[LINK] Flying through clouds

[Ivan Trundle]

On 05/04/2012, at 5:05 PM, Scott Howard wrote:

> The one primary thing that keeps our skies (including airports) as safe as
> they are is that pilots must follow the instructions they are given, with
> very few exceptions (basically all of which are related to when something
> goes wrong).  

And it's the biggest limiting factor in all systems design. 

However, what happens on the ground is controlled rather differently. In many airports, ground-based radars are not fully-developed, and a lot of work is needed to ensure a risk-free environment.

It's not THAT unusual for the actual gating procedure to vary, since the hand-over from traffic controller to ground-based controllers is not always seamless.

A wrong gate is NOT a major issue, though any misapplied instruction is an operational problem which requires resolution.

There are still significant errors occurring in the skies, all of which demand a high level of attention from those involved. Air traffic controllers are improving their ability to ensure that instructions are followed carefully, but not everyone uses English as their first language, and no method of communication (voice or data) is perfect.

There's a lot of innovation occurring in this space, but all of it is very, very measured. Mistakes are extremely costly, in any language.

iT