Air Traffic Control Entities

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides air traffic services to millions of passengers annually in the United States. They manage the airspace to provide safe and efficient flights. While the efforts of all the air traffic control entities are needed to have secured national airspace, the Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) and Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) play large roles in managing the airspace.

    The ATCSCC meets throughout the day with multiple organizations to mitigate potential flight challenges for nearly 30 million square miles of national air space (FAA, 2020). The ATCSCC coordinates with weather services, airlines, and air traffic control towers to avoid any type of delay (FAA, n.d.).  They generate daily plans to keep the air space flowing smoothly. The preparations become crucial when unpredictable events arise such as power outages, runway closures, national emergencies, or even tornados (FAA, 2020). ATCSCC can manage these situations easily by being prepared. The planning and coordination efforts by ATCSCC help minimize flight challenges and keep the airspace safe.

    ATCT is necessary for commercial flying. Busy airports would have many collisions without the help of ATCT controllers. They coordinate take-off, landing, and ground traffic around the airport (Moehlenbrink et al., 2012). Similarly to ATCSCC, they can also navigate pilots around weather and other unforeseen circumstances. ATCSCC often works with ATCT controllers to relay diverts and other important information about the airport. 

    ATCT helps pilots navigate in a safe and efficient manner. One way they do this is by using transponders. Mode C of the transponder works by using air traffic control radars to send out a request for the aircraft’s position and altitude (Cornell Law School, n.d.). The aircraft’s transponder will respond back with the data. This allows the ATCT to track the positions of the aircrafts to avoid collisions. It’s mandated that aircrafts that are flying above 10,000 MSL or above class B and C controlled airspace must be equipped with an operating Mode C transponder (PHAK, 2016).  Mode A is a 4-digit squawk code uniquely assigned to each aircraft. This squawk code is sent to ATC’s secondary radar system. The pilot can input digits 0-7 to form the squawk code. In the event the pilot loses radio contact, they can input code 7600 to signal radio failure (VFR Procedures Tutorials, 2022). They can also put in codes to signal to ATCT that they have an emergency or possible hijacking. Transponders are used effectively to communicate between pilots and ATCT controllers. 

    The network of professional aviators all work together to keep a safe and secure national airspace. Many times, passengers do not see all the planning and coordination that air traffic control entities do to keep flights on time. The safe secured air space would not be possible without ATCT and ATCSCC.

References

Cornell Law School. (n.d.). 14 CFR § 91.215 - ATC transponder and altitude reporting equipment and use. Legal Information Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.215 

Federal Aviation Administration [FAA]. (n.d.). Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC). United States Department of Transportation. https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/systemops/nas_ops/atcscc 

Federal Aviation Administration. (2020, September 24). A Day in the Life of the FAA Command Center [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7cl04EFgU0

Moehlenbrink, C., Papenfuss, A., & Jakobi, J. (2012). The Role of Workload for Work Organization in a Remote Tower Control Center. Air Traffic Control Quarterly, 20(1), 5–26. https://doi.org/10.2514/atcq.20.1.5

Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge [PHAK]. (2016). United States Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/17_phak_ch15.pdf

VFR Procedures Tutorials [thecorporatepilotdad]. (2022, February 19). Aircraft Transponders- Basic Functions, Codes, and why 4096? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlrjJzDHceo