What is the functioning of ATC?

Air traffic controllers' primary concern is safety, but they also must direct aircraft efficiently to minimize delays. They manage the flow of aircraft into and out of the airport airspace, guide pilots during takeoff and landing, and monitor aircraft as they travel through the skies.



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The ATC system—the second major part of the National Airspace System—offers three basic forms of service: navigation aid (including landing), flight planning and in-flight advisory information, and air traffic control.

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If the airport of departure and arrival, and the route flown, are all in uncontrolled airspace, no ATC contact is needed. Your location will determine whether or not you need to contact Air Traffic Control. If you are within an airport traffic area that has a control tower, you'll need to contact atc.

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Non-towered airports may lie inside or underneath controlled airspace. In that case, some or all aircraft arriving and departing require clearances from a remote air traffic control unit, such as terminal or center control, even though there is no control tower managing landings and takeoffs.

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Listen to how pilots respond to ATC transmissions. Imitating others is often how we learn to use the phraseology correctly—and incorrectly. Looking up new words and phrases in the AIM makes understanding what you hear easier, and it tells you what communications are correct and incorrect.

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The prudent crew will write it down. Large aircraft have tables, or boards clipped to the control column on which to write taxi clearances, complex airways clearances and so on. In some large aircraft, many light aircraft and in helicopters, pilots might wear a kneeboard to write instructions on.

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