Exams
Weather
Aircraft Information
General Knowledge
- VFR Circuit
- VFR Minima
- Airspace
- ATC Air Traffic Control
- Flight Rules
- Overhead Join
- QNH/QFE/QNE
- TA Transition Altitude TL Transition Level Semicircular Rule
ATC Services
CAA Phraseology
- Free Call Technique
- CAA AGCS VFR Circuits
- CAA AGCS Arrivals
- CAA AGCS Departures
- CAA AGCS RNP Approach
- CAA AFIS VFR Circuit
- CAA AFIS Arriving
- CAA AFIS Departure
- CAA AFIS RNP Approach
- CAA ATC VFR Circuit
- CAA ATC VFR Arrivals
- CAA ATC VFR Departure
- CAA ATC VFR Transit Class D
ICAO Phraseology
- ICAO AFIS Circuits
- ICAO AFIS Arrival
- ICAO AFIS Departure
- ICAO ATC Arrival
- ICAO ATC Departure
A daunting task can be knowing who to contact this lesson shall explain the different ATC positions and roles.
R | Airport 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.
I | Airport 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.
DEL | Airport name Delivery / Clearance Delivery |
Issue clearances to IFR aircraft at larger airports.
GND | Airport name Ground |
Controls ground-related movements of aircraft up to the runway holding points. They do not control the runways.
TWR | Airport name Tower |
Controls the runway or runways and traffic on approach or in the ATZ, VFR circuit traffic.
DEP | Airport name Departure |
Controls aircraft departing
APP | Airport name Approach/Radar check ATIS |
Controls and vectors aircraft onto the instrument approach and keeps aircraft separated.
CTR | Normally 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.