The New Control Room
 
All control was now
from the new Control Room installed in 1959 on top of the former Royal
Navy Watch Office. The Approach and Tower Controllers sat next to each
other with the Assistant at a separate desk behind. All IFR Approach
Control was done 'procedurally' using lateral (time) and vertical separation
based on reports from the aircraft. If several aircraft arrived at the
same time they would be held overhead the airfield, vertically separated
and using the renamed RON NDB for lateral guidance. Each aircraft would
make its approach in turn and as levels in the hold were reported vacated
the aircraft above would be descended. Outbound aircraft had to be integrated
by keeping inbounds above them in the hold until lateral separation could
be proved. The only electronic aid controllers had was an AD210 Cathode
Ray Tube Direction Finder, situated in front of the Approach Controller,
which would give near instantaneous bearings on aircraft radio transmissions.
Aircraft reports and ATC instructions would be recorded on paper Flight
Progress Strips. It would appear that the Standard Beam Approach (SBA)
aid had been withdrawn and the usual instrument approach for runway 27
would be using the Instrument Landing System (ILS), for runway 09 an NDB
approach was required. Most Installed in the early sixties a VOR beacon
was located at Cregneash to replace the radio range, this could also be
used for making instrument approaches to runway 09 This was subsequently
upgraded with DME. En-Route Non Directional Beacons were at Cregneash and
Carnane. The Area Control Centre at Preston would issue outbound Airways
clearances and pass releases on inbound aircraft, probably using the phrase
'can I have your lowest & earliest Ronaldsway' - lowest level available
at the beacon and the earliest Expected Approach time. A 'release message'
would then be passed to Ronaldsway, specifying the position, time or level
at which Ronaldsway ATC would take over control of the aircraft from Preston.
The Control Tower from
outside
  
New Control Room
- 4th floor
     
Original RN Watch Office
- 3rd floor
1940s & 1950s Control
Room floor, 1960s Telecommunications Equipment Room - 2nd floor
  
Meteorological Office
- 1st floor
 
Teleprinter & Telephone
section - ground floor
 
The Isle of Man VOR
(VHF Omnidirectional Range)
Installed as part of
the network of new VOR beacons to define the airways system, the 'IOM'
complimented the existing Non Directional Beacon at Cregneash and was originally
maintained by ATC engineers based at Ronaldsway. Subsequently Distance
Measuring Equipment (DME) was added, the VOR/DME combination giving the
bearing and distance from the beacon.
  
Radar for Area Control
Up until the early 1960,
Area Control from Preston Centre had been entirely proceedural, using vertical
and horizontal separations based on pilot reports. The first civil Area
radar had been installed at London Heathrow in 1950 to assit the controllers
at Uxbridge Centre and improve safety and expedite traffic around the various
London Airports, but it wasn't until about 1963 that a Marconi S264 radar
was installed at St Annes, which would have given coverage out to the Isle
of Man. Athough obviously of great assistance to the controllers at Preston,
there probably wasn't much change in ATC proceedures at Ronaldsway until
radar was installed here. There was also a Type 80 Air Defence radar installed
at Bishops Court in Northern Ireland in the late 1950s that was used for
air traffic control (Ulster Radar), it would have given excellent coverage
over the Isle of Man, but was not available at Preston centre.
  
1966 - Radar installed
at Ronaldsway (Again!)
Although the Royal Navy
had radar at Ronaldsway in the 1940s this was removed when they vacated
the airfield and it wasn't until 1966 radar was was again installed at
Ronaldsway, a very modern Plessey AR-1 10cm type already in use at London
Heathrow and Guernsey Airports. The old Royal Navy Watch Office was converted
to house the equipment and the Approach Controller moved out of the visual
control room to be seated next to the radar consoles.. Inbound aircraft
could be sequenced and separated laterally from outbound aircraft, cutting
the inevitable delays when aircraft are controlled 'procedurally'. Surveillance
Radar Approaches could also be provided, guiding the aircraft along the
final approach track and giving advisory descent heights each mile down
to two miles from touchdown or until the aircraft became visual with the
runway. There were no electronic 'video maps' on the radar, perspex overlays
being employed to show the final approach tracks and reporting points.
The radar display had to be manually aligned with these using radar reflectors
positioned around the airfield. When the radar was out of service for any
reason, control reverted to procedural. The Approach Controller sitting
next to radar was still in charge and would ask radar to assist in resolving
conflictions. Aircraft had to be identified by observing the reported heading
and giving a turn of 30 degrees or more and observing the turn onto the
new track. Departing aircraft could be identified by observing them appearing
on the radar after the airborne time had been passed from Tower. If there
was a conflict, inbound aircraft could be given a 'Radar Release' to Ronaldsway
by Preston Radar identifying the aircraft in conflict to Ronaldsway by
reference to a common place marked on both radar displays.
     
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