Batmaners

Edit: This won't be visible to those who asked but: A ground controller is in charge of all aircraft and vehicle movements at an airport whilst they are on the ground. We are in the tower with the VFR controllers, talking on a different radio frequency. We work hand-in-hand with the VF controller to keep everything moving smoothly, and avoiding incidents. Keep the planes and vehicles from running into one another. Keep all traffic moving smoothly, the less you have to stop someone to let other traffic go by, the better your day will go. Upon landing, aircraft contact ground and request their taxi instructions, they can't just drive around without someone telling them specifically where to go, what if they have to cross a runway ad there's a plane landing? What if it's foggy? So the ground controller is there because he's just as necessary as the VFR controller landing planes, just in a different capacity.

I am also qualified as a Flight Advisor, basically I do the same thing as a VFR controller, but I have no control (I deal in smaller volumes of traffic, so there is no need for actual VFR control). Instead of telling the aircraft "Cleared to land", I say "Land at your discretion", which means "There is no reason for me to prevent you from landing, do what you want". I also pass any relevant traffic advisories so that there is no risk of mid-air collisions, and should there be a requirement, I offer solutions to deconflict "Request extend downwind, snow removal vehicle on the runway, should be off in 1 mike", it's typically in their best interest to listen to me.

View History Share Link