Air Traffic Controller

Tower Controllers

Tower Controllers work in the control tower at an aerodrome where they are responsible for all aircraft and vehicle movements on the taxi ways, runways and in the immediate vicinity of the aerodrome. Airservices Australia operates 26 control towers around Australia.

Profile of a Tower Controller - Neil Hall

Hi, my name is Neil Hall and I would like to give you an insight into what it is like to be a Tower Controller.

I have worked as an Air Traffic Controller for 23 years including en-route and terminal. The last 8 years have been in Coolangatta Tower providing air traffic service to all aircraft within 7 nautical mile radius of Coolangatta Airport up to 1500 feet in what is known as the Coolangatta Control Zone.

Coolangatta Tower is a radar tower like Brisbane or Sydney, however tower controllers also work in regional non-radar towers such as Albury or Coffs Harbour. The third tower environment is general aviation towers which are located near major cities to facilitate the training of pilots and light aircraft operations.

All Air Traffic Controllers are required to provide a service which varies according to the type of airspace they look after. At Coolangatta I am required to prevent collisions between aircraft in the air, sometimes by asking pilots to sight each other and at other times by keeping them at different levels or keeping them on different routes. Aircraft must also be kept apart on the ground. This is done by issuing specific taxi instructions from the time they leave the terminal and by not allowing more than one aircraft on the runway at the same time. A tower controller must also provide pilots with weather information, general information about the aerodrome and a search and rescue service which may involve pushing the crash alarm to alert the airport fire-fighters or notifying local police if other emergency services are required.

The types of aircraft given service include large and small jets, military aircraft, commuter turbo-props, light training aircraft, helicopters, powered gliders, hot air balloons, parachute aircraft and ultra-lights. Many of these aircraft are on joy flights or training flights that cut across the landing or departing traffic.

My work environment presents different problems every day and there are always a number of ways of solving those problems.

Do you like being close to the action and enjoy a challenge? Are you able to react quickly to changing situations? Do you work well in a small group or alone? Consider joining Airservices Australia as a Tower Controller. The view is fantastic!