Definitions (noun) · FL350 300kts 10 miles. Areas of responsibility To control airspace from Lands End to John O’Groats and from 0ft to 66 000ft would be very difficult. • Swanwickalone

� What is ATC?

air-traffic control

� Definitions (noun)

� an organization that facilitates the safe and orderly movement of aircraft within and between airports.

What is an ATC service?

� An ATC service is provided according to the particular circumstances and class of airspace, for the purpose of:

� preventing collisions between aircraft in the air;

� assisting in preventing collisions between aircraft moving on the apron and the manoeuvring area;

� assisting in preventing collisions between aircraft and obstructions on the manoeuvring area;

� expediting and maintaining an orderly flow of air traffic.

Mats part 1

How do we do it?

V 10

London & Scottish FIRs:

1m km2 – 11% of Europe’s

airspace and 25% of

traffic

Shanwick

2.2m km2 – 80% of North

Atlantic traffic

Our airspace…Flight Information Regions

NATS Private V 10

Prestwick CentreHandles on average 2,700 flights/day

Swanwick CentreHandles on average 6,000 flights/day

– Scottish Oceanic Control Centre– Scottish Area Control Centre

– London Area Control Centre– London Terminal Control Centre

– London Military Air Traffic Control

1.1m movements FY 15/16

1.8m movements FY 15/16

Our Centres

1650 controllers

SEPARATION

WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE HAVE

MORE THAN ONE PLANE IN THE AIR?

(THIS IS OFTEN THE CASE)

� We need methods to keep

them apart.

� Do not fear… these have

been developed and are

used to great effect

everyday!

� What are the two ways we

make them miss?

1. Vertically

2. Horizontally

Separations

Vertical Separation:

1000ft

Horizontal separation:

5nm for upper airspace

3nm for lower airspace

LATERAL SEPARATION

Longitudinal Separation

FL350

300kts-FL350

300kts

10 miles

Areas of responsibility

To control airspace from

Lands End to John O’Groats

and from 0ft to 66 000ft

would be very difficult.

• Swanwick alone can work thousands of flights per

hour. Would one person

have the time to speak to

that many planes?

• So what do we do?

• We split the airspace up into smaller chunks called sectors

RADAR

Radio Direction And Range

PrimarySecondary Surveillance RADAR Co-Located SSR and Primary

How to tell them all apart

Primary Only Primary and

Secondary

with Mode C

Primary and

Secondary

with Code

Call Sign

Conversion

and Mode S

Primary and

Secondary

RADAR returns

Aircraft Use;

On departure they fly on a SID (Standard Instrument Departure) to

defined waypoint or NAVaid or an RNAV SID

En-route use Navigation aids to fly airways or RNAV routes

On arrival they use a STAR (Standard Terminal Arrival Route)

NDB

NON – Directional Beacon

NDB is a ground-based, low

frequency radio transmitter

• Using an automatic direction finder (ADF),

a standard instrument

on board an aircraft a

pilot can tune into a

Non directional

beacon. When tuned

in we have a direction

to the beacon relative

to the aircraft (provides

bearing information

only).

Bearing 340 degrees

NAVaids

VOR

VHF OMNI DIRECTIONAL RADIO

RANGE

(VOR) IS A SHORT-RANGE RADIO

NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT.

� Like an NDB, the navigation

signal allows the airborne

receiving equipment to

determine a bearing from

the station to the aircraft

but also informs the pilot

which radial the aircraft is

sitting on.

250 degree radial

Bearing 070 degrees

VOR

DME

DISTANCE MEASURING

EQUIPMENT

AIRCRAFT USE DME TO

DETERMINE THEIR DISTANCE

FROM A LAND-BASED

TRANSPONDER BY SENDING

AND RECEIVING PULSE PAIRS

� The ground stations are

typically co-located with

VORs

250 degree radial

Bearing 070 degrees

Range 25nm (Slant)

VOR