By
Arvid Hansson
To all controllers rostered on LTC/AC positions for the event tomorrow, here is a short briefing post with some key points all controllers should take into account:
Any changes in availability must be reported as soon as possible to myself or Harry. Weaving together the roster with our current headcount has been somewhat of a challenge and we don't want any last minute surprises!
Contrary to the post in the roster thread, there will not be an organised brief tomorrow afternoon. Any updates/further information will be communicated via this thread. Any questions can also be put here or directed to me or Harry directly.
Stansted and Gatwick have been designated as the North/South diversion airports. If pilots indicate they're running out of fuel or they're holding past their bedtime, direct them to the nearest of these two airports straight away. No faffing about.
Avoid holding aircraft at BRASO unless the BIG stack is or becoming full. It is more efficient to stack swap these aircraft to BIG. The same concept could potentially apply at WCO vs. OCK etc. but the LAM stream will be busier than the rest of the streams by far.
Be proactive. Do not accept more planes if your sector is becoming too saturated. Do not blindly accept handoffs without knowing whether the aircraft will fit in your sector. Speak to your feeding sector and have them hold planes if necessary to avoid your own sector becoming a mess.
This applies especially to the Clacton and TC East sectors, but all sectors with dense streams must make sure to stream aircraft at reasonable speeds. Don't have your stream at 280kts until reaching the stack. Reconsider all speed restrictions above 250kts when entering TCN/TCS sectors. It is imperative that pilots are able to reach holding speed in a timely manner for the holding to be efficient and consistent. Make sure pilots understand holding speed, do not be afraid to reiterate the speed in knots if they seem to not be fully understanding what they should do. Ask for lower speeds from your feeder if you are being offered planes that are too fast.
It is OK and perfectly acceptable, but more importantly safe for departures to stay at 6,000ft for a while. Do not rush their climbs if it will cause unnecessary conflicts. Reiterate the 6,000ft restriction to pilots who sound like they need a refresher, and kindly advise pilots urging you for higher that it is not necessary.
Speak to your neighbours! If we have EHAA/LFxx coverage, make sure they are away of how busy we are. Have them put planes on low mach numbers early, introduce MDIs at AMS, CDG, and other nearby airports if absolutely necessary and make sure they stay on top of their streaming game. If they don't, communicate and tell them what you need! Requesting 10-20 miles in trail if required is not unreasonable, and they should be able to accommodate.
If we don't end up lucky enough to have neighbouring coverage, don't be afraid to take planes early if you have the capacity. Getting speed control sorted early or even holding planes outside the FIR if required will be a massive help.
Use your breaks wisely. Drink water (or a beverage of your choice( @Lewis Hardcastle)) to stay alert and hydrated.
Now, some "technical" things:
Make sure you have the latest sector file (2019/01). I won't link to it here. If you don't know where to find it, kindly withdraw your name from the roster 😉
If you can, please update your Euroscope NavData to cycle 1901. This will ensure you have all new fixes, airways etc. which have been added recently. If you are not sure how to do this, speak to myself, Harry or someone who you think might know for assistance.
Take a good look at the roster, make sure you understand and can picture the different splits - especially the LTC splits. Some sectors will consolidate onto TC bandbox, and some onto their parent sector which might look confusing if you don't see the big picture (sometimes they'll just close, though 🙂 ).
Add this to your alias file. It includes all holding instructions we will realistically need and will save valuable RT time when pilots don't have the charts up. Do NOT spend unnecessary time trying to verbally give holding instructions more than once. If you need to repeat it, send the alias and be over with it.
If you are interested, here are the predicted arrival frequencies from each stack over 30 minute intervals throughout the event (times shown are wheels down times):
That was all for now. Don't forget that we are here to have fun, let's have a blast tomorrow! 😄
@Phillip Speer @Callum Axon @Chris Pawley @Fraser Cooper @Matthew Burton @Sebastian Rekdal @Lewis Hardcastle @Luke Collister @Dale Brooksby @Luke Brown
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