Air Information Publications — Page 10, Lesson 16

I want to walk you through the Air Information Publications section, specifically focusing on the Flight Information Service and the Automatic Terminal Information Service as they appear in the UK AIP. Let's start with the extract you see from AD 2 UK AIP, which is the aerodrome section of the UK Aeronautical Information Publication. This particular extract shows the entry for Oxford Kidlington aerodrome. You'll notice it lists two services: AFIS and ATIS. AFIS stands for Aerodrome Flight Information Service. ATIS stands for Automatic Terminal Information Service. These are two distinct services, and the table gives you the specific details for each at Oxford Kidlington. For the Aerodrome Flight Information Service at Oxford, the service designation is simply "AFIS." The call sign is "Oxford Information." The frequency is 118.875 MHz. The hours of operation are Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays from 0830 to 1700 in winter, and from 0730 to 1600 in summer. The remarks column is blank for this service. For the Automatic Terminal Information Service at Oxford, the service designation is "ATIS." The call sign is "Oxford Departure Information." The frequency is 121.750 MHz. The hours of operation are identical to the AFIS: Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays from 0830 to 1700 in winter, and 0730 to 1600 in summer. Again, no remarks. Now, let me explain what the Flight Information Service actually is and what it does. The Flight Information Service, or FIS, is provided at aerodromes to give information that is useful for the safe and efficient conduct of flights in the Aerodrome Traffic Zone, which we abbreviate as ATZ. The ATZ is the controlled airspace around an aerodrome. The key point here is that FIS is an information service, not a control service. From the information they receive from the Flight Information Service officer, pilots are able to decide the appropriate course of action to be taken to ensure the safety of the flight. The pilot retains full responsibility for their own decisions and collision avoidance. FIS is available during the aerodrome's operating hours. The Flight Information Service officer has several specific responsibilities, and I want to walk through each one carefully. First, the FIS officer is responsible for issuing information to aircraft in the ATZ to assist pilots in preventing collisions. This is about helping aircraft see and avoid each other within the aerodrome traffic zone. Second, the FIS officer issues information to aircraft on the manoeuvring area to assist pilots in preventing collisions between aircraft and vehicles or obstructions on the manoeuvring area, or between aircraft moving on the apron. The manoeuvring area is the part of the aerodrome used for take-off, landing, and taxiing, excluding the apron. The apron is where aircraft are parked, loaded, unloaded, refuelled, or boarded. So the FIS officer helps keep everyone aware of what's moving where. Third, the FIS officer is responsible for informing aircraft of essential aerodrome information. This means things like the state of the aerodrome and its facilities — for example, runway surface conditions, bird activity, or any equipment unserviceability. Fourth, the FIS officer is responsible for alerting the safety services. If there's an emergency or incident, the FIS officer initiates the call to the fire service, medical services, or other emergency responders. Fifth, the FIS officer is responsible for initiating overdue action. If an aircraft is overdue — meaning it hasn't arrived or reported as expected — the FIS officer starts the procedures to locate and assist that aircraft. So to summarise what I've covered: we have the Aerodrome Flight Information Service and the Automatic Terminal Information Service as shown in the UK AIP extract for Oxford Kidlington. The Flight Information Service provides information to assist pilots in making safe decisions within the Aerodrome Traffic Zone, and the FIS officer has five key responsibilities: issuing collision-avoidance information in the ATZ, issuing collision-avoidance information on the manoeuvring area and apron, providing essential aerodrome information, alerting safety services, and initiating overdue action.