Air Traffic Control's Impact on Aircraft Safety
Air Traffic Control (ATC) is a necessity to ensure the safety of aircraft and to maximize operational efficiency. ATC is separated into different facilities to be more applicable to the airspace under control and to divide the workload among controllers. Typically an aircraft will start in terminal airspace where they will be under control of a control tower. Then if the pilots file for an IFR flight plan and leave the terminal airspace, they will likely transfer to another ATC facility such as Radar Approach Control or Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC). All air traffic controllers within the United States operate under the FAA JO 7110.65 and could also have local regulations to make operations more restrictive depending on the local operations. Tower controllers focus on the immediate airspace surrounding the airport. For example, Seymour Johnson AFB terminal airspace is ten nautical miles in diameter and extends from the surface up to and including 2,500 ft MSL. The important