Air Traffic Control
was carried out from the second floor of the tower,
the Navy 'Watch Office' on the roof not appearing to be used operationally.
At first Control was by M/F and VHF radio, with ground direction
finders and radio reports from aircraft being the only means of determining
aircraft positions. Flight Progress strips came into use showing aircraft
details and control instructions issued.. During this decade the
M/F services were withdrawn from use, as more aircraft were equipped with
VHF radios. Right at the end of the decade, in 1959, the new Visual Control
Room was installed on top of the Navy Watch Office, resulting in some major
modifications to the internal structure. Also in this period a former Royal
Navy FV5 VHF direction finder was installed, bringing near instantaneous
bearings on aircraft transmissions into the control room. Previously they
would have been passed on paper slips from the D/F operator in the room
behind control
  
     
Operations and facilities
in 1951
Based on some local
charts and text pages from the RAF Radio Facilities Charts book dated 31st
December 1951. 'Airways' have been established for positive control of
en-route aircraft, 'Red Three' going overhead the Isle of Man between Liverpool
and Belfast. A 'radio-range' had been established at Cregneash, operating
on 391 Khz with an identification of 'MYI' This radiated four 'legs',
towards Belfast, Wallasey, Dean Cross (Cumbria) and Dublin with associated
VHF 'Fan Markers' at Wallasey, Dean Cross and Portaferry (N. Ireland).
The radio range transmitted audio morse code 'A - .'
and 'N . -' letters. iI the aircraft
was left of track the pilot would here the letter 'N' in his headphones,
if right of track the letter 'A'. When on track they would merge to a continuous
tone. It must have been quite tiring! There was also an NDB at Cregneash
'GCF' on 312.5 KHz, which was more for marine use, operating as part of
an Irish Sea network on the same frequency, transmitting according to a
set timetable.
Ronaldsway is shown
equipped with an NDB 'GJE' operating on 322 KHz and SBA 'Standard beam
Approach' on runway 27, also coding 'GJE', operating on 33.3 Mhz with an
Inner Marker beacon on 38 MHz, SBA gave similar indications to the radio
range, providing what we now know as a Localizer approach to the runway.
The approach would commence overhead the 'GJE' NDB and an outbound leg
would be flown away from the airfield, descending to a intermediate height.
After a set time period, probably 2 minutes, an inbound turn would be commenced
to establish on 'the beam' before commencing a final descent until the
airport came into sight. The inner marker beacon was situated inside the
airport boundary and indicated imminent arrival over the runway threshold.
There would have also been approaches published based on the GJE NDB for
both runways 27 and 09.
For communications,
Ronaldsway is show having HF radio on 3255 KHz, with Approach Control on
VHF 119.7 MHz and Tower on 118.7 Mhz. Also available was 121.5 MHz (Civil
Emergency) and 116.1 MHz (Military Emergency. VHF Direction finding was
available on 119.7, 121.5 and 116.1.
   
The Airways were controlled
from Preston Air Traffic Control Centre, one of three established in the
UK, the other being Scottish, at Prestwick and Uxbridge in London. Preston
used VHF 119.3 KHz (with HF 3270 KHz as backup) for all its airways, with
VHF 118.5 KHz and HF 5692 KHz available for Flight Information Service.
The RAF had their own Control Centre at Preston.
In the 1950s an Instrument
Landing System was commissioned on runway 27. This gave pilots an indication
of both lateral (Localizer) and vertical (Glidepath) position on final
approach, displayed on a Course Deviation Indicator instrument in the cockpit.
The Localizer aerial was at the far end of the runway with the Glidepath
aerial by the side of the runway close to the touchdown point. An Outer
Marker beacon was installed on Santon Head, with the Inner Marker inside
the airfield boundary. With this precision system, landings could be accomplished
in much poorer weather conditions than before.The SBA continued in operation
for non ILS equipped aircraft.
New Visual Control
Room (1959)
External plans of the
control tower for before and after the new Visual Control Room and two
internal plans of the tower layout before the VCR.
   
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