Controller’s GuideController’s Guide - Tower · PDF fileController’s GuideController’s Guide (c) ... you can’t see the ground, ... The Tom Hanks movie The Terminal is based

Controller’s GuideController’s Guide

(c) 2008 Wilco Publishing www.wilcopub.com - www.feelThere.com 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Tower Simulator

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Installation/ Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5The Airports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Princess Juliana International AirportJohn Wayne Airport Orange CountyCharles de Gaulle International Airport (Roissy Airport)Chicago O'Hare International AirportMunich International Airport

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Tower Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Main TabSettings TabInformation Tab

The Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Ground Radar ScreenAir Radar ScreenCommand ScreenStrip Screen

Commands / Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Descriptions of Aircraft Reactions to CommandsGround CommandsAirborne CommandsExamples of Multiple Command Strings

Theory behind ATC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Things to Remember When Controlling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Real World Air Traffic Control Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Tower Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Air TrafficTerminal GatesAircraft Liveries

Credits and Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Airport Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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INSTALLATION

(c) 2008 Wilco Publishing www.wilcopub.com - www.feelThere.comNot for use in real aviation. 54

Tower Simulator Tower Simulator

How often has this happened to you ? You rush to open Flight Simulator,anxious to begin your flight. You gothrough whatever portion of pre-flightstrikes your fancy, fire your engines,get your clearance and taxi asdescribed to the active, all revved upand ready to take to the air. Only to betold that you’re number six fordeparture. Talk about a let-down!

Well guess what? For a change, younow get to turn the tables and be thebringer of bad news to that anxiouspilot. That jet jockey will be at idleuntil you give him the clearance toadvance. You will decide when RogerRamjet out there will be able to safelyenter the active, and it will be up toyou to clear him to take off. Nice tohave that power in your hands, right?

There’s just one small thing, reallyhardly worth mentioning. All thosepeople out there depend on you, andyour next decision may very well resultin their flight coming to an abrupt andunexpected ending. Call it right,they’re in the air and on their way totheir destination, and nobody knowsyour name. Call it wrong, andsuddenly you’re on the front page aspublic enemy number one, with a ton ofsuits looking for a piece of your time.

Welcome to Tower, the airport trafficcontrol simulator. Your task is simple.Guide aircraft of various sizes andcapabilities to and from the activerunway for departure and arrival.Direct them as to when it is safe toenter/cross runways, which taxiwaysthey are to use, when to turn or gostraight, stop and start, take off andhold short. It should be easy, just lookout the window. Of course, it may bedark, or foggy, or be raining so hardyou can’t see the ground, to say nothingof those two heavies that are gettingcloser as we speak. Sure, those guysand gals who direct the traffic onceairborne have it easy. Plenty of sky inwhich to push the tin. You, on theother hand have only a limited amountof concrete and a bunch of street signs,along with lots of impatient pilots andpassengers who don’t want to hearabout your problems.

Enjoy Tower Simulator !

feelThere Development Team& Wilco Publishing

INTRODUCTION

INSTALLATIONInstallation is automatic. Insert the CD (ordouble-click on the downloaded file) andAutorun will take you to the start-up screen.If Autorun is disabled on your system, openWindows Explorer or My Computer, browseto your CD-Rom drive and double click“TowerSim_v1x.exe” (x is your version). Before installing it is recommended that youshut down all programs and your virusprotection software.Once setup is running, follow the procedure.

To fully enjoy TOWER SIMULATOR, werecommend the following devices:

TRACK IR : changes pilot’s view according tohead movements • VOICE BUDDY : voicerecognition system • Matrox TripleHead2GO: allows a true 120° field of view.

Those devices are available fromwww.towersimulator.com or from your

favorite simulator retailer.

Required Computer Settings : 1.4GhzProcessor • Windows® XP SP2 (32bits) -VISTA (32bits) • DirectX 9 or later • 700 Mbhard disk space • 3D video card 256 Mbvideo card memory • Sound card • Mouse orpointer control device • 512Mb memory for(XP) and 1.0Gb memory (VISTA).

Recommended : • 1.0 Mb memoryWindows® XP and 1.5Gb memory for VISTA •3-D video card 256 Mb video card memory •Two button mouse with a scroll wheel.

The game uses TCP/IP for the instrumentcommunication (ground radar, air radar,command window and strip). These

instruments have their own processes ('exe'files) so there will be five programs askingfor firewall approval upon first game start:tower.exe (the main game engine),strip.exe, airradar.exe, groundradar.exe andcommandwindow.exe.Regarding the block/unblock dialog: it is anXP SP2 and Vista feature. Windows Firewall,on the first run of Tower, will ask to unblockfor the Tower application (Tower.exe is themain game engine) and TCP/IP service (forinstruments communication). This isnormal. See Windows Knowledge Basearticle athttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/842242 fordetails.

Frequently Asked Questions

VISTA INSTALLATIONTower Simulator must be installed with theAdministrator rights. After the installation,right-click on Tower shortcut and 'Run asAdministrator'.

NO RADAR SCREENS ARE DISPLAYED.1 - Make sure your video card has 256Mb. 2 -Probably there is a missing file into your PCconfiguration. Download Visual C++ 2005Redistributable Package and Visual C++ 2005Redistributable Package SP1 (exe file dated2007) freely available from the net.

HOW CAN I IMPROVE THE FRAME RATE ?Do not select a higher screen resolution thanthe maximum of your monitor.

HOW CAN I IMPROVE GRAPHICS ?To improve image quality, increase the ANTI-ALIASING option from your video cardsettings. Important : increasing Anti-Aliasingdecreases performances.

TOWER.EXE HAS ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEMDownload and install the latest DirectXdriver from Microsoft site.

INFORMATION, NEWS, FREQUENTLY ASKEDQUESTIONS & UPGRADES :

http://www.towersimulator.comhttp://www.wilcopub.com

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THE AIRPORTS

TNCM (SXM)Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten Island, Netherlands Antilles.

The second busiest airport in the EasternCaribbean (after Luis Munoz MarinInternational Airport in San Juan, PuertoRico), this airport serves as a hub forWindward Islands Airways and is the majorgateway for the smaller Leeward Islands. Itis one of two airports on St. Maarten, theother on the French side of the island calledGrand Case Airport. In 2005, TNCM handled1,663,226 passengers.

Opened as a military airstrip in 1942, TNCMbegan its civilian life in 1943. This was thefirst airport to undergo a private conversionin this area of the Caribbean. The airporthas been remodeled and relocated. First in1964 with a new terminal building andcontrol tower and general facilities upgradeswere performed in 1984.

With the rise of popularity of Caribbeandestinations and the expected growth ofpassenger traffic, Princess JulianaInternational Airport (named after Juliana ofthe Netherlands, who was crown princesswhen the airport opened) is once again beingmodernized. Recently the runway andtaxiways have been upgraded; new radar andtower facilities opened in 2004; and a newterminal opened in November 2006. Futureplans include extension of the new terminaland construction of a full parallel taxiwaysystem.The airport is famous for its short landing

strip. At 7,152 feet, it is barely long enoughfor heavy jets. Because of this, aircraftmust approach low and slow, right over MahoBeach.

KSNA (SNA)John Wayne Airport Orange County, Santa Ana, California, USA.

Located in Santa Ana, California, OrangeCounty Airport was renamed in 1979 to honorthe actor John Wayne, who lived nearby. Itis the sole commercial airport within OrangeCounty, but despite this, General aviationoperators outnumber the commercial. Thereare several facilities at the airport that servethe general and corporate aviationcommunity. In 2007 the airport handledalmost 10,000,000 passengers in just over331,000 aircraft movements.

The main runway, 01L/19R measures 5,700feet, and is one of the shortest of any majorairport in the United States. Aircraftoperating here are limited in size to theBoeing 757, although the FedEx A310/300does operate from KSNA. Carriers operatingfrom KSNA compensate for the very shortrunway by limiting range, lowering fuelweight and imposing aircraft weightrestrictions. The shorter runway 01R/19L, at2,887' is used primarily by general aviationtraffic.

Originally constructed in 1923, KSNA has thedistinction of hosting the first commercialdrag strip on June 19, 1950. The Santa AnaDrag was started on a runway every Sunday.

ICAO (IATA) CODETNCM (SXM) Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten Island,

Netherlands AntillesKSNA (SNA) John Wayne Airport Orange County, Santa Ana, California, USALFPG (CDG) Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Roissy Airport), Paris, FranceKORD (ORD) Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, USAEDDM (MUC) Munich International Airport (Franz Josef Strauss International Airport),

Munich, Germany

Due to increased air traffic, it was closed in1959.

Covering 500.82 acres, the field is 14 milesfrom Orange County's signature attraction,the Disneyland Resort, as compared to 35miles for KLAX. A statue of the airport'snamesake welcomes passengers at the arrivalarea on the lower level.

As John Wayne Orange County has only onelong runway with a good number of generalaviation movements it is a good airport forthe controller ready to begin two runwayoperations.

LFPG (CDG)Charles de Gaulle International Airport(Roissy Airport), Paris, France.

Welcome to the big leagues.

