handoffs

What Are ATC Hand offs?

US-DIV IVAO

Allen W. Sindel
US-TC / TA-5

Background Information

Many new controllers on IVAO always ask about "What are ATC Handoffs"? Basically, an ATC handoff is transferring responsibility of an aircraft from one ATC position to another position, including a frequency change. However, to know when to transfer the pilot, one must first know the responsibilities for each ATC Position.

From the table below, the ATC Position, Name and Responsibilities are detailed below. The important items that are common for each position are:

Airspace Limits - Altitude and/or horizontal distance in NM (Nautical Miles).

Position Identification

Clearances -Flight Plan, Take Off, and Landing

Position Suffix	Name	Responsibility
xxxx_GND	Ground Controller	Controls the movement of aircraft on the ground at an airport. However only the non-active runways, taxiways, gates, and hangars... not the active runways. Whenever a plane needs to cross an active runway, it has to call the xxxx_TWR.
xxxx_TWR	Tower Controller	'Owns' the ACTIVE runways and the airspace up to 2-4000' and 5 NM (nautical miles) from the airport. Clears planes for takeoff and landing. Receives planes that are landing from xxxx_APP and hands off planes that are taking off to xxxx_APP or if present xxxx_DEP.
xxxx_APP	Approach Controller	Controls the airspace up to 40NM away from the airport, up to 10 - 12,000 ft (usually). Handles all aircraft leaving or arriving at an airport, until they are established on the ILS (then hands off the plane to TWR at the Outer Marker) or are leaving their airspace to continue flight (then hands off to CTR) Responsible for issuing Flight Plan Clearances.
xxxx_DEP	Departure Controller	An position rarely used except at busy airports in the real world which relieves the work-load of the approach controller by handling all the departures, and getting them away from arrivals as quickly as possible, leaving the approach controller free to handle arrivals (the hard bit).
xxxx_CTR	(ARTCC) Center Controller	Centers own all airspace not controlled by APP or TWR and all airspace above 10 - 12,000ft. They control the plane while en route, and get it from point A to point B safely, until it can be descended and given to the approach controller.
xxxx_FSS	Flight Service Station	Flight Service Stations cover large areas (eg: Europe) and provide support to pilots and controllers. They can advise pilots of weather and frequencies for other controllers.
xxxx_DEL	Clearance Delivery	Clearance Delivery is rarely used in IVAO. In the real world, DEL controller would give a clearance (which explains where the plane is allowed to fly) to all planes, but the ease of giving a clearance in the virtual world, means the Tower can normally give the clearance to the pilot that has been issued by xxxx_DEL or more commonly on IVAO xxxx_APP..

The 'xxxx' in the table is replaced by a code used to identify the area that controller is using. These are known as ICAO codes, and can be found on the IVAO web-site. For example, Dallas Forth Worth is 'KDFW' so a Fort Worth Tower Controller would log-in on ProController as KDFW_TWR.

example: KDFW-APP, "United one zero one four, cleared for ILS Approach runway 35 Lima, report when established"

"Fort Worth Approach, this is United one zero one four, established, runway 35 Lima"

KDFW-APP, "United one zero one four, continue glide slope, contact Fort Worth Tower on 126.55 at the Outer Marker, Good Day"

Detailed Information about "Hand offs"

Again, a handoff is a transfer of responsibility of an aircraft from one controller to another including a frequency change (in FS, this involves both text and voice modes - they are automatic when choosing a controller into the ATC directory of Squawkbox). A handoff should occur each time an aircraft is leaving a controller's area of responsibility to enter the one of another active controller. The rule to be applied is ONE AIRSPACE, ONE CONTROLLER. There must not be two controllers managing the same portion of an airspace or airfield. An airspace can be divided in 2 sectors (west and east for instance) but only one controller will manage each sector. There could be a KDFW_W_APP (for west sector) and a KDFW_E_APP (for east sector) but in no case should 2 controllers be responsible for the SAME sector.

Handoff points and procedures are usually determined into "Letters of Agreement*". However, when no agreement letter has been established, the handoff procedures are established online (by chat) between the connected controllers activating adjacent areas.

Here are the general cases that will help determining the handoff points and/or altitudes :

- handoff from GND to TWR : when aircraft is holding short of the active RWY.

Particularity : If aircraft has to taxi via the active runway, the pilot should contact the tower (remember the runway is the only part of the ground which does not belong to the Ground Controller - the runway is under the responsibility of the Tower Controller because he/she is the one delivering clearances to land and to take off).

- handoff from TWR to DEP or APP : just after take-off when aircraft is airborne, usually between 2-4000 ft AGL and 5 NM.

- handoff from DEP to APP : before aircraft is reaching the lateral limit of APP airspace, at the altitude determined when coordinating the flight by chat.

- handoff from APP to CTR : before aircraft is reaching upper limit of APP airspace and/or when reaching a specific point (fix or navaid).

10 -12,000 ft and 40 NM is often used as a limit between APP and CTR.

- handoff from CTR to UP_CTR : before aircraft is reaching the lateral limit of CTR airspace and/or when reaching a specific point (fix or navaid), at the FL determined when coordinating the flight by chat.

- handoff from CTR to UP_CTR : before aircraft is reaching upper limit of CTR airspace and/or when reaching a specific point (fix or navaid).

FL 195 or 240 are often used as limits between lower and upper airspaces.

- handoff from CTR to APP : before aircraft is reaching lower limit of CTR airspace and/or when reaching a specific point (fix or navaid).

10 - 12,000 ft and 40 NM from the airport is often used as a limit between APP and CTR

- handoff from APP to TWR :

.-for IFR arrival, when aircraft established on ILS or on final, usually at 2,000 or 3,000 ft AGL 5 NM inbound at the Outer Marker (OM).

.-for VFR arrival, when aircraft in sight of airfield or reporting point, usually at 2,000 or 3,000 ft within 10 NM around the airfield.

- handoff from TWR to GND : when aircraft has vacated the runway.

In PC, several commands are available by right clicking on an aircraft flight strip. When logging as a controller, it is recommended to open a chat window with the controllers you will have to work with so that you can coordinate your handoffs by chat.

IMPORTANT NOTE : You must not transfer an aircraft which is in conflict with another one. You must deal with the conflict first and then execute the handoff when the situation is clear. If the plane is already reaching the limit of your area of responsibility, the least is to coordinate that (by chat) with the controller you are going to handoff your traffic too.

*Letters of Agreement

In areas where overlapping areas of "Controlled Airspace" exist or areas where safe operation of the flight requires one Controller to descend an aircraft to an airport where the APP controller is located in an adjacent sector, agreement letters may exist that details the responsibility and method for ATC control in these areas.

As an example, imagine an area where the CTR Controller's sector file boundary is adjacent to a CLASS B airport in an adjacent sector area. Also, at this Class B airport their is an APP Controller and we have a pilot at FL320 who is landing at this Class B airport, but is currently under ATC services of the CTR Controller.

For this case, it would be prudent to have a 'Letter of Agreement" which in part would require the CTR Controller to descend this aircraft to 10 -12,000' within 40 NM of the APP Controller's position at the Class B airport and then handoff the pilot to APP, even though the aircraft would still be in the CTR Controllers sector boundary.

Similarly, these types of responsibility divisions can exist between two adjacent CTR's.

This information is for Virtual ATC and Flying and is not intended to represent any real ATC or air traffic services.