Flight Information Service Officer
Encyclopedia
Flight information service officers or FISO, provide a Flight Information Service
(FIS) to any air traffic
that requests it, or requires it. A FISO is a licensed operator, who most usually works at an aerodrome
, although there are some FISOs working in Area Control Center
s. FISOs must been validated for each aerodrome, or other Air Traffic Control Unit they work for. Air Traffic Controllers are also permitted to provide Flight Information Services to Pilots.
Flight Information Service Officers are not Controllers, and may never issue commands to an aircraft in the air.
pilots and other controllers or FISOs use. As with Controllers, FISOs communicate with the pilots of aircraft using a push-to-talk radiotelephony
system, which has many attendant issues such as the fact only one transmission can be made on a frequency at a time, or transmissions will either merge together or block each other and become unreadable.
Although local languages are sometimes used in ATC communications, the default language of aviation worldwide has been English since 5th March, 2008, and in the United Kingdom, this is universal. As a result Flight Information Service Officers require an excellent and fluent grasp of English. FISOs must be able to communicate without speech impediment or other disability which would cause inefficiency or inaccuracy of communication.
FISOs have the same powers as a controller to aircraft taxiing
or stationary within the airport, when they are notified as being 'on watch', but may never provide commands to pilots in the air or on the runway(s). See Flight Information Service
for full details on the service provided.
(CAA). Potential FISOs will be required to undertake the following exams for their license to be issued and following these the license must be validated and maintained to be used:
Complete first page of application form SRG1414
Pass, Law & Procedures exam
Pass, Navigation & Meteorogy exam
for a FISO licence – subject to passing the exam
Note: applicants also have to have an Aeronautical Radio Station Operator Certificate of Competence
Upon passing the Validity Exam, a FISO will apply to the CAA for their FISO licence to be Validated, against which the CAA can issue an Endorsement of the licence.
This validation process is applicable to one airfield only. Upon moving to another unit, the validation process must be repeated.
Exercising the privileges of the licence at least once every 90 days
A Competence Check every 24 months
In the event that a FISO fails a Competence Check, they will be immediately informed not to provide a Flight Information Service, and steps will be taken by management, to provide re-training as necessary.
Only once a person has passed all these training stages, will they be able to provide a Flight Information Service.
Finland
Finland uses Flight Information Service Officers to run Aerodrome Flight Information Service aerodromes, similar to those in the United Kingdom, manned by FISOs.
Poland
Poland uses Flight Information Service Officers to provide Radar Information Service for polish uncontrolled airspace (class G).
Flight Information Service
A flight information service is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft within a flight information region , as agreed internationally by ICAO....
(FIS) to any air traffic
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
that requests it, or requires it. A FISO is a licensed operator, who most usually works at an aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
, although there are some FISOs working in Area Control Center
Area Control Center
In air traffic control, an Area Control Center , also known as a Center, is a facility responsible for controlling instrument flight rules aircraft en route in a particular volume of airspace at high altitudes between airport approaches and departures...
s. FISOs must been validated for each aerodrome, or other Air Traffic Control Unit they work for. Air Traffic Controllers are also permitted to provide Flight Information Services to Pilots.
Flight Information Service Officers are not Controllers, and may never issue commands to an aircraft in the air.
Salary
The Average salary for a FISO in the United Kingdom in 2009 was approximately £20,000.Core skills of a FISO
Communication is a vital part of the job: Officers are trained to precisely focus on the exact wordsPhraseology
In linguistics, phraseology is the study of set or fixed expressions, such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and other types of multi-word lexical units , in which the component parts of the expression take on a meaning more specific than or otherwise not predictable from the sum of their meanings when...
pilots and other controllers or FISOs use. As with Controllers, FISOs communicate with the pilots of aircraft using a push-to-talk radiotelephony
Radiotelephone
A radiotelephone is a communications system for transmission of speech over radio. Radiotelephone systems are not necessarily interconnected with the public "land line" telephone network. "Radiotelephone" is often used to describe the usage of radio spectrum where it is important to distinguish the...
system, which has many attendant issues such as the fact only one transmission can be made on a frequency at a time, or transmissions will either merge together or block each other and become unreadable.