Located within portions of severalcommunities, including Roissy, 15.5 milesNortheast of Paris; “Roissy” Airport is one ofthe world’s principal aviation centers as wellas France’s main international airport. LFPGopened as Paris North Airport in 1966 andwas renamed Charles de Gaulle InternationalAirport on March 8, 1974. The namesake,Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaullem, wasthe leader of the Free French Forces duringWorld War II, first President of the French5th Republic, and a strong supporter for theuse of military aviation during World War I.

The architecture of the terminals at RoissyAirport are striking beautiful. Terminal One,the oldest, was designed by architect PaulAndreu. Through the years the passengerspaces have been upgraded and renovated,but still keep their original character.Terminal Two, where Air France is thedominant air carrier, has undergone continualexpansion and additions since opening. OnMay 23, 2004 a section of Terminal 2E’sceiling collapsed killing four and injuringthree people.

Currently several additional terminals andsatellites are in various stages of completion.The construction of Satellite 3 will providefurther jetways for large capacity airliners,specifically the new Airbus A380.

In 2006, LFPG ranked second in Europe andseventh in the world in terms of passengertraffic, with 56,849,567 passengers. In termsof aircraft movements it was number one inEurope with 541,566 landings and takeoffs(7th in the world). 2,130,724 metric tonnesof cargo transited Roissy in 2006, making isnumber one in Europe and ninth in theworld.

The Tom Hanks movie The Terminal is basedupon one of LFPG’s visitors. Mehran KariminNasseri lived in the airport from 1988 till2006. Mr. Nasseri arrived at the airportlegally but was unable to leave as he didn’tpossess the proper paperwork.

With four runways capable of simultaneoustakeoffs and landings a controller must knowher/his profession. Busy taxiways,conflicting routes and busy airspace make fora challenging, and rewarding, controllingexperience.

THE AIRPORTS



KORD (ORD)Chicago O’Hare International Airport,Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport wasconstructed between 1942 and 1943 as partof a manufacturing plant for the DouglasAircraft Company to build C-54s. Locatednext door to Orchard Place, a localcommunity, the airfield was referred to asOrchard Place Airport/Douglas Field, thusinheriting the call sign ORD. The facility wasalso the site of the Army Air Force’s 803Special Depot. This depot stored many rareor experimental planes, including capturedenemy aircraft. These aircraft eventuallyformed the core of the Smithsonian Air andSpace Museum’s collection.

As World War II came to an end DouglasAircraft Company headed for California. Theairport was purchased from the United StatesGovernment 1946 by the City of Chicago.Additional land was purchased over the nextthree years. In 1949 Orchard Place Airportwas renamed after Lt. Cmdr. Edward “Butch”O’Hare, a World War II flying ace who wasawarded the Medal of Honor. O’Hare openedfor domestic commercial flights in 1955.

Being situated in the center of the Upper-Midwest and only 17 miles from Chicago,O’Hare is a hub airport for many UnitedStates airlines. These airlines include United(terminals one and two) and AmericanAirlines (terminal three). Terminal five seesa all arriving international traffic fromairlines such as Aer Lingus, Aero Mexico, AirCanada, Air France, Air India, All Nippon,British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch, Mexicana,SAS, and Turkish Airlines (to name a few).

As the second busiest airport in the U.S andthe World, according to Airports CouncilInternational 2006 data, KORD is known forit’s long delays with just under 76,200,000passengers in almost 927,000 aircraftmovement in 2007. Even so, over the past

10 years O’Hare has consistently been votedone of the Best Airport in North America bythe readers of the U.S. Edition of BusinessTraveler Magazine and Global TravelerMagazine.

There are six pairs of runways arranged inthree pairs of parallel sets. The largest isRunway 14R/32L at 13,000 feet. Runways14L, 14R27R and 28 have Category III ILScapability. All other runways except 4L havefull ILS transmitters. Importantly, all butone of O’Hare’s runways intersect, and socontrollers must wait until a runway is freeof traffic before they can clear anotherplane to use or cross an intersecting runway.Stay sharp, as failing to do this can havedisastrous results.

A solid record for safe and efficientcontrolling at the single and double runwayairports simulated in Tower must beestablished before successfully sitting in the‘hot seat’ O’Hare.

EDDM (MUC)Munich International Airport (Franz JosefStrauss International Airport), Munich,Germany.

Franz Josef Strauss International Airport, orMunich Airport to the locals, transported30.76 million people in 2006 making it thesecond busiest airport in Germany, seventh inEurope and 30th in the world. 411,335aircraft movements in 2006 rank EDDM the21st in the world. In 2007, Skytrax namedMunich the “Best Airport in Europe” for thethird consecutive year.

Named in memory of prominent Bavarianpolitician Franz Josef Strauss, the airport islocated 17 miles northeast of Munich.Opening in 1992 after twelve years ofconstruction EDDM replaces the formerinternational Airport in Munich-Reim. The500 person village of Franzheim was

THE AIRPORTS THE AIRPORTS

demolished, with residents relocated in theregion, in order to create space for theproject. The airport is itself within fourmunicipalities: Freising, Oberding (locationof the terminals), Hallbergmoos andMarzling. There are currently two runwaysin operation, with a third underconsideration.

Munich Airport serves as a hub for Lufthansaand Star Alliance partners. Terminal Onehouses most non-Star Alliance airlines.Terminal Two (opened June 2003) is primarilyreserved for Star Alliance airlines. Aseparate General Aviation Terminal servesprivate and corporate aircraft.

The long and well separated runways allowfor simultaneous takeoffs and landings,making Franz Josef Strauss InternationalAirport good challenge for a controller.

LFPGRunway 09R/27LWidth 148 ftLength 13,780 ftSurface Bit/Conc

Runway 09L/27RWidth 197 ftLength 8,858 ftSurface Bit/Conc

Runway 08L/26RWidth 148 ftLength 13,829 ftSurface Concrete

Runway 08R/26LWidth 197 ftLength 8,858 ftSurface Concrete

KORDRunway 04L/22RWidth 150 ftLength 7,500 ftSurface Asphalt

Runway 04R/22LWidth 150 ftLength 8,075 ftSurface Asphalt


Runway 10/28Width 150 ftLength 10,144 ftSurface Concrete

Runway 14L/32RWidth 150 ftLength 10,005 ftSurface Asphalt


EDDMRunway 08R/26LWidth 197 ftLength 13,123 ftSurface Concrete


TNCMRunway 09/27Width 148 ftLength 7,708 ftSurface Asphalt

KSNARunway 01L/19RWidth 150 ftLength 5,700 ftSurface Asphalt


RUNWAYS INFORMATION



GETTING STARTEDAs with anything else, starting small andlearning the ropes is always a good idea.With its single runway and limited taxiwaysPrincess Juliana International Airport (TNCM)is perfect for the new controller. This shortorientation session will provide only anoutline of how control aircraft using Tower.Details on commands, control screens andproper procedures are covered later in themanual.

Setting up Tower for your first controllingsession:

On the Main tab choose TNCM and set activerunway to 09. For this training session setthe local time to 1:00 PM and weatherconditions as clear.

Now go to the Settings tab choose theEnvironment window. Set the ground trafficand traffic density sliders to high.

Return to the Main tab and click the STARTbutton.

After the simulation loads you are presentedwith several windows. Each screen providesyou with important information about theactivities happening at the airport andsurrounding airspace. I’ll bet you’rethinking, “Now what?” First, check theArrival/Departure strip (think of this as your“to do” list). At the moment nothing isdisplayed. While waiting for your first tasklet’s look at the other screens.

The GROUND RADAR SCREEN shows allaircraft currently under your control. Youpress (click on) the + and – buttons on thescreen to zoom and widen the range of theradar.

The AIR RADAR SCREEN shows all aircraftcurrently in the airspace and up to 20nautical miles (nm) from the airport. Youpress (click on) the + and – buttons on the

screen to zoom and widen the range of theradar. Not all planes displayed are underyour control – more on this later.

The COMMAND SCREEN is your link to theaircraft in your control area. Commandsentered here are ‘heard’ by the pilots. Pilotradio messages are also displayed.

Now let’s look out of the control towerwindows. Pressing and holding your rightmouse button will permit you to move yourview of the airport in the main window.Using the mouse wheel or arrow keys willprovide you with a binocular feature for acloser look at the action. This is invaluablein preventing those nasty crunching soundsthat get the lawyers so excited. It isrecommended you print a copy of the airportchart for reference when assigning runwaysto aircraft and assigning taxi routes.

After exploring your control environment,you should see your first assignment FWI905,Air Carabies flight 905, in the Strip Window(the Aircraft Identification Codes section ofthe manual for a listing of airline IDs). Avoidthe temptation to send FWI905 permission totaxi and takeoff! You cannot send commandsto aircraft until they are under your control.For airborne aircraft the pilot will advise,“With you.” Aircraft wanting to taxi willhave pushed back from the gate (ifappropriate) and started engines beforeannouncing to you, “Ready to taxi.” Afteryou receive these phrases from the pilot youcan control the aircraft’s movement. Note:only aircraft you can control are shown onthe ground radar screen.

Once FWI905 has called the tower, you nowneed to get this aircraft from the terminalarea to runway 09. Tower allows you to dothis in many ways. The simple command isto give permission for the plane to taxi tothe runway. The simulation will route theaircraft by the shortest taxi route to therunway you specify. This works well if there

GETTING STARTEDGETTING STARTED

isn’t much airport traffic or a limitednumber of taxiways. If multiple aircraft aredeparting you will need to define the taxiroute to avoid conflicts and/or collisions,and is really what Tower is all about.

To start we will command FWI905 the simpleway by typing into the command screen,“FWI905 taxi to runway 09.” Be sure youenter this command exactly or you willreceive a syntax error. If entered correctlyFWI905 will acknowledge the taxi clearanceand begin moving to the runway. You canwatch the taxi through the tower windowand on the ground radar screen.

At runway 09 the pilot will hold short andcall, “ready for departure.” You now needto clear the aircraft for takeoff. Type intothe command window, “FWI905 cleared fortakeoff.” FWI905 will acknowledge, enterthe runway and depart. Once airborne,FWI905’s tracking will leave the ground radarscreen and appear on the air radar.

Once aircraft are in-flight you transfer theflight to departure control. Tower itselfcontrols the flight of in-flight traffic awayfrom the airport. In the real worlddeparture control is the local TRACON’sresponsibility. Once FWI905 is away from therunway we’ll transfer control to departure.To transfer control type into the commandscreen, “FWI905 contact departure.” FWI905will acknowledge and the aircraft trackingwill disappear from the air radar screen,signifying Departure has accepted control ofthe aircraft.

Congratulations! You have successfullycontrolled your first taxi and departure!

Now we’ll control an aircraft’s arrival. Onthe strip you should see WIA’s (Winair)arrival. The strip and radar return willappear at close to the same time. Onceseen on the radar screen you cannot giveWIA approach instructions. Tower will direct

aircraft to short final on the active runway.Only when WIA announces, “with you” areyou able control her.

When aircraft contact you it will be on shortfinal. You must confirm that it is safe forthe aircraft to land. For this simpleintroduction you will immediately give WIApermission to land as FWI905 has departedand the runway is clear. Type into thecommand screen, “WIA cleared for landingrunway 09.” WIA will acknowledge theclearance. You can observe WIA’smovements on the air radar screen, andwhen close to the airport through the towerwindows.

Once WIA has landed the radar return willtransfer from the air to the ground radarscreen.

While WIA has been on approach two moreaircraft have displayed: 232 and WIA630. AsWIA will be landing or still be on the runwaywhen 232 announces “with you;” you musttell 232 to go around. To do this type, “232go around.” 232 will acknowledge and flythe go around procedure. If WIA hasn’tcleared the runway when WIA630 calls “withyou;” you must also send WIA630 around. Becertain to hand them to Departure!

After completing the landing roll and turningoff the runway WIA will ask for permission totaxi to the terminal. WIA will not move untilyou type into the command screen, “WIA taxito terminal.” WIA will acknowledge and taxiusing the most direct route to an emptygate. You can follow WIA’s progress on theground radar. Once WIA has stopped at thegate and shut down the engines her radarreturn will clear from the ground radarscreen.

You have now successfully controlled anaircraft’s landing a taxi to the terminal.Well done! Bet you think that’s all there isto it, right? It just so happens that more



often than not, there will be more than justone or two aircraft requiring your attention.That’s when the fun really starts!

When the airport is busy you will need togive more detailed taxi and airbornecommands. The commands available arelisted in Commands/Syntax section of themanual. When traffic is heavy it willbecome important for you to quicklycommand aircraft. For this reason shortcutkeystrokes exist for all commands (except‘VIA’). Be sure to enter a space after eachshortcut key stroke or you will get a SYNTAXERROR.

In addition to the command shortcutkeystrokes you can double click on anaircraft’s radar return on the radar screensto enter the call sign in the Command Line.A similar shortcut is done by double clickingon the appropriate aircraft’s Arrival orDeparture Strip. Once the call sign appearsin the command line, you may proceed toissue your instructions.

To provide an example from our instructionearlier on how to control an aircraftdeparture:

After FWI905 announces prepared to taxi,it will not only appear in the Historywindow, but the announcement will beaudible as well. Double click on FWI905’sDeparture Strip or on the aircraft’s imageon the ground radar screen. Confirm thecorrect entry in the Command Line. HitCTRL and 3 followed by a space, and thentype the departure runway 09. Thecommand sequence will look like this:FWI905 TAXI TO RUNWAY 09.

For takeoff clearance you will hear,“FWI905 ready for departure.” Doubleclick on FWI905’s Departure Strip or on theaircraft image on the ground radar screen.Confirm the correct entry in the CommandLine and hit CTRL and T. The command

screen now shows: FWI905 CLEARED FORTAKEOFF.

This system of shortcut keystrokes anddouble clicking on radar or strip screens alsoworks for aircraft arriving at your airport. Itis recommended that you print the list ofshortcut keystrokes until the keycombinations become second nature.

If during play you need a break there is noneed to contact a backup controller, justpress the PAUSE/BREAK button on yourkeyboard. Press the PAUSE/BREAK button toresume the simulation.

It is now up to you to control the aircraft atTNCM. You have 232 and WIA630 waiting toland along with WIA435’s request to taxi fortakeoff. Happy controlling!

To end the simulation simply hit thekeyboard ESC key and choose the option togo to the Main Menu. From the main menuyou can set up another control situation orclose Tower.

GETTING STARTED TOWER CONFIGURATION

TOWER CONFIGURATIONMAIN TABUpon opening Tower you will be presentedwith the Main screen. From here you selectwhich airport to control. After making anairport choice from the pull-down menu(choose one of: Orange County, ChicagoO’Hare, Paris DeGaulle, St. Maarten PrincessJulianna or Munich airports) you then defineby clicking the check-box next to therunways you want to be active. Each airportpresents its own unique set of challenges,with perhaps TNCM being the most sedate,progressing to KSNA, EDDM, KORD and LFPGin levels of challenge (and perhapsfrustration, but that’s the fun part).

Take care in selecting the active runways.Tower will not allow you to select opposingends of a runway to be active, but you canchoose runways that cross or in other waysconflict, and so require careful control forsimultaneous landings and departures.

Below the runway selections are the optionsfor time of day and weather. The time listedin the pull-down menu is airport local. Thetime in-game will be shown as CoordinatedUniversal Time (UTC).

The right side of the main page contains abrief description of the airport chosen by theAirport Selection dropdown menu.

Clicking “START” will launch you into theTower simulation.Clicking “EXIT TO WINDOWS” will closeTower.

Settings TabsThe Settings screen provides you with theopportunity to change the manner in whichTower will operate on your system. Thereare four sub-tabs available:

Audio-Video Settings Here are options for adjusting video andaudio components of Tower. Placing the

mouse pointer over a setting option willdisplay a brief description of each and howthe choices may affect game play.

IMPORTANT: should you happen to select ascreen resolution that is higher than themaximum of your monitor, you will greatlyreduce your frame rates! If you find yourrates suffering, check this first! Either runthe sim in full screen mode, or use only themaximum resolution that is supported byyour monitor.

NOTE: full screen mode will only functionwhen in-game. The Tower setup screensfunction only in windowed mode.

Environment The settings here allow you to balance thelevel of visual realism and traffic quantitywhile keeping a level of performanceacceptable to you based upon the abilities ofyour computer system. Placing the mousepointer over a setting option will display abrief description of each and how thechoices may affect game play.

NOTE: By altering the Traffic Density you canincrease or decrease the complexity of thesimulation.

Commands Listed are all the traffic control commandsused by Tower. Each command may be typedinto the Command Screen or entered usingthe listed shortcut keystrokes. Theseshortcut settings are outlined in this manualin the Commands/Syntax section.

The shortcut key commands are allcustomizable to your preference. Doubleclicking on a command will permitmodification. You will receive a warning ifattempting to map a previously assigned keysequence.

NOTE: ‘VIA’ has no shortcut keystroke, norcan one be assigned.



LayoutChanging the options here may improve thereaction speed and fluidity of Tower’s radar,command and strip screens (more on theselater). Each screen’s performance may becustomized in the following ways: refreshrate, dimension, antialias, and resize.Placing the mouse pointer over a settingoption will display a brief description of eachand how the choices may affect game play.

'Command Help Available' can be turned offfor the command window (see CommandScreen section of the manual for details onhow the help function operates).

By unchecking 'VISIBLE' the air and/or groundradar screens can be closed and so simulateradar-less procedures.

The layouts pull-down menu allows for pre-selecting the location of the Tower’s in-gamescreens. If you find the screen locations arenot to your liking each may be moved bydouble-clicking the screen and moving thedisplay – this includes moving to a secondmonitor. A second double-click locks thescreen into its new location. The 'last saved'option in the pull-down menu will openTower with the screens in your customlocations.

