Commercial Fixed Wing
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Situational Awareness; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure
I was providing OJT on R3. MKK was on Runway 5. A DA40 requested a GPS B approach to MKK. The D-Side told him that MKK wanted a release on Runway 23 for a Air Carrier (opposite direction). My trainee said unable and to give the Air Carrier the HAPAI TWO departure and to depart Runway 5; the active runway. My trainee then gave a DA40 the GPS B approach. Three minutes later; MKK Tower's line kept ringing so my trainee answered the phone for D3 (because he seemed too busy and overwhelmed). MKK Tower said that the Air Carrier cannot depart Runway 5 (even though we were showing that as the active) and needs to depart Runway 23. My trainee then approved visual separation between the DA40 and the Air Carrier. Because we have had problems with MKK Tower applying visual separation correctly; I asked a Supervisor to come over to verify that MKK does it correctly. Sure enough the Air Carrier departed; checked in with us leaving 2;200 while we were still talking to the DA40 (8 southwest of the MKK Airport) at 2;700 and descending. My trainee issued the Traffic Alert to both aircraft and the Air Carrier said 'looking' (meaning that he did not have the DA40 in sight.). The supervisor witnessed the complete event. Last week I went to speak with the Operations Manager about opposite direction operations in our facility and how unclear and confused most of the controllers were. I asked that our facility re-brief on opposite direction operations. I told him when I had asked his supervisors what the latest rules were on opposite direction operations; they gave me N JO 7210.830; which is only guidance to develop minimum cutoff points for opposite direction operations. The supervisors did not know what the latest guidance on opposite direction operations were. The Operations Manager told me at MKK we were to follow the 7110.65 Chapter 6 on NON-RADAR procedures; which I agreed. He said in the situation I described; only HFR or SYD was available. I have recently been providing OJT on R3 and have seen many unorthodox clearances and separation techniques at MKK being used on D3. We really need a refresher on MKK and opposite direction operations; especially when many trainees and newly checked out D-Sides will be working soon. I also believe the facility needs to work on giving us approved headings so we do no have to verify with each aircraft; say the cumbersome phraseology printed on our SIA ACE-IDS 'Verify  this clearance will allow compliance with terrain and obstruction avoidance' when we issue a heading to provide non RADAR rules in Chapter 6.
HCF Controller voiced concern regarding the less than clear opposite direction operations practiced by the MKK Tower and the apparent lack of understanding by the HCF Controllers.