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Definition The ICAO Aerodrome Reference Code is a two part categorisation of aircraft types which simplifies the process of establishing whether a particular aircraft is able to use a particular aerodrome. It is included in ICAO Annex 14. It has two 'elements...

Description The ICAO wake turbulence category (WTC) is entered in the appropriate single character wake turbulence category indicator in Item 9 of the ICAO model flight plan form and is based on the maximum certificated take-off mass, as follows: J (Super)...

Coordination is indispensable in the overall air traffic control system. This is particularly important in a highly complex airspace such as that over the Federal Republic of Germany with its numerous small sectors. There are a large number of problems that ca...

Already between tower and ground, in many situations communication and coordination are indispensable for smooth, safe and efficient traffic handling. Even though most standard operations are regulated in the form of SOPs, there are many situations that requi...

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...

While the article "Handover Tower" has already examined the WEST-principle in detail, this article presents a more practical method for handover between approach and cente. The WEST principle can of course also be used in parallel, but there is a risk of forge...

In the following chapters some terms are used, which will be explained now. Upstream/downstream sector UPSTREAM SECTOR is the previous sector.DOWNSTREAM SECTOR is the following sector.In the flight profile of a pilot through the sectors A-B-C would be from t...

For coordination purposes, there are some keywords that give the coordination partner a rough idea of what is involved when the initial contact is made. One of these keywords is the "Approval Request". This can be used in the following cases. Direct request (...

As defined earlier, the TRANSFER OF CONTROL takes place when crossing the sector boundary plus half the radar separation value, unless otherwise specified. If the receiving sector wishes to give instructions changing the trajectory of the flight before the act...

Anything that cannot be handled with an approval request or a release falls under the coordination type "Reference". The most popular application for this is a request to the upstream sector. Whenever I want a flight to fly into my sector that deviates from t...

At some airports it is necessary to obtain a so-called Departure Release from the radar station above before each departure, as they are responsible for the separation between IFR arrivals and departures. Whether a release is required can be found in the corre...

In addition to Approval Request, Release and Reference, there are other types of coordination. However, for various reasons, these are neglected on VATSIM. Nevertheless, they will be presented briefly. Estimate During an estimate call, squawk, handover level...

Ground/Apron is responsible for pushback and all taxi guidance at the airport. Ground and Apron differ in that in reality ground is managed by DFS and apron is staffed by the airport operator itself. In Germany, there are six airports with an apron station: Be...

In order to ensure safe and smooth flight operations, it is important to work efficiently and safely. It is important to always work proactively and not fall behind the traffic. This includes looking beyond your own area to see what your colleague in the neigh...

Optimizing the departure sequence A crucial point where many valuable seconds may be wasted, is the take-off sequence. Especially when there are a lot of traffic and narrow gaps, it is important to get the traffic into the air as quickly as poss...

This procedure is not a mandatory part of S1 training. Introduction Under certain circumstances, a take-off or landing clearance can be issued even if the runway is not clear yet. However, there must be reasonable assurance that the runway will be clear as s...

Introduction At all controller stations, it is extremely important to use the frequency as efficiently as possible. In our heads, we may be able to think about and work on two things at the same time, but on frequency, we cannot give two instructions to diffe...

General All control towers operated by DFS (German Air Traffic Control) at international airports (EDDx) have a radar system that can provide radar separation. This might sound obvious at first glance, but it is not. There are still some controlled airports i...

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 ...

Introduction Aircraft are becoming more and more sophisticated and complex, there are more and more plugins that are close to reality and there is more and more interest in implementing real procedures - that's why we want to deal with the topic of "deicing" ...