INFORMATION TABSThe Information screen provides details on aplayers controlling history, the operationalcharacteristics of simulated aircraft and onTower’s development and version. There arethree sub-tabs available:

User Information In this window you can create multipleplayer personalities.New Card – using this tab you can name eachTower player in order to track his/hercontrolling history.Delete Card – use this tab to remove aplayer’s history.Default 1/2/3/4 - choose a picture torepresent each controller personality you

create.Salary – as a player’s ATC experienceincreases she/he will increase their ATC leveland receive pay increases. How much moneyare you worth?Time Spent Controlling – the time you spendcontrolling in the simulation.Number of Landings/Takeoffs – thesenumbers start at zero when a playerpersonality is created.Controller Level – the longer each playerruns the tower and safely conducts airportoperations his/her ATC level increases (seeincidents, time spent controlling, number oflandings/takeoffs, and salary).Number of Incidents – this is a tabulation ofthose incidents when safe controlling policiesand procedures were violated (see errordescriptions).Awards• 10 hours without accident/incident.• 50 hours of total ATC.• 10 hours at each airport.• 100 hour without any accident.

Types of controller errors• RUNWAY INTRUSION! You've allowed anairplane to cross an active runway whileanother was taking off or landing.• SEPARATION ERROR! Two airplanes underyour control came closer than 5 mileshorizontal separation and/or their verticalseparation was less than 1000 feet.• COLLISION! Two airplanes under yourcontrol have collided.

Aircraft A knowledgeable controller understands eachaircraft’s takeoff, climb, descent and landingcapabilities in order to avoid asking a pilot toperform a maneuver that is outside of theparameters of his aircraft. Doing this onlyannoys the pilot and does nothing to buildhis confidence in your controlling abilities.

About You can review Tower’s version, developmentteam and copyright information.

THE SCREENSTOWER CONFIGURATION

THE SCREENSIn order to adequately get your charges toand from parking and jetways, you need tohave a very good understanding of yourairport environment, not only as a staticpicture of the layout, but in real time aswell. With this in mind, in the Airport Chartssection of the manual you are provided fullpage airport charts showing labeled runwaysand taxiways. It is a good idea to print theseand have them available at all times forthose instances in which you lose yourorientation while looking out the window.

For real time information you are providedwith two radar screens: ground and air. Eachmay be manipulated to increase your level ofsituational awareness. The Radar andArrivals/Departures screens interact with theCommand Screen in an important and time-saving manner. Double clicking on a specificArrival or Departure aircraft tag listed willcause that aircraft’s call sign to appear onyour command line, thus avoiding the needto type in the sign manually. Likewise,double clicking on an aircraft icon visible onyour radar screens will place their call signon the Command line, giving you a niceshortcut that greatly speeds your ability tocommunicate with your aircraft.

GROUND RADAR SCREEN:This screen is invaluable as it gives you anoverhead view of your entire groundcontrolling area. The controlled aircraftslocations are updated in real time.

Each aircraft is displayed with an ID tag.The font size used to represent the aircraftID information can be increased anddecreased by clicking on the plus and minusbuttons. The tag itself is movable by a clickand drag using your pointing device.

Information shown about each aircraft are:AIRCRAFT ID

ALTITUDE | AIRSPEED

• Altitude: 100’s of feet (ex, 2 = 200 feet)• Airspeed: 10’s of knots (ex, 2 = 20 knots)

By clicking the zoom + and - buttons theoverall view of the airport can be increasedand decreased.

The Move On/Off button allows thecontroller to manipulate the view shown onthe screen. Once enabled, simply left clickand drag the view on the screen to scroll leftor right to see all of the airport runways andtaxiways.

The compass indicator (CI) overlays theradar screen is represented with a ‘V’symbol. As you change the viewpoint andzoom level in the tower window using yourpointing device, the CI will represent thisviewpoint on the radar screen. The CI maybe turned off or on by left-clicking on thebutton in the lower right corner of the radar. The radar screen can be resized and movedby double clicking near the perimeter of thewindow and dragging it the desired size andlocation. Double click again to lock thescreen into place.

NOTE: If you close the radar screen it cannotbe re-opened when the simulation situation



is running. Don’t do it!

AIR RADAR SCREEN:

Air radar gives you a visual display of what toexpect regarding your traffic load, and willhelp you formulate a flow plan knowing thein-air location of aircraft around yourairport.The air radar screen functions of font sizeand moving the ID tag location work thesame as the ground radar.The information shown about each aircraftis:

AIRCRAFT IDALTITUDE | AIRSPEED

• T: represents the aircraft’s location• Altitude: 100’s of feet (ex, 11 = 1100 feet)• Airspeed: 10’s of knots (ex, 16 = 160 knots)

VIS HDG ON/OFF toggles the representationof aircraft movement on the radar screen.

VIS MAP ON/OFF toggles the representationof terrain and other obstacles on the radarscreen. These show as inverted triangles.Obstruction avoidance is the concern of theApproach/Departure controllers, not you.

NOTE: If you close the radar screen it cannot

be re-opened when the simulation situationis running. Definitely don’t do it!

COMMAND SCREEN:

This screen is where you interact withaircraft in your air and ground space. It ishere that you will send and receivecommands. Looking at the screen, you willfind several items of interest:

CMD line: where your commands aredisplayed prior to transmission.

SEND button: to the very right of the CMDline. Pressing SEND will transmit yourcommands. Command will also betransmitted by pressing the keyboard ENTERkey.

HIS window: HIS (history) keeps are recordof communication received from and sent toaircraft. The window will also alert youwhen improper syntax is entered. When yousee SYNTAX ERROR, it means you haveentered a command in a fashion notrecognizable by Tower.

CMD/DEL button: permits you to deletes alltext in the CMD line without needing to pressthe backspace key.

TIME: below the CMD/DEL buttonCoordinated Universal Time (UTC) isreported.

HIS button: pressing this will clear allentries in the HIS window. This is to beavoided until you become a proficientcontroller it is easy to forget exactly who itis you commanded to go where. TheCommand Screen can be resized and movedby double clicking near the perimeter of thewindow and dragging it the desired size andlocation. Double click again to lock thescreen into place.

HLP line: the Help line will display a shortlist of acceptable commands based on whathas already been entered into the CMD line.The correct format (syntax) for acceptablecommands is also displayed.

NEXT TRAFFIC button: Rather than timeacceleration, this button initiates thesequence for the next arrival/departure.You will not know which until the pilotcontacts you. The number to the rightindicates how many requests you’ve madefor the next traffic to appear. THE RESULTSARE NOT INSTANTANEOUS!

Along the bottom of the command screenclick buttons that control the text displayedin the command screen:

SINGLE AIRCRAFT ON/OFF – will display onlythe command between the tower and theaircraft who’s ID is typed in the CMD line inthe history window.

HIDE/SHOW SEND COMMANDS – withadd/remove the commands you have sentaircraft from the history window. Whenchoosing the HIDE option only aircraftacknowledgements will be displayed.

HIDE/SHOW SYNTAX ERROR – willadd/remove error messages from the historywindow.

PRINT COMMANDS – the shortcut keycommands currently assigned will be sent tothe printer connected to your computer.

DELETE HISTORY – after clicking this buttonyou will get a YES/NO option. Choosing yeswill remove all commands showing in thehistory window.

NOTE: If you close the Command Screen itcannot be re-opened when the simulationsituation is running. Oh boy, you really don’twant to do it!

STRIP SCREEN:This is a visual representation of your “todo” list. It is divided into two sections:Arrivals and Departures.

By left-clicking the ON/OFF buttons and pagenumbers you can expand and contract thestrips displayed on the screen.

As flights come under your control their stripis presented on the bottom of each section.The strips present a you information for eachflight :

Deciphering an ARRIVAL slip:• AAL1779 – Aircraft call sign (in this caseAmerican Airlines flight 1779)• 73H – Equipment type (in this case a Boeing737-700; see Aircraft Identification Codes formore information)• 4 – An arbitrary number assigned by theprogram that generates the strips• 1003 – A computer generated arbitrarynumber• 0405 – The time of arrival, reported as UTC• 250 – The requested flight level of theaircraft (in this case FL250)• 19L – The anticipated arrival runway (inthis case runway 19 left)

THE SCREENSTHE SCREENS



typed 090.

CLEARED FOR IMMEDIATE TAKEOFF (CTRLY): pilot will not hold short after completingtaxi to the active runway. Instead, the pilotwill enter runway and being takeoff roll uponreaching the center line.

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF (CTRL T): pilot willenter runway and takeoff. If pilot had beentold to TAXI INTO POSITION AND HOLD,aircraft will not begin takeoff roll.

CONTINUE TAXI (ALT 7): required to havepilot resume taxi after being told: HOLDYOUR POSITION.

FOLLOW COMPANY (CTRL 5): pilot willfollow aircraft of same company name (ie,Air France will follow Air France) to the leadaircraft’s assigned runway by the sameassigned taxiways.

HOLD SHORT (CTRL R): pilot will stopaircraft at crossing taxiway intersection orrunway and await further instructions.

HOLD YOUR POSITION (ALT 8): pilot willimmediately stop aircraft’s movement andawait further instructions.

HOLD SHORT OF RUNWAY [XXX] (ALT R):pilot will stop aircraft prior to entering orcrossing defined runway.

