Section 6. Watch Supervision-Terminal/En Route
2-6-1. WATCH SUPERVISION
a. Watch
supervision requires maintaining situational awareness (defined
below) of traffic activity and operational conditions in order to
provide timely assistance to specialists and that ensure available
resources are deployed for optimal efficiency. Watch supervision
may be performed by a manager, supervisor, or controller-in-charge
(CIC). The objectives and tasks of watch supervision must be
specified in a facility directive, which is focused on operational
requirements. The directive must specify, as a minimum, the
required tasks for maintaining a safe and efficient operation.
These tasks must include, but are not limited to:
1. The
requirement to provide guidance and goals for the shift.
2. Monitoring/managing
traffic volume/flow.
3. Position
assignments.
4. Position
relief.
5. Training
assignments.
6. Processing
leave requests (e.g., leave approval).
7. Configuring/monitoring/reporting equipment
status.
8. Data
collection and reporting.
9. Monitoring
presidential aircraft and reporting security requirements.
10. Situational
awareness is defined as a continuous extraction of environmental
information, integration of this information with previous
knowledge to form a coherent mental picture, and the use of that
picture in directing further perception and anticipating future
events. Simply put, situational awareness means knowing what is
going on around you.
11. Management
of the operational environment with a goal toward eliminating
distractions.
12. Administrative
duties must not be accomplished to the detriment of any
operational duty.
NOTE-
Individuals medically disqualified or taking medically
disqualifying substances must not be assigned watch supervision
duties, in accordance with para 2-8-6, Restricted Drugs.
b. In
the role of watch supervision, a CIC must perform these duties in
accordance with management direction, with the following
exceptions:
1. Evaluating
and counseling employees on their performance.
2. Recommending
selections, promotions, awards, disciplinary actions, and
separations.
3. Site
Coordinator for drug or alcohol testing.
NOTE-
On-the-spot corrections are not considered an evaluation of
performance and are required as part of CIC duties.
2-6-2. WATCH SUPERVISION ASSIGNMENTS
a. Efficient
air traffic services require watch supervision regardless of the
number of people assigned. Facilities must establish local
procedures for watch supervision assignments.
b. Where
authorized, when two or more operations managers are assigned to
the shift, one must be designated as the Operations Manager in
Charge (OMIC). The OMIC is responsible for the day-to-day, shift
by shift, management of the control room operation.
c. When
two or more supervisory traffic management coordinators (STMC) are
on duty, one must be assigned as supervisory traffic management
coordinator-in-charge (STMCIC).
d. When
two or more operations supervisory personnel are on duty in an
operational area (for example, radar room, tower, ARTCC area,
etc.), one must be assigned as in charge.
NOTE-
These “in charge” personnel may be called OSIC, front line
manager-in-charge (FLMIC), or other names designated by the
facility manager.
e. When
two or more specialists are on duty and no supervisory personnel
are available, one specialist who is fully qualified and rated in
the assigned operational area must be designated as CIC to perform
the watch supervision duties.
NOTE-
In combined radar/tower facilities, when there's a tower CIC and
TRACON CIC, one must be designated as the overall
controller-in-charge (OCIC).
f. At facilities where a specialist
stands a watch alone, the responsibility for watch supervision
becomes part of his/her duties.
g. Personnel
performing watch supervision duties may be required to perform
operational duties in addition to watch supervision duties. The
performance of operational duties should be done on a limited
basis such as during periods of low activity.
h. An
individual is considered available for watch supervision when
he/she is physically present in the operational area and is able
to perform the primary duties of the function. If the supervisor/CIC
leaves the operational area or is engaged in an activity
which will interfere with or preclude the performance of
watch supervision duties, then another qualified individual must
be designated to supervise the watch.
2-6-3. CONTROLLER-IN-CHARGE
(CIC) DESIGNATION
a. Prior to being
designated as a CIC, specialists must meet the following
prerequisites:
1. Have been
certified for 6 months in the area/facility CIC duties to be
performed. (The Director of En Route and Oceanic Operations Area
Office or Terminal Operations Service Area Office may issue a
facility waiver for the 6 month requirement where a more immediate
assignment is needed. Waivers to facilities will be for 1 year,
with renewals based on the result of a yearly evaluation by the
area office director.)
2. Be
operationally current.
3. Be
selected by the air traffic manager or his/her designee.
4. Successfully
complete CIC training.
b. Specialists
who have been designated as a CIC and subsequently transfer to
another facility are not required to fulfill the requirement of
subpara 2-6-3a1 at the new facility; however, they must meet all
other prerequisites.
c. In
facilities that use CICs to provide midwatch coverage,
specialists that provide such coverage must be designated as a
CIC only for the purpose of providing midwatch coverage upon
facility/area certification and completion of the local CIC
training course. Air traffic managers must ensure the local CIC
training course is completed within 30 days of facility/area
certification/rating.
