Take Control Activities

In this module you learned about some of the causes and effects of airport delays. The FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center Real-time Airport Status Display offers a clickable map of major US airports with real-time information on airport conditions including flight arrival and departure delays caused by weather and other backups. Use the Real-time Airport Status Display to check out the current status of air traffic at airports near you and around the country. (Please note: this is a link to an external site.)

Next, try your hand as an air traffic controller. In the presented with four different scenarios. In each, a center controller radar screen will depict multiple aircraft. Your job is to interpret the information on the screen, and determine which of the aircraft are on conflicting flight paths. Check the identifier of each plane that is at risk, and then click the "Submit" button to see how you did. Note that this is a timed activity. Once the screen is displayed, you will have 90 seconds to make your decision. As you make your choices, think about what directions you, as a controller, would give to correct the situation. You will quickly gain an appreciation of the importance of the decsion support systems NASA is researching for air traffic management. You may want to review how to interpret RADAR blocks.