ABSTRACT
ATC work occurs in a dynamic ‘real-time’ environment. That is, the work cannot be stopped; the problems confronting the controller must be resolved. Time and time pressure are key features of High-3 work. This time pressure can sometimes lead to a sense of urgency; though urgency may also be a routine part of the work (recall Chapter 2 where the time an aircraft may be in a sector was limited in some cases to 3 minutes). This is one of the elements of work that controllers use to distinguish the uniqueness of their work from the work of others, as the following controller explains.
