Narrative:

I would like to report on a situation that is a constant; hour-by-hour; day-by-day problem in my area of jurisdiction in ZTL. It involves any aircraft (above FL230) that file a route that includes vxv..hvq. There are numerous flts off of atlanta that include this route plus additional en route flts. The problem that this causes is one that compromises airspace and aircraft. Because the vxv..hvq clips a very small portion of several areas of jurisdiction;; these aircraft cause a very heavy workload at times. There is no procedure in place to handle them and a variety of techniques are used; but no one can ever really be sure which one was done; if any. It has caused many conflicts and is becoming more and more dangerous without some sort of predictable plan to handle it. The burne sector is the sector that has to either make numerous pointouts on most aircraft with this route of flight or to scramble at the last min to get someone else to take a handoff and then separate everyone else's aircraft. This is one of the busiest sectors in the country and could really use the relief of this extra workload and responsibility. It is so busy at times; that unfortunately; the controllers assume that something was done to pointout or hand off these aircraft to all sectors involved; but that is not always the case. There are several ways to remedy this. To list just a few would be: 1) ask the airlines to file a route that goes vxv.J91.bugme..hvq which would take the aircraft a few mi north of the conflict area and eliminate the problem. There is no way of knowing how effective this would be; depending on the airlines' cooperation. 2) move the boundary so that the aircraft are clearly in one sector or the other instead of no man's land. Unknown: how long would this take? 3) put in place an automated information xfer (ait) in which the burne sector would initiate a handoff to the next sector who would then initiate a handoff to the third sector. This; although it would not eliminate every conflict; would certainly make everything run a lot smoother and safer. Also unknown: how long would this take? I cannot emphasize the urgency for a solution to this. I personally have witnessed conflicts concerning airspace violations and traffic safety in this small little corner at least 5 times in the past 6 weeks. Although these proposed solutions are just a few suggestions; the bottom line is; as it is now; this is a huge safety issue and there is a solution. Can we just pick one and implement it before something really wrong happens? This is a well known problem area that has been reported many times over a long period of time. Nothing has been done and our traffic volume and conflict potential just continues to rise. Please let me say again -- there is a solution. It doesn't matter which one we use; we just need to get one -- immediately.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZTL CTLR DESCRIBED ROUTING THAT REQUIRES EXTENSIVE COORD BECAUSE OF AIRSPACE ALIGNMENT AND LISTED A NUMBER OF SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM.

Narrative: I WOULD LIKE TO RPT ON A SIT THAT IS A CONSTANT; HR-BY-HR; DAY-BY-DAY PROB IN MY AREA OF JURISDICTION IN ZTL. IT INVOLVES ANY ACFT (ABOVE FL230) THAT FILE A RTE THAT INCLUDES VXV..HVQ. THERE ARE NUMEROUS FLTS OFF OF ATLANTA THAT INCLUDE THIS RTE PLUS ADDITIONAL ENRTE FLTS. THE PROB THAT THIS CAUSES IS ONE THAT COMPROMISES AIRSPACE AND ACFT. BECAUSE THE VXV..HVQ CLIPS A VERY SMALL PORTION OF SEVERAL AREAS OF JURISDICTION;; THESE ACFT CAUSE A VERY HVY WORKLOAD AT TIMES. THERE IS NO PROC IN PLACE TO HANDLE THEM AND A VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES ARE USED; BUT NO ONE CAN EVER REALLY BE SURE WHICH ONE WAS DONE; IF ANY. IT HAS CAUSED MANY CONFLICTS AND IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE DANGEROUS WITHOUT SOME SORT OF PREDICTABLE PLAN TO HANDLE IT. THE BURNE SECTOR IS THE SECTOR THAT HAS TO EITHER MAKE NUMEROUS POINTOUTS ON MOST ACFT WITH THIS RTE OF FLT OR TO SCRAMBLE AT THE LAST MIN TO GET SOMEONE ELSE TO TAKE A HDOF AND THEN SEPARATE EVERYONE ELSE'S ACFT. THIS IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST SECTORS IN THE COUNTRY AND COULD REALLY USE THE RELIEF OF THIS EXTRA WORKLOAD AND RESPONSIBILITY. IT IS SO BUSY AT TIMES; THAT UNFORTUNATELY; THE CTLRS ASSUME THAT SOMETHING WAS DONE TO POINTOUT OR HAND OFF THESE ACFT TO ALL SECTORS INVOLVED; BUT THAT IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO REMEDY THIS. TO LIST JUST A FEW WOULD BE: 1) ASK THE AIRLINES TO FILE A RTE THAT GOES VXV.J91.BUGME..HVQ WHICH WOULD TAKE THE ACFT A FEW MI N OF THE CONFLICT AREA AND ELIMINATE THE PROB. THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING HOW EFFECTIVE THIS WOULD BE; DEPENDING ON THE AIRLINES' COOPERATION. 2) MOVE THE BOUNDARY SO THAT THE ACFT ARE CLRLY IN ONE SECTOR OR THE OTHER INSTEAD OF NO MAN'S LAND. UNKNOWN: HOW LONG WOULD THIS TAKE? 3) PUT IN PLACE AN AUTOMATED INFO XFER (AIT) IN WHICH THE BURNE SECTOR WOULD INITIATE A HDOF TO THE NEXT SECTOR WHO WOULD THEN INITIATE A HANDOFF TO THE THIRD SECTOR. THIS; ALTHOUGH IT WOULD NOT ELIMINATE EVERY CONFLICT; WOULD CERTAINLY MAKE EVERYTHING RUN A LOT SMOOTHER AND SAFER. ALSO UNKNOWN: HOW LONG WOULD THIS TAKE? I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THE URGENCY FOR A SOLUTION TO THIS. I PERSONALLY HAVE WITNESSED CONFLICTS CONCERNING AIRSPACE VIOLATIONS AND TFC SAFETY IN THIS SMALL LITTLE CORNER AT LEAST 5 TIMES IN THE PAST 6 WKS. ALTHOUGH THESE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS ARE JUST A FEW SUGGESTIONS; THE BOTTOM LINE IS; AS IT IS NOW; THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND THERE IS A SOLUTION. CAN WE JUST PICK ONE AND IMPLEMENT IT BEFORE SOMETHING REALLY WRONG HAPPENS? THIS IS A WELL KNOWN PROB AREA THAT HAS BEEN RPTED MANY TIMES OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE AND OUR TFC VOLUME AND CONFLICT POTENTIAL JUST CONTINUES TO RISE. PLEASE LET ME SAY AGAIN -- THERE IS A SOLUTION. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH ONE WE USE; WE JUST NEED TO GET ONE -- IMMEDIATELY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.