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U.S.
Department of
Transportation Federal
Aviation Administration |
Air
Traffic |
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Issue # 2001 - 4
Spring 2001
Return to Air Traffic
Publications Home Page
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Vectors
to Final Approach
Course Prior to Published Segment of an Instrument
Approach Procedure (IAP) /*RET/
There are many times when it is desirable to position an aircraft onto
the final approach course prior to a published, charted segment of an
IAP. Sometimes IAP's have
no initial segment and require vectors; sometimes a route will
intersect an extended final approach course making a long intercept
desirable. When
a vector or assignment to a final approach course beyond the published
segment is accomplished, FAAO 7110.65 Air Traffic Control, requires
that controllers assign an altitude to maintain until the aircraft is
established on a segment of a published route or IAP.
This ensures that both the pilot and controller know precisely
what altitude is to be flown and precisely where descent to
appropriate minimum or step down altitudes can begin. Most
aircraft are vectored onto a localizer or final approach course
between an intermediate fix and the approach gate.
These aircraft are normally told to maintain an altitude until
established on a segment of the approach.
This procedure is appropriate, however, only when that
aircraft, when established, will be on a published segment of the
approach procedure. If
a pilot will intercept the localizer, final approach course, or arc
prior to a published segment of an approach, altitude assignment must
be stated a different way. FAAO
7110.65 Air Traffic Control, paragraph 5-9-4c2, Arrival Instructions,
Example 3, provides one example of proper phraseology for altitude
assignment when an aircraft is established on an IAP course prior to a
published segment: Aircraft
3 is being vectored to intercept the final approach course beyond the
approach segments, 5 miles from Alpha at 5,000 feet.
The minimum vectoring altitude for this area is 4,000 feet.
"Five miles from Alpha.
Turn right heading three three zero.
Cross Alpha at or above four thousand.
Cleared I-L-S runway three six approach." When
an aircraft is assigned a route that will establish the aircraft on a
published segment of an approach, the controller must issue an
altitude to maintain until the aircraft is established on a published
segment of the approach. (ATP-120) Aircraft
Movement Information
Service (AMIS) /*E/
North American Air Defense (NORAD) is tasked with monitoring the
movement of presidential and vice-presidential aircraft.
These highly sensitive missions require the timely transfer of
information to fulfill safety and national security requirements. The
requirement to pass this information is set forth in FAAO 7610.4J
Special Military Operations, paragraph 5-7-8, Presidential Aircraft. In
order to keep our air traffic facilities and air defense activities
aware of presidential movement, it is imperative the controller
responsible for AMIS transmit the mandatory movement messages for all
aircraft transporting the President and Vice President. (ATP-200) The
Importance of Pilot Weather Reports
(PIREP) /*RTEF/
The FAA and the National Weather Service have placed great
emphasis on PIREP's. Requirements
for soliciting PIREP's for terminal and en route controllers are
contained in FAAO 7110.65 Air Traffic Control, Chapter 2, Section 6,
Weather Information. FSS
controllers should refer to
FAAO 7110.10 Flight Services, Chapter 9, Section 2, Pilot
Weather Report (UA/UUA). All
controllers should be proactive in their requests for PIREP's,
consistent with priority of duties. PIREP's
reporting cloud layers, turbulence, icing, convection activity, and
low-level wind shear are of paramount importance.
Most of these phenomena can only be observed by the pilot.
Controllers use this information to reroute traffic and in
pilot weather briefings for increased safety.
Forecasters use PIREP's as a prime ingredient in the AIRMET
Bulletin, SIGMET's, and center weather advisories. FAAO
7110.10, Flight Services, has standardized PIREP format with other
reports and forecasts. Since
PIREP's are available to forecasters, controllers, dispatchers, and
pilots alike, correct format is essential.
One specific area of concern is location.
FAAO 7110.10, Flight Services, paragraphs
9-2-15 b. 1. and
9-2-15 b. 2. specify
PIREP location (/OV). Various
automated programs alert forecasters and automatically plot data.
Information is used for forecast verification and archived for
research. Incorrectly
formatted PIREP's are often lost.
This also has the potential to seriously affect aviation
safety. To
be of most value, reports must accurately contain location, time,
altitude, type aircraft, sky cover, and temperature, as well as
turbulence and icing. Controllers
should make every effort to obtain complete information. FAAO 7110.10
Flight Services, paragraph 9-2-15, follows: 9-2-15.
PIREP FORMAT Using
text element indicators as described below, prepare PIREP's for system
entry in the following format: a.
UUA or UA. Message type - Urgent or Routine PIREP. b.
/OV.
1.
Location in reference to a VHF NAVAID or an airport, using the
three or four letter identifier. If appropriate, encode the
identifier, then three digits to define a radial and three digits to
define the distance in nautical miles. EXAMPLE- /OV
KJFK /OV
KJFK107080 /OV
KFMG233016/RM RNO 10SW
2.
Route segment. Two or more fixes, as in subparas 9-2-15b1 and
b2 examples, to describe a route. EXAMPLE- /OV
KSTL-KMKC /OV
KSTL090030-KMKC045015 c.
/TM. Time that the reported phenomenon occurred or was
encountered. Report time in four digits UTC. EXAMPLE- /TM
1315 d.
/FL. Altitude/flight level. Enter the altitude in hundreds of
feet (MSL) where the phenomenon was first encountered. If not known,
enter UNKN. If the aircraft was climbing or descending, enter the
appropriate contraction (DURGC or DURGD) in the remarks/RM TEI. If the
condition was encountered within a layer, enter the altitude range
within the appropriate TEI describing the condition. EXAMPLE- /FL093 /FL310 /FLUNKN
/RM DURGC e.
/TP. Type aircraft. Enter aircraft type. If not known, enter
UNKN. Icing and turbulence reports shall always include the type
aircraft. EXAMPLE- /TP
AEST /TP
B74A /TP
P28R /TP
UNKN f.
/SK. Sky condition. Report height of cloud bases, tops, and
cloud coverage as follows:
1.
Enter the height of the base of a layer of clouds in hundreds
of feet (MSL). Enter the
top of a layer in hundreds of feet (MSL) preceded by the word
"-TOP." If reported as clear above the highest cloud layer,
enter "`SKC'' following the reported level. EXAMPLE- /SK
OVC100-TOP110/ SKC /SK
OVC015-TOP035/OVC230 /SK
OVC-TOP085
2.
Use authorized contractions for cloud cover. EXAMPLE- BKN FEW OVC SCT
SKC
3.
Cloud cover amount ranges will be entered with a hyphen and no
spaces separating the amounts; i.e., BKN-OVC. EXAMPLE- /SK
SCT-BKN050-TOP100 /SK
BKN-OVCUNKN-TOP060/BKN120-TOP150/ SKC
4.
Unknown heights are indicated by the contraction UNKN. EXAMPLE- /SK
OVC065-TOPUNKN
5.
If a pilot indicates he/she is in the clouds, enter IMC. EXAMPLE- /SK
OVC065-TOPUNKN/RM IMC
6.
When more than one layer is reported, separate layers by a
solidus (/). g.
/WX. Flight visibility and flight weather. Report weather
conditions encountered by the pilot as follows:
1.
Flight visibility, if reported, will be the first entry in the
/WX field. Enter as FV followed by a two-digit visibility value
rounded down, if necessary, to
the nearest whole statute mile and append "SM" (FV03SM). If
visibility is reported as unrestricted, enter FV99SM.
2.
Enter flight weather types using one or more of the standard
surface weather reporting symbols contained in
TBL 9-2-1. Weather
type and symbols
TBL
9-2-1
3.
Intensity of precipitation (- for light, no qualifier for
moderate, and + for heavy) shall be indicated with precipitation
types, except ice crystals and hail, including those associated with a
thunderstorm and those of a showery nature.
4.
Intensity of obscurations shall be ascribed as moderate or +
heavy for dust and sandstorms only.
No intensity for blowing dust, blowing sand, or blowing snow. EXAMPLE- /WX
FV01SM +DS000-TOP083/SKC/RM DURGC
5.
When more than one form of precipitation is combined in the
report, the dominant type shall be reported first. EXAMPLE- /WX
FV00SM +TSRAGR /WX
FV02SM BRHZ000-TOP083
6.
When FC is entered in /WX, FUNNEL CLOUD is spelled out on /RM.
When +FC is entered in /WX, TORNADO
or WATERSPOUT is spelled out in the /RM TEI. EXAMPLE- /WX
FC /RM FUNNEL CLOUD /WX
+FC /RM TORNADO or WATERSPOUT
7.
When the size of hail is stated, enter in 1/4" increments
in remarks /RM TEI.
8.
The proximity qualifier VC
(Vicinity) is only used with TS, FG, FC, +FC,
SH, PO, BLDU, BLSA, and BLSN. EXAMPLE- /WX
FV02SM BLDU000-TOP083 VC W 9.
When more than one type of weather is reported enter in the
following order: 1) TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, OR FUNNEL CLOUD;
2) Thunderstorm with or without associated precipitation; 3)
Weather phenomena in order of decreasing predominance.
No more than three groups in a single PIREP. 10.
Weather layers shall be entered with the base and/or top of the
layer when reported. Use
the same format as in the /SK TEI. EXAMPLE- /WX
FU002-TOP030 h. /TA. Air Temperature. Report outside air temperature using two |