Section 3 Approach Control Flashcards
Class A–E (Controlled
Airspace) Services Provided…
Air Traffic Control Service
with or without surveillance;
Alerting Service.
Class F/G Services Provided…
Procedural Service; or, Deconfliction Service; or, Traffic Service; or, Basic Service. Alerting Service.
An Approach Control unit at an aerodrome within controlled airspace shall provide
ATC Services to aircraft, according to the classification of the airspace within which
the aerodrome is located, from the time and place at which:
a) arriving aircraft are released by Area Control until control is transferred to
Aerodrome Control;
b) aircraft approaching from outside controlled airspace place themselves under the
control of Approach Control until control is transferred to Aerodrome Control ;
c) departing aircraft are taken over from Aerodrome Control until:
i) they are transferred to Area Control; or
ii) they are clear of controlled airspace.
d) overflying aircraft are within the relevant controlled airspace.
An Approach Control unit at an aerodrome outside controlled airspace shall provide
ATS to aircraft, as determined by the Aerodrome Operator and approved by the CAA,
from the time and place at which:
a) arriving aircraft place themselves under the control of Approach Control until
control is transferred to Aerodrome Control;
b) departing aircraft are taken over from Aerodrome Control until they no longer wish
to receive a service or are 10 minutes flying time away from the aerodrome,
whichever is the sooner;
c) overflying aircraft place themselves under the control of Approach Control until
they are clear of the approach pattern and either no longer wish to receive a service
or are 10 minutes flying time away from the aerodrome, whichever is the sooner.
Controllers at aerodromes located in Class C, D and E airspace are to pass traffic
information as shown in the table below.
Class C to VFR flights on other VFR flights;
Class D a) to IFR flights on VFR flights;
b) to VFR flights on IFR flights;
c) to VFR flights on other VFR flights;
d) to VFR flights on Special VFR flights;
e) to Special VFR flights on VFR flights.
Class E As far as practicable:
a) to IFR flights on VFR flights;
b) to VFR flights on IFR flights;
c) to VFR flights on other VFR flights;
d) to VFR flights on Special VFR flights;
e) to Special VFR flights on VFR flights.
*Traffic avoidance advice must be given if requested.
Approach Control shall supply the following information to Aerodrome Control:
a) Pertinent data on all relevant flights including the type of flight, i.e. IFR or VFR, level
of arriving aircraft and ETA;
b) The anticipated order in which control of aircraft is to be transferred;
c) The anticipated delay to departing IFR flights together with the reason for the
delay.
Approach Control shall supply to Area Control the following data on IFR flights:
a) Lowest level at the holding facility available for use by Area Control;
b) The average time interval between successive approaches;
c) Revision of expected approach times issued by Area Control when Approach
Control calculations show a variation of 5 minutes or more;
d) Arrival times over the holding point if these vary from the estimate by 3 minutes
or more;
e) Missed approaches when re-routeing is entailed, in order that the subsequent
action may be co-ordinated;
f) Departure times of aircraft;
g) All available information relating to overdue aircraft.
Any of these items can be deleted from routine practice by agreement with Area
Control.
Approach Control shall co-ordinate with Aerodrome Control:
a) Aircraft approaching to land, if necessary requesting clearance to land;
b) Arriving aircraft which are to be cleared to visual holding points;
c) Aircraft routeing through the traffic circuit.
Aerodrome Control shall co-ordinate with Approach Control:
a) Departing IFR flights;
b) Arriving aircraft which make their first call on the tower frequency (unless they are
transferred to Approach Control).
Area Control shall co-ordinate with Approach Control…
Area Control shall co-ordinate with Approach Control an arriving aircraft which is to be
cleared to an aerodrome holding facility or a visual holding point, instead of the normal
holding facility.
IFR flights operating with visual reference to the surface may be transferred by
Approach Control to Aerodrome Control in the following circumstances:
a) When an aircraft carrying out an instrument approach has become ‘number 1 to
land’, and for following aircraft when they are established on final approach and
have been provided with the appropriate separation from preceding aircraft;
b) Aircraft operating in the traffic circuit;
c) Aircraft approaching visually below all cloud when the reported aerodrome visibility
is 10 km or more. When the reported visibility consists of two values, the lower of
the two values shall be used when determining whether an aircraft may be
transferred to Aerodrome Control.
5.1.2 In the case of b) and c), the volume of traffic and Aerodrome Control workload must
be such as to allow the use of one of the reduced separations permitted in the vicinity
of aerodromes. In order to clear other aircraft to descend through the cloud formation
it will be necessary for the aircraft approaching underneath to be kept more than 1000
feet below all cloud, or for horizontal separation to be provided.
Approach Control may delegate to Approach Radar Control its functions for any
aircraft according to circumstances. Before an aircraft is controlled or monitored by
Approach Radar Control the following information must be supplied:
• Callsign, type, level, route, ETA (or position) and frequency;
• Expected approach time, if appropriate;
• Service required;
• Release and contact instructions issued by Area Control;
• Information on conflicting traffic;
• Actual time of departure of outbound aircraft.
6.1.2 Approach Control may delegate the responsibility for co-ordination to Approach Radar
Control.
Approach Control shall retain all arriving VFR flights under its jurisdiction until….
appropriate traffic information on IFR flights and other VFR flights has been issued
and co-ordination effected with Aerodrome Control.
Approach Control must ensure that VFR flights are transferred in sufficient time for
Aerodrome Control to pass additional information in respect of local traffic.
Where Visual Reference Points (VRPs) are established outside controlled airspace,….
controllers should not instruct aircraft to hold over such VRPs. This does not apply to
VRPs established within controlled airspace where a known traffic environment
exists. VRPs are established to assist ATC in routeing VFR traffic and, at the same
time, integrate it with IFR flights. Controllers should not direct VFR traffic over VRPs
unless the IFR traffic situation specifically demands this.
When the reported meteorological conditions at aerodromes in Class D airspace
reduce below the following minima, ATC shall advise pilots of aircraft intending to
operate under VFR to or from such aerodromes, and request the pilot to specify the
type of clearance required:
By day:
• Aircraft other than helicopters: visibility 5 km and/or cloud ceiling 1500 feet
• Helicopters: visibility 1500 m and/or cloud ceiling 1500 feet
By night:
• Aircraft including helicopters: visibility 5 km and/or cloud ceiling 1500 feet
