Air Traffic Controller Basics for Pilots
ATC to student pilot, “You have to key in the mic…I can’t see you when you nod your head.” Found on atcmonitor.com
Air Traffic Controllers, never seen and usually heard only by pilots, work to make sure that no two airplanes try to occupy the same point in space at the same time.Separation is the key, both on the ground and in the air.
The Air traffic controller (ATC) folks coordinate the flow of air traffic to insure that airplanes remain a safe distance apart to avoid mid-air collisions and move efficiently through the airspace an ATC tower or center is watching over and on to the next ATC tower or center’s airspace.
At a controlled airport (one with a tower) a departing pilot, before taking off, will talk to the Clearance and Delivery controller. This controller is responsible for determining that the pilot has the current weather data and giving the pilot his clearance. The clearance consists of the initial altitude the pilot is to fly, the route of flight, the radio frequency in use and the code for the airplane transponder, an instrument that reports the airplane’s altitude to the controllers.
The next controller the pilot talks with is the Ground Controller. This controller watches and directs airplane and other vehicular traffic on the ground. He directs departing aircraft to the run-up area which is usually just off the beginning of the departing runway. The aircraft is under his control until the pilot announces to the tower he is ready to depart. In some cases the Clearance and Delivery and Ground Controllers are the same person.
When the pilot announces that he is ready to depart he talks to the Tower Controller. The Tower Controller gives the pilot his final pre-takeoff instructions. Those instructions are usually to fly the runway heading or make a turn to a compass point. Once the aircraft is in the air the Tower Controller monitors its flight either visually or on radar and checks to see that the aircraft transponder is sending the proper signal. Shortly after that the Tower Controller will tell the pilot to contact the Departure Controller. This is called a hand-off.
The Departure Controller acknowledges the contact, verifies the altitude the aircraft transponder is reporting, and then tells the pilot proceed on course or go to a point prior to proceeding on course. The Departure Controller will keep the aircraft under his surveillance and control until it leaves his airspace or he hands it off to another controller.
If the aircraft is flying under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and there isn’t another Air Traffic Control Tower within radio range the Departure Controller will hand it off to a Center Controller at an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The Center Controller will handle the aircraft if it remains in his sector of control until it is within 40 miles of its destination or another Air Traffic Control Tower on or near the aircraft’s route. If the destination airport has no operational tower, then the Center Controller controls the aircraft during final approach and landing.
If the aircraft is flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) with flight following and there isn’t another Air Traffic Control Tower within radio range the Departure Controller will hand it off to a Center Controller if ARTCC isn’t too busy and the aircraft has sufficient altitude for good radio reception. If ARTCC can’t or won’t handle the aircraft it is handed off to the next Air Traffic Control Tower on the route if flight following has been requested. This is repeated until is within communication distance of its destination airport if it is towered. If it is not towered the aircraft is released from Air Traffic Control and told to, “squawk VFR (1200 code on the transponder),” and communicate with the destination airport and traffic.
If the aircraft is flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) without flight following the Departure Controller will monitor the flight until it reaches the end of his airspace. At that time the Departure Controller releases it from Air Traffic Control and tells it to, “squawk VFR (1200 code on the transponder),” and communicate with the destination airport and traffic. He may add, “for further flight following contact ____ (Air Traffic Control Tower) on _____ (frequency).
Coming in to a towered airport is nearly the reverse of leaving one.
When the aircraft is 20 miles out contact should be made with the tower. If the aircraft has been handed off all that is necessary is to let the Approach Controller know you are on frequency. If the aircraft was not handed off then at contact with the Approach Controller aircraft position, altitude and destination needs to be given. When the aircraft is within a very few miles of the airport the Approach Controller will hand off the aircraft to the Tower Controller. The Tower Controller clears the aircraft to land on a specific runway.
After the aircraft has landed and exited the runway the tower controller hands the aircraft off to the Ground Controller. The Ground Controller directs, and guides if necessary, the aircraft to its destination on the airport.
It isn’t unusual at low traffic airports on light days for the Clearance and Delivery Controller, Ground Controller, and Tower Controller to be the same person, though he may be talking to you on three different radios.
There is another group of controllers are not involved in actively managing air traffic. These are flight service specialists who work in flight service stations. These flight service specialists provide pilots with terrain; preflight and in-flight weather information, suggested routes, and other important information. Flight service specialists help pilots in emergencies and initiate and coordinate missing or overdue aircraft searches.
The air traffic control system is a vast network of approximately 25,000 people and equipment that ensures the safe operation of commercial and private aircraft. The vast majority work for the FAA. However, a small number of civilian controllers work for the U.S. Department of Defense. In addition to controllers employed by the Federal Government, some work for private air traffic control companies providing service to non-FAA towers.
Air Traffic Controllers are employed at airports—in towers and flight service stations—and in air route traffic control centers. Some work at the FAA’s Air Traffic Control Systems Command Center in Herndon, VA, where they oversee the entire system. In addition there are controllers who conduct research at the FAA’s national experimental center near Atlantic City, NJ. Air Traffic Controllers also serve as instructors at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, OK.
You may see an ATC radar screen and listen to contollers on the Internet at http://atcmonitor.com/