The German Air Force 1955/1956 and Air Navigation
In the course of the establishment of the first units of the GAF also its equipping with aircraft for pilot training took place. This training with aircraft of the USA, France and Italy began in larger scope at Ütersen, Nörvenich, Kaufbeuren, Augsburg and Fürstenfeldbruck. The airfields in Southgermany previously vacated by the American flying units were now taken over by the GAF. Independent herefrom, the AACS of USAFE continued to operate the ATS with aerodrome and approach control.
The Fürstenfeldbruck RAPCON was responsible for a few air force bases simultaneously and operated with radar (SRE and GCA). Fürstenfeldbruck RAPCON and München ACC were the appropriate ATS units for the control of the departures and arrivals of these airfields.
In North Germany only minor changes occurred due to the additional traffic of the GAF. The existing ATS units of the RAF and BFS controlled also this additional traffic. Changes of significant measure happened only with the advent of regular flight operations of the GAF.
But during the course of the following years the flight operation of the GAF lead to the demand for own military area control centres - ACCs for the control of its military flights under its own command. This demand should result in a never ending dispute between GAF and BFS on legal matters and jurisdiction in detail. It was contradictory to the jurisdiction under the law on BFS. But it was tolerated in the upper airspace for a considerable length of time, as agreed between MoT and MoD.
The RAPCONs actually were approach control units for the control of departing and arriving military flights from and to the air bases. This type of ATC operation was performed by the allied approach control units of USAFE, RAF, FAF and RCAF all over West-Germany in one and the same manner within their MTMAs.
A second development shall become the establishing of centres for so-called „radar guidance service“, which will also carry the designation of „FS-Ber-Z“ (ATS regional centre), but will neither be an ICAO ATS unit nor a NATO air defense unit. Out of this situation will develop a kind of parallel operation with these military units.
Read More:
The Development of Air Navigation in West Germany after 1945
Vol 2, The first ten years - when nobody knew Air Traffic Control (ATC) existed
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