Search Results

By definition, a missed approach is the part of an approach procedure that is initiated if the approach cannot be continued for whatever reason. As this is a standard procedure and not an emergency or urgency call, every tower controller must be familiar with ...

Die Streckenfreigabe (enroute clearance), oft auch Instrumentenflugfreigabe (IFR clearance) genannt, ist in der Regel die erste Clearance, welche ein Fluglotse jedem abfliegenden IFR-Piloten gibt. Sie enthält, wie der Name schon sagt, wichtige Anweisungen zur ...

Um bei IFR Flügen Flughäfen mit dem System der Luftstraßen zu verbinden, werden vordefinierte Abflugrouten (engl.: Standard Instrument Departure - SID) genutzt. Diese führen von der jeweiligen Piste über Wegpunkte und/oder konventionelle Navigationsanlagen wie...

VFR aircraft are usually significantly slower than larger commercial aircraft. For this reason, a gap of around 7 to 9 NM is required to get slow VFR aircraft from downwind into final approach. The size of the gap depends very much on the speeds of both aircra...

The proper handover is an important part of the controller's everyday life and is becoming more and more relevant for us at VATSIM due to hour-long events such as "Munich 11 to 11", "Berlin Overload" or "Frankfurt RFO". The following guide is intended to illu...

ATIS stands for Automatic Terminal Information Service and provides pilots with up-to-date information about the airport. The ATIS can be listened to via the respective frequency or retrieved in text form (e.g. via datalink), this also works on Vatsim. In add...

ATIS steht für Automatic Terminal Information Service und bietet dem Piloten aktuelle Informationen zum Flughafen. Die ATIS kann über die jeweilige Frequenz abgehört werden oder auch als Textform (z.B. via Datalink) abgerufen werden, dies funktioniert auch auf...

TAF stands for Terminal Aerodrome Forecast and is a weather forecast for an airport with regard to certain parameters that will change during the forecast period. It contains all meteorological information that is important for flight operations. The validity ...

Runway management is the main task of every tower controller. Without a runway, an airport obviously makes no sense. Not only do we have to use our runway as efficiently as possible in order to fully utilize the airport's capacity, but we also have to protect ...

METAR stands for METeorological Aerodrome Report and is a coded weather report at a specific time with a development forecast (trend). In Germany, the METAR is always published 20 and 50 minutes after the hour. Reports between these time periods are called SPE...

Flight Level, Altitude, Height, Elevation, Level - All the Same? Not at All... Terminology Let's clear up any confusion you might have regarding these terms. We'll go through the terms related to altitude measurement / altimetry step by step: LevelDefinit...

A flight plan specifies how a flight is planned to be conducted. Along with the callsign and aircraft type, it also includes the planned route, altitude, and speed. This ensures that both the pilot and the controller are on the same page with the flight's plan...

In addition to major airports and airfields with an RMZ (Radio Mandatory Zone), there are many smaller airfields that do not have published IFR procedures. At these airfields, operations must always be conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) for takeoff or l...

Airspace classes according to ICAO What is airspace? A simple question at first glance, but how about the details? Legislation states that airspace is the area that extends upwards over a certain part of the earth's surface.However, with more and more air tra...

General Radar separation describes a minimum horizontal and vertical distance that must exist between two aircraft in the air. As safety is the greatest asset in aviation, care must always be taken to ensure that separation is maintained at all times. Radar...

Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) are required in order to be able to fly under visual flight rules (VFR). If at least one of the minimum values is not met, VFR flights are no longer permitted or must land immediately. In this case, SVFR can be used in co...

Visual flight rules (VFR) traffic navigates primarily by sight, using roads, rivers and landmarks as a guide. There are specific visual flight charts for this purpose, which pilots and controllers at an airport must be familiar with. Among other things, these ...

The traffic circuit or traffic pattern (German: Platzrunde) ensures that approach and departure procedures at uncontrolled airfields run smoothly and, above all, safely. They provide orientation and prevent serious collisions. They also help pilots to develop ...

The enroute clearance, often also called IFR clearance, is usually the first clearance that an air traffic controller gives to any departing IFR pilot. As the name suggests, it contains important instructions for the flight route the pilot is cleared for. For...

In order to connect airports with the airway system for IFR flights, predefined departure routes (Standard Instrument Departure - SID) are used. These lead from the respective runway via waypoints and/or conventional navigation facilities such as NDBs and VORs...