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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007) | Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. A controller's primary task is to separate certain aircraft — to prevent them from coming too close to each other by use of lateral, vertical and longitudinal separation. Secondary tasks include ensuring safe, orderly and expeditious flow of traffic and providing information to pilots, such as weather, navigation information and NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen). Hailing from Nova Scotias vibrant South Shore, power pop/rock trio Air Traffic Control has a history that predates even its current name. ...
Image File history File links Question_book-3. ...
For other uses, see Amsterdam (disambiguation). ...
Schiphol (IATA: AMS, ICAO: EHAM) (municipality Haarlemmermeer) is the Netherlands main airport. ...
Controllers survey the field at Misawa Air Base, Japan. ...
Flying machine redirects here. ...
In air traffic control, separation is the name for the concept of keeping an aircraft a minimum distance from another aircraft to reduce the risk of those aircraft colliding. ...
NOTAM or NoTAM is the quasi-acronym for a Notice To Airmen. NOTAMs are created and transmitted by government agencies under guidelines specified by Annex 15: Aeronautical Information Services of the International Convention on Civil Aviation. ...
In many countries, ATC services are provided throughout the majority of airspace, and its services are available to all users (private, military, and commercial). When controllers are responsible for separating some or all aircraft, such airspace is called "controlled airspace" in contrast to "uncontrolled airspace" where aircraft may fly without the use of the air traffic control system. Depending on the type of flight and the class of airspace, ATC may issue instructions that pilots are required to follow, or merely flight information (in some countries known as advisories) to assist pilots operating in the airspace. In all cases, however, the pilot in command has final responsibility for the safety of the flight, and may deviate from ATC instructions in an emergency. To ensure communication, all pilots and all controllers everywhere are required to be able to speak and understand English. While they may use any compatible language, English must be used if requested. The native language for the region is normally used. Controlled airspace exists in areas where air traffic control is capable of providing traffic separation. ...
Uncontrolled airspace exists wherever a control service cant be provided for whatever reason, or is not deemed necessary, many of them are above mountains or oceans. ...
For other uses, see Aviator (disambiguation). ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
Airport control
The primary method of controlling the immediate airport environment is visual observation from the control tower. The tower is a tall, windowed structure located on the airport grounds. Aerodrome or Tower controllers are responsible for the separation and efficient movement of aircraft and vehicles operating on the taxiways and runways of the airport itself, and aircraft in the air near the airport, generally 2 to 5 nautical miles (3.7 to 9.2 km) depending on the airport procedures. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 4. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 4. ...
Guarulhos International Airport (IATA: GRU, ICAO: SBGR), officially known as Aeroporto Internacional de São Paulo/Guarulhos - Governador André Franco Montoro, is an airport that serves São Paulo, Brazil, located in Guarulhos municipality, 22 km northeast of the São Paulo city centre. ...
Radar displays are also available to controllers at some airports. Controllers may use a radar system called Secondary Surveillance Radar for airborne traffic approaching and departing. These displays include a map of the area, the position of various aircraft, and data tags that include aircraft identification, speed, heading, and other information described in local procedures. For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ...
A Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) is a radar device installed in air traffic control facilities to allow the precise identification of aircraft. ...
The areas of responsibility for tower controllers fall into three general operational disciplines; Ground Control, Local or Air Control, and Clearance Delivery -- other categories, such as Apron Control or Ground Movement Planner, may exist at extremely busy airports. While each tower's procedures will vary and while there may be multiple teams in larger towers that control multiple runways, the following provides a general concept of the delegation of responsibilities within the tower environment.
Ground Control
New Control Tower (right) at Chicago's O'hare. Ground Control (sometimes known as Ground Movement Control abbreviated to GMC or Surface Movement Control abbreviated to SMC) is responsible for the airport "maneuvering" areas, or areas not released to the airlines or other users. This generally includes all taxiways, holding areas, and some transitional aprons or intersections where aircraft arrive having vacated the runway and departure gates. Exact areas and control responsibilities are clearly defined in local documents and agreements at each airport. Any aircraft, vehicle, or person walking or working in these areas is required to have clearance from the ground controller. This is normally done via VHF radio, but there may be special cases where other processes are used. Most aircraft and airside vehicles have radios. Aircraft or vehicles without radios will communicate with the tower via aviation light signals or will be led by vehicles with radios. People working on the airport surface normally have a communications link through which they can reach or be reached by ground control, commonly either by handheld radio or even cell phone. Ground control is vital to the smooth operation of the airport because this position might constrain the order in which the aircraft will be sequenced to depart, which can affect the safety and efficiency of the airport's operation. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1225 KB) Summary Taken by me Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1225 KB) Summary Taken by me Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
OHare International Airport (IATA: ORD, ICAO: KORD, FAA LID: ORD) is an airport located in Chicago, Illinois, United States, 17 miles (27 km) northwest of the Chicago Loop. ...
In the case of a radio failure or aircraft not equipped with a radio, air traffic control may use a light gun to direct the aircraft. ...
Several examples of non-folding mobile phones. ...
