Control Tower Responsibilities
Establishment of controller positions varies according to local requirements and type of
facility, but those included in most control towers are the local control position, ground
control position, and the flight data position. Clearance delivery may or may not be
located in the control tower.
Responsibilities
The function of the control tower is to issue clearances and information to aircraft and
vehicular traffic operating on runways, taxiways, and other designated areas of the
airfield and to aircraft operating in assigned airspace areas. Airborne traffic controlled by
the tower includes both VFR and IFR traffic released to local control jurisdiction. Manual
(NONRADAR) approach control services may also be provided from the control tower.
Functions and responsibilities set forth in NAVAIR 00-80T-114 are applicable to air
traffic control facilities and Marine Air Traffic Control Detachments (MATCD) that
provide control tower services. Operating positions in accordance with FAAO JO
7110.65 may be added, deleted, combined, or integrated as necessary to meet local
requirements.
Facility Logs
The facility logs that you must familiarize yourself with include:
1. Daily operations log
2. Position log
Detailed information regarding the daily operations log and facility log can be found in
Chapter 12 of this manual.
Operating Initials
Each controller shall be assigned two-letter operating initials in order to identify them for
record purposes. Unless signatures are specifically requested, controllers shall use
assigned operating initials for all operating forms, interphone contacts, and other
records. A listing of controller operating initials shall be maintained to prevent
duplication of assignment.
Daily and Monthly Traffic Tabulation
To facilitate completion of certain reports required of the ATC division, a daily and
monthly tabulation of aircraft operations is needed. Flight progress strips are a main
source of traffic count information. These strips are kept for 6 months before they are
destroyed. If any strip contains information on an aircraft involved in an accident or
emergency, it is kept for a longer period of time. If installed, another source of traffic
count information is the Air Traffic Activity Analyzer (ATAA).
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