Skies Above Britain TV show puts the spotlight on our air traffic controllers, but what it doesn’t show you is the army of very talented engineers whose job it is to make sure the technology our controllers rely on is in full working order.

A lot of questions about radar have been raised recently as people are wondering about tracking aircraft and what information Air Traffic Controllers actually see on a screen when speaking with pilots.

The idea of sending instructions to an aircraft as data rather than voice communication seems like an obviously good one. It would lessen the chances of a misunderstanding while at the same time freeing up the pilot and controller for other tasks – a two-fold safety advantage.

The growth of wind energy in the UK has created an increasing challenge for aviation and air traffic control in particular.