Local control is responsible for an area above and around the airport. Local control is also responsible for movement areas including the active runways and sometimes taxiways. Local's primary job is sequencing arriving and departing VFR traffic, running the pattern, military traffic, non-movement area departures and arrivals,  and clearing aircraft for takeoff and landing. While ground's plane of control was 2-dimensional, local control is where controlling moves to more of a 3-dimensional concept. 

3−1−3. USE OF ACTIVE RUNWAYS

The local controller has primary responsibility for operations conducted on the active runway and must control the use of those runways. Positive coordination and control is required as follows: 

a. Ground control must obtain approval from local control before authorizing an aircraft or a vehicle to cross or use any portion of an active runway. The coordination must include the point/intersection at the runway where the operation will occur. 

PHRASEOLOGY− CROSS (runway) AT (point/intersection). 

b. When the local controller authorizes another controller to cross an active runway, the local controller must verbally specify the runway to be crossed and the point/intersection at the runway where the operation will occur preceded by the word “cross.” 

PHRASEOLOGY− CROSS (runway) AT (point/intersection). 

c. The ground controller must advise the local controller when the coordinated runway operation is complete. This may be accomplished verbally or through visual aids as specified by a facility directive. 

e. The local controller must coordinate with the ground controller before using a runway not previously designated as active. 

3−5−1. SELECTION 

a. Except where a “runway use” program is in effect, use the runway most nearly aligned with the wind when it is 5 knots or more, or the “calm wind” runway when less than 5 knots, unless use of another runway:

1. Will be operationally advantageous, or 

2. Is requested by the pilot.

3−5−3. TAILWIND COMPONENTS 

When authorizing use of runways and a tailwind component exists, always state both wind direction and velocity.

How to Select the Correct Active Runway

As local controller you are now ultimately responsible for selecting the runway configuration and approaches in use. Let's look more at how we determine runway configurations!

There are several factors that we must consider when deciding which runway to use: 

• Aircraft Performance

• Wind Direction

• SOP

Aircraft Performance

The first and most  for runway selection is aircraft performance. We need to remember that the runway must be long enough to handle the aircraft departing. Aircraft typically require a longer runway length to takeoff than they do to land. 

Wind Direction

When choosing a runway for departure, oftentimes the other most important factor is wind direction. Taking off in to the wind improves takeoff performance. Aircraft have different cross wind and tailwind components (typically 10kts) meaning runway configurations may need to change when winds do.

2−6−3. REPORTING WEATHER CONDITIONS 

b. Describe the wind as calm when the wind velocity is less than three knots. 

SOP

The SOP defines local calm wind conditions among other things. Sometimes a towered airports runway configuration may be dependent of a primary airports configuration i.e DFW and its surrounding airports.  It is also worth mentioning that pilots can and do often request runways other than the SOP runways in use due to operational necessity or other reasons. Traffic and workload permitting, you should do your best to accommodate these requests when possible. If an operational necessity requires a non-standard runway (excessive crosswind or tailwind components, for example), then in most cases you should assign the requested runway, while advising the pilot that a delay may be required in order to accommodate the request if this is the case. For other reasons (proximity to parking or gate areas for example), use your judgement to determine when these requests can be approved.  It is *not* acceptable to deny a pilot request when the traffic and workload situations are such that it would not cause undue additional workload or delays for other aircraft.

2−9−1. APPLICATION

Use the ATIS, where available, to provide advance noncontrol airport/terminal area and meteorological information to aircraft. 

2−9−3. CONTENT 

a. Include the following in ATIS broadcast as appropriate: 

1. Airport/facility name. 

2. Phonetic letter code. 

3. Time of the latest weather sequence (UTC). 

4. Weather information consisting of: 

(a) Wind direction and velocity. 

(b) Visibility. 

(c) Obstructions to vision. 

(d) Present weather consisting of: sky condition, temperature, dew point, altimeter, a density altitude advisory when appropriate, and other pertinent remarks included in the official weather observation. Always include weather observation remarks of lightning, cumulonimbus, and towering cumulus clouds. 

5. Instrument approach and runway in use. 

d. The ceiling/sky condition, visibility, and obstructions to vision may be omitted if the ceiling is above 5,000 feet and the visibility is more than 5 miles. 

e. Instrument/visual approach/es in use. Specify landing runway/s unless the runway is that to which the instrument approach is made. Before advertising non-precision approaches, priority should be given to available precision, then APV approaches. 

f. Departure runway/s (to be given only if different from landing runway/s or in the instance of a “departure only” ATIS). 

g. Taxiway closures which affect the entrance or exit of active runways, other closures which impact airport operations, other NOTAMs and PIREPs pertinent to operations in the terminal area. Inform pilots of where hazardous weather is occurring and how the information may be obtained. Include available information of known bird activity.

l. Other optional information as local conditions dictate in coordination with ATC. This may include such items as VFR arrival frequencies, temporary airport conditions, LAHSO operations being con− ducted, or other perishable items that may appear only for a matter of hours or a few days on the ATIS message. 

o. A statement which advises the pilot to read back instructions to hold short of a runway. 

p. Instructions for the pilot to acknowledge receipt of the ATIS message by informing the controller on initial contact. 

VATSIM COC Application

Certain rules apply to VATSIM ATIS connections as per the Code of Conduct:

1. ATIS information must contain only Airport Name or Identifier, ATIS Information letter, Observation Time, Weather, Active Runway, Expected Approach Type, Frequency to contact first and appropriate aviation-safety related operational information.

2. Operational information should include only information that is applicable in the VATSIM environment.  Real-world operational information that cannot be effectively implemented on VATSIM (e.g., lighting and/or equipment outages) should not be included in any ATIS information.

3. Controllers should attempt to limit the ATIS Information to as few lines as possible.