Some busier airports have Surface Movement Radar (SMR), such as, ASDE-3, AMASS or ASDE-X, designed to display aircraft and vehicles on the ground. These are used by the ground controller as an additional tool to control ground traffic, particularly at night or in poor visibility. There are a wide range of capabilities on these systems as they are being modernized. Older systems will display a map of the airport and the target. Newer systems include the capability to display higher quality mapping, radar target, data blocks, and safety alerts. Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X, or ASDE-X, is a runway-safety tool that enables air traffic controllers to detect potential runway conflicts by providing detailed coverage of movement on runways and taxiways. ...
Local or Air Control Local or Air Control (most often referred to as the generic "Tower" control, although Tower control can also refer to a combination of the local, ground and clearance delivery positions) is responsible for the active runway surfaces. The Air Traffic Control Tower clears aircraft for take off or landing and ensures the runway is clear for these aircraft. If the tower controller detects any unsafe condition, a landing aircraft may be told to "go-around" and be re-sequenced into the landing pattern by the approach or terminal area controller. A go around, overshoot or missed approach is an aborted landing of an aircraft which is on final approach. ...
Within the tower, a highly disciplined communications process between tower and ground control is an absolute necessity. Ground control must request and gain approval from tower control to cross any runway with any aircraft or vehicle. Likewise, tower control must ensure ground control is aware of any operations that impact the taxiways and must work with the approach radar controllers to ensure "holes" or "gaps" in the arrival traffic are created (where necessary) to allow taxiing traffic to cross runways and to allow departing aircraft to take off. Crew Resource Management (CRM) procedures are often used to ensure this communication process is efficient and clear, although this is not as prevalent as CRM for pilots. Crew (or Cockpit) Resource Management (CRM) training originated from a NASA workshop in 1979 that focused on improving air safety. ...
For other uses, see Aviator (disambiguation). ...
Clearance delivery Clearance delivery is the position that issues route clearances to aircraft before they commence taxiing. These contain details of the route that the aircraft is expected to fly after departure. This position will, if necessary, coordinate with the en-route center and national command center or flow control to obtain releases for aircraft. Often however such releases are given automatically or are controlled by local agreements allowing "free-flow" departures. When weather or extremely high demand for a certain airport or airspace becomes a factor, there may be ground "stops" (or "slot delays") or re-routes may be necessary to ensure the system does not get overloaded. The primary responsibility of the clearance delivery position is to ensure that the aircraft have the proper route and slot time. This information is also coordinated with the en-route center and the ground controller in order to ensure the aircraft reaches the runway in time to meet the slot time provided by the command center. At some airports the clearance delivery controller also plans aircraft pushbacks and engine starts and is known as Ground Movement Planner (GMP): this position is particularly important at heavily congested airports to prevent taxiway and apron gridlock.
Approach and terminal control
 Inside the Potomac TRACON -
Many airports have a radar control facility that is associated with the airport. In most countries, this is referred to as Approach or Terminal Control; in the U.S., it is often still referred to as a TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach CONtrol) facility. While every airport varies, terminal controllers usually handle traffic in a 30 to 50 nautical mile (56 to 93 km) radius from the airport. Where there are many busy airports in close proximity, one single terminal control may service all the airports. The actual airspace boundaries and altitudes assigned to a terminal control are based on factors such as traffic flows, neighboring airports and terrain, and vary widely from airport to airport: a large and complex example is the London Terminal Control Centre which controls traffic for five main London airports up to 20,000 feet (6,100 m) and out to 100+ nautical miles. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (825x638, 55 KB)The Potomac Conslidated TRACON. Retrieved from http://www. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (825x638, 55 KB)The Potomac Conslidated TRACON. Retrieved from http://www. ...
This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ...
This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ...
The London Terminal Control Centre (LTCC) is an air traffic control centre based in West Drayton, Middlesex, England, approximately 2. ...
Terminal controllers are responsible for providing all ATC services within their airspace. Traffic flow is broadly divided into departures, arrivals, and overflights. As aircraft move in and out of the terminal airspace, they are handed off to the next appropriate control facility (a control tower, an en-route control facility, or a bordering terminal or approach control). Terminal control is responsible for ensuring that aircraft are at an appropriate altitude when they are handed off, and that aircraft arrive at a suitable rate for landing.
Not all airports have a radar approach or terminal control available. In this case, the en-route center or a neighboring terminal or approach control may co-ordinate directly with the tower on the airport and vector inbound aircraft to a position from where they can land visually. At some of these airports, the tower may provide a non-radar procedural approach service to arriving aircraft handed over from a radar unit before they are visual to land. Some units also have a dedicated approach unit which can provide the procedural approach service either all the time or for any periods of radar outage for any reason. Procedural control is a method of providing air traffic control services without the use of radar. ...
Procedural control is a method of providing air traffic control services without the use of radar. ...
