Area Control Center

The area control center, engl. Area Control Center (ACC ), is the air traffic control center a flight information region ( FIR). From here, all air traffic is routed in the assigned airspace or supplied with all relevant information. The goal is a safe, orderly and economical conduct of flights. The responsibilities of an area control center are located mainly within the territories of the respective states. Area control centers are additionally distinguished even after altitudes, where the air traffic is to be steered. The duties of an ACC are in the lower part of the air spaces located in the altitude range from ground to about 8 km ( flight level 245). If in an area control center for air transport in the overlying airspace controlled, one speaks of a UACC ( Upper Area Control Center). In the context of European harmonization and reorganization of air traffic control areas for economic reasons, but more and more adapted to the needs of air transport and orient themselves so not only at state borders. Similarly, increasingly blurring the lines between the lower and upper airspace, which the changing performance of modern aircraft is due to their specific flight profiles.

Task

The air traffic controllers an area control center directing the air traffic with the help of instructions (shares), which means the aeronautical or direct data transmission (data link ) are transmitted to the pilot. For visual representation of aviation vision goggles pilots radar or satellite-based detection systems are available. Numerous other technical systems, such as ground and airborne -based collision warning systems that support work.

Traditionally, the area control centers are responsible for the haul flights ( enroute traffic). This is the part of a flight profile in which an aircraft has completed the climbing phase after the start and goes into the haul flight. Conversely, the haul flight ends when the flight profile goes into the phase of descent for approach and landing. Again, it must be said that this definition based on the power of modern high -performance aircraft can barely hold up. The climb phase to the so-called departure routes usually end only at altitudes above 8 km. Conversely want to start pilot economic reasons to descend at a very high altitude and maintain this as continuously as possible until shortly before landing. The processes of transformation and harmonization of European airspace wear these changing conditions into account and will probably result in the near future to a far-reaching reorganization of the air spaces and thus the areas of responsibility.

Organization

Depending on the size of the territory shared by one to several area control centers to be processed air spaces.

Germany

Germany has three ACC (Munich, Bremen and Long ) and two UACC (Karlsruhe and Maastricht). The UACC Maastricht is a special case in the European air traffic control world and is not supported by the German Air Traffic Control (DFS ), but from the European air traffic control agency Euro Control operated. This inspection body in the Dutch Maastricht controls the upper airspace of the Benelux countries and northern Germany.

Austria

Austria has an ACC in Vienna.

Switzerland

Switzerland has ever ACC in Zurich and Geneva.

Adjacent ACC

To the west lie the ACC Amsterdam, Brussels and Reims, in the south of Milan and Ljubljana, Prague and Budapest in the East, just to name a few.

The " transfer " of the aircraft presented to the next ACC is regulated also across national borders through international procedures.

If required by the type of operation or the location of the air spaces, responsibilities of air traffic control to be completely delegated to adjacent area control centers. For example, controls the Swiss air navigation service Skyguide parts of southern Germany and the ostfränzösischen airspace, the German area control center in Munich is responsible for certain overflights of the western Austrian airspace.

Division of labor in ACC

Internally, the ACC are divided into several control sectors. Munich Information is divided into three sectors, for example:

• The southern sector ( frequency 126.950 MHz) begins at the Alps (north of the ACC or ACC Vienna Zurich on Lake Constance ) and extends approximately to the line Munich and Augsburg Airport.
• The middle sector ( frequency 120.650 MHz) starts there and goes to the airport Nuremberg.
• The northern sector of Munich Information ( frequency 125.800 MHz) starts there and in the north reaches to the resin. North of the ACC starts Bremen ( information).

In the sectors usually take two air traffic controllers out their duties:

• One of them, the planning or pilot coordinator, plans based on the available flight data to air traffic and coordinate the planned flight profiles with neighboring sectors.
• The other, the radar or pilot executive ( executive controller) takes over the steering of the tactical air transport, is responsible for the separation between the aircraft and flight stands by radio in direct contact with the pilot.

Other Tasks

During the flight, the flight information service is offered FIS (Flight Information Service ) is controlled as uncontrolled airspace for flights under visual flight ( VFR) as for instrument flight rules ( IFR). At the bottom, before the flight, the flight advisory service AIS (Aeronautical Information Service ) is offered. From the scope and nature of the information offered both services are the same, the " AIS " stands before the flight to the ground, the "FIS " is during the flight.

USA

In the U.S. there are 20 ACC, by the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) to operate. The Area Control Centre there are also referred to as an Air Route Traffic Control Center ( ARTCC ).

Canada

Canada has seven ACC, which are operated by NAV CANADA. The seven centers are in Edmonton, Gander, Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.