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Air Traffic Control System
Published in Milica Kalić, Slavica Dožić, Danica Babić, Introduction to the Air Transport System, 2022
Milica Kalić, Slavica Dožić, Danica Babić
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. Air traffic controllers are people who operate air traffic control systems to maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic and help prevent mid-air collisions, as well as to ensure safe separation of aircraft with the obstacles (e.g., terrain, buildings, etc.).
Authorities in aviation
Published in Gert Meijer, Fundamentals of Aviation Operations, 2020
Communication between ATC and the pilots of flying aircraft is done by radio contact. This communication therefore is verbal, and under ICAO ruling this verbal communication needs to be done in the English language. As radio contact can be disturbed, aviation has adopted a variety of communication rules to ensure that pilots and ATC controllers understand each other. To prevent ambiguity and misunderstanding ICAO has established a standardized phraseology in English that includes proper spelling (the ICAO alphabet Alpha, Bravo, Charlie), proper pronunciation of numbers and digits and the use of narrowly defined ‘code words’ like ‘affirm’ for ‘yes’, ‘negative’ for ‘no’, ‘roger’ for ‘message received’. All aircraft and all ATC stations have a call sign, whereby the aircraft’s call sign is composed of airline coding and its flight number. Large aircraft, generating wake turbulence, have the addition “Heavy” in their call-sign, for the A-380 it is even “Super”. In order to ensure that the pilot and the ATC controller have understood each other, all information given by one is acknowledged by the other.
A Cognitive Framework for Operation of Advanced Aerospace Technologies
Published in Erik Hollnagel, Handbook of Cognitive Task Design, 2003
The air traffic control specialist controller (termed "certified professional controller" in the United States) has the responsibility of providing safe, efficient and orderly flow of traffic through the area of their responsibility. Controller teams consisting of a "radar" R-side controller and a "data" D-side controller are used in sectors where the flow rate, complexity, or simple density of traffic require two human operators for their management. Controller task loading can, for some periods of time, get so high that three controllers may be assigned to airspace to handle "rushes." The additional "set of eyes" is intended to support the primary task of separation assurance, but a three-person team imposes communication and coordination burdens. New methods for dealing with such temporary load developments are being considered and are discussed later in Limited Dynamic Resectorization. Now, the flight crew response for an altitude change may occur such that the dynamics of climb would have the aircraft in another adjacent airspace at the completion of the maneuver. Coordination between controllers is required to respond to the aircrew's request. This coordination may require simple verbal communication, electronic communication (data messaging), or telephonic coordination depending on the physical layout of the center's radar display systems (see Fig. 18.1).
Evaluating the operational performance of airside and landside at Chinese airports with novel inputs
Published in Transportation Planning and Technology, 2018
Baocheng Zhang, Lili Wang, Zhijian Ye, Jianzhong Wang, Wenpeng Zhai
An airport is a location which provides air transportation services for passengers, shippers and airlines. Airport operations can be decomposed into airside and landside operations. Moreover, landside operations can be further decomposed into passenger-terminal operations and cargo-warehouse operations. In addition, airside operation is one part of air traffic control (ATC) (Zhang et al. 2014b). ATC is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on airport airside and through controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace. The primary purpose of ATC worldwide is to prevent collisions, organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and provide information and other support for pilots. To prevent collisions, ATC enforces traffic separation rules, which ensure each aircraft maintains a minimum amount of empty space around it at all times. To organize and expedite the flow of traffic, ATC takes strategic and tactical measurers to mitigate delays and congestion. Airport control, terminal (approach) control and en-route control (area control) are the main three parts of air traffic control (ICAO 2012).