Air traffic Control Entities

Air Traffic Control Entities

        For this week's blog, I want to discuss the roles played by ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control Centers) and TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) stations in managing air traffic and their relationship with each other. The main purpose of the different controllers is to maintain safe separation during all phases of flight, but the responsibilities vary depending on which phase a flight is in. The main purpose of ARTCC is to manage in route flights up to 60,000ft or low/high altitude airspace. These controls support pilot requests, such as altitude changes to mitigate turbulence, provide weather updates, and other air-traffic information. There are several ARTCC locations all over the United States, all responsible for monitoring their respective areas. This can be observed in the image below. For aircraft traveling on a flight plan in any one of the areas below, if transitioning into another sector, the ARTCC controller will pass the aircraft to the new control center, where new information will be provided to the pilots while under their control. It is important to know that these stations monitor all airspace except the TRACON airspace. 

    

        TRACON stations are positioned around higher-demand airports. While some are located on airport property, others may not (FAA, 2020). The responsibility of a TRACON controller is to communicate with the aircraft on its speed, altitude, and heading in preparation for landing. This communication typically occurs 30-50 nautical miles (NM) from the destination airport (SkyBrary, 2022). At this distance, the ARTCC control directs the pilot of the aircraft to switch of contact with the TRACON, this is referred to as the "feeder gate/ route" (Davis et. al., 1989). Once in contact with the aircraft, the TRACON controller will continue to monitor the aircraft until it is much closer to the destination airport, where another Passover will occur with the airport controlling tower to facilitate the landing.  

    

        I like to think of this process as something a little more relevant, as the sidewalk cracks in your typical neighborhood. Consider for a second that the sidewalk sections, separated by cracks, are the different ARTCC locations. Each time you step over a crack, you are passed over to another controller. But, if you turn into a driveway heading away from the sidewalk, you are no longer monitored and passed on to a TRACON controller, who then guides you to your destination.  

SkyBrary (2022) Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON). SkyBrary Aviation Safety. Retrieved from: https://skybrary.aero/articles/terminal-radar-approach-control-tracon

Federal Aviation Administration (2020) Facts about the FAA and Air Traffic Control. Retrieved from: https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/facts-about-faa-and-air-traffic-control

Davis et al., (1989) Design of a Final Approach Spacing tool for TRACON Air Traffic Control. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. retrieved from: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19900001525/downloads/19900001525.pdf