IVAO Ireland > Controllers > Standard Operating Procedures > Ground

Ground Control


Clearance Ground Tower Approach Radar Area Control FIS

Description

Ground controllers are responsible for issuing information and instructions to aircraft under their control to achieve a safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic and to assist pilots in preventing collisions between aircraft moving on the apron and aircraft and vehicles, obstructions and other aircraft on the maneuvering area (excluding the runways and their access points).

Apron: The part of an aerodrome provided for the stationing of aircraft for the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, for loading and unloading of cargo and for parking.

Maneuvering Area: The part of an aerodrome provided for the take-off and landing of aircraft and for the movement of aircraft on the surface excluding the apron and any part of the aerodrome provided for the maintenance of aircraft.

Ground controllers will also issue IFR clearances when Delivery is not available.

In short the job of a Ground controller is to get aircraft from the aprons to the runways and back safely, with minimal delay. In conditions of low visibility they may be called upon to provide guided taxi, though one must be very careful as some scenery won't match perfectly with your sector file.

What you need to know

In addition to the general guidelines a Ground Controller must:

Procedures

Firstly you'll need the following information:

  • The sector file for the given airport,
  • As a minimum the SID and ground movement charts for the given airport.

The movements of aircraft, persons or vehicles on the maneuvering area and the movement of aircraft on the apron are at all times subject to permission from the Ground Controller. Responsibility on the apron is limited to providing advice and instructions to assist prevention of collisions between moving aircraft.

Vehicles that are moving along a taxiway shall give way at all times to aircraft taxiing, an exception are emergency services vehicles providing assistance to an aircraft in distress.

Pushback:

Aircraft will contact for pushback. This action will have to be approved, with supplementary instructions if required (e.g. "Push facing south after Ryanair 737, crosses left to right"). In Ireland, a pushback is always "Approved" and not "Cleared".


Pilot: "Ground, RYR119G, stand 12, request startup, information LIMA"

ATC: "RYR119G, behind the Aer Lingus A330 on your right hand side, pushback and start approved, facing south, call for taxi"

Pilot: "Behind the A330 on our right, push and start approved facing south, will call for taxi, RYR119G"


In Ireland "behind" is used, some countries use "after".

Taxi:

When the pilot of an aircraft requests taxi, the following information shall be given:

  • QNH,
  • Outside Air Temperature (Turbine-engine aircraft only),
  • Significant Meteorological Conditions (E.G, RVR, Marked Temperature Inversion).

The items which are known to have been received (except the QNH) may be omitted.

If the pilot calls up and says he has "information ALFA", we can assume he already knows the runway in use, surface wind, air temperature and significant met conditions because they are on the ATIS.

It is important that taxi instructions are clear and concise.

Taxi instructions crossing an inactive runway:


Pilot: "RYR119G, request taxi."

ATC: "RYR119G, taxi to holding point B7, runway 10, via link4, H1, cross runway 16, H2, and B. QNH 1021"

Pilot: "Holding point B7, runway 10, via link4, H1, cross runway 16, H2, and B. QNH 1021, RYR119G"


Taxi instructions crossing an active runway:

In the interests of safety, use of the active runway for taxiing purposes is to be kept to a minimum. If this can not be avoided, then an instruction to cross should normally be withheld until no conflict exists.


ATC: "RYR119, taxi to holding point B7, runway 16, via link4 and H1, hold short of runway 16, QNH 1021"

Pilot: "Holding point B7, runway 10, via link4 and H1, hold short of runway 16, QNH 1021, RYR119G"

A conditional clearance may be used to achieve greater efficiency of operation. Before an aircraft can cross an active runway, Ground should have permission from the Tower Controller, see below.

ATC: "RYR119G, behind the landing King air 350, cross runway 16, report vacated"

Pilot: "Behind the landing King air 350, cross runway 16, we will report vacated, RYR119G"

When an instruction to cross an active runway has been given, a report vacated instruction shall also be included.


A Ground controller needs to have permission from the Tower controller to allow an aircraft to cross an active runway.

There are 2 ways to obtain this permission:

1. Ground can ask Tower over a private chat window for the cross.


GND: "RYR119G, at H1, request cross runway 16"

TWR: "RYR119G, at H1, cross 16, let me know when he has vacated"

GND: "RYR119G, at H1, cross 16, will let you know when he has vacated"

---

GND: "RYR119G has vacated runway 16"

TWR: "Rgr"


2. Ground can send the Aircraft over to the tower frequency for the cross.


GND: "RYR119G, for the cross, contact Tower 118.6"

Pilot: "118.6, RYR119G"

---

Pilot: "Tower, RYR119G, holding at H1, request cross runway 16"

TWR: "RYR119G, cross runway 16, report vacated"

Pilot: "Cross runway 16, will report vacated, RYR119G"

---

Pilot: "Runway 16 vacated, RYR119G"

TWR: "RYR119G, Roger, contact ground 121.8"

...or tower handles the remaining part of the taxi.

