In the run up to Christmas Eve, Santa will be conducting a number of test flights in order to put a brand new sleigh through its paces at a number of locations all around the world and we need your help.

Advancing aviation, keeping the skies safe is what we strive to do every day. Not just in our own airspace, but across the world. This week, a team from NATS will be presenting at the Global ATM Safety Conference to share some of the work that we have been doing on a Standard of Excellence in Safety Management Systems (SoE in SMS) measurement tool.

Personal reflections from one of our controllers on Remembrance Day…

I’m an Air Traffic Controller and have been working at NATS for 25 years. Currently I split my time between the Operations Room, where I control aircraft, and the Development Department where I work on projects delivering new En-Route systems.

I kind of fell into the job and in fact before applying to NATS, I had no aviation background at all. I’d heard that NATS was a good Company to work for, so I looked into the opportunities there. I applied to train as an Air Traffic Controller and quickly caught the aviation bug!

A good interface makes the difference between feeling confused and overwhelmed or effortlessly in control. That’s important if it’s your mobile phone, but when the safety of thousands of passengers is potentially at stake, it is absolutely paramount. 

An extra day off work, a few more hours in bed, and you still get paid! What’s not to love about the bank holiday?

What’s more, with 27th August marking the last Bank Holiday until Christmas, it really is a day to savour. Many of us will be using the extra day off to its full potential – exploring new or familiar destinations, both overseas and at home.

Can you tell us what the project is about and how the idea of using drones to fill potholes in the UK came about?

This project aims to tackle the Grand Challenge of Zero disruption from street works in UK cities by 2050, by developing robots that will identify, diagnose and repair street-works through minimally invasive techniques, starting with three case studies:

To tie in with exam results time we’ve launched a nationwide recruitment campaign to find the next generation of air traffic controllers. Are you interested? Find out more >>

The Premier League might take place in England and Wales but it’s a truly international affair.  So this week’s question has been inspired by the new season: How many flights do NATS’ air traffic controllers manage in the busiest 90 minutes of the week? 

For the next 11 Mondays we’ll be asking a new airspace related question – bowl us over with the right answer and you could be one of two lucky winners walking away with £250 each. This week’s question has been inspired by the upcoming test match…