Amos Scott
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 21/00) - In the skies above Yellowknife two planes fly over the city at the same time, yet they never seem to collide.

That's because there's people like Frank Hickey on hand to advise the pilots above on the traffic conditions.

Hickey is a flight service specialist with Nav Canada who works at the Yellowknife airport.

"We give them the information," Hickey says, but, "they have to miss each other on their own."

Hickey doesn't only inform pilots of the traffic in the air. He has to give weather briefings, do ground control and flight following.

Flight following involves tracking the flights to ensure that they are not lost and have arrived at their destination.

Hickey explains that there is a difference between his job as a flight service specialist and the air traffic controllers.

"Most people don't have a clue of what we do," he explained.

Air traffic controllers direct all aircraft traffic within five nautical miles of the tower. They issue the landing and takeoff clearances and separate conflicting flights.

Flight service specialists deal with all other aircraft outside the five-mile radius, and they don't direct the traffic, only advise air traffic of other aircrafts.

In the airport tower the winters can be slower than the summers, but Hickey says there's always an element of stress.

"We can have 45 minutes of boredom and then 15 minutes of terror," Hickey says.

Hickey, who's been a flight services specialist for seven years, admits this job isn't for everyone, but if your interested in aviation and weather and good at math and multi-tasking, then it can be a very rewarding job.

There is little supervision and it can be interesting and exciting, but overall, Hickey says it's a job where he has "to keep his wits" about him in order to deal with the 50,000 aircraft that fly over the city each year.

Hickey said his most exciting moments come when he has to advise 15 to 20 planes all at once and at the same time remain cool, calm and confident.

"We just have to be on the ball, if we screw up someone could die."

Hickey, originally from England, says the only complaint he has is with Yellowknife winters.

"I spend a fortune on my travel budget just to get out of the cold," he said, noting Jamaica is his favourite location to visit.