NOTE-
In combined radar/tower facilities, specialists who are certified
in the tower cab may be designated as CIC in the tower, provided
all of the above prerequisites are met.
2-6-4. CONTROLLER-IN-CHARGE (CIC) SELECTION PROCESS
a. All
eligible employees who meet the prerequisites of subparas 2-6-3a1
and 2 must be considered for selection as CIC. Air traffic
managers, when determining facility requirements for CICs, must
consider the following:
1. Facility
operational needs.
2. Scheduling
concerns.
3. Staffing
concerns.
4. Special
events.
5. Other
issues.
b. When
facility requirements are established, air traffic managers may
designate a panel to forward recommendations for CIC candidates to
the designated selecting official. A facility may have one
recommendation panel for each area of specialization.
c. The
recommendation panel must consider the following knowledge,
skills, and abilities (KSA) in reviewing each candidate. These
KSAs must include but are not limited to:
1. Problem
solving and analytical ability.
2. Planning
and organizing.
3. Decisiveness.
4. Judgement.
5. Communication
skill.
6. Interpersonal
skill.
d. The
recommendation panel must forward its recommendations to the air
traffic manager or his/her designee. Written feedback must be
provided to the selecting official for all candidates not
recommended including dissenting opinions.
e. Candidates
who are not selected to be a CIC, upon request, must be advised of
the reasons for nonselection. If applicable, specific areas the
employee needs to improve must be identified. Employees may
request assistance from their immediate supervisor in developing
options to improve the identified areas.
NOTE-
These provisions do not apply to midwatch CIC coverage.
2-6-5. CONSOLIDATING POSITIONS
a. Assign
personnel to positions as required by activity, equipment, and
facility function. Positions may be consolidated in consideration
of activity and the qualifications of the personnel involved.
b. To the extent staffing resources
permit, and where the position is established, the tower associate
(local assist) position must be staffed. This position is
considered essential to the operational integrity and safety
levels required to minimize the potential for surface errors and
land‐over incidents. Nonlocal control functions must not be
consolidated/combined at the local control position except during
periods of significantly reduced traffic levels.
c. When
conducting line up and wait (LUAW) operations, local control
position must not be consolidated/combined with any other
non-local control position.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7210.3, Para 10-3-8, Line Up and Wait (LUAW) Operations
2-6-6. RELIEF PERIODS
a. Personnel
performing watch supervision duties are responsible for ensuring
that breaks are administered in an equitable manner and applied so
as to promote the efficiency of the agency. They are also
responsible for ensuring that breaks are of a reasonable duration.
b. Personnel
performing watch supervision duties are responsible for knowing
the whereabouts of employees to ensure their availability for
position assignments.
c. Personnel
performing watch supervision duties must not condone or permit
individuals to sleep during any period duties are assigned. Any
such instance must be handled in accordance with applicable Agency
policy and the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
2-6-7. BASIC WATCH SCHEDULE
a. Facility
watch schedules must take into account normal traffic flow,
thereby permitting the posting of a continuing schedule for an
indefinite period of time. Facility management is responsible for
ensuring watch schedules are in accordance with collective
bargaining agreements.
b. Air
traffic control specialists whose primary duties are those
directly related to the control and separation of aircraft must
meet the following criteria:
1. Do
not work more than 10 operational hours in a shift.
2. Hours
worked before a shift, whether operational or not, will count as
operational hours.
3. All
work beyond 10 hours must be nonoperational.
4. Have
at least an 8-hour break from the time work ends to the start of
any shift, except as follows:
(a) Employees
are required to have a minimum of 9 consecutive hours off duty
preceding the start of a day shift. For purposes of this
paragraph only, a day shift is generally defined as a shift
where the majority of hours fall between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
(b) This
requirement applies to all shift changes, swaps, and overtime to
include scheduled, call-in, and holdover assignments.
5. Have
an off-duty period of at least 12 hours following a midnight
shift. (A midnight shift is defined as a shift in which the
majority of hours are worked between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.)
6. Do
not work more than six shifts without taking a regular day off.
7. Authorized
leave, compensatory time used, and credit hours used are
considered hours of work.
8. These
criteria apply to shift adjustments, including the exchange of
shifts and/or days off and the change of shifts and/or days off.
2-6-8. OVERTIME DUTY
Facility
air traffic managers must ensure that overtime duty is equitably
distributed among all eligible employees who desire it. Retain
overtime duty records for 12 months.
