RPTED ARTS AUTOMATED HDOF FEATURE HAD BEEN TURNED OFF DUE TO PROX OF CTR BOUNDARY AND POSSIBILITY THAT A CTLR COULD MISTAKE AN AUTO HDOF TO THE CTR WITH AN INTRAFAC INFO XFER TO THE DEP POS.

Narrative

THE ARTS AT MY FACILITY HAS THE CAPACITY TO PERFORM AUTOMATIC HDOFS TO OTHER FACILITIES. WE HAVE ARPTS IN OUR AIRSPACE THAT ARE WITHIN 10 MI OF A ZKC BOUNDARY. AFTER AT FIRST BELIEVING THE AUTO HAND FEATURE WOULD BE AN ASSET TO THE CTLR; IT WAS DETERMINED THAT BECAUSE OF THE PROX OF ZKC AIRSPACE AND REQUIREMENTS THAT THE INITIAL CTLR AT MY FACILITY WOULD PERFORM AN AUTOMATED INFO XFER TO THE DEP CTLR PRIOR TO ENTERING THEIR AIRSPACE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THIS FEATURE SHOULD BE TURNED OFF. AFTER A MONTH OR MORE USING THIS PROC AND WITH NO WARNING THE AUTO HAND IS ON AGAIN. AT THIS TIME NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHY THIS OCCURRED OR WHEN IT WILL BE TURNED OFF AGAIN. THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT A CTLR COULD MISTAKE AN AUTO HDOF ACFT TO ZKC WITH AN AIT ACFT AT MCI RESULTING IN AN UNSAFE CONDITION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED THE HDOF FUNCTION AS DESCRIBED IN THE RPT WAS TURNED OFF A FEW DAYS AFTER FILING THE RPT. RPTR STATED THAT THEY ONLY HAVE A PART TIME AUTOMATION PERSON WHO IS ASSIGNED TO THE CTR BUT COMES TO THE FACILITY PERIODICALLY TO MAKE SOFTWARE CHANGES. THE FACILITY FORMERLY HAD 2 AUTOMATION SPECIALISTS.