Sophisticated new surveillance displays are have just gone into operation at the UK National Air Traffic Services (NATS) offshore helicopter-operations control centre at Aberdeen Airport, Scotland - the busiest centre of its kind in the world.
Usable in natural daylight (rather than a dimmed control room), the full-colour Norcontrol displays already have a built-in information system and, NATS says, they will soon be able to display electrical-storm activity and provide automatic information on the best paths to nearby oil rigs for helicopters in distress.
NATS intends "eventually" to consolidate all North Sea offshore surveillance capability at Aberdeen. Anglia Radar in East Anglia handles the southern sector.
Source: Flight International