Air Traffic Controllers are thought to be distant authoritative
"Gods" whose main purpose in life is to keep pilots from killing
themselves and others by telling them where to go. Behind that confident decisive voice we hear on the radios are
men and women who come through some intense training in order to get a job
that pays well and commands respect.
At this time the only real information the pilot has about air traffic comes in the form of government directives
and orders, written in stilted
language that tells the pilot what he has to do, but not why. They do not tell the pilot how
their actions are welded into a pattern that affects all the other pilots.
An Air Traffic Control specialist for over 26 years, first with the Federal Government and more lately with
Lockheed Martin, Rose Marie Kern
writes articles for 17 different aviation magazines and newsletters and is a popular speaker for pilot associations in the southwest. The book she is writing, Air to Ground, gives pilots a
glimpse into the cold corridors of Air Traffic, and allows them insights into the people who work in an environment so critical to their own.
Air to Ground contains current and historical data on the National Airspace System, the Air Traffic Control
System,
and aviation weather in a way that is friendly, easily readable and understandable to even the most novice pilot.
It is not meant to replace the government’s directives, but to supplement them.
Although there are a few books that talk about Air Traffic on the market, no other book approaches the pilot from
this perspective, it fills
a vacancy long overlooked.
The book is divided into 7 sections including:
Intermingled with the technical information are stories and snippets of humor collected over the last 26 years.
These little bits exemplify
what happens in the Air Traffic workplace when the microphone is not keyed, humanizing
the disembodied voices the pilots hear.
"Air to Ground" is a phrase used to describe the frequencies used by the pilots when they speak to Air Traffic.
The book, Air to Ground, appeals to pilots, airport managers and the air traffic personnel who work in the U.S.
and will greatly enhance the pilot’s understanding of the National Airspace System, its procedures, and the people
whose job it is to provide for the safe and efficient flow of Air Traffic.
