Position Responsibilities in the ATC System Flashcards
What are the three types of ATC facilities?
- Flight Service Stations (FSS)
- Terminal ATC Facilities
- Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
What are the two subtypes of Terminal ATC Facilities?
- Airport Traffic Control Towers (ATCT)
2. Radar Approach Controls (TRACON)
Terminal facilities are classified on what level range?
4 to 12
Enroute facilities are classified on what level range?
9 to 12
When does a Controller-in-Charge assume operational responsibilities for the front line manager?
When a supervisor is unavailable or to allow for breaks, administrative duties, and other tasks
What are the 2 primary functions of an FSS?
- Provide pilot briefings
2. Process IFR and VFR flight plans
Name 4 other services FSS provides (8 will be shown on the next page).
- En Route Flight Advisories
- Search and Rescue Services
- Assistance to Lost Aircraft
- Assistance to Aircraft in emergencies
- Relay ATC Clearances
- Process Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs)
- Broadcast Aviation Weather and Aeronautical Information
- Advises Customs and Border Protection of trans border flights
What 3 services does FSS provide exclusively in Alaska?
- Provide Transcribed Weather En Route Broadcast (TWEB) Recordings
- Take weather observations
- Provide Airport Advisory Service (AAS)
Does FSS control air traffic?
No
What are the 4 basic FSS positions?
- Flight Data/NOTAM Coordinator
- Broadcast
- Preflight
- Inflight
What are the 2 primary duties of the FSS Flight Data/NOTAM Coordinator?
- Compile, evaluate, record, and disseminate NOTAMs and flight movement data
- Initiate required SAR situations
Name 3 examples of the NOTAMs and flight movement data that the FSS Flight Data/NOTAM Coordinator can handle (5 will be shown on the next page)
- VFR and IFR, civil and military flight plans
- International flight plans
- Flight notification messages
- Customs notification
- Law enforcement messages
What is the primary duty of the FSS Broadcast position?
Compile, evaluate, record, and disseminate weather and flight information through several types of broadcasts.
Name two types of broadcasts that the FSS Broadcast position can send weather and flight information through (4 will be shown on the next page).
- Transcribed Weather En Route Broadcast (TWEB - Alaska only)
- Telephone Information Briefing System (TIBS)
- Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service (HIWAS)
- Automatic Flight Information Service (AFIS - Alaska only)
What are the 2 primary duties of the FSS Preflight position?
- Brief and translate relevant info to pilots.
2. Apply VFR Not Recommended (VNR) procedures as prescribed.
What are the 3 types of relevant info that the FSS Preflight position will brief and translate to pilots?
- Current and Forecast weather
- NOTAMs
- Flow control restrictions that the pilot might encounter along the route of flight.
What is the primary duty of the FSS Inflight position?
Provide services to airborne pilots.
Name 3 services to airborne pilots that the FSS Inflight position can provide (15 will be shown on the next page)
- Monitor and restore NAVAIDs
- Issue Airport Advisories
- Relay ATC clearances, advisories, or requests
- Issue military flight advisory messages
- Receive and issue NOTAMs
- Assist in SAR communication searches
- Activate and close flight plans
- Make unscheduled broadcasts
- Solicit and issue Pilot Weather Reports (PIREPs)
- Present pilot weather briefings to airborne aircraft
- Locate lost aircraft
- Record aircraft contacts
- Provide weather advisories and flight plan services
- Keep airmen and weather information current
- Apply VNR procedures and prescribed.
ATCTs (or towers) provide __________(1) to aircraft operating on or in the vicinity of the _______(2).
- ATC service
2. airport
TRACONs provide radar service to _____.
Arriving, departing, and some en route aircraft.
What are the 6 ATCT positions?
- Flight data
- Clearance Delivery
- Ground Control
- Local Control
- Tower Coordinator
- Tower Associate
Name 3 position duties of the ATCT Flight Data Position (6 listed).
- Operate Interphones
- Process and forward flight plan info
- Compile statistical data
- Assist tower cab in meeting situation objective
- Observe and report weather info
- Use alphanumerics
Name 3 position duties of the ATCT Clearance Delivery Position (5 listed).
- Process and forward flight plan info
- Issue clearances and ensure accuracy of pilot read back
- Assist tower cab in meeting situation objective
- Operate communications and tower equipment
- Utilize alphanumerics
What is normally the first position assigned to a new air traffic controller at a facility?
Flight Data
Does Flight Data directly talk on the radio to pilots?
