Originally Posted by
Scubascooby
Is there ever a requirement for a proper handover rather than a simple hand-off ?
Like a courier delivering a parcel that has to be signed for, the current ATC must hear contact with the next ATC before the handover can be confirmed.
In a standard hand over the releasing controller contacts the assuming controller says that there is an aircraft to be handed over then identifies the aircraft to the assuming controller
The assuming controller has normally been prewarned by the system and has usually been watching the aircraft track approach the boundary in the 'area of common interest' and will accept the handoff and provide the frequency for the aircraft to call.
These handoff's become extremely routine and both the controllers and often the flight crews know the frequencies and know each other by voice in most cases.
Some systems internally have made the handoff even simpler into what they call a 'silent handoff'. In those the assuming controller will see the aircraft track approaching his boundary become a 'full data block' instead of a simple limited data block. When the releasing controller is ready to hand the aircraft over then the data block starts flashing, the receiving controller 'clicks on' the flashing data block and it stops flashing for him and starts flashing for the transferring controller indicating the acceptance of handoff. The transferring controller then sends the aircraft to the frequency for the next controller.
There are multiple variants between those types of handoff.
For example another common method is to ask the aircraft to contact the next center on 'their second box' when the next controller is ready to accept them they will cancel service from the current sector. This is common on transfers to oceanic where the contact may be by HF or by CPDLC rather than by voice.