Farnborough Air Traffic Control and LARS

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Farnborough Air Traffic Control and LARS

• Tuesday 19 April 2004
• RAF Odiham

Sarah Lee - Manager Air Traffic Services Air
Traffic Controllers Stuart Johnston, Angela Moss,
Val Wilson
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Farnborough Air Traffic Control and LARS

• 1. Farnborough Airport
• 2. Organisation of ATC
• 3. LARS
• 4. Question and answer

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Farnborough Airport
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• Flying on the site since 1905
• RFC ? RAE ? DERA ? ? ? ? ?

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• TAG Aviation took over the operation of the
  civil enclave in 1998

• 99 year lease signed and in 2003 obtained civil
  licence
• 80m plus invested in airfield, including...

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• New control tower.

• .and hangars..

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• Resurfaced runway..

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• New lighting and ILS for both runways..

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• New primary radar..

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Aircraft Types

• All privately owned or operated business aircraft
  
• No scheduled, fare-paying passenger or cargo
  services
• Mainly jets and turbo-props, such as..

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• Beech King Air

Cessna Citation
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HS125
Gulfstream G4 G5
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Canadair Challenger
Pipers Cessnas
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Boeing BBJ
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BBJ interior
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Movement Rates

• 2004 - 19,000 Airfield movements
• 74,500 LARS movements
• Planning permission for up to 28,000 airfield
  movements annually
• Weekend restrictions on number of movements
• ? weekdays tend to be busier

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Opening Hours

• Airfield 7am - 10pm weekdays
• 8am - 8pm weekends and bank
  holidays
• Closed Christmas Day Boxing Day
• LARS 8am - 8pm everyday
• Closed Christmas Day Boxing Day

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TAG Aviation LARS Why?

• No controlled airspace
• Create a known traffic environment
• Controllers and facilities required anyway, for
  Approach
• Improves liaison with local airfields
• Limited state funding

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Organisation of ATCat Farnborough
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• National Air Traffic Services provide ATC under
  contract to TAG Aviation

• 15 controllers split across 3 Watches
• 9 day cycle split into 3 early shifts, 3 late
  shifts, 3 days off
• All controllers train and work in both Radar and
  Tower
• 6 air traffic assistants (ATIS 128.4)

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• Tower responsible for all airfield movements,
  arrivals and departures

• ATZ normally delegated to Radar above 500
• One controller in tower looks after ground/air,
  plus one assistant

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• Radar has two separate positions, Approach LARS

• Bandboxed one controller working both
  frequencies

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• Approach
• Frequency 134.35 MHz, callsign Farnborough
  Radar
• Provides a service to traffic using the airfield
• IFR traffic generally receives a Radar Advisory
  Service
• No defined area of responsibility

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Radar Advisory Service RAS

• Highest level of service outside controlled
  airspace
• IFR flights only, irrespective of met. conditions
• Assume pilots can accept IMC
• Aim to achieve minimum separation of 3nm
  horizontally/1000ft vertically against known
  traffic, otherwise 5nm horizontally
• Use of vectors, levels and avoiding action
• Minimum terrain safe levels below which service
  will not be given
• Pilots under no obligation to comply, but then
  become responsible for own separation

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Typical inbound/outbound profiles

• From north via Compton, towards Odiham (Odimi)
  descending to 5000ft on silent handover
• From south via Goodwood or Southampton, towards
  Odimi with a co-ordinated level (normally 4000ft)
• IFR outbounds route towards CPT, GWC or Hazel.
• Noise abatement procedures for both Runways 24
  and 06
• No clearance into controlled airspace, so they
  climb to the base
• Transit traffic results in vectoring or vertical
  restrictions

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LARSLower Airspace Radar Service

• Frequency 125.25 MHz, callsign Farnborough
  Radar
• Opening hours 8am-8pm every day except Christmas
  and Boxing Day
• No defined area of coverage but radar and r/t
  coverage is poor at low levels beyond 20 miles
• SSR equipped aircraft will generally be asked to
  squawk 0430-0467 available 0447 used for EGLK
  departures, 0457 for EGTF departures
• Aircraft can expect a Flight Information Service
  unless they request otherwise

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Area of coverage
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Area of coverage
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• Types of service
• RAS - IFR only and given if workload permits
• RIS - Any aircraft given if workload permits
• FIS - No obligation to provide traffic
  information, even if aircraft is squawking and
  identified.

