Air Traffic Control Towers and the Flight Service Station

    The air traffic control tower is one of the icons of many airports. The massive building not only gives a great view of the airport but it is a place that they coordinate takeoffs, landings, ground traffic, and promote the overall safety of aviation. The air traffic control system in the USA. is run by the FAA and split up into 5 divisions: The Air Traffic Control System Command Centers (ATCSCC), Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC), Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCT), Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRAC), and the Flight Service Station (FSS) (PHAK, 2016). In this blog I'll be discussing the Air Traffic Control Towers and the Flight Service Station.
(The tower above is located at Kingsford Smith Airport Control Tower in Sydney, Australia)


    An Air Traffic Control Tower will advise and update pilots regarding nearby planes and hazardous conditions, issue landing and take-off instructions and clearances, monitor and direct aircraft within their airspace and on the ground and compile information regarding flights from flight plans, pilot's reports radar, and observations (PHAK, 2016). All of these services ensure that aircraft operating in the inherently more dangerous environment are safe. To prevent collisions and hazardous situations, the ATCT enforces traffic separation rules and direct/monitor all ground operations to ensure the smooth operations of traffic. They have various technologies at their disposal to aid them in their taskings in adverse weather.
    Flight Service Stations have a vastly different responsibility in relation to an ATCT. These entities are primary relay stations for information regrading the flight path of aircrafts, pilot briefings, weather observations along their route and search and rescue services, and assistance to lost aircraft, and aircraft in emergency situations (PHAK, 2016). The FSS can be communicated through the frequencies shown on the sectional chart. Of course their responsibilities vary greatly, though they are both key in ensuring that pilots can safely move their passengers to where they need to be in a timely manner.


PHAK. Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. (2016, August 24). Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/. 

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