ATC Air Traffic Control

A daunting task can be knowing who to contact this lesson shall explain the different ATC positions and roles.

RAirport name Radio

AGCS operators provide information on the weather conditions, active runway and traffic information based on reports from pilots. They do not issue clearance.

IAirport name Information

AFIS operators provide information on weather conditions, active runways and traffic information based on reports from pilots. They have the power to issue taxi instructions.

DELAirport name Delivery / Clearance Delivery

Issue clearances to IFR aircraft at larger airports.

GNDAirport name Ground

Controls ground-related movements of aircraft up to the runway holding points. They do not control the runways.

TWRAirport name Tower

Controls the runway or runways and traffic on approach or in the ATZ, VFR circuit traffic.

DEPAirport name Departure

Controls aircraft departing

APPAirport name Approach/Radar check ATIS

Controls and vectors aircraft onto the instrument approach and keeps aircraft separated.

CTRNormally either London Control / Scottish Control

Controls aircraft within FIR (Flight Information Region)

Who to contact

IVAO is top down so you contact the lowest position online when required for example if you are departing Sherburn most London controls will not offer an AGCS service so you do not need to contact them. You would only need to contact London Control if you wanted to enter controlled airspace.

If departing a class D airport you must contact the controller if online. Assume we are at Leeds EGNM and we have

EGNM_TWR
EGNM_APP
EGTT_CTR

Who do you contact?

You contact the lowest available, the tower is the lowest so you contact them. If we had

EGNM_APP
EGTT_CTR

You would contact EGNM_APP since that is the lowest. So let’s say we have

EGNM_TWR
EGTT_CTR

Who do you contact? Yep, tower.
If multiple for example London controls are online you can see what area they cover using webeye.

Extra Information

You can change between controllers by simply changing the frequency on the COMM in the cockpit. You can obtain frequency using the reference cards.

https://nats-uk.ead-it.com/cms-nats/opencms/en/Charts/vfr-charts/frequency-reference-cards

If controllers are online you can also obtain this via webeye, or the Altitude software.