Catalogue description Ministry of Aviation and successors: Directorate of Control (Plans): Registered Files (CP Series)

The CP prefix was raised for the use of the new directorate, but appears not to have been introduced until 1963. Prior to that the prefix in use was ACNDP, the prefix of its predecessor, the Aviation Control and Navigation Development and Planning Directorate (which had formed part of the Aviation Navigational Services Division).

The files in this series are arranged according to former reference number in alpha-numeric order.

The Directorate of Control (Plans) was established, as was the Controllerate of National Air Traffic Control Services (CNATCS) of which it formed a part, in December 1962. Both owed their existence to to the National Air Traffic Control Planning Group ("Patch Committee") and to a subsequent, small, interdepartmental planning group. The former had been set up to investigate what would be required of a joint civil and military Air Traffic Control (ATC) system in the period 1965-1975, and had reported in May 1961. Following the acceptence by ministers of the Patch Report, the interdepartmental planning group was set in 1961 to make detailed proposals for setting up the new organisation which was to be responsible for a unified ATC system. This group reported in turn in April 1962, recommending, amongst other things, that HQ staff of the new organisation should include a Directorate of Control (Plans), whose responsibilities, as regarding air traffic control, were concerned with longer term operational policy and planning and with basically new ATC concepts or systems.

In 1963, the director was responsible for long term ATC systems and facilities planning and as a senior civil ATC adviser to the Controller NATCS. One deputy director was responsible for the study of long term requirements and development of concepts for future ATC systems, the other was responsible for detailed planning of future ATC systems; production of staff targets and operational requirements for ATC operating facilities and equipments, navigational aids and aircraft instruments; progressively related research and development programmes; and co-ordination with international planning agencies.