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NAATS Press Release: THE OTHER CONTROLLERSFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Air Traffic Control conjures up images of dimly lit rooms, lined with rows of dark screens, displaying a myriad of blips and lines. Each scope monitored by passionate individuals devoted to keeping apart an endless stream of traffic, issuing precise instructions, carefully formulated to protect the thousands of lives represented by the targets flowing in every direction. This is the image most people have of the dedicated individuals who monitor the skies for potential conflict. No less dedicated, (yet almost unknown outside of the aviation community) are the "other controllers". Those Air Traffic Controllers devoted to helping pilots avoid the innumerable weather phenomena that are just as hazardous to aviation safety, as other traffic. These are the individuals who work in the Flight Service Stations (FSS) across this nation. Weather is a factor in a majority of aviation accidents. Even with advances in technology, rapidly changing weather patterns still present a significant danger to flight safety. Controllers, working in highly technical environments, scan a kaleidoscope of weather charts and constantly updated weather data. Assisting pilots, both before and during flight, avoid potential dangers. The FSS Air Traffic Controller’s area of responsibility is international. Pilots travel to unpredictable destinations. One pilot may be planning a local training flight, the next pilot flying to Mexico City, and the next a lifeguard helicopter flying out to the scene of an accident. Each flight has its own set of variables: aircraft capabilities, pilot experience, duration, destination, altitude, etc. Add to that the weather patterns constantly moving around the globe and the changing status of critical navigational aids, and you have a situation that requires constant attention, and sound judgment. Then, to provide service, controllers must have the ability to orally paint a clear picture of a fluctuating environment. FSS Controllers rarely see the final outcome of their work. The pilot hangs up and is on his way, another call drops in. Their rewards consist of NOT seeing a plane crash on the evening news, NOT being told "your tapes are being reviewed as a result of an accident", or the occasional inflight emergency concluding with the pilot and passengers safely on the ground.
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