Definition
The air traffic control position at a tower-controlled airport responsible for directing aircraft, vehicles, and personnel on the airport movement area, excluding active runways. Ground control issues taxi instructions, clearances to cross non-active runways, and coordinates surface movement between the ramp and the runway hold-short line.
Plain English
The controller who tells you where to go on the ground at a busy airport — which taxiways to use to get from the parking area to the runway, and back again after landing.
Context Anchor
Seen in airport frequency listings, airport diagrams, and towered-airport procedures when a pilot needs taxi instructions.
Why Pilots Care
Proper coordination with ground control prevents runway incursions and keeps surface movement orderly.
Intuition Check
Ground control does not mean any control done from the ground. In this context, it means the airport controller responsible for aircraft and vehicle movement on the ground areas of a towered airport.
Example Sentence 1
After shutdown of the run-up, the pilot called ground control for taxi clearance to runway 27.
Example Sentence 2
Ground control cleared the airplane to cross the inactive runway and proceed to parking.