling stretched beyond your limits.”

Long night shifts

The challenges that an ATC faces are many. Getting by on two hours of sleep is not unusual. When faced with shortage of manpower, the job can require a controller to stay on beyond his or her normal shift and work through the night, from 8.30 in the evening when the shift starts till the sun rises. Controllers require excellent numerical skills and even strong skills in diplomacy to pacify angry and impatient pilots all too eager to get one step ahead of their competitors.

“With all the airlines you have in the skies these days, the competition can get unhealthy,” Vinod shakes his head disapprovingly.

Still, despite these [many] pitfalls, Vinod still believes that there’s nothing quite like controlling aeroplanes for a living.

“I don’t think there are too many people who still get the job satisfaction that I get after 15 years in a profession,” Vinod says.

“This job gets into your blood. The best feeling in the world is when I come up here, sit down, put on the headset and start talking. There is nothing else in the world you have to worry about. All that matters is the number of aircrafts in the sky. All that matters is the blips on that radar.”

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