Working in partnership is absolutely fundamental to what we do. That’s true for the special relationship between air traffic controllers and pilots and for the customers, suppliers and organisations that we work with all over the world.

Here at Abertay University we love making games and that’s what makes Gamejams so appealing, even more so when NATS laid down a challenge to us.

We are always looking for new ways to challenge and inspire our thinking; part of that involves making sure that our solutions are not limited to a narrow Air Traffic Management (ATM) perspective and are instead considering how knowledge from other disciplines could be applied to ATM.

If you’re reading this at your desk in a warm office, spare a thought for the NATS engineers who are exposed to the elements, all year round working to keep the skies safe.

As we set a course for the new year, we thought it was a good time to reflect on our most popular web content for 2016; it gives us the chance to look again not just at the blog, but also our popular Discover features and the Drone Assist app.

Flow regulations are used to reduce or slow down air traffic because of things like bad weather, or not enough room on the ground at the destination airport. It’s a decision that’s never taken lightly, but it is always done with safety in mind.

To become an air traffic controller requires a specific set of skills and attitude, things that can’t necessarily be taught or learned. For every successful controller validated, many thousand wash out during the process. But as you may suspect, for those that have what it takes it’s rewarding in every sense.

Jake Longstaff is proof that if you want something hard enough you should never give up.

We asked instructors Lee McGregor and Steve Blanchard what five qualities every controller needs to have.

In tonight’s episode of Skies Above Britain, you’ll see Steven and the team in London Terminal Control dealing with the impact of a swathe of thunder storms, but just how hard to weather to manage?