ground-controlled approach

American  

[ground-kuhn-trohld] / ˈgraʊnd kənˌtroʊld /

Or ground-control approach

noun

Aeronautics.

1. a system in which an observer interprets radar observations of the position of an aircraft and transmits continuous instructions to its pilot for landing. GCA

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Etymology

Origin of ground-controlled approach

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

One hope of betterment lay in the fact that "ground-controlled approach," in which radar is used to guide a pilot on to a field he cannot see, was being installed at New York, Chicago and Washington airports.

From Time Magazine Archive