En-route, center, or area control
 Controllers at work at the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center. -
ATC provides services to aircraft in flight between airports as well. Pilots fly under one of two sets of rules for separation: Visual Flight Rules (VFR) or Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). Air traffic controllers have different responsibilities to aircraft operating under the different sets of rules. While IFR flights are under positive control, in the US VFR pilots can request flight following, which provides traffic advisory services on a time permitting basis and may also provide assistance in avoiding areas of weather and flight restrictions. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 521 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 1960 pixel, file size: 332 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Air route traffic controllers at work at the Washington ARTCC; U.S. government image from ((not Washington ARTCC. Not sure which one it is)) (There is...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 521 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 1960 pixel, file size: 332 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Air route traffic controllers at work at the Washington ARTCC; U.S. government image from ((not Washington ARTCC. Not sure which one it is)) (There is...
This temporary flight restriction map from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the boundaries of the regions controlled by the Area Control Centers within and adjoining the continental United States, as well as the IATA airport code of each such Center operated by the United States. ...
Visual flight rules (VFR) are a set of aviation regulations under which a pilot may operate an aircraft in weather conditions sufficient to allow the pilot, by visual reference to the environment outside the cockpit, to control the aircrafts attitude, navigate, and maintain safe separation from obstacles such as...
It has been suggested that Air traffic control#Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) be merged into this article or section. ...
En-route air traffic controllers issue clearances and instructions for airborne aircraft, and pilots are required to comply with these instructions. En-route controllers also provide air traffic control services to many smaller airports around the country, including clearance off of the ground and clearance for approach to an airport. Controllers adhere to a set of separation standards that define the minimum distance allowed between aircraft. These distances vary depending on the equipment and procedures used in providing ATC services.
General characteristics En-route air traffic controllers work in facilities called Area Control Centers, each of which is commonly referred to as a "Center". The United States uses the equivalent term Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). Each center is responsible for many thousands of square miles of airspace (known as a Flight Information Region) and for the airports within that airspace. Centers control IFR aircraft from the time they depart an airport or terminal area's airspace to the time they arrive at another airport or terminal area's airspace. Centers may also "pick up" VFR aircraft that are already airborne and integrate them into the IFR system. These aircraft must, however, remain VFR until the Center provides a clearance. A Flight Information Region (FIR) is an airspace with specific dimensions, in which an information service and an alert service are provided. ...
Center controllers are responsible for climbing the aircraft to their requested altitude while, at the same time, ensuring that the aircraft is properly separated from all other aircraft in the immediate area. Additionally, the aircraft must be placed in a flow consistent with the aircraft's route of flight. This effort is complicated by crossing traffic, severe weather, special missions that require large airspace allocations, and traffic density. When the aircraft approaches its destination, the center is responsible for meeting altitude restrictions by specific points, as well as providing many destination airports with a traffic flow, which prohibits all of the arrivals being "bunched together". These "flow restrictions" often begin in the middle of the route, as controllers will position aircraft landing in the same destination so that when the aircraft are close to their destination they are sequenced.
As an aircraft reaches the boundary of a Center's control area it is "handed off" or "handed over" to the next Area Control Center. In some cases this "hand-off" process involves a transfer of identification and details between controllers so that air traffic control services can be provided in a seamless manner; in other cases local agreements may allow "silent handovers" such that the receiving center does not require any co-ordination if traffic is presented in an agreed manner. After the hand-off, the aircraft is given a frequency change and begins talking to the next controller. This process continues until the aircraft is handed off to a terminal controller ("approach").
Radar coverage Since centers control a large airspace area, they will typically use long range radar that has the capability, at higher altitudes, to see aircraft within 200 nautical miles (370 km) of the radar antenna. They may also use TRACON radar data to control when it provides a better "picture" of the traffic or when it can fill in a portion of the area not covered by the long range radar. The inside of the Potomac TRACON. TRACON is an acronym for Terminal Radar Approach CONtrol. ...
In the U.S. system, at higher altitudes, over 90% of the U.S. airspace is covered by radar and often by multiple radar systems; however, coverage may be inconsistent at lower altitudes used by unpressurized aircraft due to high terrain or distance from radar facilities. A center may require numerous radar systems to cover the airspace assigned to them, and may also rely on pilot position reports from aircraft flying below the floor of radar coverage. This results in a large amount of data being available to the controller. To address this, automation systems have been designed that consolidate the radar data for the controller. This consolidation includes eliminating duplicate radar returns, ensuring the best radar for each geographical area is providing the data, and displaying the data in an effective format.
Centers also exercise control over traffic travelling over the world's ocean areas. These areas are also FIRs. Because there are no radar systems available for oceanic control, oceanic controllers provide ATC services using procedural control. These procedures use aircraft position reports, time, altitude, distance, and speed to ensure separation. Controllers record information on flight progress strips and in specially developed oceanic computer systems as aircraft report positions. This process requires that aircraft be separated by greater distances, which reduces the overall capacity for any given route. A Flight Information Region (FIR) is an airspace with specific dimensions, in which an information service and an alert service are provided. ...
Procedural control is a method of providing air traffic control services without the use of radar. ...
A flight progress strip is a small strip of paper used to track flights in Air traffic control. ...
