Date: 201410
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: BTR.Tower, LA
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operator: Corporate
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: VFR
Mission: Utility / Infrastructure
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class C BTR
ATC / advisory: Tower BTR
Second aircraft: Medium Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Ground; Instructor; Local
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification; Confusion
Second reporter function: Ground; Trainee; Local
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
Contributing factors: Human Factors; Procedure
Primary problem: Procedure

Narrative: I was training a new controller on Local at the ground control position. The radar was combined in the tower cab.  Radar had handed off Aircraft X about 5 miles northeast of the airport.  Aircraft X was at 600 ft MSL and wanted to transition south.  Aircraft Y was inbound on the visual approach to runway 22R.  A transition that far east at that altitude should have been no problem for someone on the approach.  As it was Aircraft Y flight was not given a frequency change to the tower in a timely manner and when he did contact the tower he was a mile from Aircraft X at 1;500 ft MSL. The trainee called the traffic and issued a restriction to Aircraft Y to maintain at or above 1;500 feet until he was past the traffic. Aircraft Y complied with that and then requested a right 360-degree turn on about a 3 mile final for the descent.  The trainee approved that and cleared him to land.The biggest concern for me in this situation is the radar being combined in the tower cab.  It puts the Trainee on a position (GC) working LC and Radar on (LC) trying to work Radar on the D-BRITE.  The tower controller has to look at 55 to 60 miles of airspace rather than 15 to 20 miles.  I know it would have been a lot easier to see this situation developing if the D-BRITE map was on a tower setting.  A timely frequency change to the tower would also have been helpful.


Second narrative: I was training on local control at the time of the occurrence.  Aircraft X was following a route northwest bound and was switched to departure frequency as he exited tower airspace to the north.  He then informed the departure controller that he wanted to return to his airport of origin. A direct path would cut him right across the final approach path for Runway 22R; which I had a steady stream of arrivals and established on.  I saw that Aircraft X was going to conflict with Aircraft Y established on a 5 mile final for Runway 22R and my action was to tell the jet to maintain an altitude for traffic which would allow Aircraft X to pass 500 ft below him.  This direction was given to me by my OJT instructor; although the altitude which was given to the jet was below the minimum vectoring altitude for the airport by 200 ft.  Both targets maintained positive separation from one another; and as soon as Aircraft X traffic was no factor; I told Aircraft Y to resume descent.  Aircraft Y then had to make a right 360 turn to lose altitude before landing. Developmental discussed with trainer and management that it would have been better to alter the VFR Aircraft X course to avoid the IFR jet established on a visual approach.


Synopsis: BTR Instructor and Developmental report of a situation where many positions are combined into the tower and a conflict arises due to the map scale of the D-Brite. A VFR aircraft conflicts with an arrival inbound to the airport.