HOLD SHORT OF TAXIWAY [XXX] (ALT T):pilot will stop aircraft prior to crossing orentering defined taxiway.

OR TAXI OFF THE RUNWAY (CTRL O): Usedin conjunction with CLEARED FOR IMMEDIATETAKEOFF. If given the command CLEAREDFOR IMMEDITATE TAKEOOF OR TAXI OFF THERUNWAY the pilot will either takeoff, if able,or taxi off the runway.

RUNWAY (CTRL 2): shortcut to enter the‘runway’ into command screen’s CMD line.

TAXI IMMEDIATELY: (CTRL I): Synonym toTAXI WITHOUT DELAY. As fast as she can thepilot will taxi to the endpoint of the taxicommand given previously by the controller.

TAXI TO RUNWAY [XXX] (CTRL 3): pilot willtaxi to the defined runway by the shortestroute. If you wish the aircraft to follow aspecific route you must use the VIA commandand define the specific taxiway sequence.

TAXI TO TERMINAL (CTRL 6): after aircrafthas exited landing runway and requested“taxi to terminal” this command will directpilot to taxi to arrival by the shortest route.If you wish the aircraft to follow a specificroute you must use the VIA command anddefine the specific taxiway sequence.

TAXIWAY (CTRL 1): shortcut enters the word‘taxiway’ into command screen’s CMD line.

TAXI WITHOUT DELAY (CTRL 7): Synonym toTAXI IMMEDITELY. As fast as she can the pilotwill taxi to the endpoint of the taxicommand given previously by the controller.

TAXI INTO POSITION AND HOLD: pilot willmove aircraft onto active runway but will notbegin takeoff roll.

TAXI INTO POSITION AND HOLD TRAFFICLANDING AT RUNWAY [XXX] (CTRL 9): pilotwill move aircraft onto the active runwaybut will not begin its takeoff roll. Theinformation about the landing aircraftprovides the pilot with the controller’sreason for the hold command.

TAXI INTO POSITION AND HOLD TRAFFICDEPARTING AT RUNWAY [XXX] (CTRL 0(zero)): pilot will move the aircraft ontoactive runway but will not begin the takeoffroll. The information about the departingaircraft provides the pilot with thecontroller’s reason for the hold command.

Deciphering a DEPARTURE slip:• ASA499 – Aircraft call sign• 734 – Equipment type (in this case a Boeing737-400; see Aircraft Identification Codes formore information)• 1 – An arbitrary number assigned by theprogram that generates the strips• 1001 – A computer generated arbitrarynumber• 0400 – The time of departure, reported asUTC• 250 – The requested flight level of theaircraft (in this case FL250)• ** – The anticipated departure runway (inthis case the runway is unassigned)

The Strip Screen can be resized and movedby double clicking near the perimeter of thewindow and dragging it the desired size andlocation. Double click again to lock thescreen into place.

The Command strip, the Radars and theFlight strip windows can be re-opened by thefollowing commands :

F2 - Command WindowF3 - DBRITEF4 - ADIRSF5 - Flight Strip

COMMANDS/SYNTAXBelow are all available commands forcontrolling aircraft in Tower. Commands aredivided into ground and airborne types andare followed by their default keystrokes.Remember the keystrokes can becustomized. Should you find it moreconvenient, you may always type in yourcommands instead of using the shortcuts, aslong as you stick to the proper syntax! Inthe event that you get a “syntax error”message be certain to look at the HLP linefor suggestions on appropriate commandsand syntax.

Common causes of syntax errors:• Not typing an aircraft’s full ID (i.e., Alaskaflight 289 is ASA289).• Failing to put a space between commands.• Typing ‘V’ instead of VIA.• Runway are identified with a minimum tonumbers (ex, runway 9 is entered 09).• When more than one runway exists be sureto enter the exact runway designation (i.e.runway 18 left is entered 18L).

Remember:• To transmit your instructions to a pilot youmust either press the ENTER key on thekeyboard, or click SEND button on theCommand Screen.• You cannot control an aircraft’s airbornemovement until its pilot states, “with you.”• You cannot control an aircraft’s groundmovement until its pilot states, “ready totaxi.”

THE COMMANDS LIST IS DETAILED ON THE LAST PAGE OF THE MANUAL !

DESCRIPTIONS OF AIRCRAFT REACTIONS TO COMMANDS

GROUND COMMANDS:AFTER DEPARTURE FLY [XXX] (ALT 3): aftertakeoff the pilot will turn aircraft to theheading defined. NOTE: headings must bestated in a three digit format – 90 degrees is

COMMANDS / SYNTAX COMMANDS / SYNTAX



TRAFFIC DEPARTING ON [XXX] (CTRL W):information message that causes no specificpilot reaction.

TRAFFIC INBOUND ON THE TAXIWAY (CTRLE): information message that causes nospecific pilot reaction.

TRAFFIC LANDING ON [XXX] (CTRL Q):information message that causes no specificpilot reaction.

VIA: command required when directing apilot to follow specific taxiways to theassigned terminal gate after landing, or aspecific runway for departure.

AIRBOURNE COMMANDS:CLEARED TO LAND (CTRL U): clears the pilotto land. After landing the aircraft will exitthe runway and request permission to taxi.

CONTACT DEPARTURE (ALT D): directs pilotto contact departure for further ATC controlto destination. Once you issue this commandthe aircraft is no longer under your controland will clear from your radar and stripscreens.

DEGREES (CTRL N): shortcut to enter the‘degrees’ into command screen’s CMD line.

GO AROUND (ALT 5): If it apparent thatproper runway separation cannot beachieved and neither aircraft’s trafficpattern can be adjusted, it will be necessaryto cancel landing clearance for one of thearriving aircraft. The controller should giveinstructions to the pilot to go aroundfollowed by directions to re-enter thepattern.

GROUND PATH VISIBLE (ALT 6): Syntax:GROUND PATH VISIBLE ON / GROUND PATHVISIBLE OFF. Turns on/off ground pathvisibility for a specified aircraft.

REPORT [XXX] (CTRL L): you have three

options for asking information from the pilot:POSITION: pilot will report aircraftposition as "XXX miles XXX from theairport.” Example report: 5 milessoutheast from the airport.HEADING: pilot will report back currentheading in degrees.AIRSPEED: pilot will report back currentairspeed in knots.

REPORT POSITION (CTRL Z): used to aid thecontroller in spacing and identifying aircraftby having pilots broadcast position reports.

REPORT AIRSPEED (CTRL C): used to aid thecontroller in spacing by having pilotsbroadcast their aircraft’s current airspeed.

TURN LEFT (CTRL V): a shortcut to enterTURN LEFT into the CMD line. You will needto complete the phrase with HEADING [XXX]or [XXX] DEGREES commands.

TURN RIGHT (CTRL B): a shortcut to enterTURN RIGHT into the CMD line. You willneed to complete the phrase with HEADING[XXX] or [XXX] DEGREES commands.

XXX REMOVE AIRPLANE (ALT+Q): this command removes any unwantedairplane on the ground.

EXAMPLES OF MULTIPLE COMMAND STRINGS:When controlling in Tower all commandsmust be preceded with an aircraft ID. Forthe examples below the preceding aircraft IDhas been omitted. Be certain to place aspace between commands.

TAXI TO RUNWAY [XXX] VIA TAXIWAY [XXX]AND [XXX] AND [XXX]

TAXI TO TERMIAL VIA [XXX] AND [XXX]

TAXI TO RUNWAY [XXX] VIA [XXX] AND [XXX]HOLD SHORT OF RUNWAY [XXX] TRAFFICLANDING ON [XXX]

TAXI TO RUNWAY [XXX] VIA [XXX] AND [XXX]HOLD SHORT OF RUNWAY [XXX] TRAFFICDEPARTING AT RUNWAY [XXX]Using this list of commands, you are able tocontrol aircraft both on the ground and inthe air. Always bear in mind that these birdsare full of not only impatient flight crewsand paying customers, but perhaps more tothe point, they are all burning jet fuel. Thelonger you take getting your charges to andfrom the stand, the more the airlines mustspend keeping the turbines spinning. Inaddition to the obvious safety issues, youmust avoid becoming a monetary liability aswell!

THEORY BEHIND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLTower assigns you the task of providing safepassage to all aircraft within your controlspace. This is accomplished through issuingcommands to your charges that assureadequate aircraft separation both in-air andon-ground.

Tower is programmed to follow, more or less,United States of America Federal AviationAdministration (FAA) and European(EUROCONTROL) guidelines for trafficcontrol. While the command structuresimulation is not completely accurate to“real world” procedures, instructions sent toaircraft are designed to apply to a broad setof applicable global procedures.

Tower is programmed so that all aircraft flyIFR. As such, all aircraft maintain a radio fortwo-way communication and carryequipment to correctly report their position,speed and altitude on the air and groundradar screens. Tower also places yousimultaneously in two controller positions:Tower and Ground Controller.

