In the context of continuing education, the Department of Airspace Control (DECEA) carried out, from June 27 to July 8, 2022, at the premises of the Airspace Control Institute (ICEA), another edition of the Air Traffic Control Body Chief of Staff Course (ATC), known as ATM046.
Under the coordination of the Air Traffic Control Specialist Captain Patrick William Martins de Almeida Barbosa, from the Regional Airspace Control Center (CRCEA-SE), said training, which totaled 98 hours of theoretical and practical instruction, brought together 12 representatives of DECEA Regional Bodies and Airspace Control Detachments ( DTCEA) subordinates.
Aiming at technical, operational and, above all, human resource management improvement, the course presents an innovative curricular proposal, focusing on the technical and psychological aspects of team management and the dynamics of simulated practice.
“The course is extremely important for the Officer working in an ATC Unit, since many tools are offered as possibilities for managing resources, people and crises. During practice, for example, the various simulated scenarios bring situations similar to real scenarios and, as a result, there is a notable increase in knowledge and greater exchange of experiences among participants”, pointed out Captain Patrick.
The ATC Unit Chief of Staff is a key link in ensuring operational safety, fluidity and orderly air traffic. And, for this task to be carried out homogeneously and with a degree of excellence, throughout the national territory, standardization becomes a unique process.
for the psychologist Bruna Pontes Cardoso, instructor and member of the Coordination, belonging to the staff of CINDACTA I, the Team Leader must act as a leader, including managing the interpersonal relationships of the team that is on a duty shift.
In addition, it is also its function to guide the teams of Controllers and advise the authorities on situations that occur in the daily life of air traffic. The psychological aspects of the course have a primary objective, to change the professional's behavior”, he said.
In the same sense, "ATM046 showed the importance of the leader to the group, as his presence is constant in operational and istrative moments, and what most called attention was the need to understand the limits of each team member", he stressed. Captain Noeliton Air Traffic Control Specialist Timothy dos Santos, representative of CINDACTA III.
Also acting as course instructors were Lieutenants Specialists in Air Traffic Control Fábio Henry Lima e Silva de Oliveira (CINDACTA I), Paulo César by Oliveira Godoy (CINDACTA II) and Gabriel Sedycias de Queiroz (CINDACTA IV), conducting the most diverse scenarios of simulated practice, with themes that dealt with the following circumstances:
– Drone sighting in the vicinity of Airports; – Actions in cases of Illicit Interference on board aircraft; – Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats; – Serious Aeronautical Accidents and Incidents; – Power outage in the ATC unit; – Communication failures; – Emergency landings; – Psychological factors that affect the continuity of tasks.
This theater of operations took place in the second week of the course, covering the activities not only of the team leader, but also of the coordinator, the supervisor and the air traffic controller himself, with the objective of approaching real and more complex operations. , the approach to the factors that contribute to the emergence of conflicts and, above all, the proliferation of good practices for crisis management.
For the First Lieutenant Air Traffic Control Specialist Ana Lucia Bezerra Cordeiro (CRCEA-SE), effective communication, emotional intelligence and crisis management were the most relevant contents in the course. “The tools and scenarios presented, added to the discussions in the classroom, contributed to better prepare the team leader. Thus, as a leader, you will be able to make more assertive decisions”, stressed the officer.
The ATM046 coordination has made efforts so that all team leaders in action are trained by the end of 2023, and is already preparing for the next edition of the course, which will take place in the second half of August of this year.
Street: DECEA Social Communication Office
Text: 1st Lt Esp CTA Eduardo Silva – edited by Daisy Meireles (RJ 21523 JP)
Photos: ICEA
