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ATC tutorial: Difference between revisions
Flight planning completed
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| xxxx_DL | | xxxx_DL | ||
| Clearance Delivery | | Clearance Delivery | ||
| Gives aircraft clearances (authorizations to fly to a destination airport via a certain route). | | Checks flight plans submitted by pilots (or creates them) to make sure no aircraft intersects the route of another one at the same time and that visibility conditions and cruise altitude are adequate. Revokes or amends the flight plans as necessary. Assigns squawk (transponder) codes. Gives aircraft clearances (authorizations to fly to a destination airport via a certain route). | ||
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| xxxx_GN | | xxxx_GN | ||
| Ground | | Ground | ||
| 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> | | Controls the movement of aircraft on the ground at an airport (stands, apron, taxiways). Issues taxi clearances, assisting pilots if needed. 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> | ||
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| xxxx_TW | | xxxx_TW | ||
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* 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; | * 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. | * as an exception to the rule above, Tower controllers often act also as Approach controllers for the respective airports. | ||
=== Handoffs === | |||
If more than one controller is manning an area, the first controller should tell the pilot to contact the second controller when the airplane is about to enter the airspace of the latter. | |||
== IFR vs VFR flights == | == IFR vs VFR flights == | ||
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== Phraseology == | == Phraseology == | ||
=== A sample IFR flight === | === A sample IFR flight === | ||
We will teach the phraseology through an IFR sample flight from LEBL (Barcelona) to EDDF (Frankfurt am Main). | |||
==== Planning the flight ==== | ==== Planning the flight ==== | ||
* First, we need to [[Getting aeronautical charts|get aeronautical charts]] for LEBL and EDDF. We also look for possible alternate fields to use should a problem with the aircraft arise while in flight. | |||
* We then check the weather at LEBL and at EDDF: this is done by [http://aviationweather.gov/adds/metars/ getting the latest METAR] for the airports. The METAR is a text string summarizing weather conditions of particular interest to pilots (like winds, visibility, cloud layers). Discussing in detail the structure of a METAR is beyond the scope of this tutorial; you can refer to the [http://vateud.net/pilot-material/meteorology VATEUD training pages], or just use a [http://www.skystef.be/metar-decoder.htm METAR decoder]. | |||
* We [https://www.notams.faa.gov/dinsQueryWeb/ check the NOTAMs] (Notices to Airmen) for the origin and destination airports to get an updated list of potential hazards/procedural changes. | |||
* We calculate the amount of fuel required for the trip - that will vary according to the aircraft type, the load and the current winds. If you don't know it, fill up the tanks. | |||
* Finally, file a flight plan on Lenny's website, inputting at least the route and the cruising altitude. Make sure you choose a correct flight level according to your direction: if the angle between the North and the line joining the departure with the arrival airport form an angle between 0 and 179 degrees, the tens of the cruise flight level should be odd; otherwise, it should be even. | |||
==== Getting the departure clearance ==== | ==== Getting the departure clearance ==== | ||
We start on the airport apron at terminal T1. | |||
The first thing we need to do is to check which runway is being used; as a general rule, planes should be heading into the wind for takeoff and landing. | |||
==== Starting up and pushing back ==== | ==== Starting up and pushing back ==== | ||
==== Taxiing to the runway ==== | ==== Taxiing to the runway ==== | ||