Introduction to Air
Traffic Control
SYST 460/560
Spring 2005
TEXT BOOK: Fundamentals of Air Traffic Control (Michael S. Nolan) 4th Ed.
OVERVIEW:
This course is intended to provide an introduction to
Air Traffic Control (ATC) for those who plan to work or conduct research in the
aviation industry.
It is a required course for those students interested
in specializing in air transportation systems by taking more in-depth courses.
The course will survey the entire field, providing an
understanding of the components and operation of the National Airspace System
(NAS).
The course will include aircraft operations and
systems, airline operations, air traffic control operations, systems and
technologies, and the structure and functions of the FAA.
The course will include the measurement and study of
the performance of the NAS.
The course will involve class participation, regular
homework, simulation and modeling, site visits, and some field work collecting
and analyzing data.
Course Objective: Students will learn the
necessary basic knowledge in air traffic management of the national air
transportation system. This course prepares students for work in the industry
and for conduct of graduate studies and research.
Relationship to Other Courses: This is a required
course for graduate students in air transportation systems. This course is
prerequisite for SYST 660.
SCHEDULE:*
Jan 26 1st day Course Overview, History of ATC (Nolan,
Chap1)
Feb 2 Aerodynamics (Handout)
Feb 9 Navigation - Enroute (Chap
2 Nolan), GPS CBT
Feb 16 Navigation - Approach (Chap 2 Nolan), Collaborative
Decision Making (Handouts)
Feb 23 - Navigation Runway (Chap 2
Nolan),
Mar 2 Air Traffic Control Structure (Chap 3 Nolan)
Mar 9 Mid-term (Closed Book)
Mar 16 Spring Break
Mar 23 Air Traffic Control Communications (Chap 4 Nolan),
Network Centric Operations (Handouts), Final
Project Proposals Due
Mar 30 Control Tower Procedures (Chap 6 Nolan)
Apr 6 Non-Radar Enroute and
Terminal Procedures (Chap 7, Nolan)
Apr 13 Radar Separation Procedures (Chap 9 Nolan)
Apr 20 Operation in NAS (Chap 10 Nolan)
Apr 27 NAS Modeling & Simulation (Handouts)
May 4 Last Class Review, Final Projects Due
May 11 Final Exam (Closed Book)
Textbook: Fundamentals of Air Traffic Control (Nolan)
*Subject to change without notice at the discretion of the instructor
LOGISTICS:
Course Handouts and Homework: http://www.pluto.gmu.edu/atse/SYST460560.html
Student obligations:
Weekly homework/quiz
turned in at start of class
Late penalty 10%
Mid-term/Final Exam (Closed-book*)
Final Project*
Abstract due after Spring break
Final paper due last day of class
Grading:
Homework/Quiz (25%)
Mid-term Exam (25%)
Class Project (25%)
Final Exam (25%)
Academic Honesty
Honor Code strictly enforced.
Suspected violations will be reported
Class Project
Undergraduates
10 - 20 page double space, with figures
Topics:
GPS/FMS Training Experiment
La Guardia Airport Modeling
MicroJets
UAVs: What is the Future
Airport Arrival/Delay Analysis
Matlab Modelling
Graduates
Topic: Collaborative Decision Making (CDM)
Final Report How CDM Operates
What is the problem ?
What is the Conceptual Solution
What is the Physical Implementation (Tools)
Conclusions
Read literature. Work with industry partners
Meetings to coordinate
Office Hours: Wed
HOW TO STUDY FOR THIS
CLASS:
70% of the material is declarative knowledge (facts)
Example the Class A airspace is from 18,000 ft MSL to
FL600
You will be asked to demonstrate that you can retrieve
these facts when asked
Studying is a memorization activity
Memorization requires repetition
Several repetitions (more than 5) each day
Several days (more than 4)
For example to be able to recall 8 items in a specific
order requires 13 repetitions over a 6 day period
30% of the material is procedural knowledge (procedures
using steps and rules)
Example, derive an equation, solve an equations
You will be asked to derive equations, solve equations
Studying is building conceptual understanding of the
procedure
Use equations in different ways
Requires explicit model, repetitions