Some Air Navigation Service Providers (e.g Airservices Australia, The Federal Aviation Administration, NAVCANADA, etc.) have implemented Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) as part of their surveillance capability. This new technology reverses the radar concept. Instead of radar "finding" a target by interrogating the transponder. The ADS-equipped aircraft sends a position report as determined by the navigation equipment on board the aircraft. Normally, ADS operates in the "contract" mode where the aircraft reports a position, automatically or initiated by the pilot, based on a predetermined time interval. It is also possible for controllers to request more frequent reports to more quickly establish aircraft position for specific reasons. However, since the cost for each report is charged by the ADS service providers to the company operating the aircraft, more frequent reports are not commonly requested except in emergency situations.. ADS is significant because it can be used where it is not possible to locate the infrastructure for a radar system (e.g. over water). Computerized radar displays are now being designed to accept ADS inputs as part of the display. This technology is currently used in portions of the North Atlantic and the Pacific by a variety of States who share responsibility for the control of this airspace. Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (also called ADS-B) is a system by which airplanes constantly broadcast their current location, type of aircraft, airspeed, flight number, and whether the aircraft is turning, climbing or descending. ...
Flight traffic mapping The mapping of flights in real-time is based on the air traffic control system. In 1991, data on the location of aircraft was made available by the Federal Aviation Administration to the airline industry. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, the Helicopter Association International, and the National Air Transportation Association petitioned the FAA to make ASDI information available on a "need-to-know" basis. Subsequently, NBAA advocated the broad-scale dissemination of air traffic data. The Aircraft Situational Display to Industry (ASDI) system now conveys up-to-date flight information to the airline industry and the public. Three companies distribute ASDI information, FlightExplorer, FlightView, and FlyteComm. Each company maintains a website that provides free updated information to the public on flight status. Stand-alone programs are also available for displaying the geographic location of airborne IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) air traffic anywhere in the FAA air traffic system. Positions are reported for both commercial and general aviation traffic. The programs can overlay air traffic with a wide selection of maps such as, geo-political boundaries, air traffic control center boundaries, high altitude jet routes, satellite cloud and radar imagery. National Business Aviation Association or NBAA, is a non-profit and nonpartisan 501(c)6 corporation based in Washington, DC. The Association has existed for over 55 years and as of this writing, represents more than 7,000 companies. ...
ASDI is an acronym for Aircraft Situation Display to Industry. ...
National Business Aviation Association or NBAA, is a non-profit and nonpartisan 501(c)6 corporation based in Washington, DC. The Association has existed for over 55 years and as of this writing, represents more than 7,000 companies. ...
ASDI is an acronym for Aircraft Situation Display to Industry. ...
ASDI is an acronym for Aircraft Situation Display to Industry. ...
FlightView is a set of flight tracking tools developed for the general public and commercial and private aviation by RLM Software, a software company based in Allston, MA. Introduced in 1994 as FlightView Dispatch, it was the only commercial radar-based set of applications available in real-time flight tracking. ...
in-flight refueling Instrument flight rules Interface Repository Integral Fast Reactor This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Problems
Traffic - For more information see Air traffic flow management.
The day-to-day problems faced by the air traffic control system are primarily related to the volume of air traffic demand placed on the system, and weather. Several factors dictate the amount of traffic that can land at an airport in a given amount of time. Each landing aircraft must touch down, slow, and exit the runway before the next crosses the end of the runway. This process requires at least one and up to four minutes for each aircraft. Allowing for departures between arrivals, each runway can thus handle about 30 arrivals per hour. A large airport with two arrival runways can handle about 60 arrivals per hour in good weather. Problems begin when airlines schedule more arrivals into an airport than can be physically handled, or when delays elsewhere cause groups of aircraft that would otherwise be separated in time to arrive simultaneously. Aircraft must then be delayed in the air by holding over specified locations until they may be safely sequenced to the runway. Up until the 1990s, holding, which has significant environmental and cost implications, was a routine occurrence at many airports. Advances in computers now allow the sequencing of planes hours in advance. Thus, planes may be delayed before they even take off (by being given a "slot"), or may reduce power in flight and proceed more slowly thus significantly reducing the amount of holding. Air Traffic Flow Management (usually seen abbreviated as ATFM) is the regulation of air traffic in order to avoid exceeding airport or air traffic control capacity in handling traffic, and to ensure that available capacity is used efficiently. ...
For the geological process, see Weathering or Erosion. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
An Airbus A380 of Emirates Airline An airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight. ...
A standard holding pattern. ...
Weather Beyond runway capacity issues, weather is a major factor in traffic capacity. Rain or ice and snow on the runway cause landing aircraft to take longer to slow and exit, thus reducing the safe arrival rate and requiring more space between landing aircraft. Fog also requires a decrease in the landing rate. These, in turn, increase airborne delay for holding aircraft. If more aircraft are scheduled than can be safely and efficiently held in the air, a ground delay program may be established, delaying aircraft on the ground before departure due to conditions at the arrival airport. This article is about precipitation. ...
This article is about water ice. ...
For other uses, see Snow (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Fog (disambiguation). ...
