Interview with the chief of ACC "Strela" S.N. Pogrebnov
First question I would like to ask is: "Do you think, this year was successful for "Strela" or not, and why, I mean our service, of course"?
It is not easy to express my opinion in some word. I think last year was rather hard for our service and for ATC service of Russia on the whole. Here I wouldn't speak about considerable success of the service or enterprise. First of all there are no strict laws, rules working today and we do not know what they will be like tomorrow, plus constant reconstruction in structures of Federal Air service, in structure of state corporation of ATC. This corporation was created in December of 1996. A year passed, but created structure didn't work to a full measure. The management apparatus of State corporation has been created, but without defining its status and powers. The form of property was not defined. It is necessary to do this in order to attach to corporation buildings, construction, objects of providing flights and direct ATC. We don't have it yet. That's why it is hard to say that last year was successful. Moreover there is a fall in volume of work of airtransport. The intensity of air traffic is reducing. In comparison with other regions of Russia we are in better position, but any ATC enterprise's success is providence of safety in conditions of intensive air traffic.
Don't you think, that in conditions of low air traffic intensity, people, who worked in conditions of serious intensity during first years of "Strela"'s functioning, are losing their skill and newcomers do not acquire it?
This is not only our problem, first of all this is a problem of those who train these specialists. It is said-first-knowledge, then-experience and skill. The problem of specialists training exist. I can not judge whether this problem is objective or subjective. But the quality for today is rather poor. We are in better position we have a training module.
What is the most pressing problem for today: equipment, professional training, discipline. What?
Discipline. Then , professional training and organization of shifts work and work of service on the whole. And I think that initiative in professional training should come from controllers themselves.
Did you take for basis some outlines in organization of shifts` work and professional training, made in other cities?
I am not the truth in last instance be taken from neighbors. Something I see, something I read. If I go somewhere, I appreciate, what I can take for consideration.
Have you met service chiefs of other centers?
Yes, we met, solved problems. But I want to visit Volgograd. Because I like the background of controllers from Volgograd. These people know documents, know how to work with them. As for other regions our background is better in comparison with them.
When you were taking this position, did you really knew about all difficulties?
Of course I knew that everything is very complicated.
Surely, life is impossible without compromises. Are you often ready for compromise?
I ever hardly compromised. But I understand that in life there is no only black or white color and we should defer life realities. Moreover compromises may be different, and I think there is a "border line" I wont cross.
How do you think, isn't it easier to transit to technology "in process of ATC then to work according double" technology?
We should prepare staff for such transition. And our equipment. It will Demand huge financial investments. And moreover, today we have a system which should be supported until we build a new one. Good or bad, but we cored the European part of the country with radar field. Our neighbors Turkey and Greece, are only dreaming about it. I think everything is not so bad.
Tell us about relationships with neighbors?
There are some difficulties in relationships with Azerbaijan, Georgia. We didn't meet personally, but we keep up relations. I have rather close contact with service chiefs of Simpheropol and Harkov. A can not say that our relationships with Moscow are very warm, but there is an understanding and wish to work from both sides.
Let us admit, that some incident took place in the process of work with another center. For instance, with Tbilishi. An investigation was appointed. But Tbilishi is situated in another state and it is unknown how this investigation will go on. But it is necessary to react. And it is well known, that drawbacks can be found in any work.
Yes, you can always find drawbacks and it is necessary to look for them. And rules of ICAO say that we should look for reason, not for culprit. If any part of reason is ours, we should find it and analyze. As for Tbilishi, everything was reported to Air Transport department of Georgia. And some steps were taken by them.
Now question, which I think, will be interesting for many people. It touches on the problem of reports from our pure day off what is the reason for this?
First of all, it is caused by the number of staff in a shift. Today it is not profitable for us to increase the number of controllers.
There you have an economy of time, and a great number of people can get their vacations in time. But from juridical point of view, don't you think someone will appeal to the court?
Here we should refer to the organization of work. Controller's vacation amounts 60 days, plus days off and holidays, the sum is 72 days. If to count everything properly we've got 3 days before vacation (days off) and 3 days after. If to consider double vacation we've got 12 days more. I think you understand how many unnecessary people we should have to let be this way.
What do you think about new certificates is it a step forward, or they "warmed up yesterday supper" for us?
Yes, they served yesterday supper. We adopted someone's experience and now we don't know what to do with it. I don't agree with some wordings of new certificate. Whatever certificate they could give us, we are not going to become controllers of international class only due to this fact.