Air Traffic Control Entities in the United States

 Air Traffic Entities



 

    In the United States, the FAA, or Federal Aviation Administration, is the main authority over the National Airspace System. Within that system, there are a few main air traffic entities with which we should concern ourselves, including "Airport Traffic Control Towers (Federal and Contract), Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities, Air Route Traffic Control Centers, and Combined Control Facilities" all of which are important components in maintaining safe and efficient operations (Air Traffic Services). As an airplane flies from its departure to its destination, it may come in contact with any one of these ATC facilities, depending on the route of flight and the airports in question.

    Typically, the airplane will fly from an airport where the controlling entity will be the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). The towers at controlled airports will "give pilots taxiing and take off instructions, air traffic clearance, and advice based on their own observations and experience" (What is an Air Traffic Controller? 2019). The have responsibility to separate traffic on takeoff and landing and maintain proper sequencing to allow for efficient operations. The tower controllers, like all other controllers, will work together with En Route facilities like Air Route Traffic Control Centers as well as TRACON controllers, otherwise known as approach and departure control. The airplanes will be controlled mainly through radio communication with pilots, ensuring that each instruction is fully understood before continuing. On any given day, the pilot who starts their flight at a towered airport will be transferred over to Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) and then to an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) after that. 

    The TRACON controllers have a responsibility to separate and sequence aircraft in the climb/departure phases as well as the descent/approach phases of flight. These controllers are usually placed in the bottom of an Air Traffic Control Tower and, using radar technology, will control aircraft within "about 20 to 50 miles from the airport up to about 17,000 feet" (What is an Air Traffic Controller? 2019). All controllers, regardless of their area of authority, have similar responsibilities. Firstly, they are tasked with maintaining separation between aircraft and providing safety alerts and secondly, in providing service such as weather alerts, giving advice, or answering questions. To reiterate, each area of control plays an important role in the safe and efficient operation of the National Airspace System. Without controllers throughout the different entities, the complex system that we know today would be entirely impossible. 

References

FAA. (n.d.). Air Traffic Services. Air Traffic Services | Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/air_traffic_services

What is an Air Traffic Controller? NATCA. (2019, December 17). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.natca.org/education/what-is-an-air-traffic-controller/

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