Special Departure Frequencies: A Look at China's Aviation Safety Reporting System SCASS
Reviewing the terminology one last time against the provided tables.
- 离场 - Used Departure.
- 频率 - Used Frequency.
- 高度 - Used Altitude.
- 改平 - Used Level Off.
- 西离场 - Used West Departure.
- 离港程序 - Used Departure Procedure (SID is the code, Departure Procedure is the term).
- 情境意识 - Situational Awareness (Standard Aviation English).
- 特情 - Emergency / Abnormal Situation.
- 管制员 - Air Traffic Controller.
Everything looks solid.
One tiny detail: “离场时更换管制频率”. My translation: “Changing Control Frequency During Departure”. This is a noun phrase suitable for a title/link.
Final check on “离场识别席位”. Departure Identification Position. “Position” is good for ATC organizational units (like Radar Position, etc.).
Ready to output. 温故而知新,去SCASS看看有什么更新,发现一个有趣的案例:Changing Control Frequency During Departure。下面抄录一下。
原报告如下:
(北京首都国际机场ZB)AA,早晨八点左右,36R Runway。Ground Control and Tower notified the crew to tune to Departure frequency 121.1 for takeoff clearance.
After takeoff, contacting 121.1, we were told to contact 124.4. We tuned to 124.4, and they instructed us to Climb to altitude 2100 meters. After Leveling Off at 2100 meters, 124.4 instructed us to contact 121.1 again, and 121.1 then instructed us to Climb further.
This whole process took only two or three minutes.
If a malfunction occurs during this phase while the crew is busy Tuning the Frequency, the malfunction will inevitably not be detected immediately. Most critically, with their attention divided, the crew cannot quickly regain optimal Situational Awareness, thus delaying the best opportunity to handle the emergency, which is extremely detrimental to safety.
Expert explanation is as follows:
121.1 is the frequency for the “West Departure” sector in the AA Approach area. 124.4 is the frequency for the “Departure Identification Position” in the AA Approach area.
The main tasks of the Departure Identification Position:
- To perform initial radar control identification for all departing aircraft;
- To confirm that the aircraft have correctly joined the Departure Procedure in accordance with ATC instructions;
- To ensure separation between aircraft and free up altitude levels for subsequently departing aircraft, the controller will issue Climb instructions.
As described in the report, the controller instructed the aircraft taking off from Runway 36 Right to Climb to 2100 meters, while instructing aircraft taking off from Runway 36 Left and Runway 01 on either side to Climb to 1500 meters. This control process is very short, basically not exceeding 2 minutes.
The activation and deactivation of the Departure Identification Position are determined by air traffic flow. Therefore, this position is generally open for short periods during the morning peak traffic hours. Before activation and after deactivation, aircraft maintain contact with frequency 121.1.
I checked the AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication) and found very little information. It seems that just looking at the AIP is insufficient to know these specific ATC operations.
APP Call sign: Beijing Departure 124.40(124.70) AP07 2300-1400 Contact AP05/AP06 when AP07 out of service
No wonder the pilots filed a complaint.