No
What areas of the airport is ATCT Ground Control responsible for?
Movement areas other than active runways
Name the position duty of the ATCT Ground Control.
Ensure that aircraft are separated from other aircraft, ground vehicles, and obstructions while taxiing.
Name the position duty of the ATCT Local Control.
Separate and provide safety alerts to aircraft in the airspace surrounding the airport and aircraft on active runways.
Name the 3 position duties of the tower coordinator.
- Perform interfacility/position coordination for traffic actions
- Advise the Tower and the Tower Associate position(s) of tower cab actions required to accomplish overall objectives.
- Perform any of the functions of the tower team that will assist in meeting situation objectives.
Name 3 position duties of the tower associate (9 listed).
- Ensure separation
- Operate Interphones
- Maintain awareness of tower cab activities
- Utilize alphanumerics
- Utilize tower radar displays
- Assist Ground/Local control
- Manage flight plan info
- Ensure computer entries are completed for instructions issued or received and enter instructions issued or received by a Tower position
- Ensure stripmarking is completed for instructions or received by a Tower position
Can TRACONs serve one or more airfields?
Yes
What is an “Up/Down” facility?
A combined ATCT/TRACON
Where no TRACON exists, what facility provides approach control services?
ARTCC
What are the 4 basic TRACON positions?
- Flight Data
- Radar Associate
- Radar Controller
- Radar Coordinator
What are the 2 position duties of the TRACON Flight Data?
- Processing and forwarding flight plan info
2. Compiling statistical data
Name 3 TRACON Radar Associate duties (12 listed).
- Ensure separation
- Initiate control instructions
- Operate interphones
- Maintain awareness of facility/sector activities
- Accept and initiate non-automated handoffs
- Accept and initiate handoffs
- Coordinate, including point outs
- Scan flight progress strips to correlate with radar data
- Manage flight progress strips
- Ensure computer entries are completed on instructions issued or received
- Ensure stripmarking is completed on instructions issued or received
- Adjust equipment at Radar Associate position to be usable by all members of the Radar Team
Name the TRACON Radar Controller duty.
Separate and sequence aircraft in the sector’s airspace.
Name the 3 TRACON Radar Coordinator duties.
- Perform interfacility/sector/position coordination of traffic actions
- Advise the Radar and Radar Associate positions
- Perform any of the functions of the radar team that will assist in meeting situation objectives.
What does the TRACON facility provide?
Control services to aircraft arriving, departing, and transiting airspace in a terminal area.
What does the ARTCC facility provide?
En route ATC service to IFR/VFR aircraft principally during the en route phase of flight.
What is the en route phase of flight?
The segment of flight between departure and destination terminal areas.
What are the 4 basic ARTCC positions?
- Radar flight data
- Radar associate
- Radar
- Radar coordinator
Name the 3 Radar Flight Data duties (8 listed).
- Operate interphone
- Assist Radar Associate in managing flight strips
- Receive, process, and distribute flight strips
- Ensure flight data processing equipment is operational
- Request, receive, and disseminate weather, NOTAMs, NAS status, traffic management, and Special Use Airspace status messages.
- Manually prepare flight progress strips when automation systems are not available.
- Enter and forward flight data into computer
- Assist facility/sector in meeting situation objectives
Name 3 ARTCC Radar Associate (D-Side) position responsibilities (9 listed).
- Ensure Separation
- Initiate control instructions
- Accept and initiate handoffs
- Assist R-Side by accepting or initiating automated handoffs
- Coordinate, including print outs
- Scan En Route Decision Support Tool (EDST)
- Scan and manage flight progress strips
- Request/receive and disseminate weather, NOTAMs, and other messages
- Monitor radios
Name 3 ARTCC Radar (R-Side) position responsibilities (9 listed).
- Ensure separation
- Initiate control instructions
- Monitor and operate radios
- Accept and initiate automated handoffs
- Assist the D-side position with non-automated handoffs
- Assist the D-side in coordination when needed
- Scan radar display
- Ensure computer entries are completed on instructions or clearances issued or received.
- Ensure stripmarking and/or electronic flight data entries are completed
Name the 4 ARTCC Radar Coordinator position responsibilities.
- Perform interfacility/intrafacility/sector/position coordination of traffic actions
- Advise R-Side and D-Side of sector actions required to accomplish objectives
- Perform any functions of the en route sector team which will assist in meeting situation objectives
- Monitor or operate radios when precluded by VSCS split functionality.
