Air traffic engineering (ATM)
Introduction
Air traffic control, also known as ATC (Air Traffic Control*), is a service provided by ground-based controllers who guide aircraft in controlled airspace and provide information and support to pilots in uncontrolled airspace. Its objective is to provide security, order and efficiency to air traffic.
Depending on the type of flight and the class of airspace, the controller may offer mandatory instructions, or advice that pilots can disregard at their discretion. In any case, the pilot is the final authority in the operation of the aircraft and may, in an emergency, deviate from ATC instructions to maintain flight safety.
History
In 1920, Croydon Airport, London, was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control.[1].
In the United States, air traffic control developed three divisions. The first of the airmail radio stations (AMRS) was created in 1922 after World War I when the U.S. Post Office began using techniques developed by the military to direct and track the movements of reconnaissance aircraft. Over time, the AMRS were transformed into flight service stations.
Today's flight service stations do not issue control instructions, but rather provide pilots with many other flight-related information services. These are responsible for transmitting ATC control instructions in areas where the flight service is the only facility with radio or telephone coverage.[2].
In October 1923, the position notification service was established for aircraft flying on the so-called federal routes.[3].
In the USSR, the first air traffic control service was organized in 1929 on the Moscow - Irkutsk airline; In 1930, control zones were defined along all existing air routes.[4].
The first airport traffic control tower, regulating arrivals, departures, and surface movement of aircraft at a specific airport, opened in Cleveland in 1930. Approach/departure control facilities were created after the adoption of radar in the 1950s to monitor and control airspace at airports.
The first air route traffic control center, which directs the movement of aircraft between departure and destination, opened in Newark, NJ in 1935, followed in 1936 by Chicago and Cleveland.[2].
In April 1935, the first air route control center was installed at the Newark (New Jersey) airfield, followed in 1936 by Chicago and Cleveland. This allows information to be provided to pilots about the proximity of other aircraft in the aerodrome environment during the existence of meteorological conditions that require it.