Air traffic control

system

Unit 4
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Need of Air Traffic Control

The air traffic should ensure safe ,convenient and economic
movement of aircraft from one airport to other.
The air traffic flight from one airport to another involves the

basic functions:
The aircraft takes off from an airport.
It maintains a proper altitude in air .
It navigates from one point to point safely.
It lands at the desired airport.
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The primary functions of air traffic control devices can ,therefore,

be summarized as follows:
Airport traffic control:
To guide the aircraft , desiring to land or take off
To control the taxing of arriving and departing aircraft on the
airfield between the apron and the runway.
Airway traffic control:
This regulate the movement of aircraft along the air routes
with adequate lateral and vertical separation to avoid collision.
This is essential when visibility is poor.
Airway communication :
This deals with conveying of airway and weather information
to the pilot during the flight.

General or non- airway traffic control:

This presents a serious problem when personal flying is done
by a large number of people. In such cases the movement of
aircraft, not flying along the airway, must be regulated to
prevent inference to the main air traffic.
Air traffic control network :
Control within the terminal area
Control over airways
Airway communication
The method of air traffic control for each system depends upon
the weather conditions . These are called as Visual Flight
Rules(VFR) and Instrumental Flight Rules(IFR).

Control within the terminal area:

This done from the airport control tower which is locate in the
terminal area .
Safety of aircraft operations and the effective capacity of an
airport depend upon the skill of the controller operating the
system.
The controller directs the movement of aircraft on the ground
And in the air within the airport zone.
In formations are issued to the pilot regarding
o Airport conditions
o Airway traffic
o Visibility
o Speed and direction of ground winds
o Barometric pressure

 The problem of controlling the incoming and departing aircraft

is very complex and would probably remain so during the
conditions of poor visibility until such time when instrument
landing can be accomplished as quickly as landing under VFR
conditions
In order to control the aircrafts movements efficiently the
control tower is so located as to command clear view of the
airfield .
Features of Control Tower:
Walls are fitted with glass panels arranged at certain angle to
minimize the glare and reflection.
coloured to minimize the strain on the eyes.
Windows wipers to clean the glasses during rain
Located usually at the top of administration building.
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Working :
The control tower which has approach control facilities directs
the aircrafts to the aircrafts to the airport through a number of
specific points which are located within a radius of
approximately 40km from control tower.
Aircrafts are brought to these points by air traffic control
centers, where they are taken over by the control tower.
Heavy traffic- holding fix (vertical separation of 300m)
Released one by one by one, by the control tower.
If the control tower does not have the approach control, the
detension and clearing of air crafts for landing is done by the
air route traffic control centre and they are taken over by the
control towers after the aircrafts have started their landing
approach.
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Control Over Airways:

The control is provided by a number of Air Traffic Control
Centres(ARTC)
Each centre controls certain definite geographical area, thus
covering the entire area of the country.
These centres are usually located at major airports so as to
eliminate the expenses of additional communications
facilities.
As the aircraft crosses over boundary of one of the control
areas, it is taken over by the ARTC of another area or by the
control tower as the case may be.
ARTC is mainly concerned with flights under IFR
conditions.

 The pilot first gives his flight plan to ARTC who when
decides the altitude at which the aircraft may fly so as to

ensure a safe separation from other aircrafts operating along

the same airway.
Without radar coverage ,aircrafts are separated by a distance
equivalent to 10 minutes run when flying on the same altitude.
If radar facility is available, the minimum separation is 8km.

Air communication:
This is usually done through flight service stations.
To relay air traffic control messages between the ARTC and
enroute aircraft.

To give information to pilots.

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Air traffic control aids :

Enroute aids or airways aids
Landing aids
Enroute aids or Airways Aids :
Airway beacon (40 km)
Low /medium frequency(LM/MF) radio range
Very high frequency Omni-directional range(VOR)
Air ground communications
Tactical air navigation (TACAN)
Distance measuring equipment (DME)
Marker beacon
Direction finder
Air route surveillance radar
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Landing aids:
Instrument landing system
Precision approach radar (PAR) or Ground approach control
(GAC)

Air port surveillance radar(ASR)

Airport surface detection equipment (ASDE)
Approach lights

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