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Air traffic control unit 3

Bba Aviation Managem5 (Bengaluru North University)

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AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

UNIT- 3: Flight Information Alerting Services, Coordination, Emergency Procedure and Rule of the
Air

Faculty Name: Akshatha S

1. RADAR:

Radar (radio detection and ranging) is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the
distance (ranging), angle, or velocity of objects. It can be used to
detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. A
radar system consists of a transmitter producing electromagnetic waves in
the radio or microwaves domain, a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna (often the same antenna
is used for transmitting and receiving) and a receiver and processor to determine properties of the
object(s). Radio waves (pulsed or continuous) from the transmitter reflect off the object and return to
the receiver, giving information about the object's location and speed.

2. RADAR TERMINOLOGY

Frequency: The term frequency refers to total no. of completed cycles per second. It is expressed in
Hz.

Phase: The term phase refers to phase of EM wave and it is fraction of a full wavelength. It is
measured in radians or degrees.

Bandwidth: The term bandwidth is the frequency difference between upper frequency and lower
frequency on EM spectrum radiation. It is expressed in Hz.

Wavelength: The term Wavelength is basically distance from wavecrest to wavecrest along direction
of travel of EM wave. The unit is centimeter.

PRF: The term PRF refers to Pulse Repetition Frequency which is no. of peak power pulses
transmitted per second.

PRT: The radar term PRT refers to Pulse Repetition Time. It is the time interval between two peak
pulses.

2D radar: 2D radar or two dimensional radar provides azimuth and range information.

3D radar: 3D radar produces three dimensional position data of the target. It covers range, azimuth
and also height.

3. RADAR SERVICES

Radars are able to detect and localize all aircraft within an airspace region.Radars are used by air
traffic control to provide three types of radar services:

 Radar Surveillance
 Radar Assistance
 Radar Guidance

Objectives of Radar Service

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 For Improving airspace utilization

 For Reducing flight delays;
 For Facilitating direct routings and more optimum flight profiles
 For Enhancing safety

RADAR SURVEILLANCE

Radar is used to identify and determine the position of all aircraft.

In this framework, radar surveillance is meant to:

Monitor the separation between each aircraft flying within a controlled airspace where radar
separation is provided

Monitor the position of each aircraft within a controlled airspace where traffic information is provided

Monitor non-controlled aircraft evolution

Monitor any significant deviation from the instructions cleared by the controller to the pilots (if
applicable)

RADAR ASSISTANCE

Radar is also used to provide assistance to all aircraft.

In particular, it helps the controller to:

Provide any information about traffic position and intention, meteorological conditions

Provide information about any significant deviation from the instructions cleared by the controller to
the pilot, or the published flight plan given by the pilot, in particular concerning the correct route and
flight level to be flown at

Provide necessary assistance and information in case of pilot assistance request, pilot decision to land
in alternate aerodrome or in case of emergency.

RADAR GUIDANCE

Radar is finally used to guide aircraft within a controlled airspace. In particular, it helps the controller
to:

Provide vectors to aircraft in order to ensure their separation and/or make them follow a specific
trajectory

Optimize and regulate the traffic flow (minimize trajectory, avoid level flight, handle level crossing,
etc.)

4. TYPES OF RADAR:

1. PRIMARY SURVEILLANCE RADAR-PSR

2. SECONDARY SURVEILLANCE RADAR-SSR

Working of PSR:

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Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) transmits a high power signal. When a signal strikes an object or
target, some signal energy is reflected back and is received by the radar receiver. RADAR receiver
will plot the direction (bearing) and the distance of the target (aircraft) from the radar station. Thus,
the ATC could know the position of aircraft through the RADAR display.

Features of PSR:

 Monitor all the aircraft in the airspace-upto a distance of 65 NM at S band (2.7 to 2.9 GHz)
 Operating totally independently of the aircraft target.
 Weather conditions detected in six levels of rain intensity
 Provide range & direction information from the reflected signal from the aircraft.
 Passive Radar-no action from the aircraft required to provide to ATC

Advantages of PSR

 Operates independently irrespective of target

 No Action Required from the Aircraft

Disadvantages of PSR

 TX signal limited by ‘line of sight’ interrupted by buildings, hills & mountains.

 More power is radiated for getting returns from the target & little power is received. Hence
displayed target will be fading (not clear).

Secondary RADAR:

Secondary Radar is always known as Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR).SSR is complement to the
primary radar as it provide ATC with additional info about aircraft such as aircraft’s call sign,
altitude, speed and destination.SSR requires an aircraft to be fitted with transmitter/receiver called as
transponder.

SSR antenna mounted on top of Primary Radar. The ground secondary radar transmits 1030MHz
signal. The aircraft radar receives on 1030MHz and transmits back 0n 1090MHz.