Air traffic control towers are operated forthe purpose of providing separation toaircraft using the airport. The primary

responsibility of the tower controller is toensure sufficient runway separation existsbetween landing and departing aircraft.Other responsibilities include relayingInstrument Flight Rule (IFR) clearances,providing taxi instructions and directingairborne aircraft within the vicinity of theairport.

The Ground Controller is responsible for thesafety of aircraft that are taxiing on taxiwaysor inactive runways. To ensure the groundcontroller is always communicating with thecorrect pilot, the aircraft’s position must bepositively determined before issuinginstructions. This may be done through theuse of visual observation, a pilot report orground radar. Once this determination hasbeen made, communication should includethe aircraft identification, the route to beused while taxiing and any restrictionsapplicable to the pilot.

We’ll now take a close look at how all of thesmaller details of Tower work.

Controlling DeparturesTake, for example, the situation in which youare controlling at KORD and contacted by anaircraft that is currently at the gate. UnitedAirlines Four Five Zero has boarded, receivedGround clearance, has her engines startedand is ready to taxi. This happensautomatically, with no input from you. Thepilot contacts you (the Tower controller) andadvises, “UAL Four Five Zero, ready fortaxi.” You will hear this and see it on yourCommand Line window.

Looking at your Ground Radar screen, yousee that as the icon for United Four FiveZero is highlighted, in so doing identifying itas the communicating aircraft. A quick lookout the window and at the radar finds noconflicting traffic in the vicinity, and youelect to grant the pilot permission to taxi tothe active runway of 14 right (14R). Thereare multiple ways for you to issue the taxi

COMMANDS / SYNTAX THEORY BEHIND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL



command. To begin you may enter theaircraft’s call sign by:• Type into the Command Line, “UAL450”• Double left-click on the icon in the groundradar scope.• Left-click on the flight’s flight strip on theStrip Screen.

After putting a space after the aircraft IDyou can:• Type into the command line, “TAXI TORUNWAY 14R” • Use the shortcut key combination of CTRL3; and type 14R.

After you have entered the entire taxiclearance into the CMD line hit the Enter keyon the keyboard, or left click on “SEND” onthe Command Window, to transmit yourdirections to the United pilot. REMEMBER:Do not forget to type a SPACE betweeneach individual portion of the commandsyou input on the Command Line or you willreceive a syntax error message from Tower!

Having entered and sent your command thepilot will confirm your instructions andproceed accordingly. While he is underway,you may follow his progress on the GroundRadar.

One of the primary responsibilities of theground controller is to prevent a runwayincursion. If an aircraft must cross or enteran active runway, the ground controller mustfirst give permission for the pilot to do so.In similar fashion, pilots must not bepermitted to cross/enter taxiways whendoing so could interfere with traffic alreadyon the taxiway. In these circumstances,using the ‘HOLD SHORT OF RUNWAY”, “HOLDSHORT OF TAXIWAY” and “HOLD YOURPOSITION” commands are issued by thecontroller.

Once UAL450 reaches the hold short line forrunway 14R the pilot will call for takeoffclearance. Telling aircraft it is OK to takeoff

as soon as they arrive at the runway isn’t allthere is to being a controller. You role is toassure adequate aircraft separation, andprovide a reasonable and safe flow of trafficaway from the airport that avoids arrivingaircraft. This is done by properly spacingthese inbound aircraft (discussed later) ANDwhile also sequencing departures into thetraffic flow.

Aircraft separation is generally defined bythe phase of flight the aircraft is currently in(takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, and landing)and the size of the aircraft. Aircraft arecategorized according to weight:• Cat I = under 41,000 pounds gross weight(small).• Cat II = between 41,000 and 255,000pounds gross weight (large).• Cat III = over 255,000 pounds gross weight(heavy).

As you are the controller you are responsiblefor assuring safe separation distances. Assuch you must know the category of eachaircraft is assigned. With this knowledge thedistance between takeoffs can be figured.

Prior to giving the clearance to takeoff youmust satisfy the following aircraft categorycriteria:

When the aircraft wanting to takeoff is CATI and the aircraft taking off prior is CAT Ithe departing aircraft is past the departureend of the runway; OR the prior aircrafthas left the runway surface and is at least3000’ ahead of the aircraft wishing to take-off.

When the aircraft wanting to takeoff is CATI and the aircraft taking off prior is CAT IIthe prior aircraft has left the runwaysurface and is at least 3000’ ahead of theaircraft wishing to take-off.

When the aircraft wanting to takeoff is CATII and the aircraft taking off prior is CAT I

or CAT II the prior aircraft has left therunway surface and is at least 4500’ aheadof the aircraft wishing to take-off.

When the aircraft wanting to takeoff is CATIII and the aircraft taking off prior is CAT Ior CAT II the prior aircraft has left therunway surface and is at least 6000’ aheadof the aircraft wishing to take-off.

After deciding aircraft category requirementsyou must not allow an aircraft to take-offuntil landing aircraft are clear of the runway.

You must also keep the following in mindwhen controlling airports with parallelrunways: simultaneous takeoffs are onlyallowed if the runways are separated bymore than 2500’. Airports can receive anexemption to this rule.

Adding to the fun, if you are controlling anairport with runways that intersect anotheractive runway or taxiway, the controllermust ensure the pilot does not begin thetakeoff roll until at least one of thefollowing conditions exist:

1. A preceding landing aircraft has:a. taxied off the landing runwayb. completed the landing rollc. passed the intersection

2. A preceding, departing aircraft is airborneand has passed the intersection, or is turningprior to the intersection to avoid a conflict.

You are also allowed to use anticipatedseparation. Where you are reasonablyassured that correct separation will exist airtraffic controllers are permitted to issueboth anticipated arrival and departureclearances.

After reviewing the above criteria you makethe decision that UAL450 can takeoff. Togive the pilot clearance you can type or useone of the shortcuts to enter the aircraft IDinto CMD line and then:

type, “CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF”use the shortcut key sequence of CTRL T

After you have entered the entire takeoffclearance into the CMD line hit the Enter keyon the keyboard, or left click “SEND” on theCommand Window to transmit yourdirections to the United pilot.

UAL450 will repeat his clearance, andproceed to depart. You may follow hisprogress visually and with the ground radar.Once airborne UAL450 will clear from theground radar screen and show on the airradar screen. Once airborne, you still havecontrol until you advise the pilot to contactdeparture.

Normal practice is to transfer control todeparture as soon as possible to reduceworkload. It is your responsibility not toclear the next aircraft for takeoff until thedeparting aircraft is safely away. Once youare certain United 450 is clear, you caninstruct the pilot to contact Departure. Aswith ground control you can type or use oneof the shortcuts to enter the aircraft ID intothe CMD line. Then type, “CONTACTDEPARTURE”; or use the shortcut keycombination ALT D. To transmit thecommand hit the keyboard ENTER key, orleft-click the SEND button on the CommandScreen.

UAL450 will acknowledge the command andthe aircraft’s ID tag on the radar screenbecomes a “T”, indicating a departing flight.Once the Departure controller has acceptedthe flight, the data block will change to onlythe “T”, and Departure will continue todirect the flight. The flight strip for UAL450will clear from the Strip Screen.

The information just covered is a primer ofthe many types of commands you may usewhen controlling in Tower. As your basiccontrol skills improve you are encouraged toread the real world resources about air

THEORY BEHIND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLTHEORY BEHIND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL


Tower Simulator

Not for use in real aviation.24

Tower Simulator

traffic control and incorporate these in yourcontrolling. A short list of real-worldresources are listed in the Real World AirTraffic Control Resources section of thismanual.

Controlling ArrivalsThe trick is to wait until the pilot contactsyou before issuing a command, even if yousee his strip on your board, or see his radarreturn on your radar screen. Tower willdirect the aircraft to final approach (you willnot see or hear these commands). When onfinal the pilot will say, “With you,<airline/aircraft ID>”. Only after beingcontacted by arriving aircraft can you grantthe aircraft clearance to land; or direct thepilot appropriately to avoid any unpleasantcollisions or hair-raising “near misses”.

Approach control is responsible forinstructing aircraft to keep adequate aircraftseparation; and providing a reasonable andsafe flow of the airport’s landing traffic thatavoids departing and arriving traffic. Yourrole is to assure that it is safe for aircraft toland. There is a Golden Rule: No aircraftmay land when another aircraft is on therunway.

As with departure control you can entercontrol information into the CMD line by:• typing full commands• using the available shortcut keycombinations• double left-click on the radar screens toenter the aircraft ID• left-click on the aircraft’s arrival strip toenter the aircraft ID.

You are allowed to use anticipatedseparation. Where you are reasonablyassured that correct separation will exist airtraffic controllers are permitted to issueboth anticipated arrival and departureclearances.

Remember, even though the aircraft has

touched down, you are still in control. Issuethe pilot taxi instructions as you did with theDepartures, only this time you’re directingthe aircraft to the terminal.

There is, for your enjoyment, the issue of“Go Arounds”. Whether from inadequatevisibility at the decision height, a runwayobstruction or whatever else, it does onoccasion happen that the pilot aborts hisattempt at landing. You must deal with thisvery quickly! Contact the pilot and advisehim to contact Departure, and from there hewill be directed back into the landingpattern (not by you) and will once againannounce “With you”. Land him as usualfrom there. Failure to direct the aircraft todeparture will result in his continuing to flyoff, never to be heard from again. You will,of course, be penalized for this seriousbreach of procedures!

