Definition
An FAA air traffic control facility, located on or near an airport, that issues clearances and instructions to aircraft and ground vehicles operating on the runways, taxiways, and within the airspace immediately surrounding the airport. Controllers in the tower use direct visual observation, supplemented by radio communication and (at some towers) surface and approach radar, to sequence and separate traffic during takeoff, landing, and surface movement.
Plain English
The control tower at an airport. It is the building with the glass cab on top where controllers watch the runways and taxiways and tell pilots when to take off, land, and where to taxi.
Context Anchor
You encounter this term in airport operations, radio communication, taxi instructions, takeoff and landing clearances, and controlled airport procedures.
Derivation
“Tower” originally refers to a tall structure, which fits the visible tower cab at many airports. In aviation use, the term means the control facility and the people providing the service, not just the physical building.
Why Pilots Care
At a towered airport, pilots must establish two-way radio communication with the ATCT before entering its airspace or moving on the movement area. Failing to do so is both a safety risk and a regulatory violation.
Intuition Check
Do not read “tower” as only the tall building. In this term, the tower is the air traffic control service that manages aircraft and vehicle movement at and near the airport.
Example Sentence 1
Before taxiing for departure, the pilot contacted the ATCT on the ground frequency and received clearance to taxi to runway 27.
Example Sentence 2
ATCT instructed the aircraft to hold short of the runway until the landing traffic cleared.