Terminal Radar Control (TRACON) and Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)

 TRACON and ARTCC

TRACON and ARTCC are two different entities that assist aircraft as they journey through different parts of airspace. They work in tandem with each other, but both of them have different jurisdictions or parts of the airspace that they control, when pieced together these different parts make up the whole of the journey that an aircraft undergoes (How Air Traffic Control Works, 2021).

What Terminal Radar Control Is

Terminal Radar Control or TRACON for short is controlled by the local airport and is part of the system in place to guide ascending and descending aircraft safely, they are responsible for the aircraft when it enters their airspace which is 50 miles, and upon departure they will give the pilot the; heading, speed, and rate of ascent so that the pilot can safely navigate through the regular corridors of ascent (How Air Traffic Control Works, 2021). It tracks an aircraft that enters its airspace by way of a transponder which is activated by the pilot of an aircraft during ascent, the transponder responds to incoming radar waves and then shoots its own encoded signal in the direction that the wave was received, this encoded signal is picked up by an Airport Surveillance Radar and the information is sent to the local controller in a tower at the airport (Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR-11), 2020). 

What the Air Route Traffic Control Center Is

Once a plane leaves TRACON airspace it is passed off to a new controller which is the center controller, this is similar to a runner passing a baton during a relay race (How Air Traffic Control Works, 2021). The ARTCC is established into different zones which control large portions of airspace and is responsible for ensuring that the necessary coordination has been accomplished before allowing aircraft to pass between controllers; in regard to speed, heading, route, and altitude (PHAK Capter 15, 2016). There are currently 22 different ARTCCs in the United States, each of these centers controlling different zones and the aircraft that enter them either via TRACON or from zone to zone as would happen on cross country flight (Air Traffic Control Centers, 2022). 

Comparison between TRACON and ARTCC

The most obvious difference between TRACON and ARTCC is that TRACON is the airspace with which each has its jurisdiction, with TRACON being only 50 miles around the point of departure or descent and ARTCC controlling the majority of the airspace as it controls an entire zone. However, another difference between the two are the capabilities of the entities being examined. ARTCC is has the full ability to have an aircraft deviate from its course while in full en-route flight, TRACON can only control the small amount of airspace that it accounts for making deviations much more difficult in times of potential duress. 

References

Air Traffic Services | Federal Aviation Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2022, from https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/air_traffic_services

Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR-11). (n.d.). [Template]. Retrieved August 27, 2022, from https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/technology/asr-11/

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). (2016). Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK). Retrieved August 27, 2022 from https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/

How Air Traffic Control Works. (2001, June 12). Retrieved August 27, 2022, from HowStuffWorks. https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/air-traffic-control.htm