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| * use the ''[[OpenRadar]]'', ''ATC-TOWER'', ''[[ATC-aircraft|ATC]]'' (or similarly named) aircraft. | | * use the ''[[OpenRadar]]'', ''ATC-TOWER'', ''[[ATC-aircraft|ATC]]'' (or similarly named) aircraft. |
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| == Lesson 1 == | | == Controller roles == |
| {| class="prettytable" | | The roles a controller can assume mirror the ones that a pilot can encounter in "real life" aviation: |
| ! align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Position Suffix | | {| class="wikitable" |
| ! align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Name | | ! scope="col"| Position suffix |
| ! align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Description | | ! scope="col"| Name |
| | ! scope="col"| Description |
| | |- |
| | | xxxx_DL |
| | | Clearance Delivery |
| | | Gives aircraft clearances (authorizations to fly to a destination airport via a certain route). |
| |- | | |- |
| | xxxx_GND | | | xxxx_GN |
| |Ground Controller | | | Ground |
| |Controls the movement of aircraft on the ground at an airport, however only the taxiways and bays... not the active runways. Whenever a plane needs to cross an active runway, it has to call the tower. | | | Controls the movement of aircraft on the ground at an airport (stands, apron, taxiways). Does not control the runways; thus, a pilot needs to contact Tower to enter or cross them.<ref>At some airports, where Ground coordinates with Tower, Ground is allowed to clear a pilot to cross runways while taxiing.</ref> |
| |- | | |- |
| ! bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="left" |xxxx_TWR
| | | xxxx_TW |
| ! bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="left" |Tower Controller
| | | Tower |
| ! bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="left" |'Owns' the runways and the airspace up to 10 NM (nautical miles) from the airport. Clears planes for takeoff and landing.
| | | Controls the runways and the airspace up to 10 NM (nautical miles) from the airport; chooses the runways to use; clears planes for takeoff and landing, making sure that they are at least 10 NM or three minutes apart. |
| |- | | |- |
| |xxxx_APP | | | xxxx_AP |
| |Approach Controller | | | Approach |
| |Controls the airspace up to 30NM away from the airport, up to 18,000 ft (usually). Handles all aircraft leaving or arriving at an airport, until they are established on the ILS (then gives the plane to TWR) or are leaving their airspace to continue flight (then hands off to CTR) | | | Controls the airspace up to 30 NM away from the airport, up to 18,000 ft (usually). Handles all aircraft leaving or arriving at an airport, until they are established on the ILS/have the runway in sight (then gives the plane to TWR) or are leaving their airspace to continue their flight (then hands them off to CTR). Ensures that aircraft is adequately separated. |
| |- | | |- |
| ! bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="left" |xxxx_DEP
| | | xxxx_DE |
| ! bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="left" |Departure Controller
| | | Departure |
| ! bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="left" |An position rarely used except at busy airports in the real world which relieves the work-load of the approach controller by handling all the departures, and getting them away from arrivals as quickly as possible, leaving the approach controller free to handle arrivals (the hard bit).
| | | This position is rarely used, except at busy airports; it handles all the departures and hands them off to CTR, leaving the approach controller free to handle only arrivals. Coordinates closely with the approach controller to prevent collisions. |
| |- | | |- |
| |xxxx_CTR | | | xxxx_CT |
| |(ARTCC) Center Controller | | | Center |
| |Centers own all airspace not controlled by APP or TWR. They control the plane while en route, and get it from X to Y safely, until it can be descended and given to the approach controller. | | | Center (sector) controllers own all airspace not controlled by APP/DEP or TWR. They control the plane while en route, and get it from X to Y safely, until it can be instructed to descend and given to the approach controller.<ref>In some areas (e.g. France) Center controllers are supplemented by Flight Service Stations (FSS), which provide useful information (weather, frequencies...) to pilots and do ''not'' offer air traffic control.</ref> |
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| ! bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="left" |xxxx_FSS
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| ! bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="left" |Flight Service Station
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| ! bgcolor="#EFEFEF" align="left" |Flight Service Stations cover large areas (e.g.: France) and provide support to pilots and controllers. They can advise pilots of weather and frequencies for other controllers. They do not provide Air Traffic Control.
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| |-
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| |xxxx_DEL
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| |Clearance Delivery
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| |Clearance Delivery is rarely used in FlightSims. In the real world, a controller would give a clearance (which explains where the plane is allowed to fly) to all planes, but the ease of giving a clearance in the virtual world, means the Tower can normally give the clearance.
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| |} | | |} |
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| The 'xxxx' in the table replace a code used to identify the area that controller is using. These are known as [[ICAO]] codes, and can be found on the [http://www.airport-technology.com/icao-codes/ ICAO web-site]. For example, Heathrow is 'EGLL' so a Heathrow Tower Controller would log-in as EGLL_TWR. | | The "xxxx" in the table replace a code used to identify the area that controller is using; these are known as ''ICAO codes'' and can be found on the [http://www.airport-technology.com/icao-codes/ Airport Codes list]. For example, London Gatwick is "EGKK" so a Gatwick Tower Controller would log-in as ''EGKK_TW''. |
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| Centers and flight service stations also have ICAO identifiers, but they are not for one airport, but for a larger area. For example, LFFF_CTR is France Center, and LFFF_FSS is the France Flight Service Station.
