Story ID: 
Traffic management for pilots
By: Andrew Wood
Caption: The FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) at Herndon, Va., is often referred to as the “nerve center” of the National Airspace System.
Word Count: 431
The FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) at Herndon, Va., is often referred to as the “nerve center” of the National Airspace System. Housed in a low, unassuming building a few miles from Dulles, the SCC is a high-energy environment, where controllers monitor every civil and military IFR movement in U.S. controlled airspace, every minute of the year, while constantly fine-tuning the system to maximize capacity and reduce delays. It was from here that the order went out on 9/11 for everyone to land immediately. It was only appropriate that the SCC got the nod when the FAA decided to publish a document titled “Traffic Management for Pilots.” And whoever approved the choice of the SCC deserves our thanks.That’s because the document’s authors recognized that while pilots should be familiar with the overall concepts of air traffic management, which is, as they point out, quite different from air traffic control, getting us to sit down and read a thick handbook describing its many rules and procedures would be quite a challenge. Consequently, they chose to put the whole subject into 12 separate Internet slide presentations, adding up to a healthy 35-plus megabytes of data. Fortunately, reviewing each slide individually isn’t heavy work. The presentation package covers different aspects of air traffic management, such as ground delays, routes, weather and diversions with each procedure explained in straightforward, non-bureaucratic language. Most slides carry just a single topic, described briefly but thoroughly. Others pose a question such as, “What Is the North American Route Program?” with the answer provided on the following slide. And the authors weren’t above self-deprecating humor. One slide describing the SCC asserts “We’re here to help you.” The next slide says, “Really.”But the icing on the cake, and the magnet that will draw even high-time pilots to review the packages (and who knows, maybe pick up an unknown fact or two), is an excellent collection of aviation photographs that are used as backgrounds for many of the individual slides. These cover both current and past aircraft and airports, with many from the leisurely golden era of propliners such as the Lockheed Super Constellation, Douglas DC-7 and Boeing Stratocruiser, plus others from even earlier times.The complete set of presentations is at www.fly.faa.gov/Products/Training/Traffic_Management_for_Pilots/traffic_management_for_pilots.html. Printed and bound in separate folders, the individual packages would make excellent traffic management study material for new pilots. And for old-timers, they might also provide a pleasant learning experience while going down Memory Lane.