ASCI 202 Blog 8-2: Air Traffic Control

 Hello Class, 

This is a great subject this week and something that I thoroughly enjoy. I have been in the career field of air traffic control since 2010. I started out in the Air Force but now work for a private company. It was great to see the ERAU video on airspace. As a visual learner myself, I wish I had something that profound when I was in training. For this blog I would like to focus on the air traffic control tower and the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). 

Elmendorf Air Force Base air traffic control tower, JBER, Alaska. 2017


Now, this will be a broad description but the Tower air traffic controllers are responsible for runway separation between arriving and departing aircraft. This separation depends on the category of the aircraft and sometimes the surface condition of the runway. Within the tower, there are generally multiple controllers performing specific duties to their position, working in unison. Clearance Delivery may be present and issues clearances for flight plans to aircraft. Flight Data will coordinate and accommodate the other positions while checking flight plans, issuing weather, making phone calls, etc. Ground Control issues taxi and parking instructions where Local Control will be the famous, "Cleared for Takeoff/Cleared to Land." Although Tower's airspace is generally small, (Class Delta), there is a lot of action that happens in a tight area. 

An analogy that I have used in the past is this: ATC Tower is like the roads within the city getting you to and from your residence, Approach/Departure control (Radar) is like the on-ramps to the highways making sure you are getting on the right one and up to speed to merge, and Center control is traveling great distances at high rates of speed to get to your off ramp where you go back to an Approach control who sets you up to go back to a tower controller to land.

A little about Anchorage ARTCC, their airspace covers over 60 square miles and holds more military special use airspace than any other ARTCC (FAA, n.d.). There are six extensive military training operations held annually with over 100 tactical aircraft at each exercise (FAA, n.d.). Anchorage is one of three Oceanic FAA centers with three separate ICAO Flight Information Regions (FIR) (FAA, n.d.). 

Image Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.faa.gov%2Fabout%2Foffice_org%2Fheadquarters_offices%2Fato%2Fservice_units%2Fair_traffic_services%2Fartcc%2Fanchorage%2Fmedia%2FZAN_Fact_Sheet.pdf&psig=AOvVaw1b8U0KXX4AwSoDX5Y4FPLs&ust=1630011348802000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCJjanPuHzfICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD



Luke

Word Count: 361

References

FAA. (n.d.). Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center Fact Sheet. Retrieved on August 25, 2021, from https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/air_traffic_services/artcc/anchorage/media/ZAN_Fact_Sheet.pdf

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