The information just covered is a primer ofthe many types of commands you may usewhen controlling in Tower. As your basiccontrol skills improve you are encouraged toread the real world resources about airtraffic control and incorporate these in yourgame controlling. A short list of real-worldresources are listed in the Real World AirTraffic Control Resources section of thismanual.

DEFINITIONSAdequate Separation: Separation betweentwo or more aircraft that presents each withoperating space sufficient for safenavigation, commonly defined by the FAA orcontrolling authority.

Air Traffic Control Handbook (FAAH7110.65): The FAA publication thatdelineates the procedures to be used by FAAair traffic controllers when performing theirduties.

Anticipated Separation: A procedurewhereby the controller issues instructions to

two or more aircraft based on thepresumption that they will remain separated.

Data Block: An alphanumeric display on aradar presentation that normally includes theaircraft’s identity and altitude and may alsoinclude its ground speed and destinationairport.

Departure Control: A function of anapproach control facility that provides airtraffic control service to departing aircraft.

Inactive Runways: Runways not declaredactive by the local controller. Theresponsibility of the ground controller.

Initial Approach Fix (IAF): The fixesdepicted on navigation charts that identifythe beginning of the initial approachsegment of an instrument approachprocedure.

Instrument Flight Rules (IFR): The rules thatgovern the conduct of aircraft duringinstrument flight.

Instrument Landing System (ILS): Aprecision approach and landing aid thatnormally consists of a localizer, a glide slope,marker beacons and an approach lightsystem.

International Air Transportation Association(IATA): this organization of airlines workswith national airspace governing groups todefine safe airspace utilization. Airportsworking with IATA are given a three digitidentification code.

International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO): a United States of Americagovernment agency responsible fordeveloping and systems for safe navigationand air traffic control. Airports working withICAO are give a four digit identification code.

Marker Beacon: An electronic navigation

facility that transmits a low intensity codedsignal, typically used as part of aninstrument landing system.Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA): Thelowest altitude to which descent isauthorized during a non precision (ie. not anILS approach) instrument approachprocedure.Minimum En Route Altitude (MEA): Thelowest published altitude betweennavigational fixes that provides both obstacleclearance and adequate navigation radioreception.

Missed Approach Point (MAP): The pointwhere the missed approach procedure will beflown by the pilot if the required visualreferences for landing do not exist.

Non-Precision Approach: A standardinstrument approach procedure in which noelectronic glide path is provided.

Terminal Radar Approach Control(TRACON): the radar air traffic controlfacility associated with the control tower toprovide aircraft with safe arrival anddeparture routings in the airport vicinity.

UTC: Coordinated Universal Time is alsoknown as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). UTCis the local time in Greenwich, England; thelocation of the Prime Meridian.

Visual Flight Rules (VFR): Rules that governthe procedures for conduction flight undervisual conditions.

Visual Separation: A means employed bycontrollers to separate aircraft in terminalareas. To utilize visual separation, eitherthe controller or one of the pilots visuallyseparates the involved aircraft.

DEFINITIONS DEFINITIONS


Tower Simulator


Tower Simulator

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CONTROLLING

• You may always enter commands usingeither the shortcut keys or entirely bykeyboard input. Depending upon yourkeyboard skill, you will find yourself enteringyour commands at an ever faster andaccurate rate with practice. Of course,entering the right command at the right timeis the real challenge.

• You must type in “VIA” on the keyboard.

• Place a space between commands on theCommand Line.

• When you receive a “syntax error”, use theHELP line above for the correct sequence ofentering the command.

• You cannot control aircraft movement untilthe pilot has contacted you. Aircraftapproaching the airport will call “with you”;aircraft on-ground will call “ready to taxi.”

• You may always alter the shortcut keys tosuit your taste. Choosing a command that islogical to you will greatly enhance yourability to recall them.

• Anti-aliasing is supported on a hardwarelevel. If you wish to enable this, you mustdo so via your video card software.

• You as controller will be responsible fordetermining the arrival/departure patternsto be used. There is a wealth of chartsavailable on the web to assist you in thisregard.

• Due to programming limitations, precisegate placement is impossible. As above, youmust refer to your airport maps in order todetermine optimum pathways to/from thegates, parking and runways. These willchange depending on which runways areactive.

• In Tower you are controlling groundoperations, landings and takeoffs. You arenot responsible directing aircraft throughairport SID and STAR procedures. Tower willcontrol aircraft until they are on finalapproach. After aircraft takeoff you totransfer control to departure so Tower candirect the pilots away from the airport’sairspace.

• Please remember this is a game, and assuch not meant to duplicate actualprocedures in the Tower setting! It is notmeant as a training vehicle for aspiringcontrollers (although it may certainly beused as such).

Practice, practice, practice! Controllers donot develop over night, nor should youexpect your skills to do so. Start small andslow, and as you gain confidence and anunderstanding of appropriate traffic flow,move to the more challenging scenarios. Thesyntax used in “Real World” controlling isvery specific and standardized for a reason.Before long, you will be issuing commandslike a controller without having to thinkabout it.

If you give yourself the opportunity, thissimulation will become one of the mostanxiety inducing, hair raising andperspiration inspiring “games” that you haveever enjoyed!

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Monitor ResolutionShould you happen to select a screenresolution that is higher than the maximumof your monitor, you will greatly reduce yourframe rates! If you find your ratessuffering, check this first! Either run thesim in full screen mode, or use only themaximum resolution that is supported byyour monitor.

To improve image quality, we recommend toincrease the ANTI-ALIASING option from yourvideo card settings. More information can befound from your computer retailer or videocard manual. Increasing Anti-Aliasing maydecrease performances.

Obtaining Support for this SoftwareOn-line support from feelThere is located athttp://forum.iemit.com

In order to access and post messages on the‘feelthere Tower simulator’ forum you mustcreate a user account by clicking on‘register’.

Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)and updates can be found through WilcoPublishing Support page athttp://www.wilcopub.com

TOWER SIMULATOR OFFICIAL SITE :http://www.towersimulator.com

REAL WORLD AIR TRAFFICCONTROL RESOURCESAirport Internet Home Pages (at time ofpublication) :• John Wayne Airport Orange County: http://www.ocair.com/• Princess Juliana International Airport:

http://www.pjiae.com/main.html• Chicago O’Hare International Airport: http://www.ohare.com• Charles de Gaulle International Airport: http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/en-GB/Passagers/• Munich International Airport (Franz JosefStrauss International Airport): http://www.munich-airport.de

Listings of Aircraft and Airline IdentificationCodes :• ICAO - Aircraft Type Designators:http://www.icao.int/anb/ais/8643/index.cfm• Airline Codes:http://www.airlinecodes.co.uk/

Material on Real World Air Traffic Control :The European Organization for the Safety ofAir Navigation (EUROCONTROL):• General Information:http://www.eurocontrol.be• ATC:http://www.eurocontrol.be/corporate/public/standard_page/cb_airtraffic_controller.html• Library: http://www.eurocontrol.int/eatm/public/standard_page/Library.html

United States of America Federal AviationAdministration (FAA):• General Information:http://www.faa.gov• ATC:http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/ATC/Index.html• Library: http://www.faa.gov/library

Any edition of Michael S. Nolan’sFundamentals of air traffic control publishedby Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

Brenlove, M.S. (1983). Vectors to spare: Thelife of an air traffic controller. Ames, Iowa:Iowa State University Press.

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CONTROLLING TECHNICAL SUPPORT


Tower Simulator


Tower Simulator

TOWER EDITORSAs you gain experience using Tower you maychange the airport environment by modifyingthe types of aircraft, airline schedules andairline gate assignments.

Using the editors requires you to have .NETFramework version 2.0 installed on yourcomputer. For information on downloadingthis application see :http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa731542.aspx

NOTE: feelThere nor Wilco Publishingwarrantee Microsoft Corporation’s .NETFramework software, how it will perform onyour computer, nor it’s free availability.

IMPORTANT: feelThere nor Wilco Publishingwarrantee any schedules created and sharedusing these editors.

Air TrafficThe schedule for an airport’s flights ismodified in the .scd schedule files using thesupplied Tower Schedule Editor application.The default schedule files can be found foreach airport in :FeelThere Tower\Tower\data\<airportID>\scripts\<airport ID>.scd

It is recommended you backup the originaldata files before editing.

To open an airport’s air traffic file click the‘Open’ button on the lower left corner of theeditor window. The ‘Close’ button will endediting of the opened file while keeping theeditor open. ‘Save’ does exactly what it says– saves the air traffic file being edited.‘Exit’ shuts down the editor.

By clicking on the Departures and Arrivalstabs you can view, modify and edit thespecific traffic types for the selected airport.The airport being modified is listed in IATAformat in the ‘Airport’ window. The‘Schedule Name’ window allows you to

create a specific title for your creations.

