Have you ever wondered how planes do always know where to go? Merit of the controllers, who monitor the planes during all the flight phases. To better understand the various aspects of air traffic management, we imagine following the flight of an airplane, the GP2025, traveling from Milan Linate to Perugia airport.
The control tower Of Linate and the procedures for take -off
Our journey begins in Linate. Once the boarding procedures are finished, the pilots get in communication with the control tower, to obtain authorization to turn on the engines and enter the track.
The first controller to communicate by plane is the Delivery, which confirms the flight plan, indicating the initial route and the altitude to be reached in the early stages of take -off. In our case, the GP2025 flight receives the green light for Perugia with an initial route that passes over Modena. Once this authorization is received, the plane starts the engines and is then driven by the Ground controller, which indicates the route to follow from the parking lot to the waiting point of the track. This process is called plug. Finally, the Tower controller gives the last go -ahead for take -off, verifying that the track is free and providing the latest information, such as the direction and intensity of the wind. And so, the GP2025 takes flight.
The Area Control Center: what is the role of the ECC
After take -off, the management of the plane moves to the ECC in Milan, the area control center. The Acc controllers monitor all flights that pass within their competence area, therefore not only those departing and coming, but also those of passage. Italy is divided into different areas of control, each suitable for a specific accommodation. Our flight, for example, after Milan goes to the ECC in Rome, which coordinates the final phase of the trip until the approach to Perugia airport.
But how do controllers prevent planes from approaching too much? Through a radar triangulation system, which allows you to calculate the position, altitude and speed of each aircraft in real time. If the trajectories of two planes run the risk of crossing, the controller can intervene, suggesting changes of altitude or route to always maintain a safety distance. An interesting aspect of the modern air trak is the free route system: in the past, the planes followed real “highways of the sky”, covering fixed routes between the various radiassisms. Today, however, above 6,500 meters above sea level, each aircraft has only two constraints: a point of entrance and an output point of the airspace. The rest of the route is free, so that the companies can optimize the route, reduce fuel consumption and decrease CO₂ emissions. Thanks to this system, about 90 million kg of fuel are saved every year.
The digital tower of Perugia: the stages of the landing
In the last stages of the landing, the plane is taken over by the Control Tower of Perugia, a digital control tower. Unlike a traditional tower, in fact, that of Perugia has no large windows overlooking the track, but it is a room with high definition monitor that reproduce the images captured by 18 fixed cameras and 3 furniture. This system allows controllers to have a complete 360 degree vision, without having to turn physically turn.
Digital towers do not only have the merit of improving the safety and precision of air control, but also allow you to centralize the management of multiple airports. A certified controller can in fact monitor several small airports from a single digital control tower. Think of the case of an airport from which only about ten flights per day pass and that in many cases the night remains closed. Emergency activation, to land a hero ambulance or a tourist charter, can be a problem if it happens when it is closed. With the digital towers hub, on the other hand, it is no longer, because the same controller can be certified for multiple airports, and therefore manage the small airport remotely, improving the efficiency and flexibility of the whole system.
