GATCO, the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) and other aviation and ATM stakeholders got together for the 2nd one-day Controller-Pilot Symposium on the 16th of October at the Holiday Inn London Heathrow M4 Jct 4. The event attracted around 65 aviation and ATM professionals and the discussions therein showed the level of interest pilots and air traffic controllers have in the future of their professions and the changes coming their way.

The symposium included 4 presentations covering a wide range of topics of interest to both pilots and air traffic controllers. In addition, there were 5 technical exhibitors which had the opportunity to present and display their work. In addition, a panel session at the end of the day gave attendees an opportunity to ask additional questions and bring up topics of concern which had not been addressed during the day.

Andy Sage, Head of UTM, NATS, opened the day with a presentation on the work NATS has been carried out recently in the UTM arena, highlighting the need for integration rather than segregation when it comes to managing the airspace and the different airspace users. Robert Mills, Head of Airspace Strategy, DfT and Rebecca Roberts-Hughes, Deputy Director, Strategy and Policy, CAA, gave an overview of the UK’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy and the different areas where work is commencing to ensure UK airspace and technology are ready to deal with future demand for air traffic efficiently.

Tom Laursen, Executive Vice President Europe, IFATCA, described the controllers’ views on past and present efforts on the implementation of the Single European Sky, their shortcomings and whether future initiatives can be successful within the context of Reference Period 3 performance targets. Alison Slater, Head of Investigations and Enforcement Team, CAA, explained the CAA’s position on Just Culture in the wake of the recent conviction of a Swiss air traffic controller and also described CAA’s actions to tackle one of the biggest safety risks to ANSPs around the country, airspace infringements.

You can download their presentations below:

The following technical exhibitors took part in the symposium:

Airbus Defence and Space displayed a 3D human-machine interface for air traffic control which can change the way aircraft are controlled in the future.

Airspace4All showed how their ADS-B trials are helping to find ways of enhancing the safety of GA operations and, potentially, future drone integration.

Blighter Surveillance Systems displayed how their technology can be used to tackle the unlawful use of drone.

Hensoldt (Kelvin Hughes) showed their modular and scalable Counter UAV System.

Snowflake Software presented their work on data sharing and information management within the aviation industry.

You can download their presentations below: