Aerodromes and Aerodrome Control
What the tower owns
Aerodrome control provides aerodrome control service, aerodrome flight information (where applicable), and alerting. The tower controls the manoeuvring area traffic, runway use, and aircraft in the aerodrome traffic circuit. Candidates must know the terms: manoeuvring area (runway + taxiway), apron, movement area, clearway, stopway, declared distances (TORA, TODA, ASDA, LDA), and runway strip.
Traps
A classic trap is confusing aerodrome control with approach control responsibilities at the boundary; another is the meaning of a conditional clearance ("line up behind the landing aircraft") - the condition must be restated. Also know runway incursion prevention, the purpose of the localizer/glide path critical areas, and why vehicles require explicit clearance.
Worked example
A question asks which distance a pilot uses for take-off run available. Answer: TORA. Take-off distance available includes clearway (TODA); accelerate-stop distance includes stopway (ASDA); landing distance available is LDA.
Rule of thumb
Match the declared distance to the manoeuvre: Take-off run = TORA; take-off distance = TODA; accelerate-stop = ASDA; landing = LDA.