The transponder reply is more powerful than the reflected radar signal allowing for far greater range.
(250nm).-Secondary Surveillance was developed in the late 1960s. It was another form of radar
surveillance that receives transmission reflections every few seconds. However, these reflections
provide much more data than in primary surveillance.

The transponder is a radio receiver and transmitter which receives on one frequency (1030 MHz) and
transmits on another (1090 MHz).

Secondary radar display: Aircraft Identity, Altitude, Speed and Direction

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Fig: Working of PSR and SSR

Advantages of Secondary Surveillance Radar SSR

 Higher Range
 Low power required to radiate the signals, thus reduce the cost.
 Providing more information: aircraft’s identity, altitude & speed.
 Giving a clearer display
 Easier to identify aircraft on SSR (interrogation)

Difference between PSR and SSR

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5. PERFORMANCE CHECKS

Radar systems performance must be evaluated by radar-qualified air traffic controllers through daily
observations and use of the radar systems. FAA Flight Check aircraft may be used to assist the
controller in performing radar checks. Controllers should utilize Flight Check aircraft or targets of
opportunity to verify radar video and fixed map accuracy when necessary.

Accuracy of radar display systems must be certified on a daily basis. For digitized (narrowband) radar
systems, this check is performed by the computer program and is certified daily by Technical
Operations personnel. Controllers must monitor the acceptability of the digitized system by indirect
methods; e.g., stability and accuracy of presentation

Carrying out checks on the accuracy of the display as per ATC manual

Functional capabilities of the radar system is satisfied by the controller

If there is any difficulty in the performance, it is reported

6. Radar Service Areas

1. AERODROME CONTROL SERVICE AREA-for apron management at the aerodrome

2. AREA CONTROL SERVICE AREA- for enroute air traffic
3. APPROACH CONTROL SERVICE AREA for arriving and departing air traffic

Aerodrome Control Service (ADCS)

 ADCS Service given to the aircraft from the control tower with its extended field of vision, to
start engines for takeoff or to land
 ADCS directs taxiing aircraft and manages airborne traffic in the immediate vicinity of the
airport.

Area Control Service (ACS)

 ACS for the safe flow of traffic along airways and in certain portions of terminal control areas
 ACS cover for various altitudes and geographic sectors

Minimum Safe Altitude-MSA

 An Altitude-Allowing adequate vertical clearance from terrain and manmade obstacles, and
allowing proper navigational functions.
 Depending on VFR & IFR
 For VFR flights 1000’ in non mountainous area and 2000’ in mountainous area

Minimum Enroute Altitude-MEA

 Lowest published altitude of an aircraft flying on IFR legally on a given route

 MEA listed as a Number-6500-the lowest minimum altitude ensuring signal coverage from
navigational aids
 Minimum Enroute Altitude-determined by the local terrain and navigation equipment
 At night aircraft not allowed to descend a min enroute altitude

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Air Route Traffic Control Centre-Enroute

 Air Route Surveillance Centre=Air Route Traffic Control Centre.

 Objective: For providing air traffic control service on IFR flight plan in controlled airspace &
on Enrouote
 For assistance service to VFR Flight 44

Approach Control Service

Approach control service for flights arriving and departing from an airport in a specific control zone
(– > CTR) and in terminal control area (usually within a 50 km radius of the airport)

7. NON-RADAR CONTROL/ PROCEDURAL CONTROL:

Procedural control is a method of providing air traffic control services without the use of radar. It is
used in regions of the world, specifically sparsely populated land areas and oceans, where radar
coverage is either prohibitively expensive or is simply not feasible. It also may be used at very low-
traffic airports, or at other airports at night when the traffic levels may not justify staffing the radar
control positions, or as a back-up system in the case of radar failure.

Procedural control is a form of air traffic control that can be provided to aircraft in regions without
radar, by providing horizontal separation based upon time, the geography of predetermined routes, or
aircraft position reports based upon ground-based navigation aids, for those aircraft that are not
vertically separated. The central rule of procedural control is that each aircraft is cleared onto a
predetermined route (airway), and no aircraft travelling on the same or intersecting routes at the same
level shall come within 10 minutes' flying time of another (or sometimes 15 minutes depending on the
accuracy of the available radio navigation beacons).

