PilotEdge Forums

So ever since the trial and even since becoming a paid member I dont understand how they do this.

One person covering Centre, Approach, Tower, Ground, various airports at the same time and it pretty much is flawless.

How do they do this ? I can barely keep up on one channel..!

It’s all about keeping your priorities straight. Airborne aircraft have priority over airplanes on the ground. Controllers must develop a good scan of the radar to ensure no airplane goes unnoticed. Don’t worry- It’s not as hard as it sounds...although it’s not for everyone.

I'll be the first to say it's not flawless....we make mistakes from time to time. Landing clearances come late, level offs happen for the guys climbing in fast jets before we can get them off to the next center frequency, etc, however, they are all things that happen in real life from time to time, so while I strive to minimize the number of times those things happen when I control, I don't agonize over them when they do.

Some of it is basic aptitude but most of it, near as I can tell, is learned and practiced. It takes quite a long time to develop a rhythm, scan and to hone all the techniques that need to be brought to the environment. By quite a long time, I'm talking 1000+ hours. There is a gargantuan amount of knowledge you have to acquire to work this much airspace at once, you're right about that.

magic and superhero stuff

Yeah, I have enough trouble keeping up with my one little self in my little plane, so I’m definitely in awe of you controllers. When I do hear a controller make a mistake, I feel a little bad calling them for a correction or asking for clarification, but one thing I’ve learned from PE is that if you question what you’ve gotten from ATC, you should sort it out and not just meekly follow (also from watching the Air Safety Institute videos). So, even the controller errors can be good training.