GM1 20. Air traffic safety electronics personnel (ATSEP)

AUTHORISED PERSONNEL

(a)The achievement of competence is independent of the permission to perform any task. Therefore, the ATSEP should be authorised to work on operational systems.

(b)It is intentionally not specified who is responsible for providing this authorisation. This is usually done by the service provider, but it might be done by another entity depending on the national arrangements for managing the competence and performance of ATSEP.

OPERATE, MAINTAIN, RELEASE FROM, AND RETURN INTO OPERATIONS

(c)The term ‘operate’ refers to the ability of the ATSEP to actively control a system and should not be confused with, for example, the air traffic controllers’ function to operate particular equipment in order to provide air traffic services. However, it is necessary for ATSEP to have an understanding of how air traffic controllers operate or make use of operational systems, in order to repair and maintain them appropriately. An ATSEP usually manages the engineering operation of operational systems, for example by:

(1)making a radiotelephony test transmission to check a voice communication and control system or a recording system;

(2)switching between systems A and B, or switching off the stand-by system, in case of duplicated systems; or

(3)changing the range and gating maps of a radar system processor.

(d)The term ‘maintain’ refers to planned, preventative and corrective maintenance, including fault-finding.

(e)The term ‘release from operations’ refers to the process of withdrawal from use of a system/equipment from the operational environment, and ‘return into operations’ refers to the process whereby the system/equipment is checked and restored to operational use, in accordance with both risk assessment and mitigation.

MAINTENANCE TASKS BY ATSEP

(f)An operational system that has been released from operational service, but remains connected to the operational environment must be maintained by ATSEP.

(g)An operational system that has been removed and fully isolated from the operational environment by ATSEP, and cannot be returned without ATSEP intervention, may be maintained by a non-ATSEP, but will be subject to the ANSP’s checks before return to the operational environment.

(h)A non-ATSEP is not authorised to remove an operational system from the operational environment.

(i)A non-ATSEP is not authorised to return a system into the operational environment.

(j)An ATSEP is responsible for determining the operational system status/serviceability before returning it to the operational environment.