2-6-9. HOLIDAY STAFFING
a. Facility
Air Traffic Managers must ensure that the scheduled staffing is
adjusted on holidays to a level consistent with the anticipated
workload. Application of this policy is not intended to result in
a standardized holiday staffing schedule for all holidays. Holiday
staffing schedules may vary for individual holidays since the
traffic in a particular area cannot always be expected to be the
same for each holiday.
b. Prior
to establishing work schedules for a Federal holiday, facility air
traffic managers must:
1. Consider
the previous year's traffic statistics for each holiday.
2. Check,
as appropriate, with local sources (Air National Guard, USN, USAF
Reserves, local flying schools, fixed base operators, etc.), for
information concerning anticipated activity.
2-6-10. ADMINISTRATIVE HOURS OF DUTY
Hours of
duty of facility air traffic managers and administrative staffs
should conform with the duty hours of their respective service
area office.
2-6-11. FACILITY COMPLEMENTS
Facility
air traffic managers will be currently informed by the service
area office of their authorized facility personnel complements.
The authorized complement will always be the end-of-year
employment ceiling authorization. Circumstances may result in the
establishment of a complement different from that provided in
workload formulas.
2-6-12. CONSOLIDATING TOWER/TRACON FUNCTIONS
a. At
facilities where both tower and radar/nonradar approach control
services are provided, the air traffic manager must ensure, to
the maximum extent possible, that these functions are not
consolidated during non-midwatch operations unless unforeseen
circumstances or emergency situations arise which would preclude
compliance with this paragraph.
b. During
midwatch operations (where the majority of hours fall between
10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.) when traffic permits, all functions
may be consolidated for meals or breaks.
c. Air
traffic managers must ensure that no less than two
fully-certified and current operational personnel are assigned
to midnight shift, unless no such personnel are available for
assignment. In the event circumstances result in an
operation with staffing of only one
fully-certified and current operational person, coordination
must be accomplished with an adjacent facility
before the operational person
can leave the operational quarters
for physiological breaks. This should be accomplished during
periods of light to zero traffic.
2-6-13. SINGLE PERSON TRACON/TOWER
OPERATIONS
In the event circumstances
result in shift staffing of only one fully-certified and
operationally-current person, coordination must be accomplished
as follows:
a. Single-person
TRACON operations.
1. This
type of operation must include some form of challenge or
response to aircraft hand-offs between two facilities/functions.
2. Automated
coordination cannot be silent hand-offs that do not include
human interaction. It must be either manually coordinated
(verbally via landline) or positively acknowledged via
automation (acceptance of the handoff by keystroke entry).
3. In
the event verbal coordination on inbound flights is required, it
should be completed before communications transfer. If there is
no response from the single-staffed facility controller,
immediate action must be taken to determine the status of the
unresponsive controller and begin appropriate notifications.
4. In
all cases where a facility midnight shift is staffed with a
single person, the following additional communication checks
must take place:
(a) The
approach control facility must initiate a communications check
on the hour and at 30 minutes past the hour with the en route
facility providing service to the TRACON, unless procedures are
established locally with another FAA facility to accomplish this
task.
(b) The
servicing en route facility or FAA facility must initiate a
communications check with the TRACON at 15 and 45 minutes past
the hour to ensure communications can be verified with the
single-staffed operation, unless procedures are established
locally with another FAA facility to accomplish this task.
b. Single-person
tower operations.
1. This
type of operation must include some form of challenge or
response to aircraft hand-offs between two facilities/functions.
2. This
type of operation must include verbal coordination on all ATIS
changes. For example, when there is a change to the ATIS, a call
to the TRACON or en route facility providing approach control
services advising them of the change must be on a recorded line.
3. Verbal
coordination over established communication lines to the
departure controller confirming that they are prepared to accept
the flight should be completed before issuing takeoff clearance
when the receiving facility is a single-staffed TRACON. If there
is no response from the single-staffed facility controller,
immediate action must be taken to determine the status of the
unresponsive controller and begin appropriate notifications.
4. In
all cases where a facility midnight shift is staffed with a
single person, the following additional communication checks
must take place:
(a) The
tower must initiate a communications check with the facility
providing approach control services on the hour and at 30
minutes past the hour, unless procedures are established locally
with another FAA facility to accomplish this task.
(b) The
servicing approach control facility or FAA facility must
initiate a communications check with the tower at 15 and 45
minutes past the hour to ensure communications can be verified
with the single-staffed operation, unless procedures are
established locally with another FAA facility to accomplish this
task.
NOTE-
The requirement for challenge/communications checks can be
accomplished through the exchange of traffic or information,
either verbally or through automation.
c. Up/Down
facilities during midnight shifts.
1. When
operations permit, it is expected that functions will be
consolidated to facilitate breaks.
2. If
the facility is not working with both functions in the cab and
has a single-staffed operation in either operating quarters, the
single-staffed operation practices apply.
3. Single-staffed
challenge checks can be applied between tower/TRACON in up/down
facilities rather than through the overlying en route facility.
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