Airmanship 2
Leading Cadet Training
Air Traffic Control
Communications Lecture
2
Introduction
The control of air traffic greatly depends
upon good communications;
both ground-to-ground
and ground-to-air.
Swift, accurate contact is
achieved by the use of:
Special Telephones
Tele-Talk Systems
Radio Telephony (RT)
Communications
Telephone
The tower will most likely have
its own switchboard to make calls.
Tele-Talk
The tower will most likely have
a tele-talk system for direct contact with vital offices
and sections on the airfield.
Radio
The main communication method
is by radio (RT), on VHF or UHF bands.
Each airfield has its own frequencies for airfield
and approach control.
Visual Communications
Information and instructions can be
communicated visually by:
Active means,
such as signal lamps
Passive means,
through the use of ground markings
and signs.
Visual Communications
Active Signalling
Light signal colours and their meanings
Passive Signalling
Stationary Object Hazards
Identified by a three sided solid,
mounted on a pole
and set in a round base.
Passive Signalling
Bad Ground Markers
Used at airfields when taxiing on the grass.
A WHITE CANVAS
“V” marker
with a red band
A Yellow flag or square,
on a light stake
(sides of square approx. 0.61 m).
A striped solid,
alternating
yellow and black
every 0.2m
Helicopter Operating Areas
Identifiable by white “H”,
4 metres high,
with a 2 metre crosspiece.
Normally well clear of fixed
wing operations.
May be further highlighted
by the use of edging round
the landing area.
Helicopter operating
area marker
Communication Aids
Enable pilots to take off and land almost
regardless of the prevailing weather conditions.
There are many forms of radio and radar:
Navigation Aids: designed to help fly safely between
airfields and on operational tasks.
Airfield Approach Aid: guides an aircraft down to a
point in the vicinity of the airfield.
Runway Approach Aid: guides the aircraft down
to a position on the correct approach near to
the touch-down point on the runway in use.
Radio Aids
The two main Radio Aids likely to be seen at
Royal Air Force airfields are:
Digital Resolution Direction Finding (DRDF)
Instrument Landing System (ILS)
DRDF
This is a common airfield approach aid.
It receives a transmission and displays it on
a screen as a green line called a “trace”.
Enables the approach controller to tell the pilot
what course to fly to reach the airfield.
DRDF
Controllers can direct aircraft to a point above
the airfield and from there
Control its Descent Through Cloud (CDTC)
to a height and position on the approach
from which the pilot can either
land visually or employ a runway approach aid.
Instrument Landing System
ILS is a runway approach aid
where fixed ground transmitters
send out a special pattern of radio signals
which define a radio beam,
so aircraft are guided to the touch-down point.
Instrument Landing System
ILS transmits 2 frequencies
90Hz (aircraft is too high)
No noise = Good glide path
150Hz (aircraft is too low)
RADAR
Stands for (RAdio Detection And Ranging)
Consists of a Transmitter and a Receiver.
A short pulse of energy is transmitted from an
aerial and the receiver “listens” for an echo.
RADAR
The receiver detects reflections from aircraft,
and can determine their position,
direction of travel and speed.
This information is then displayed through a
cathode ray tube onto a screen.
In this way radar has become the
“eyes” of the air traffic control.
Radar Aids.
The two main radar aids likely to be seen at
Royal Air Force airfields are:
Surveillance Radar
Precision Approach Radar (PAR)
Surveillance Radar
Used both to monitor air traffic passing through
an area and as an airfield approach aid.
Enables the controller to locate the aircraft
and to direct it to a position and height
near the airfield.
Precision Approach Radar
PAR 2000 is the RAF’s main
Precision Approach Radar.
The radar aerial
and cabin are located
near the runway.
Precision Approach Radar
The controller has two screens,
one for the azimuth (left and right)
and one for elevation (height).
Both screens relate to the
aircraft approach path.
Precision Approach Radar
The controller passes instructions by RT
to the pilot to guide the aircraft down the correct
glide slope towards the touch-down point.
This is called a Ground Controlled Approach
(GCA).
Check Understanding
What are the three main communication aids
within Air Traffic Control?
Telephone, E-Mail, Tele-Talk
Telephone, E-Mail, Talk-Talk
Telephone, Semaphore, Radio
Telephone, Tele-Talk, Radio
Check Understanding
What would be used to indicate
a stationary object that constitutes a hazard?
A white ‘V’ marker with a red band
A yellow flag or square
A striped yellow and black marker
A three sided solid on a pole.
Check Understanding
What does
a Yellow and Black striped solid object signify?
A hazardous stationary object
Bad ground
A helicopter landing area
Closed taxiway
Check Understanding
What does
a yellow flag or square signify?
A hazardous stationary object
Bad ground
A helicopter landing area
Closed taxiway
Check Understanding
How are helicopter landing areas identified?
With a yellow ‘H’
With a white ‘H’
With a yellow ‘Z’
With a white ‘Z’
Check Understanding
The two main Radio Aids likely to be seen at
Royal Air Force airfields are:
Tele-Talk and ILS
DFTS and ILS.
Telephone and ILS.
DRDF and ILS.
Check Understanding
What does ILS stand for?
International Landing System
Inertial Landing System
Independent Landing System
Instrument Landing System
Check Understanding
What does the abbreviation RADAR stand for?
Rapid Detection and Ranging
Radio Detection and Reporting
Rapid Detection and Reporting
Radio Detection and Ranging
Check Understanding
What does the abbreviation PAR stand for?
Precise Approach Radio
Precision Approach Radar
Precise Application Radar
Precision Application Radio
Check Understanding
PAR is one of the main radar aids
likely to be seen at Royal Air Force airfields.
What is the other ?
Precision Radar
Surveillance Radar
Subjective Radar
Suspended Radar
Airmanship 2
Leading Cadet Training
End of Presentation