Pilot: "Runway 16 vacated, RYR119G"

TWR: "RYR119G, continue on H2, taxiway B, to holding point B7, runway 10"

Pilot: "Continue on H2, B, to holding point B7 runway 10, RYR119G"

The way it should be done differs per airport, be sure to check the local airport procedures.


Incoming traffic:

EIN223 is an Airbus A330, just landed runway 10 at Dublin, vacated via E3.

Taxi instructions crossing an inactive runway:


Pilot: "Dublin Ground, EIN223, runway 10 vacated via E3"

ATC: "EIN223, taxi to stand 11, via H2, cross runway 16, H1, link4"

Pilot: "stand 11, via H2, cross runway 16, H1, link4, EIN223"

---

Pilot: "EIN223, Stand 11, shutting down"

ATC: "EIN223, Roger, Welcome in Dublin, bye."


Taxi instructions crossing an active runway:

A Tower controller can issue the first part of the taxi clearance.


Pilot: "EIN223, runway 10 vacated via E3"

TWR: "EIN223, taxi via H2, cross runway 16, H1, hold short of H1, report vacated"

Pilot: "via H2, cross runway 16, H1, hold short of H1, report vacated, EIN223"

---

Pilot: "Runway 16 vacated, EIN223"

TWR: "EIN223, Contact Ground, 121.8"

Pilot: "121.8, EIN223"

---

Pilot: "Ground, EIN223, holding short of H1"

GND: "EIN223, taxi to stand 11, via link 4 and apron taxiway"

Pilot: "stand 11, via link 4, apron taxiway, EIN223"

---

Pilot: "EIN223, Stand 11, on blocks"

GND: "EIN223, Welcome in Dublin, switch off approved, bye"


Hand off:

Aircraft should be handed off to the tower frequency, as they are approaching the holding point to the runway.


ATC: "RYR119G, contact Tower, 118.6"

Pilot: "118.6, RYR119G"


Sometimes "monitor" is used instead of "contact".


ATC: "RYR119G, monitor Tower, 118.6"

Pilot: "118.6, RYR119G"


VFR Procedures


Pilot: "Dublin ground, EICCN, information MIKE, request start up"

ATC: "EICCN, start up approved, report for taxi"

---

Pilot: "Request taxi, EICCN"

ATC: "ECN, QNH 1018, taxi via J1, hold short runway 29"

Pilot: "Taxi via J1, hold short of runway 29, QNH 1018, ECN"

---

Pilot: "Reaching J1, ECN"

ATC: "ECN, contact Tower, 118.6"

Pilot: "118.6, ECN"


Only big airports have a Clearance Delivery controller, in other cases VFR traffic should contact the Ground Controller.


Pilot: "Cork, EICCN, cessna 172, stand 3, information Bravo, VFR to Donegal, request start up"

ATC: "EICCN, start up approved, Squawk 0060"

Pilot: "Start up approved, squawk 0060, EICCN"

---

Pilot: "Request taxi, EICCN"

ATC: "ECN, QNH 1018, taxi to holding point runway 17, via taxiway A"

Pilot: "Runway 17 via taxiway A, QNH 1018, ECN"

---

Pilot: "Holding short of runway 17, ECN"

ATC: "ECN, contact Tower, 119.3"

Pilot: "119.3, ECN"


Special VFR

A Special VFR flight enables non instrument-rated pilots to fly legally in controlled airspace where VFR flight is otherwise prohibited.

Special VFR flights will be cleared to leave or enter the control zone in accordance with established procedures and will be seperated by ATC from IFR and other Special VFR traffic.

A Special VFR clearance would normaly consist of a heading to fly until clear of the controlled airspace, also a general compass direction might be used.


Note: ATC doesn't clear aircraft for shutdown, that is the pilots responsibility. Flight plans are also not closed by ATC, this is done automatically.


IvAc

As a ground controller, we recommend you set your altitude filter to 000 <-> 030

Set your IN/OUT box to only display traffic arriving and departing the airport you are covering (e.g. EINN). Set your ATC list to show all facilities of the airport you are covering as well as the appropriate area sector.