In Area Control Centers, a major weather problem is thunderstorms, which present a variety of hazards to aircraft. Aircraft will deviate around storms, reducing the capacity of the en-route system by requiring more space per aircraft, or causing congestion as many aircraft try to move through a single hole in a line of thunderstorms. Occasionally weather considerations cause delays to aircraft prior to their departure as routes are closed by thunderstorms. A rolling thundercloud over Enschede, The Netherlands. ...
Much money has been spent on creating software to streamline this process. However, at some ACCs, air traffic controllers still record data for each flight on strips of paper and personally coordinate their paths. In newer sites, these flight progress strips have been replaced by electronic data presented on computer screens. As new equipment is brought in, more and more sites are upgrading away from paper flight strips. Computer software (or simply software) refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. ...
A flight progress strip is a small strip of paper used to track flights in Air traffic control. ...
Call signs A prerequisite to safe air traffic separation is the assignment and use of distinctive call signs. These are permanently allocated by ICAO (pronounced "ickey-oh") on request usually to scheduled flights and some air forces for military flights. They are written callsigns with 3-letter combination like KLM, AAL, SWA , BAW , DLH followed by the flight number, like AAL872, BAW018. As such they appear on flight plans and ATC radar labels. There are also the audio or Radio-telephony callsigns used on the radio contact between pilots and Air Traffic Control not always identical with the written ones. For example BAW stands for British Airways but on the radio you will only hear the word Speedbird instead. By default, the callsign for any other flight is the registration number (tail number) of the aircraft, such as "N12345" or "C-GABC". The term tail number is because a registration number is usually painted somewhere on the tail of a plane, yet this is not a rule. Registration numbers may appear on the engines, anywhere on the fuselage, and often on the wings. The short Radio-telephony callsigns for these tail numbers is the first letter followed by the last two, like C-BC spoken as Charlie-Bravo-Charlie for C-GABC or the last 3 letters only like ABC spoken Alpha-Bravo-Charlie for C-GABC or the last 3 numbers like 345 spoken as tree-fower-fife for N12345. In broadcasting and radio communication, a callsign or call sign (also call letters) is a unique designation for a transmitting station. ...
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into airline. ...
It has been suggested that Aerial warfare be merged into this article or section. ...
This Vans Aircraft RV-7 displays the registration G-KELS. The G- prefix denotes that it is registered in the United Kingdom. ...
The fuselage can be short, and seemingly unaerodynamic, as in this Christen Eagle 2 The fuselage (from the French fuselé spindle-shaped) is an aircrafts main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ...
The flight number part is decided by the aircraft operator. In this arrangement, an identical call sign might well be used for the same scheduled journey each day it is operated, even if the departure time varies a little across different days of the week. The call sign of the return flight often differs only by the final digit from the outbound flight. Generally, airline flight numbers are even if eastbound, and odd if westbound. In order to reduce the possibility of two callsigns on one frequency at any time sounding too similar, a number of airlines, particularly in Europe, have started using alphanumeric callsigns that are not based on flight numbers. For example DLH23LG, spoken as lufthansa-two-three-lima-golf. Additionally it is the right of the air traffic controller to change the 'audio' callsign for the period the flight is in his sector if there is a risk of confusion, usually choosing the tail number instead. Generally speaking, the term alphanumeric refers to anything that consists of only letters and numbers. ...
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (ISIN: DE0008232125) (pronounced ) is the second largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried (after Air France - KLM). ...
Before around 1980 IATA and ICAO were using the same 2-letter callsigns. Due to the larger number of new airlines after deregulation ICAO established the 3-letter callsigns as mentioned above. The IATA callsigns are currently used in aerodromes on the announcement tables but never used any longer in Air Traffic Control. For example, AA is the IATA callsign for the ICAO — ATC equivalent AAL. Other examples include LY/ELY for El Al, DL/DAL for Delta Air Lines, LH/DLH for Lufthansa etc. The International Air Transport Association is an international trade organization of airlines headquarted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ...
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ...
The International Air Transport Association is an international trade organization of airlines headquarted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...
The International Air Transport Association is an international trade organization of airlines headquarted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ...
Categories: Airline stubs | Companies of Israel | Transportation in Israel | Airlines of Israel ...
Delta Air Lines, Inc. ...
Technology Many technologies are used in air traffic control systems. Primary and secondary radar are used to enhance a controller's "situational awareness" within his assigned airspace — all types of aircraft send back primary echoes of varying sizes to controllers' screens as radar energy is bounced off their skins, and transponder-equipped aircraft reply to secondary radar interrogations by giving an ID (Mode A), an altitude (Mode C) and/or a unique callsign (Mode S). Certain types of weather may also register on the radar screen. For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ...
An Ontario Highway 407 toll transponder In telecommunication, the term transponder (short-for Transmitter-responder and sometimes abbreviated to XPDR, XPNDR or TPDR) has the following meanings: An automatic device that receives, amplifies, and retransmits a signal on a different frequency (see also broadcast translator). ...
These inputs, added to data from other radars, are correlated to build the air situation. Some basic processing occurs on the radar tracks, such as calculating ground speed and magnetic headings.
Other correlations with electronic flight plans are also available to controllers on modern operational display systems. For the movie, see Flightplan. ...
