Background: The purpose of this Notice is to inform pilots landing/departing from either San Diego International Airport (SAN) or Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island (NZY) concerning the use of visual separation to maintain efficiency at both airports.
Helicopters and fixedâwing aircraft flying in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) while transitioning SAN Class B airspace over San Diego Bay and SAN Runway 27 arrivals are required to be on the same frequency.
An ATC waiver has made it possible to utilize visual separation under certain weather conditions to eliminate rapid frequency changes, frequency congestion, or traffic conflictions caused by rerouting aircraft.
INFORMATION: When weather/operational conditions permit, SAN Tower controllers will provide visual separation during the following operations:
Instrument Flight Rules arrivals to SAN Runway 27 and Visual Flight Rules helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft transitioning SAN Class B airspace over San Diego Bay.
These procedures have proven to provide an equivalent level of safety compared to standard visual separation rules. This special use of visual separation enables both airports to operate more efficiently and safely.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the manager or designee of the facility listed below during normal business hours.
San Diego International Airport, Air Traffic Control Tower: 619-299-0677
(AJV-W21, 7/20/2017)