Radar control
Encyclopedia
Radar control is a method of providing air traffic control
services with the use of radar
and Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS-B). The provision of air traffic control services without the use of radar is called procedural control
.
in terminal
airspace and 5 nms in en route
airspace are common minima.
When the amount of traffic in a particular volume of airspace reaches a certain level, it becomes impossible to keep aircraft following set routes separated, particularly in airspace where aircraft are climbing and descending (and therefore level separation regularly cannot be maintained). In this case controllers use "radar vectors", the issuing of headings to the pilots of aircraft on which the controller expects the pilots to fly their aircraft, to tactically keep aircraft separated in the sky. Much skill is involved in this type of control: it is this type of controlling that has led air traffic control to be described as "3D chess".
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
services with the use of radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS-B). The provision of air traffic control services without the use of radar is called procedural 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...
.
Separation
In air traffic control, the risk of aircraft colliding is managed by applying separation rules. These rules require aircraft to be separated by either a minimum vertical distance, or, if for some reason they cannot be separated vertically, by a minimum horizontal distance defined by various means. One of the means of determining horizontal separation is by a controller observing the radar returns of the aircraft to be at least a minimum horizontal distance apart. This is the essence of radar control, and is known as Radar separation. Standard radar separation varies from airspace to airspace and country to country, however 3 nmsNautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
in terminal
Terminal Control Center
A terminal radar approach control is an air traffic control facility usually located within the vicinity of a large airport. Typically, the TRACON controls aircraft within a 20-50 nautical mile radius of the major airport and a number of "satellite airports" between surface and up to between and...
airspace and 5 nms in en route
Area Control Center
In air traffic control, an Area Control Center , also known as a Center, is a facility responsible for controlling instrument flight rules aircraft en route in a particular volume of airspace at high altitudes between airport approaches and departures...
airspace are common minima.
Maintaining separation
In airspace with a lower amount of traffic, controllers will require pilots to navigate their aircraft on published routes which have been designed to be separated from each other. Controllers may require pilots to fly their aircraft at certain speeds or with certain minimum or maximum speeds to maintain separation between aircraft on these routes.When the amount of traffic in a particular volume of airspace reaches a certain level, it becomes impossible to keep aircraft following set routes separated, particularly in airspace where aircraft are climbing and descending (and therefore level separation regularly cannot be maintained). In this case controllers use "radar vectors", the issuing of headings to the pilots of aircraft on which the controller expects the pilots to fly their aircraft, to tactically keep aircraft separated in the sky. Much skill is involved in this type of control: it is this type of controlling that has led air traffic control to be described as "3D chess".