Operational Display Systems in avionics, refers to systems used for tracking the status of multiple objects. ...
Some tools are available in different domains to help the controller further:
- Conflict Alert (CA): a tool that checks possible conflicting trajectories and alerts the controller. The most common used is the STCA (Short Term CA) that is activated about 2 minutes prior the loss of separation. The algorithms used may also provide in some systems a possible vectoring solution, that is, the way to turn or descend/climb the aircraft in order to avoid infringing the minimum safety distance or altitude clearance.
- Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW): a tool that alerts the controller if an aircraft appears to be flying too low to the ground or will impact terrain based on its current altitude and heading.
- System Coordination (SYSCO) to enable controller to negotiate the release of flights from one sector to another.
- Area Penetration Warning (APW) to inform a controller that a flight will penetrate a restricted area.
- Arrival and Departure manager to help sequence the takeoff and landing of aircraft.
- Converging Runway Display Aid (CRDA) enables Approach controllers to run two final approaches that intersect and make sure that go arounds are minimized
- Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST) gives aircraft a runway assignment that the Approach Controller will give to the aircraft. FAST can also suggest vectors for downwind and base with the correct timing. In Europe the equivalent system is known under the term metering system and predicts the future spacing of approaching aircraft on the runway
- User Request Evaluation Tool (URET) takes paper strips out of the equation for En Route controllers at ARTCCs By providing a display that shows all aircraft that are either in or currently routed into the sector. URET provides conflict advisories up to 30 minutes in advance and has a suite of assistance tools that assist in evaluating resolution options and pilot requests.
- Mode S: provides a data downlink of flight parameters via Secondary Surveillance Radars allowing radar processing systems and therefore controllers to see various data on a flight, including airframe unique id, indicated airspeed and flight director selected level, amongst others.
- CPDLC: Controller Pilot Data Link Communications — allows digital messages to be sent between controllers and pilots, avoiding the need to use radiotelephony. It is especially useful in areas where difficult-to-use HF radiotelephony was previously used for communication with aircraft, e.g oceans. This is currently in use in various parts of the world including the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
- ADS-B: Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast — provides a data downlink of various flight parameters to air traffic control systems via the Transponder (1090 MHz) and reception of those data by other aircraft in the vicinity. The most important is the aircraft's latitude, longitude and level: such data can be utilized to create a radar-like display of aircraft for controllers and thus allows a form of pseudo-radar control to be done in areas where the installation of radar is either prohibitive on the grounds of low traffic levels, or technically not feasible (e.g. oceans). This is currently in use in Australia and parts of the Pacific Ocean and Alaska.
- The Electronic Flight Strip system (e-strip): A system of electronic flight strips replacing the old paper strips developed by NAV CANADA, Frequentis, Avibit, SAAB etc. E-strips allows controllers to manage electronic flight data online using touch-sensitive display screens resulting in system feed of clearances, fewer manual functions and a greater focus on safety. The system has also been sold to the Air Navigation Services Providers in the United Kingdom and Denmark.
- The Departure Manager (DMAN): A system aid for the ATC at airports, that calculates a planned departure flow with the goal to maintain an optimal throughput at the runway, reduce queing at holding point and distribute the information to various stakeholders at the airport (i.e. the airline, ground handling and Air Traffic Control (ATC)). The tool is developed to give substantial environmental and safety benefits in peak hour operation.
A Cessna ARC RT-359A Transponder (the beige box) mounted beneath a Bendix/King KY197 VHF communication radio mounted in the instrument panel of an 1970 model American Aviation AA-1 Yankee. ...
Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC), also referred to as Controller Pilot Data Link (CPDL) is a method by which air traffic controllers can communicate with pilots over a datalink system. ...
High frequency (HF) radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. ...
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (also called ADS-B) is a system by which airplanes constantly broadcast their current location, type of aircraft, airspeed, flight number, and whether the aircraft is turning, climbing or descending. ...
Major accidents Failures in the system have caused delays; in some cases failures cause crashes. The most recent crash happened on September 29, 2006 near Alta Floresta, over the Amazon in Brazil, when Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 hit a private Embraer Legacy jet, which belonged to the American company ExcelAire and was being flown by two American pilots going at the opposite direction. is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 was a Boeing 737-800 SFP, registration PR-GTD, on a scheduled passenger flight from Manaus, Brazil to Rio de Janeiro, which collided in mid-air with an Embraer Legacy business jet on September 29, 2006 over the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. ...
The EMBRAER Legacy is a business jet version of the EMBRAER ERJ 135. ...
On July 1, 2002 a Tupolev Tu-154 and Boeing 757 collided above Überlingen near the boundary between German and Swiss-controlled airspace when a Skyguide-employed controller, unaware that the flight was receiving instruction from the on-board automatic Traffic Collision Avoidance System software to climb, instucted the southbound Tupolev to descend. While the northbound Boeing followed their TCAS prompt to descend, the Tupolev followed the controller's instruction. The result was a mid-air collision in which all passengers and crew on both flights died. Skyguide company publicity had previously acknowledged that the relatively small size of Swiss airspace makes real-time cross-boundary liaison with adjoining authorities particularly important. See 2002 Überlingen Mid-Air Collision for more on this accident. As of 2007 air traffic controllers have no way of knowing if or when the TCAS system is issuing resolution advisories to pilots. They also do not know what the advisory is telling the pilots. Therefore, pilots are supposed to immediately follow TCAS resolution advisories and report them as soon as possible. Consequently, they should ignore ATC instructions until they have reported to the ground that they are clear of the conflict. is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Also see: 2002 (number). ...
