A day at the office.
 

Keeps us awake. ;)

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8634/atcmas.png

Not being familiar with ATC...

Is the second number in the second row altitude? Do the lines in front represent time?

First line is callsign, second line is actual level, attitude indicator, planned level. After that we can select a third line with speed (accurate to the knot) and vertical speed. New enhanced ModeS system (transponder) shows us the actual heading and altitude tuned into the FMS.

Garp...wow. No way I could do that. Had a friend who was an ATC and a pilot. One time, he felt a ATC at a small field had given him improper info while he was landing his little cessna. Said so on the radio. ATC responded: "I can fly that plane of yours, can you run this tower?" Bob said he hit the steps of that tower 3 at a time... ;)

So that's why they are always telling me to "speed it up British 23K!"

Here's a cool web site where you can listen to ATL atc + watch the radar. My dad was an Eastern Airlines pilot and my wife is a captain on an CRJ. I've been around aviation all of my life and it still amazes me how well this system works!

http://www.atcmonitor.com/

They all look to be pretty much on the same level - is that right? Too bad they don't show the actual images of the craft coming in - little drawings of them instead of boxes. Boxes are so impersonal...

Very cool Garp.....it must have been insane in the minutes after 9/11 when all the planes were ordered to land.

It looks like he is in Europe from his info.

Our company bid on a job to map the DFW airport with aerial photography. Our pilot almost threw up when we told him he might have to fly back and forth right over DFW.

As long as he flies perpendicular to the runway in use, there will be no problems. One of the most common clearances when crossing Puget Sound East/West is to fly directly over Sea-Tac airport, as all arriving and departing traffic is to the North and South. Seems wierd the first couple times to be in a little four-seater flying over the top of Boeings, but that's how to stay out of their way.

I was working that day, all the flights going Stateside and not yet over halfway had to return. Strange and busy for us too but not to be compared what the US and Canadian ATC accomplished that day.