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Radar Information Service (RIS)

• Any aircraft given if workload permits
• Traffic information passed in clock-code format,
  range and track
• No avoiding action offered - pilots
  responsibility to avoid traffic
• Level below which service will be limited or not
  given, for terrain clearance and radar
  performance reasons. Generally 1900ft within 20
  miles, 2400ft beyond this
• Pilot to advise before changing level or route
• Vectors may be provided for tactical planning -
  pilot to advise if unable to accept, e.g. cloud

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• Limitations to service
• late or no warning of traffic
• Radar performance
• Poor low-level coverage
• Spurious primary returns
• Controller workload
• (Too busy to monitor aircraft)
• Number of aircraft on frequency or
• Number of aircraft under a RIS
• Approach and LARS task combined

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Flight Information Service

• Squawk usually given, but not if very busy and
  aircraft on periphery of radar cover
• Although identified when squawking, no
  implication of radar service
• No obligation to give traffic information
• Generic traffic info. may be given or specific
  info. if tracks converging, using cardinal points
  and range
• Expect only FIS on busy VFR day
• Expect to report passing on busy day
• Aircraft may be asked for particular routeing or
  level to ensure separation from IFR traffic

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Going en-route

• If on a FIS expect freecall and squawk 7000
• RIS traffic may be handed-over to next radar unit
  if workload permits or a freecall with advise
  squawk on first contact
• Going into circuit at local airfields, expect to
  be told to squawk standby - saves lots of 7000s
  garbling on the screen
• Freecall next unit has no details on you
• Contact next unit has details and may have
  you identified

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Odiham co-ordination

• MATZ belongs to Odiham, NOT Farnborough
• Civil aircraft do not require permission to
  transit a MATZ but it is good airmanship to do so
• Farnborough only has an ATZ, active H24
• Odiham ATZ is also active H24. When Odiham air
  traffic closed, Farnborough avoids the ATZ. It
  gets busy with winch-launch and aero-tow gliders
• Odiham delegate ATZ to Farnborough when they are
  manned but no flying is taking place. If not
  delegated, Farnborough will co-ordinate ATZ
  crossers cont/d

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Odiham co-ordination Continued.

• Odiham advise of all instrument
  departures/arrivals and request co-ordination if
  necessary
• Aircraft under a FIS cannot be co-ordinated as
  such, but are asked to report before..
• For aircraft transiting the MATZ but remaining
  clear of the Odiham ATZ, Farnborough will provide
  traffic information.
• Farnborough-Basingstoke railway line a useful
  transit feature. 2400ft provides 500ft separation
  above Odiham instrument circuit

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Best Practice

• Do call in good time if transiting within 10
  miles of Farnborough, to ensure separation with
  inbounds/outbounds
• Do use standard phraseology
• Do provide the following information
• Callsign - Type - From/To - Position - Altitude
• Other useful information Non-squawker, unusual
  routeing, solo student, persons on board, etc.
• Do listen out before transmitting
• Dont leave frequency without saying goodbye
• Dont provide life-story cont/d...

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Best Practice

• Dont report overhead Farnborough unless
  requested
• Dont call if not routeing within core area of
  coverage, e.g. Blackbushe northbound, Fairoaks
  eastbound, Popham westbound, White Waltham
  northbound, Chilbolton to Hungerford etc.
• Do visit us if you get the chance

• Standard of airmanship generally very good
• Were there to help you