ATC
Security presents challenge for ATC
“The job of a controller is no longer just separating airplanes,” National Air Traffic Controllers Association president John Carr told attendees at a symp

“The job of a controller is no longer just separating airplanes,” National Air Traffic Controllers Association president John Carr told attendees at a symposium on “Post 9/11 Security Impacts on Air Traffic Control and Aviation” in Washington, D.C., in late January. “They have to be aware of possibilities that we did not even contemplate on the morning of September 10.”

He noted that controllers now must ask themselves why an aircraft is circling some landmark or building, why a pilot is not responding to radio transmissions or why a transponder is not working. A simple “airspace violation,” “lost communication” or “overdue aircraft” is now considered a potential airborne threat until proven otherwise.

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