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DURING the late 40s the impetus given to air transport development by the war began to spread to some of the then more remote parts of the world. The lack of certain parallel developments on the ground became apparent, in particular the need for better communication facilities and air traffic control. War‐time necessities had led to the building up of satisfactory communications and an air traffic control system in Europe and parts of the Middle East, but the operational needs of airlines now had to be met outside these areas, for example in North Africa, Central Africa, and the area around the Arabian or Persian Gulf as it is variously called. This led to the formation of International Aeradio Ltd. in 1947.

HOWEVER demanding a training task may be, modern technology is able to create conditions of enhanced realism that will require all of a trainees powers of concentration to solve the problems involved. Aerospace simulators vary greatly in types and applications and can include representative components or compartments to instruct maintenance personnel, realistic interiors for licensing cabin crew, multiple situations for the training of air traffic control officers and the most advanced techniques in which a pilot may be entirely qualified on the training device.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a knowledge‐based decision support tool used for assisting en‐route air traffic controllers by generating resolutions for dual aircraft conflicts after being integrated into a model‐based conflict detection and conflict resolution system.

Air traffic controller knowledge, which was obtained from the literature research, about solving aircraft conflicts is represented in a decision tree. Then it is written in Visual Basic programming language. With reference to several rules form the expert air traffic controller knowledge and some factors which affect controller conflict resolution process, the tool generates advisories consisting of eight kinds of separation strategies.

The paper finds that it is expected to increase the safety of air traffic system by supporting air traffic controller in conflict resolution process. Controller workload can be reduced by fast, reliable and acceptable resolution advisories of the tool.

The accuracy of decision tree is limited with the adequacy and quality of knowledge obtained from references, several assumptions and interpretation. Because of the unavailability of a model‐based conflict detection and resolution tool, the tool could not be evaluated in simulations.

After being integrated into a model‐based decision support tool, it can reduce the deficiencies of the model‐based tool such as low degree of resolution acceptance by controllers and low‐resolution speed by providing expert air traffic controller knowledge to the tool.

WHILE flying within the control zone of an aerodrome, and also on long‐distance flights, aircraft are subject to altimetric height control procedures which, particularly near major aerodromes, arc becoming steadily more important as the density of air traffic increases. These procedures, although extremely important, arc based wholly on improvised techniques of adjusting the ground‐pressure scale of the pilot's sensitive altimeter, which, although admirable as a flight instrument, is not particularly well‐suited to such new functions. Further, the procedures may themselves be criticized, firstly for overelaboration in the required aerodrome operational control and secondly for the resulting overall reduction in accuracy of the altimeter's indications, in relation to its potential capability for indicating heights above Mean Sea Level, and hence safe terrain clearance operating heights.

THE Municipal Aerodrome movement in England is beginning to take shape, and there is no doubt progress in this development is becoming increasingly rapid. The Civil Aviation Department now issue a monthly “Progress Report,” the latest issue of which, dated March 31, shows that 170 towns are taking an interest in the desirability of providing facilities for aeroplanes. Of these, eight—Blackpool, Bristol, Hull, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Plymouth—already possess municipal aerodromes licensed by the Air Ministry. Six further towns—Carlisle, Leicester, Portsmouth, Stoke‐on‐Trent, Sheffield and Southampton—have bought sites, and an additional 18 are at present in negotiation for the purchase of sites. Besides these, 12 towns have reserved sites for aerodromes in their town‐planning development schemes, while another 67 have already had possibly suitable sites inspected, 3 more awaiting a visit for this purpose.