The Tupolev Tu-154 (NATO reporting name: Careless) is a Soviet medium-range trijet airliner, equivalent to the Boeing 727. ...
The Boeing 757 is an American short to medium range commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. ...
Ãœberlingen Ãœberlingen is a city in south-western Germany. ...
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a particular country on top of its territory and territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. ...
Skyguide (official name: Schweizerische Aktiengesellschaft für zivile und militärische Flugsicherung; Swiss stock company for civil and military air traffic control. ...
TCAS and IVSI Indicator The Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (or TCAS) is a computerised avionics device which is designed to reduce the danger of mid-air collisions between aircraft. ...
The deadliest mid-air crash, the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision over India, partly resulted from the fact that the New Delhi-area airspace was shared by departures and arrivals, when in most cases departures and arrivals would use separate airspaces. Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763 (SV 763), registration HZ-AIH, was a Boeing 747-168B en route from New Delhi, India, to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on November 12, 1996. ...
This article is about the capital city of India. ...
Other fatal collisions between airliners have occurred over Namibia and former Yugoslavia. When a risk of collision is identified by aircrew or ground controllers an "air miss" or "air prox" (air proximity) report can be filed with the air traffic control authority concerned. The deadliest collision between airliners took place on the ground, on March 27, 1977, in what is known as the Tenerife disaster. Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, ЈугоÑлавија in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ...
is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...
The Tenerife collision took place on March 27, 1977, at 17:06:56 local time (also GMT), when two Boeing 747 airliners collided at Los Rodeos (TCI) on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, killing 583 people. ...
The FAA has spent over USD$3 billion on software, but a fully-automated system is still over the horizon. In 2002 the UK brought a new area control centre into service at Swanwick, in Hampshire, relieving a busy suburban centre at West Drayton in Middlesex, north of London Heathrow Airport. Software from Lockheed-Martin predominates at Swanwick. The Swanwick facility, however, was initially been troubled by software and communications problems causing delays and occasional shutdowns. “FAA†redirects here. ...
Location within the British Isles Swanwick is a town in Hampshire, England, situated on the River Hamble and M27 motorway. ...
For other uses, see Hampshire (disambiguation). ...
, West Drayton is an area of West London in the London Borough of Hillingdon. ...
The Middlesex Guildhall at Westminster Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and was the second smallest (after Rutland). ...
Heathrow redirects here. ...
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ...
Air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and traffic service providers (ATSPs) An Air Navigation Service Provider — The air navigation service provider is the authority directly responsible for providing both visual and non-visual aids to navigation within a specific airspace in compliance with, but not limited to, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annexes 2, 6, 10 and 11; ICAO Documents 4444 and 9426; and, other international, multi-national, and national policy, agreements or regulations.
An Air Traffic Service Provider is the relevant authority designated by the State responsible for providing air traffic services in the airspace concerned — where airspace is classified as Type A through G airspace. Air traffic service is a generic term meaning variously, flight information service, alerting service, air traffic advisory service, air traffic control service (area control service, approach control service or aerodrome control service).
Both ANSPs and ATSPs can be public, private or corporatized organisations and examples of the different legal models exist throughout the world today. The world's ANSPs are united in and represented by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation based at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands. Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) is an organisation representing air navigation service providers throughout the world. ...
Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs) at Schiphol Airport Schiphol (municipality Haarlemmermeer) is the Netherlands main airport. ...
The regulatory function remains the responsibility of the State and can be exercised by Government and/or independent Safety, Airspace and Economic Regulators depending on the national institutional arrangements.
In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides this service to all aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS). With the exception of facilities operated by the Department of Defense (DoD), the FAA is responsible for all aspects of U.S. Air Traffic Control including hiring and training controllers, although there are contract towers located in many parts of the country. DoD facilities are generally staffed by military personnel and operate separately but concurrently with FAA facilities, under similar rules and procedures. A contract tower is an Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) that performs the same function as an FAA-run ATCT but is staffed by employees of a private company (Martin State Airport in Maryland is an example). In Canada, Air Traffic Control is provided by NAV CANADA, a private, non-share capital corporation that operates Canada's civil air navigation service. “FAA†redirects here. ...
The National Airspace System (NAS) is the most complex aviation system in the world — consisting of thousands of people, procedures, facilities, and pieces of equipment — that enables safe and expeditious air travel in the United States and over large portions of the worlds oceans. ...
The United States Department of Defense (DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military. ...
Martin State Airport is a general aviation airport serving Baltimore, MD. Its IATA Airport Code is MTN Overview of Martin State Airport In 1929, Mr. ...
Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Largest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Area Ranked 42nd - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²) - Width 101 miles (145 km) - Length 249 miles (400 km) - % water 21 - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N...
Created by an act of Parliament in 1996, NAV CANADA is Canadas provider of air navigations services. ...
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Airservices Australia is an Australian Federal (Commonwealth) Government agency, responsible for providing safe and environmentally sound air traffic control management and related airside services to the aviation industry (ie: air traffic control, airways navigation and communication facilities, and airport rescue and fire-fighting services within the Australian Flight Information Region. ...
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ...
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Created by an act of Parliament in 1996, NAV CANADA is Canadas provider of air navigations services. ...
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. ...
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For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...
EUROCONTROL is the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, an international organisation whose primary objective is the development of a seamless, pan-European Air Traffic Management (ATM) system. ...
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Finavia (name in Finnish: Ilmailulaitos), the former Finnish Civil Aviation Administration, is the managing body of 25 airports located in Finland. ...
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The Deutsche Flugsicherung is the air traffic control for Germany. ...
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IAA is a TLA that may stand for: I am alive (disaster support system) Identification, authentication and authorization Idyllwild Arts Academy Immigration Appellate Authority (UK) IMSA Alumni Association (iaa. ...
The Irish Aviation Authority is responsible for the regulation of air travel in Ireland and in Irish airspace. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ...
The Government of India (Hindi: à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤ सरकार [1]BhÄrat SarkÄr), officially referred to as the Union Government, and commonly as Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of a federal union of 28 states and 7 union territories, collectively called the Republic of...
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Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico. ...
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Avinor AS is a previously state-owned limited company in Norway which has now been privatised. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Government of Pakistan (Urdu: Øکومت٠پاکستان)The Constitution of Pakistan provides for a Federal Parliamentary System of government, with a President as the Head of State and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the chief executive. ...
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Not to be confused with Republika Srpska. ...
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Aena is the name of the Spanish state owned company that owns and manage all Spanish airports. ...
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Skyguide (official name: Schweizerische Aktiengesellschaft für zivile und militärische Flugsicherung; Swiss stock company for civil and military air traffic control. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Trinidad_and_Tobago. ...
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National Air Traffic Services Ltd. ...
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“FAA†redirects here. ...
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Image File history File links Flag_of_Venezuela. ...
Proposed changes In the United States, some alterations to traffic control procedures are being examined. - The Next Generation Air Transportation System examines how to overhaul the United States national airspace system.
- Free flight is a developing air traffic control method that uses no centralized control (e.g. air traffic controllers). Instead, parts of airspace are reserved dynamically and automatically in a distributed way using computer communication to ensure the required separation between aircraft.[1]
Free flight is a developing air traffic control method that uses no centralized control (e. ...
See also Air safety is a broad term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through appropriate regulation, as well as through education and training. ...
Controllers survey the field at Misawa Air Base, Japan. ...
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a particular country on top of its territory and territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. ...
This temporary flight restriction map from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the boundaries of the regions controlled by the Area Control Centers within and adjoining the continental United States, as well as the IATA airport code of each such Center operated by the United States. ...
Air Traffic Control in Australia is provided by two different agencies, one civilian and one military. ...
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (also called ADS-B) is a system by which airplanes constantly broadcast their current position and altitude, category of aircraft, airspeed, identification, and whether the aircraft is turning, climbing or descending over a dedicated radio datalink. ...
In the case of a radio failure or aircraft not equipped with a radio, air traffic control may use a light gun to direct the aircraft. ...
Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems are complex socio-technical systems that involve many different actors. ...
In aviation, a flight level is the nominal altitude of an aircraft referenced to a standard pressure datum, as opposed to the real altitude above mean sea level. ...
A Tarom Boeing 737-300 and a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 taxi side by side at London Heathrow Airport. ...
A flight progress strip is a small strip of paper used to track flights in Air traffic control. ...
Flight Traffic Mapping uses animation to depict flight traffic. ...
Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) is a concept for satellite-based communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management. ...
International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations (IFATCA) unites the professional associations of air traffic controllers from around the world. ...
The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization or PATCO was a labor union that once represented air traffic controllers in the United States in matters relating to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. ...
The Tenerife collision took place on March 27, 1977, at 17:06:56 local time (also GMT), when two Boeing 747 airliners collided at Los Rodeos (TCI) on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, killing 583 people. ...
Tenerife North - Los Rodeos Airport (IATA: TFN, ICAO: GCXO) is one of two international airports on the island of Tenerife, the other one being the much larger and busier Reina SofÃa Airport, in the south of the island. ...
This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ...
In United States aviation, tower en route control (TEC) is a collection of published low-altitude, short-distance IFR routes through large metropolitan areas that require no level of air traffic control higher than approach-control facilities. ...
The Zagreb mid-air collision refers to one of the worst accidents in aviation history. ...
References
External links The ATC Network - The online portal for ATC professionals
History - U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission - Air Traffic Control
Internet services - SKYbrary: The single point of reference in the network of aviation safety knowledge
- Listen to ATC radio 24/7 Live Aviation Radio
- Map of airborne flights controlled by US ATC
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