ATCO Role Flashcards
What is the summary of Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) role?
ATCOs are responsible for the safe, orderly and efficient movement of aircraft, from the moment it leaves the departure gate, to the moment it arrives at it’s destination gate.
What are the four general responsibilities of Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs)?
1) Preventing collisions between aircraft in the air.
2) Assisting in preventing collisions between aircraft moving on the apron and the manoeuvring area.
3) Assisting in preventing collisions between aircraft and obstructions on the manoeuvring area.
4) Expediting and maintaining and orderly flow of air traffic.
What information is provided to Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) electronically or on paper flight strips from the ATC computers when a flight plan is filed?
Callsign
Route
Altitude
And Speed of the intended flight among other details
How do pilots and controllers communicate?
Using Very High Frequency Radio (VHF), except over the Atlantic, where High Frequency Radio (HF) is used
What must a pilot do with any instructions issued by a controller?
Read it back to the controller
Why and How do controllers communicate?
Controls must communicate flight details with adjacent sectors as they move between them, this is often done via computer link, but can also be done using telephones
Where are adjacent Air Traffic Control Centres (ATCCs) to the UK airspace?
Dublin
Shannon
Brest
Paris
Brussels
Maastricht
Copenhagen
What are the three levels of ATCO role?
Aerodrome Controller (Tower Controller)
Approach Controller
Area Controller
What are Aerodrome controllers responsible for?
They are responsible for the safety and movement of aircraft on an airfield from the time it pushes back from the stand, to the departure and vice versa. This includes all vehicles moving around the airfield.
What are the broad workflows of a Aerodrome controller during a departure
To issue instructions for the aircraft to push back from the stand,
To issue instructions on taxiing to the runway, and to issue clearance for takeoff
What are the broad workflows of a Aerodrome controller during a landing
To issue clearance to land,
To issue instructions on taxiing to the destination stand.
How are the two broad divisions of Aerodrome Controller responsibilities?
Runway specific tasks (referred to as AIR), and movement between stands and the runway vicinity (referred to as GROUND)
What are Approach Controllers responsible for?
Taking over from Area Controllers as aircraft approach and airport, they give initial clearance for approach to the airport, and sequence the arriving aircraft to create the most efficient order for landing.
In some cases they may also be responsible for the initial phase of flight after the aircraft departs the Aerodrome before transfering to an Area Controller, and any other aircraft transiting the immediate area of the airspace around the Aerodrome.
What information do Approach Controllers issue?
Headings, altitudes, speeds, and other information relevant to guide aircraft towards their final approach of the runway in use.
Where are Approach Controllers based?
Often at the airport they provide the service to, but for London Airports, this is provided remotely from Terminal Control Operations at Swanwick