Although local languages are sometimes used in ATC communications, the default language of aviation worldwide has been English since 5th March, 2008, and in the United Kingdom, this is universal. As a result Flight Information Service Officers require an excellent and fluent grasp of English. FISOs must be able to communicate without speech impediment or other disability which would cause inefficiency or inaccuracy of communication.
Area
FISOs working at an Area Control Centre (ACC) will work from a dedicated position, providing FIS on a 'discreet frequency', as with their Aerodrome counterparts. I.E. a frequency other than the main Air Traffic Control frequency.Aerodrome or Tower
FISOs most usually work in an aerodrome Control Tower, providing a Flight Information Service to aircraft in the local area, and on the ground, and therefore require similar equipment and commanding views of an Air Traffic Control Tower at a quiet Controlled Aerodrome.FISOs have the same powers as a controller to aircraft taxiing
Taxiing
Taxiing refers to the movement of an aircraft on the ground, under its own power, in contrast to towing or push-back where the aircraft is moved by a tug...
or stationary within the airport, when they are notified as being 'on watch', but may never provide commands to pilots in the air or on the runway(s). See Flight Information Service
Flight Information Service
A flight information service is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft within a flight information region , as agreed internationally by ICAO....
for full details on the service provided.
Education and License
As a licensed occupation, Flight Information Service Officers are required to undertake testing to achieve their life-long FISO License, issued by the Civil Aviation AuthorityCivil Aviation Authority
This is a list of national and supra-national civil aviation authorities.-See also:* Air route authority between the United States and the People's Republic of China* National Transportation Safety Board -External links:****...
(CAA). Potential FISOs will be required to undertake the following exams for their license to be issued and following these the license must be validated and maintained to be used:
Complete first page of application form SRG1414
Pass, Law & Procedures exam
Pass, Navigation & Meteorogy exam
for a FISO licence – subject to passing the exam
Note: applicants also have to have an Aeronautical Radio Station Operator Certificate of Competence
Validation
Validation utilises Page 2 of the application form SRG1414, to apply for a Validation Examination by a CAA ATS Inspector at a specific aerodrome, provided that a certified log of 40 hours ‘hands-on’ experience under supervision of a qualified operator, with a maximum of 4 hours in a day (see CAP427 Chap 2 Para 5.2), where no ‘on the job’ training prior to the issue of the FISO licence at will count towards the Validity Exam requirements.Upon passing the Validity Exam, a FISO will apply to the CAA for their FISO licence to be Validated, against which the CAA can issue an Endorsement of the licence.
This validation process is applicable to one airfield only. Upon moving to another unit, the validation process must be repeated.
Maintenance
To maintain the FISO license, requires some basic requirement to me met:Exercising the privileges of the licence at least once every 90 days
A Competence Check every 24 months
In the event that a FISO fails a Competence Check, they will be immediately informed not to provide a Flight Information Service, and steps will be taken by management, to provide re-training as necessary.
Only once a person has passed all these training stages, will they be able to provide a Flight Information Service.
Age restrictions
All Flight Information Service Officers must be over the age of 18. Provided that they are medically and operationally sound, there is no upper age limit for a FISO.FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Finland uses Flight Information Service Officers to run Aerodrome Flight Information Service aerodromes, similar to those in the United Kingdom, manned by FISOs. Ireland
Ireland also uses Flight Information Service Officers, whose license expires every 2 years, unlike the life-long license issued by the Civil Aviation Authority in United Kingdom.PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Poland uses Flight Information Service Officers to provide Radar Information Service for polish uncontrolled airspace (class G).See also
- Air safetyAir safetyAir safety is a term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.-United...
- Air traffic controllers' strike of 1981 (U.S.A.)
- Flight planningFlight planningFlight planning is the process of producing a flight plan to describe a proposed aircraft flight. It involves two safety-critical aspects: fuel calculation, to ensure that the aircraft can safely reach the destination, and compliance with air traffic control requirements, to minimise the risk of...
- Air Traffic ControllerAir traffic controllerAir traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
- Flight Information ServiceFlight Information ServiceA flight information service is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft within a flight information region , as agreed internationally by ICAO....