Air Traffic Control System Review

Good evening everybody. My name is Javier López and for my last presentation, I will guide you through a quick review of Air Traffic Control System, better known as ATC, checking the type offacilities and functions, ATC responsibility handling during flight, and expectations for the future of the system.
Considering the high air traffic that is present on these days, and which is bound toincrease every year, and considering that air transport is not flawless in terms of safety and time efficiency, air traffic must be monitored. ATC is the entity in charge of this task, responding only tothe local aeronautical authority, and to the IATA & the ICAO. ATC system founding dates back to 1970 in the U.S, with the purpose of preventing anticipated pockets of congestion in its NationalAirspace System.
In the U.S at least, there are several types of ATC facilities, like the well-known ATC tower, the Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities or TRACON, and the Air Route TrafficControl Centers or ARTCC. The ATC tower controls airborne aircraft & any aircraft going through the flight phases that are held in close proximity & at the airport. The TRACON controls traffic ina 30-50 miles radius and up to 11000 feet of altitude from each of its designated airports. Finally, the ARTCC handles en route aircraft, and fills the role of the ATC tower for many airports withoutone. The ATC System keeps track of airplanes using radars with a range of up to 200 miles, but this is expected to be replaced by satellite surveillance in the future.
Despite the flight plansubmitted by the crew, or the established by the ATC, the priority ultimately lies in the indications given by the ATC during each of the flight phases. As there are several levels of ATC surveillance, orcontrollers, one for each phase of flight, a given controller hands the tracking to the next one, by giving a radio frequency and instructing the crew to use it to contact the following level. Of...