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Controller complaint about new procedure contained in LOA between the facility manager and the airport authority/authorized reference taxiing aircraft to active runway -- the necessity for tower operators to know weight categories and performance characteristics of the various type aircraft. Lack of coordination with tower union prior to LOA being signed.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 321919 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199511 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : frg |
| State Reference | NY |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : local controller : ground |
| Qualification | controller : non radar |
| Experience | controller military : 3 controller non radar : 12 controller supervisory : 2 |
| ASRS Report | 321919 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | oversight : supervisor |
| Qualification | controller : non radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : unspecified |
| Airport | other physical facility procedure or policy : unspecified |
Narrative:
Republic airport, farmingdale, new york, is a GA airport serving the new york metropolitan airport. Because of its proximity to a large population center, it is considered a busy level ii ATCT, handling in excess of 210000 operations yrly. Recently the management of the tower entered into an agreement with the local airport operator despite the objections of the union officials and the work force. This 'LOA' was designed to prevent the airport operator from having to change certain taxiway and run-up area markings. The procedures force the controller work force to 'back taxi' all design group three aircraft into position and hold on the active runway from an intersection upwind of the full length of the runway in use. Aside from the obvious problems of having the local controller have to hold all aircraft in the pattern, it also forces new york approach control (the busiest and most complex and congested ATC facility in the world), to potentially 'go into a hold' while the procedures are being adhered to. As the controller working arrival aircraft for republic is also doing the same for kennedy international at the same time, this procedure is unsafe. Perhaps most perplexing of all is the fact that the LOA was signed in july of 1995 (the procedures becoming mandatory at that time), but no controller either at republic or new york TRACON was informed of this until nov/xx/95. Even in nov, no controller was offered any training in how best to accomplish this new task. Air traffic controllers are presently required to know certain things about airplanes (weight classes, performance characteristics, simultaneous operations on intersecting runway group, aircraft categories and classes, approach speed category, engine number and type, etc), in order to provide the applicable separation standard. Upon signing this agreement we are now expected to know design group categories. A difficult training task to begin with, made more so by the fact that we did not even know it was required until 4 months after the fact.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: CTLR COMPLAINT ABOUT NEW PROC CONTAINED IN LOA BTWN THE FACILITY MGR AND THE ARPT AUTH REF TAXIING ACFT TO ACTIVE RWY -- THE NECESSITY FOR TWR OPERATORS TO KNOW WT CATEGORIES AND PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VARIOUS TYPE ACFT. LACK OF COORD WITH TWR UNION PRIOR TO LOA BEING SIGNED.
Narrative: REPUBLIC ARPT, FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK, IS A GA ARPT SERVING THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN ARPT. BECAUSE OF ITS PROX TO A LARGE POPULATION CTR, IT IS CONSIDERED A BUSY LEVEL II ATCT, HANDLING IN EXCESS OF 210000 OPS YRLY. RECENTLY THE MGMNT OF THE TWR ENTERED INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE LCL ARPT OPERATOR DESPITE THE OBJECTIONS OF THE UNION OFFICIALS AND THE WORK FORCE. THIS 'LOA' WAS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE ARPT OPERATOR FROM HAVING TO CHANGE CERTAIN TXWY AND RUN-UP AREA MARKINGS. THE PROCS FORCE THE CTLR WORK FORCE TO 'BACK TAXI' ALL DESIGN GROUP THREE ACFT INTO POS AND HOLD ON THE ACTIVE RWY FROM AN INTXN UPWIND OF THE FULL LENGTH OF THE RWY IN USE. ASIDE FROM THE OBVIOUS PROBS OF HAVING THE LCL CTLR HAVE TO HOLD ALL ACFT IN THE PATTERN, IT ALSO FORCES NEW YORK APCH CTL (THE BUSIEST AND MOST COMPLEX AND CONGESTED ATC FACILITY IN THE WORLD), TO POTENTIALLY 'GO INTO A HOLD' WHILE THE PROCS ARE BEING ADHERED TO. AS THE CTLR WORKING ARR ACFT FOR REPUBLIC IS ALSO DOING THE SAME FOR KENNEDY INTL AT THE SAME TIME, THIS PROC IS UNSAFE. PERHAPS MOST PERPLEXING OF ALL IS THE FACT THAT THE LOA WAS SIGNED IN JULY OF 1995 (THE PROCS BECOMING MANDATORY AT THAT TIME), BUT NO CTLR EITHER AT REPUBLIC OR NEW YORK TRACON WAS INFORMED OF THIS UNTIL NOV/XX/95. EVEN IN NOV, NO CTLR WAS OFFERED ANY TRAINING IN HOW BEST TO ACCOMPLISH THIS NEW TASK. AIR TFC CTLRS ARE PRESENTLY REQUIRED TO KNOW CERTAIN THINGS ABOUT AIRPLANES (WT CLASSES, PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS, SIMULTANEOUS OPS ON INTERSECTING RWY GROUP, ACFT CATEGORIES AND CLASSES, APCH SPD CATEGORY, ENG NUMBER AND TYPE, ETC), IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE APPLICABLE SEPARATION STANDARD. UPON SIGNING THIS AGREEMENT WE ARE NOW EXPECTED TO KNOW DESIGN GROUP CATEGORIES. A DIFFICULT TRAINING TASK TO BEGIN WITH, MADE MORE SO BY THE FACT THAT WE DID NOT EVEN KNOW IT WAS REQUIRED UNTIL 4 MONTHS AFTER THE FACT.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.