At the local level Tower Control is provided in a limited area, which extends vertically from sea or ground level up to a designated height (aprox 2000 feet). The Tower provides Air Traffic Control in a radius of approximately 2 nautical miles, depending on circumstances. The Controller on duty, depending on the weather and traffic conditions, selects the Runway in use.

Ground maneuvering is also subject to Traffic Control with the exception of the parking area (APRON), where airport authority or Airline Company ground personnel supervises all movements. Starting up engines though, occurs only under Air Traffic Control clearance.

Without doubt, the number of aircraft near an Airport is larger than any other given airspace. Time allowed for reaction is minimized and even the smaller mistake on behalf of the controller in unforgivable.

Weather conditions bear exceptional significance and influence aviation work directly. Visibility, surface wind, atmospheric pressure and runway braking action are significant information that should be passed on to the pilot before he attempts his approach or even start up engines. Athens, Thessaloniki, Iraklio, Rhodes, Kerkyra and Kos airports provide constant delivery of weather and aerodrome information through recorded broadcast (ATIS: Automated Terminal Information Service). "ATIS", is recorded information that is broadcast continuously over a designated frequency. The Tower prepares this information to provide arriving and departing traffic information pertaining to active runways, weather conditions and Notices to Airmen (NOTAMS) and are renewed every 30 minutes (except if the changes are rapid).

The Tower Controller (like any Controller) must be in perfect health and have sharp eye vision. Regular physical exams are constituted to ensure this.

Coordinating traffic in the vicinity of an aerodrome has many difficulties. The parameters are numerous. The basic principal is to keep aircraft separated during landings and take-offs. Heavy acft need more space behind them because they cause severe wake turbulence. If a Heavy acft arrives the next light acft must follow at least 3 minutes after it. Because of this delay hazard the trend is to ban small airplanes from large and busy international airports.

The electronic navigational aids that are usually available near an airport is a Terminal VOR or NDB (used as a homing device) and the ILS (Instrument Landing System), which bears immense importance, especially on a low visibility approach.

It is necessary to note here that an airport limits the number of acft that it can accept by default. Even if the most perfect Area or Approach Control Radar is available nothing can change the fact that Rhodes, for instance, can provide parking space for only 15, the most, airplanes. This parameter is always taken under consideration during the planning of Flow Control.

On March 2001 the new Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" is expected to reach its completion. This will place new challenges for the Greek Tower ATCers, due to the increased traffic that will be received. Parking positions for 85 planes, two parallel runways (one operational during the initial stages) over 4 km in length and 12,000,000 passengers per year will give the Controllers new and unprecedented workload. The aging Hellinikon airport that is now engulfed in the city is expected to terminate service the day that the new one will receive the first flight.

ATCers are currently undergoing intensive on the spot training and test flights are taking place every day at the new Airport. Navigational aids are already installed and the Tower is almost ready.

Continuous training is absolutely necessary but nothing can replace hands on experience that can only be obtained through work in real circumstances. That is why theoretic training is always followed by On the Job training.


Athens, October 2000

Kostas Patouras
Athina/Makedonia ACC

http://fly.to/kpatouras.gr