| | Center controllers also have ICAO identifiers, but they are not for one airport, but for a larger area. For example, ''LFFF_CT'' is France Center, and ''LFFF_FS'' is the France Flight Service Station. |
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| You may also see the callsigns xxxx_SUP and xxxx_OBS. These are used only in the virtual world and represent, respectively, a supervisor and an observer (someone who isn't controlling).
| | === Controller roles in FlightGear === |
| | | Since there are not many ATCs in FlightGear, often a single controller fills more than one position. Generally: |
| So now you can choose your position, but beware: if you are the approach controller at an airport which doesn't have a ground / tower controller, planes will expect you to offer them all those facilities, but if you are a London Center controller, you are not expected to offer center facilities to airplanes in an adjacent sector, but could be expected to offer very basic facilities of GND / TWR / APP to airports in your sector...
| | * a controller filling a particular position also fills the positions below him/her (the one listed before in the table above) if no one else is covering it; for example, if ''EGKK_TW'' (a Gatwick Tower Controller) is online, but there is no ''EGKK_GN'', the Tower controller acts also as Ground controller; |
| | | * as an exception to the rule above, Tower controllers often act also as Approach controllers for the respective airports. |
| == Lesson 2 == | |
| Now, we'll have a look at each of the positions in details:
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| === _GND (Ground) ===
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| Ground is possibly the easiest position available to controllers. The basic responsibility is to get planes to and from the runway and terminal buildings as quickly as possible (to save fuel and time) and to avoid planes colliding with each other. For this, you might need a GROUND SECTOR FILE. This is optional as a very detailed map of a particular airport (can be downloaded from the Sector System on IVAO) which hold all the taxiways as geographic data (press F5 to view).
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| Depending on the airport, the taxiways may have letters, or descriptions (e.g.: Inner Taxiway) or each section of the airport may have a number (called blocks). At Heathrow, the last two are used, so a statement like 'taxi to block 76 via the outer taxi-way' would be valid.
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| === _TWR (Tower) ===
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| Tower has responsibility for all planes coming into or out of the airport, and the planes wishing to enter or cross the active runways. For Tower you can use any sector file with the airport shown, and center on your airport and zoom in to give your short (10NM) range. The first responsibility is to choose which runways to use (there's always at least 2 - one runway being used either direction) according to the weather (more later). You will also be expected to give IFR clearances, but this is very simple.
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| The biggest responsibility the tower has is to ensure that planes can take-off and land as quickly as possible, without any two colliding. Your approach controller should make sure that all planes arriving are well spaced and already heading directly for the runway. When a plane you've given permission to take-off to has left the ground, they are given straight to APP (Approach). Normally, there will not be a ground controller, so you may have to also give basic ground instructions (just ask a plane to get to the runway - not giving them directions - but warn them of any other traffic).
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| === _APP (Approach) ===
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| Approach is the most complicated position. Approach controllers deal with all traffic arriving and leaving (unless there is a departures controller - unusual). The main aim, as always, is to keep the aircraft arriving and leaving separated. For departing traffic, the aim is to get them going in the right direction and give them to center as soon as possible; for arriving traffic, the aim is to get them onto the approach (the correct height and heading) so that they can follow an electronic system (the ILS) which gives them exact guidance onto the runway, and then you can hand them off to the tower, who will clear them to land and try and get planes taking off in between the landings.
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| The difficulty is, of course, dealing with the high volumes of traffic around an airport. In Lesson 3, SIDs and STARs are introduced which are standard ways of leaving from or arriving at an airport which ensure that planes maintain separation.
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| === _DEP (Departures) ===
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| An unusual position in the virtual world, the departure controller controls all planes leaving an airport; normally _APP will handle these but sometimes traffic means that there is just too much for a single controller to do. It is the aim of the departures controller to get the departing aircraft away from the airport as soon as possible without interfering with approach's planes. Later, you will see that departures are kept below a certain altitude until they're a distance away so that any arrivals can fly over them without any mid-air collisions.
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| In this position you absolutely must co-ordinate very closely with the approach controller.
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| === _CTR (ARTCC - Center) ===
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| Center handles all airplanes in a specific area which are en route and not getting ready to land or having just departed. They navigate the plane from place to place as quickly as possible whilst ensuring that planes stay separated from each other. A plane may deal with many centers as it passes over many countries in a flight.
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| Notice how I've mentioned separation in every description? SEPARATION is the first key to controlling. It does not matter how far out its way a plane has to go if you keep everybody on board alive. A pilot may well want to have landed five minutes earlier, but it's your job as the controller to keep them separated. Of course, having said that, the second key to controlling is expedite flow - that is keep traffic moving quickly and get it where it wants to go by the most direct route.
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| == Lesson 3 == | | == Lesson 3 == |
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| That concludes the average flight in ProController, but the next (and last) page of this lesson contains some information that you may want to know, for example: the words used to represent single letter (e.g.: alpha for A in ATIS, and lima for L as in 'taxi-way lima' as opposed to 'taxi-way L'). | | That concludes the average flight in ProController, but the next (and last) page of this lesson contains some information that you may want to know, for example: the words used to represent single letter (e.g.: alpha for A in ATIS, and lima for L as in 'taxi-way lima' as opposed to 'taxi-way L'). |
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| | == Notes == |
| | <references /> |
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| [[Category:Air Traffic Control]] | | [[Category:Air Traffic Control]] |