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ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control Center)
An FAA facility that provides air traffic control services to aircraft operating on IFR flight plans within controlled airspace, principally during the en route phase of flight. Pilots also contact ARTCC facilities to file or relay PIREPs and to review ARTCC-area NOTAMs that can affect a route.
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- ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System)An automated weather observing system that continuously reports surface weather at many airports, including wind, visibility, sky condition, temperature, dew point, and altimeter setting. ASOS observations often feed METARs and may be available by frequency or telephone when ATIS is not.
- ATC (Air Traffic Control)The FAA service that separates and sequences aircraft in controlled airspace and on controlled airports. Controllers issue clearances, traffic advisories, and sequencing instructions; pilots read back clearances and report the current ATIS code when contacting the facility.
- ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service)A continuous broadcast of recorded aeronautical information at airports with control towers. ATIS provides current weather, active runways, NOTAMs, and other operational information, updated hourly or when conditions change significantly.
- Attitude IndicatorAlso known as the artificial horizon, this gyroscopic instrument displays the aircraft's pitch and bank attitude relative to the actual horizon. It is the primary instrument for maintaining aircraft control during instrument flight.