ATSA Multitasking and Prioritization 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A controller hears a TCAS resolution advisory (RA) call on frequency during a busy period. What is the immediate priority?
- Issue amended instructions to override the RA
- Acknowledge the RA, clear the frequency, and avoid issuing instructions that conflict with the RA (Correct answer)
- Continue with other aircraft and monitor the situation
- Request the pilot to cancel the RA and follow ATC instructions
Correct answer: Acknowledge the RA, clear the frequency, and avoid issuing instructions that conflict with the RA
When a TCAS RA is issued, controllers must not issue conflicting instructions; the RA takes precedence for separation.
Question 2: A high-priority task arises during a low-priority coordination call. The appropriate action is to:
- Complete the coordination call fully before addressing the high-priority task
- Briefly explain to the other controller that a higher-priority situation requires attention, then disengage (Correct answer)
- Drop the coordination call without explanation
- Continue the coordination call while simultaneously handling the high-priority task
Correct answer: Briefly explain to the other controller that a higher-priority situation requires attention, then disengage
Briefly explaining the need to disengage is professional and allows the other controller to follow up without confusion.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of effective task batching in ATC?
- Responding to each pilot call individually as it arrives
- Grouping aircraft at similar altitudes and issuing coordinated traffic calls in a single scan (Correct answer)
- Handling departures only after all arrivals are on the ground
- Issuing all clearances at the start of the shift to save time later
Correct answer: Grouping aircraft at similar altitudes and issuing coordinated traffic calls in a single scan
Batching related tasks — such as traffic calls to aircraft in proximity — reduces context-switching and improves efficiency.
Question 4: An aircraft reporting a medical emergency and another reporting a suspected bird strike both call in at the same time. Which takes priority?
- Bird strike, as it may affect aircraft controllability immediately (Correct answer)
- Medical emergency, as human life is directly at risk
- Both are equal priority — address the one with lower fuel first
- Neither — both must be handed off to a supervisor immediately
Correct answer: Bird strike, as it may affect aircraft controllability immediately
A bird strike can immediately affect flight control surfaces and engine function, making it a more immediately life-threatening controllability emergency.
Question 5: How should a controller respond when their sector's traffic count approaches the maximum accepted workload level?
- Continue accepting traffic until an error occurs
- Notify the supervisor, consider flow control measures, and coordinate sectorization changes if needed (Correct answer)
- Stop accepting new aircraft without informing anyone
- Reduce scan frequency to handle each aircraft more carefully
Correct answer: Notify the supervisor, consider flow control measures, and coordinate sectorization changes if needed
Proactively communicating workload levels to supervisors allows for systemic relief before safety is compromised.
Question 6: During an ATSA simulation, a candidate is given two tasks with equal urgency but cannot complete both simultaneously. The best approach is to:
- Attempt to complete both at once to demonstrate multitasking ability
- Choose the task with the greater safety consequence and complete it fully before starting the second (Correct answer)
- Complete half of each task so both are partially done
- Request more time before beginning either task
Correct answer: Choose the task with the greater safety consequence and complete it fully before starting the second
When true simultaneous completion is impossible, full execution of the higher-consequence task before switching is safer than splitting attention.
Question 7: A controller uses a personal abbreviation system to track multiple aircraft on a strip. The risk of this practice is:
- It improves recall speed but may confuse relief controllers who are not familiar with the abbreviations (Correct answer)
- It is prohibited by FAA regulations and results in immediate suspension
- It slows down task completion unnecessarily
- It has no risk as long as the system is consistent
Correct answer: It improves recall speed but may confuse relief controllers who are not familiar with the abbreviations
Personal abbreviation systems can create handoff errors if the relief controller cannot interpret the strips accurately.
ATSA Multitasking and Prioritization 5
A controller hears a TCAS resolution advisory (RA) call on frequency during a busy period.
What is the immediate priority?