Before I was an air traffic controller, I dabbled with computer programming. Both fields involve complex problems that are often broken down to simple if/then statements: if condition A is true, you do X. If condition A is false, you do Y. Thousands of these tiny statements may be the bricks of a massive application or website’s structure.
Each flight is also a complex collection of factors, including the winds, traffic, and weather you’ll encounter, all impacting yours and ATC’s decisions going forward. The black-and-white rules of ATC allow controllers to navigate these fluid situations through a series of simple, often yes-or-no questions.
