As all began
The beginning of the air traffic service activity in civil aviation concerns to formation of the first in 1922 (then in the USSR) constantly working airlines. At operation of the first airlines, the aircraft's traffic management was carried out by the commanders of flying detachments.
The commander gave out to the pilot the permission to flight, visually observed for taxiing and taking off of the plane and fixed time of a start, but then he was in complete ignorance about flight of the plane. About the ending of flight and its results he found out from the messages of the pilot of the plane or chief of a landing platform, which were transferred with the large delays on the phone or telegraph of post or railway departments.
During the flight the pilot was given to himself, as the planes and the commander of the airport as well, had not any communication facility, as the radio engineering just arose. Mainly, flights were carried out at small heights at visual orientation of locality and along railroads. Some airlines, every 100-200 km, had control-semaphore points which were located near spare landing fields or at railway stations. Those points had special alarm panels, which helped to give the pilot the information on an opportunity of continuation of flight. For orientation of pilots and control of airplane flying there were special platforms with marking writings at control-semaphore points indicating the name of place or number, direction of a route of flight (arrow) and distance, passed and left up to the next semaphore point or up to each point of landing were arranged. Red number was written on a roof of a building of the semaphore point. The pilot, flying by above semaphore points, was guided on his flying map and supervised airplane flying.
At the further development of a network of airlines and increase of intensity of flights such system of air traffic management has become completely unsuitable. In searches of necessary organization have begun to be applied separate elements of dispatching system borrowed from other types of transport, mainly railway, and also the experience of foreign airlines was used.
For the first time elements of air traffic management on airlines partially were entered in 1929 the first year of skilled operation of an airline of main importance Moscow - Irkutsk with a stretch up to 4700 km under the initiative of the chief of this line Mr. Kirillov I.K.
Thus of the separate traffic device was not created, and the functions of the controller were executed by the chief of an operational department of a line. The air traffic communication with the airports was carried out through telegraph of post and railway departments. "The Diagram of movement" was applied to the control of movement of planes on an airline as a railway transportation, used in a dispatching service.
In 1930 the first project "Rules about an air traffic control service on airlines of the USSR" was developed. The basic task of an air traffic control service on a rule was appropriate regulation of movement of planes on airlines for maintenance of passage of separate sites under the timetable or diagram and elimination of the reasons causing difficulty and delay of movement at the airports. The safety of flights was assigned to the pilots and commanders of airports.
The significant shifts in civil aviation and in perfection of an air traffic control service have taken place in 1932 after formation of the Main Administration of Civil Air Fleet (MACAF) at SPC USSR, that promoted development of a domestic air and radio engineering industry. In airdromes the receiving-transmitting radio stations, short wave ground bearing-finders and lighting engineering equipment, and on planes - onboard radio stations were established. In connection with starting to equip the airports with radio engineering means there was put a task to fly regularly all the year round and during all time of day and night. The new tasks have changed also meaning of an air traffic control service. The reorganization of structure of a service and methods of a management was required. In result there was a necessity for creation at the airports, in airdromes and in territorial administrations CAF of an air traffic control service, and also in scientifically reasonable preparation of the experts for management of air traffic. The commanders of airplanes, and also former pilots who have been retired on health, but with large flying experience were involved in an air traffic control service at the airports as an air traffic controllers.
The science officers of the Leningrad institute of the engineers of CAF at faculty of air communications have taken part in development of scientific methods of preparation of the experts for an air traffic control service, and since 1933 the beginning of special retraining of the air traffic controllers on courses of improvement with one-year for training is necessary. In 1935 the first Courses of highflying preparation are formed, on which the pilots, navigators, radiooperators on board, ground radiooperators - radio bearing finders and an air traffic controllers were trained.
In the further courses were transformed into School of High Flying Preparation - SHFP CAF.
The saved experience of an air traffic control management in prewar period positively had an effect during the WWII. The an air traffic control service was improved in using of active methods. This was promoted by the equipment of ATC points by command radio, telephone, radio stations ensuring an opportunity conduct a radioexchange with crews of planes, to receive the information from crews about carried out flight and to transfer them the necessary instructions and orders on a safety of flights. For conducting a radioexchange in a telephone mode, was developed typical phraseology and controllers of the airports and airplanes are given identification signal.
In 1945 for good safety of flights in difficult meteorological conditions and limited horizontal visibility, and also in night time is established separation of flights by heights on roots, i.e. began dispersal of flights in a vertical direction (vertical separation).
The radical change of all structure of organization and performance of flights and accordingly of an air traffic control service has taken place in 1947 with introduction in action of "the Basic rules of flights over the territory of the USSR". In connection with the carried out reorganization of zones of the responsibility and execution authorized by "the Temporary instruction on a management of movement of planes on airlines CAF". It was a necessity to increase of the responsibility for flight. The Institute of the chiefs of flights (CF) was created with the purpose of increase of safety and regularity of flights, rendering assistance to the commanders of airplanes during taking off and landings in difficult meteorological conditions in the daytime and nighttime, and also for a daily control of flights. The air traffic control service was constantly improved and equipped.
Taken from interview of the senior lecturer of Civil Aviation Academy Michael Aphanasievitch Teterin to the author of the book " The Pilots of the Air Ships" Gennadi Smolyanin.
Translated by Fedor Cherdincev