Listening to ATC

Fabio

I recently got the LiveATC app on my phone and tend to listen to Dublin ATC a lot when on my bike which is pretty interesting.

However the feed is Del/Gnd/Twr/App/Centre.

The thing I don't full understand is what each one actually does? Ground is obvious enough as is Approach but I'm not sure what scope of responsibilities the Tower has or the Centre has and how do they overlap with one another.

One of the SNN feeds is a "high-level" feed - does this mean it is just for communication with aircraft on a transatlantic heading who are just passing through Shannon airspace?

EchoIndia

Fabio wrote: »

However the feed is Del/Gnd/Twr/App/Centre.

Quick summary:

Delivery = Clearance Delivery - primary function is issuing en route clearance to aircraft before they can depart.
Ground = Ground Movements, i.e. controlling aircraft taxiing plus vehicles on the active areas of the airfield
Tower = controls aircraft at landing and takeoff plus aircraft operating at low level within the Control Zone
Approach = Approach radar, mostly managing aircraft within approx 10-30 miles of Dublin during their approach
Centre = Area Control for aircraft after takeoff as well as inbounds to a radius of between 30 and 60 miles, up to flight level 245 (24,500 feet). Aircraft transiting the Dublin control area up to that level will also be controlled by Dublin.

Irish Steve

Del is Delivery, and is responsible for giving departing flights the specific details of their approved routing, levels en route, departure plan from the airport, departure time, and the transponder code that will identify the flight to ATC.
Ground controls all the movements on and off the parking stands and between the stands and the holding points of the runways, for both arrivals and departures.
Tower controls access to the runways, only, and is the final arbiter of take off and landing clearances, and (if active) crossing clearances for runway 16/34. If 16/34 is not active, then crossing clearance may come from ground controller.
Approach deals with getting the arrivals down from cruising altitude and into a working separation from each other, and putting gaps into the arrivals to allow departures to get away, and only hands the flights over to tower when they are established or close to established on the final approach path, usually using the ILS approach guidance.
Centre covers the wider area, and the departing traffic once it's in the air after take off.
High level is as you mentioned, the overflights that are not using an airport in Ireland.

Fabio

Thanks guys I appreciate that! It actually makes a good deal more sense now.