Profiles

Aidan Cottee: Air Traffic Controller and Deputy Watch Manager, Cardiff Airport. Read more.

The weather was fine today so my shift is likely to be quite busy. When you're working hard you know you're doing your best to help everyone in the air. That's what makes it interesting.

My shift started at noon, so I was able to spend a couple of hours in the gym first. At the Tower, I made a cup of tea before briefing myself on the current situation. Although I am a Deputy Watch Manager, I won't be managing the Watch today, so I'll be operating as a Controller for the shift.

I started controlling aircraft at 12:00, handling low level military aircraft on the radar. It's one of the busier shifts. The traffic is varied and includes military fast jets like Tornadoes and Hawks. We handle St Athan radar approach, as well as Cardiff, and also traffic in part of Swanwick's delegated western airspace.

It's pretty much non stop for two hours with a mix of general aviation and military: the very slow and the very fast. The airspace is quite congested and it's difficult to consistently speak to all the pilots. After a break then, at 15:00, I'm in approach radar control - guiding aircraft into the airport on radar and working the Swanwick delegated western airspace. It's a bit quieter now and I'm here for 90 minutes, followed by another break. I'm in the visual control room, with a great view over the airfield and across the Bristol Channel. My job now is to guide the aircraft visually on the final stages of their flight into the airport. Most of our flights come back between 18:30 and 19:30 in the evening; one of the busiest tower periods of the day.

After I finish my shift at 20:00, I'm meeting a friend from home - Ipswich - who's in Cardiff on business. When I don't have visitors, I often go out with someone from the unit, work on home improvements or go to the gym. We do two mornings, two afternoons and then either two day shifts or two night shifts with four days off, enough to go away for a decent break, which is fantastic.

Fran Slater: Air Traffic Controller and Group Supervisor, London Terminal Control Centre, Swanwick. Read more.

My life's full of contrasts. Today I spent most of the morning playing Thomas the Tank Engine with my younger son, Matthew, but at work I become an adult again. I don't need to worry about my children because my husband and I work complementary shifts and we can look after them between us.

I love my job and look forward to it. Today my shift starts at 14:00. Generally it's two mornings, followed by two afternoons and two nights. I can predict it at least a month in advance, which allows me to plan time off and book holidays.

It was 13:45 when I stopped in the briefing room before taking over. I control complex airspace but you're very well trained for it. I work the Ockham sector for an hour and I will speak to about 30-35 aircraft. The longest I can work without a break is 90 minutes. So for the next half hour I check my e-mails, grab a coffee, talk to friends: anything really, as long as it's not working on the console.

Later, I do a 90-minute co-ordinating session which involves answering the phones to other sectors and airfields. I mix my time between covering the radar for 60-90 minutes with 30 minute breaks; co-ordinating or supervising; this involves making sure all the people are in the right places at the right times, with the right qualifications and only working for less than the maximum times. I'm with Green Watch. Everybody on my watch feels part of a team and we mix socially together.

I finish at 22:00. It's my second full afternoon and I feel good; everything's gone well. Once you take your headset off that's it. You go home with a good feeling that you've provided a good service to lots of aeroplanes.

I get home at 22:45, Dave and I have opened a bottle of wine and had a glass. After a chat and a bit of telly it's off to bed. That's it for a while as I'm off for a few days, but I've got an interesting course on team working coming up and I'm looking forward to it.