when do approach controllers take over?
approach controllers take over from area controllers as the aircraft approaches the airport
whats the role of an approach controller?
they give initial clearance for aircraft to approach the airport and put all approaching aircraft into a sequence for the most efficeint order of landing
what extra responsibilities may an approach controller also have?
in some cases are responsible for the initial phase of flight after an aircraft departes an aerodrome before it’s transferred to area control and other flights transitting immediate airspace around the aerodrome
what do approach controllers using a radar issue to flights?
will issue aircraft with headings, altitudes, speeds and any relevant information to guide aircraft towards the final approach path for runway in use
how is spacing between aircraft decided?
spacing depends on factors like prevailing weather conditions, size of the aircraft and the number of aircraft waiting to depart
what do larger aircraft produce more of and what do approach controllers provide using this info?
produce more wake turbulance than smaller planes
controllers must provide correct wake turbulance seperation between aircraft on final approach track
what two types of holds are there?
there are inner and outer holds
what might aircraft enter if there are delays?
at major airfields there are holds aircraft may enter
how many holds does Heathrow have?
4 inner holds
how many holds does Gatwick and Stanstead have?
2 inner holds
at what distance to the runway do approach controllers transfer flights and to who?
when inbound flights are between 6 to 12 miles away from the runway they are transferred from an approach controller to Aerodrome controller
what airfield do appoach controllers usually serve?
serve the airfield they are based at
where do NATS provide the approach function for and from where?
provide the approach function for London airports from the terminal operations room at Swanwick
