Air Traffic Controller Adam Purcell highlights the importance of listening completely and deliberately to silence during the dialogue

It is so important to be able to focus when listening for an extended time. Adam Purcell shares his unique perspective on this as an air traffic controller. He also shares how his career path was discovered through a World War II log book, and how it changed the entire course of his life.

Adam Purcell is an enroute air traffic controller in the Melbourne Air Traffic Services Centre. The aviation bug bit at a young age, while Adam was growing up in the NSW Southern Highlands. He Learned to fly shortly after finishing high school and holds a Bachelor of Aviation from the University of New South Wales, and he worked in airline operations in Sydney before moving into air traffic control.

A qualified controller for five years, he has recently returned to operational work after completing an 18-month secondment as an instructor, teaching trainees at the Air Traffic Control training facility in Melbourne.

Outside of work, Adam has a keen interest in WWII Air Force history, and he has interviewed many veterans of the strategic night bombing campaign for a UK-based archive. He is also a keen photographer.

Today’s Topics:

What a day in the life of an air traffic controller is like. The importance of the read back and actively listening. Overcoming internal and external distractions. Keeping instructions straight forward and slowing down with International pilots. How old memories can spark a tangent and those are the stories that trigger another story. The importance of longer pauses and asking fewer questions to get more out of an interview. The role of silence can be awkward, but it is also an important interview element. Being aware of your audience when you look at them and how visual cues may not mean what you first think they mean. How recall takes time. The lost listener who moves on during the read backs and not monitoring what he is hearing. How there are consequences of not listening for air traffic controllers and the pilots and planes. The power of high standards for listening.

Links and Resources:

Adam Purcell International Bomber Command Centre Something Very Big

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