Fig: A strip rack at a high-altitude procedural sector in Indonesia

There are two main techniques controllers use to organize flight progress strips in order to best detect
conflicts: grouped together by altitude, or grouped together by route intersection points (fix posting
area). Altitude grouping is the easiest and most common method when most aircraft in the sector tend
to be level at a cruising altitude, such as in trans-oceanic sectors. Each aircraft's strip is placed in a
"bay" (labeled section of the strip rack) depending on its altitude. Because aircraft cruising at different
altitudes will never conflict regardless of route of flight or estimated times, they don't need to be
checked against each other. Only aircraft at the same altitude (i.e. in the same bay) need to be further
evaluated. If an aircraft needs to transition to a new altitude (whether changing cruising level, or

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descending to or climbing from an airport), it only needs to be checked against others in the bays
between the current altitude and destination altitude.

8. CO-ORDINATION BETWEEN RADAR / NON RADAR CONTROL

 Adequate separation between aircraft maintained between the radar-controlled and non radar
control.
 Radar separation based on the use of RPS shall be applied
 Under no circumstances the edges of the radar position should touch or overlap
 Radar separation be maintained between the radar- controlled flights and any other observed
radar position

9. EMERGENCIES

 In the event of an emergency, every assistance shall be provided by the radar controller, and
the procedures as per the situation
 Progress of an aircraft in emergency shall be monitored and plotted on the radar display until
the aircraft passes out of radar coverage

10. FLIGHT INFORMATION SERVICE

A flight information service (FIS) is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft
within a flight information region (FIR), as agreed internationally by ICAO.

It is defined as information pertinent to the safe and efficient conduct of flight, and includes
information on other potentially conflicting traffic, possibly derived from radar, but stopping short of
providing positive separation from that traffic.

Flight Information also includes:

 Meteorological information
 Information on aerodromes
 Information on possible hazards to flight

FIS shall be provided to all aircraft which are provided with any air traffic control (ATC) service or
are otherwise known to air traffic service units. All air traffic service units will provide an FIS to any
aircraft, in addition to their other tasks.

Scope of Flight Information service:

 SIGMET
 Information regarding volcanic activity, volcanic eruptions and volcanic ash clouds;
 Info concerning the release into the atmosphere of radioactive materials or toxic chemicals;
 Information on changes in the serviceability of navigation aids
 Information on changes in condition of aerodromes and associated facilities

SIGMET-Significant Meteorological Information

 An advisory service providing meteorological information for the safety of all aircrafts
 two types of SIGMET-s, convective and non-convective
 Non connective Sigmet for severe turbulence or icing or sandstorm

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 Connective sigmet for thunderstorm

11. ADVISORY SERVICE

Air Traffic Advisory Service is a service provided within advisory airspace to ensure separation,
insofar as practical, between aircraft which are operating on IFR flight plans.

The objective of the air traffic advisory service is to make information on collision hazards more
effective than it would be in the mere provision of flight information service. It may be provided to
aircraft conducting Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flights in advisory airspace or on advisory routes
(Class F airspace).

As a rule, advisory service is only implemented where the air traffic services are inadequate for the
provision of air traffic control, and the limited advice on collision hazards otherwise provided
by flight information service will not meet the requirement.

Advisory service does not afford the degree of safety and cannot assume the same responsibilities as
air traffic control service in respect of collision avoidance, since information regarding the disposition
of traffic in the area may be incomplete. Advisory service does not deliver “clearances” but only
“advisory information”.

12. ALERTING SERVICE

A service provided to notify appropriate organizations regarding aircraft in need of search and rescue
aid, and assist such organizations as required. It lies in cooperation with Search and Rescue Centre
and informing about any aircraft that are, or appear to be, in a state of emergency.

Alerting service shall be provided:

 for all aircraft provided with air traffic control service;

 in so far as practicable, to all other aircraft having filed a flight plan or otherwise known to
ATS; and
 To any aircraft known or believed to be the subject of unlawful interference.

13. CO-ORDINATION AND EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

 Services of the Air

 Area Control Service-for Enroute
 Approach Control Service-50Km radius
 Aerodrome Control Service-through the Control tower for starting the engine, take off and
landing

Stages in Co-ordination between ATC Units

 Announcing the flight and conditions for transfer of control

 Coordination of transfer and agreement on the control conditions
 Transferring of control to the accepting ATC unit or control sector

Important Coordination Zones

 Between ATC Centres

 Between Area Control Service and Approach Control Service

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 Between Approach Control Service and Aerodrome control Service

 Between ATC and Military service 5. Between Met and ATC

14. Coordination between Area Control Service & approach control Service

 A unit providing approach control service will issue clearances to any aircraft released to it by
an ACC without reference to the ACC.
 Take-off and Clearance ExpiryTimes –coordinate the departure with unit providing approach
control service
 provide en-route separation for departing aircraft

15. RULES OF THE AIR

 Protect person and property

 Minimum Safe Altitude
 Cruising Levels.
 Dropping or Spraying
 No towing by another aircraft 6. No acrobatic flight
 No flying in Restricted Areas 8. Right of way for heading and speed

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