To edit flight information be sure you use thecorrect syntax so Tower understands whatyou have created. Failing to follow thesyntax rules may result in unexpectedreactions from the simulator.

Airport Column: for departures this is thedestination airport; arrivals refers to theairport the flight is coming from; and localtraffic refers to the airport currently beingedited (ie, TNCM local flights only happen atTNCM).

Flight Column: the first two characters arethe airline’s IATA code (this is displayed asICAO on the flight strip). After a space theflight number is listed.

Carrier Column: the airline’s name.

Time Column: the time that the flight isschedule to depart, arrive and begin its localtraffic flight. The times reported in thiscolumn are in UTC.

Airplane Type Column: the airframereference code (see Aircraft IdentificationCodes).

Painting Column: the file name of the liveryto be used (see Aircraft Liveries).

Dep./Arr. dir. Column: the sector the aircraftwill depart/arrive at the airport.

VIP Flight Column: if checked the flight willhave a VIP designator on it’s flight strip.

Terminal GatesThe gate assignments can be modified usingthe supplied FeelThere Gate Editorapplication.

Maps of each Tower airport’s default gatelocations are in the folder named ‘airportgate maps’. This folder is located in the

TOWER installation directory on yourcomputer’s hard drive. These files are in.png format and may be viewed by mostgraphic editors (i.e., Microsoft Paint).

Aircraft LiveriesTower allows for users to create new aircraftliveries for the provided aircraft models.Each plane is ‘painted’ with three files:

• daytime body painting:paintingid_airplanetypeid.body.dds (ie.Continental livery for Boeing 737-300:coa_B7373.body.dds)• night body painting:paintingidN_airplanetypeid.body.dds (ie.Continental livery for Boeing 737-300:coaN_B7373.body.dds)• universal wing painting:paintingid_airplanetypeid.wing.dds (ie.Continental livery for Boeing 737-300:coa_B7373.wing.dds)

The .dds files are edited using by variousimage editor programs. Some examples are:• Corel Paint Shop Pro (former Paint ShopPro)• Adobe Photoshop with .dds capable plugin(for example the NVIDIA plugin)• Microsoft DirectX SDK DxTex utility.

NOTE: please see the above companies’manuals for how to use their programs.Specifics on how to manipulate images isbeyond the scope of this manual.

Generally the .dds format is the standardDirectX texture format.

It is recommended to save the .dds files in"DXT1" format. When you save a .dds file youmay be asked to select a subtype for the.dds file. The recommended subtype is the"DXT1" format because of its efficientcompression. A smaller texture file willoccupy much less space in the memory ofthe video card and result in improved in-game performance.

The livery files are located in the followinglocation:FeelThereTower\Tower\data\shapes\planes\airplanetypeid

In order to see your new livery at Tower’sairports you must first add the new livery tothe livery database using the suppliedFeelThere Painting Editor application. Youthen create the new schedule record asdiscussed in Air Traffic and Airport TerminalEditors sections of the manual.

The ‘Painting’ pull-down menu shows allcurrent liveries for the chosen aircraft type.To add a livery choose an Airplane from thepull-down menu and left-click the ‘Add new’button. In the pop-up window enter thelivery ‘paintingid’ code used when saving therepaint (ie, the .dds file) followed by theairline name in round brackets. Click ‘OK’.A livery can be deleted by choosing repaintin the pull-down menu and left-clicking the‘Delete current’ button. Click ‘Save’ to keepyour additions or deletions. The ‘Exit’button closes the editor.

TOWER EDITORS TOWER EDITORS


Tower Simulator


Tower Simulator

Developed by feelThere www.feelthere.com

Published by Wilco Publishingwww.wilcopub.com

Producers:Victor Racz and Fred Goldman

Lead Programmer:Barnabas "BSi" Bona

Programmers:Zoltan "Frenki" Frank and Csaba "Duck" Apati

Graphics:Tamas Szabo, Peter Balogh, Gabor Nyerges,Zsuzasnna Nyerges, Tamas "nRg" Csontos,Victor Racz and Wilco Publishing

Sound FX:Mike Hambly

Voices Recording & Sampling:Robert "Chip" Barber, Miguel Mestanza, DebraGimlin, Frank Moellenhof, Fred Goldman,Cedric Mattys

Manual:Robert "Chip" Barber and W. David Scobie

In-Game Aerial Imagery:St. Maarten Photography by Jean Jarreau(www.heliphotocarib.com).KSNA and ORD airport satellite imagery:"Data available from U.S. Geological Survey,EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD."

Manual Photographs:KORD - W. David ScobieKSNA & TNCM - Victor Racz

Additional Material:Marc Brodbeck

Special Thanks To:Neil Perrin and Soledad Taylor

Airport charts are the copyrighted material of * andused with permission.Jeppesen GmbhService de l’Information Aéronautique

Airport history, descriptions and statistics useinformation collected from on-line sources (includingwikipedia.org. airport homepages, airwise.com,worldairportawards.com and www.airports.org) andthe development team's personal experiences.

The descriptions of real-world air traffic controlprocedures and definitions come from:• EUROCONTROL procedure documents• Federal Aviation Administration (USA) proceduredocuments.• Tower development team's personal experiences.• Nolan, M.S. (2004). Fundamentals of air trafficcontrol. (4th ed.). Belmont, CA : Brooks/Cole -Thomson Learning, Inc.

All photographs and graphics are owned by feelThereand/or Wilco except as noted.

All trademarks and brand names are trademarks orregistered trademarks of the respective owners.feelThere, Wilco and associated logos are registeredtrademarks.

Disclaimer: at the time of publication all informationin this manual and links to external resources arecorrect to the best of the development team'sknowledge.

Microsoft, Windows®, .NET Framework, Paint andDirectX SDK DxTex are trademarks or registeredtrademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the UnitedStates and/or other countries. Corel Paint Shop Proare trademark or registered trademark of the CorelCorporation in the United States and/or othercountries. Adobe Photoshop are trademark orregistered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporatedin the United States and/or other countries.

This product is neither produced nor endorsed byanother third party.The use of this product is restricted to the privatedomain. Usage of this product for any professionalor commercial activity is strictly forbidden. Forprofessional use of the product contact feelThere,Inc. at [email protected] code used in Wilco Publishing products mayunder no circumstances be used for any otherpurposes without the permission of Wilco Publishingand its developers.

CREDITS & COPYRIGHTS


Tower Simulator


Tower Simulator


Tower Simulator


Tower Simulator

COMMANDS LISTThe most commonly used commands havebeen underlined.

Ground Commands:AFTER DEPARTURE FLY [XXX] ALT 3CLEARED FOR IMMEDIATE TAKEOFF CTRL YCLEARED FOR TAKEOFF CTRL TCONTINUE TAXI ALT 7FOLLOW COMPANY CTRL 5HOLD SHORT CTRL RHOLD YOUR POSITION ALT 8HOLD SHORT OF RUNWAY [XXX] ALT RHOLD SHORT OF TAXIWAY [XXX] ALT TOR TAXI OFF THE RUNWAY CTRL ORUNWAY CTRL 2TAXI IMMEDIATELY CTRL ITAXI TO RUNWAY [XXX] CTRL 3TAXI TO TERMINAL CTRL 6 TAXIWAY CTRL 1TAXI WITHOUT DELAY CTRL 7TAXI INTO POSITION AND HOLD

You must type this command

TAXI INTO POSITION AND HOLD TRAFFIC LANDING AT RUNWAY [XXX] CTRL 9TAXI INTO POSITION AND HOLD TRAFFIC DEPARTING AT RUNWAY [XXX] CTRL 0

(zero)

TRAFFIC DEPARTING ON [XXX] CTRL WTRAFFIC INBOUND ON THE TAXIWAY CTRL ETRAFFIC LANDING ON [XXX] CTRL QVIA You must type this command

Airborne Commands:CLEARED TO LAND CTRL UCONTACT DEPARTURE ALT DDEGREES CTRL NGO AROUND ALT 5GROUND PATH VISIBLE ALT 6REPORT [XXX] CTRL LREPORT POSITION CTRL ZREPORT AIRSPEED CTRL CTURN LEFT CTRL VTURN RIGHT CTRL B

LFPGRunway 09R/27LWidth 148 ftLength 13,780 ftSurface Bit/Conc

Runway 09L/27RWidth 197 ftLength 8,858 ftSurface Bit/Conc



EDDMRunway 08R/26LWidth 197 ftLength 13,123 ftSurface Concrete


TNCMRunway 09/27Width 148 ftLength 7,708 ftSurface Asphalt

KSNARunway 01L/19RWidth 150 ftLength 5,700 ftSurface Asphalt


KORDRunway 04L/22RWidth 150 ftLength 7,500 ftSurface Asphalt



Runway 10/28Width 150 ftLength 10,144 ftSurface Concrete

Runway 14L/32RWidth 150 ftLength 10,005 ftSurface Asphalt


TOWER SIMULATORUseful informations

RUNWAYS

Documents

Controller’s GuideController’s Guide - Tower · PDF fileController’s GuideController’s Guide (c) ... you can’t see the ground, ... The Tom Hanks movie The Terminal is based