I.) Ensure aircraft on the base leg are separated vertically from aircraft on the opposite side of the final should they miss a turn to final (I.E. Aircraft on base leg at 4000 MSL and aircraft on downwind at 5000 MSL).

This means *you* VATSIM!

Good post Daniel, although I can say with some certainty that this particular real world facility disregards some of these points 

I’ve always assumed that is done where they don’t have diverging headings for the two a/c but expect they will turn-out in different directions once with Departure, so the vis sep allows a quicker launch for second a/c.  From this thread, I’m not clear whether this is a correct interpretation of what is happening, though.   Maybe the first a/c was VFR.

Thoughts?

Frank

You are correct. This is how we handle it at work. You don't need visual separation if you'll have 15 degrees divergence within 1 mile after departure. It's either/or. Using visual AND a diverging heading is over separating.

Quote from: Dhruv Kalra on December 29, 2018, 09:36:50 PM

Hopefully the explanations above give you guys some insight into how and when visual separation can be properly used to help run your traffic flow more efficiently while still maintaining legal separation throughout the process. There are a few other cases where visual separation can be used (successive departures being the most notable) that some of the other r/w guys who work in towers can probably shed some light upon, but these are the ones that I wanted to hit on based on my time spent flying, controlling, and training on the network.

Good post Dhruv!

I was going to ask this specific question about successive departures. I have flown out of MSP many times where they ask "are you able to maintain visual separation with departing B737?" If pilot responds affirmative they provide visual separation in takeoff clearance (and from looking at TCAS we are in the air about 1.5 to 2.0nm behind aircraft) I am assuming they can only do it to aircraft not going to same departure route/gate. I found this in the 7110.65 but wondering if anyone can provide a little more insight as I am curious to this:

Quote

1. Tower-applied visual separation.
(a) Maintain communication with at least one
of the aircraft involved or ensure there is an ability to
communicate immediately with applicable military
aircraft as prescribed in Paragraph 3−9−3, Departure
Control Instructions, subpara a2.
(b) The tower visually observes the aircraft,
issues timely traffic advisories, and provides visual
separation between the aircraft.
(c) Issue control instructions as necessary to
ensure continued separation between the applicable
aircraft.
(d) Do not apply visual separation between
successive departures when departure routes and/or
aircraft performance preclude maintaining separation.
(e) The use of tower-applied visual separation
is not authorized when wake turbulence separation is
required

This is common practice at airports like MSP where they are effectively running single runway ops (arrivals/departures to same runway). Just wondering if divergent headings are required, or can same heading be issued and its up to Departure to separate??

We do a similar thing at my little tower in Southern California. All of our departures fly the same heading for our 2 main SIDs. One goes north and the other goes east. If we have two successive departures that go out the same gate, we’ll give the tracon standard separation because they don’t have a ton of room to pry them apart. But if we have two departures with one going north and the other going east, we’ll launch them 6000 and airborne because all the tracon has to do is turn them on course and they’ll diverge.

This is why ground controls job is more than just taxiing airplanes. At big airports with a lot of airplanes and SIDs, you can make or break the operation by putting 5 of the same SIDs in a row instead of fanning them out.

But to answer your question, you need diverging headings OR visual. You don’t need to use both (That’s what we call over-separating)!

Awesome write up. Very important indeed. If we can’t have mandatory pilot training, the least we can do is give the opportunity for accidental learning!

Every time I do one of these I seem to learn a subject so good that I'm never able to forget the smallest details about it. So I figure I'll just keep adding to the collection with the thought that maybe some of you learn something from them as well.

In the last one I talked about how to establish radar identification with an aircraft, so it's only natural if this time I talked about how to transfer that radar identification to another controller. This can all be found in 5-4 of the 7110.65. But I will put below the paragraphs that are relevant to the network. 

5-4-5 Transferring Controller Handoff

These are the responsibilities of the controller initiating the handoff.

a. Complete the radar handoff prior to an aircraft entering the receiving controller's airspace.
c. Prior to transferring communications:
     1. All potential conflicts have been resolved.
     2. Any restrictions issued to the aircraft are passed along to the receiving controller.

5-4-6 Receiving Controller Handoff

These are the responsibilities for the controller receiving the handoff.

b. Issue restrictions that are needed for the aircraft to enter your sector safely before accepting the handoff.
c. Comply with restrictions issued by the transferring controller unless otherwise coordinated.

It's pretty simple. Keep airplanes safe while you send them to someone else, and keep them safe while you receive them from someone else.

Phraseology For Manual Handoffs (using landline/teamspeak coordination instead of automation)

Caller: "Zanesville, Columbus, handoff"
Receiver: "Zanesville"
Caller: "Five miles east of Appleton VOR, United thee sixty-six"
Receiver: "United Three sixty-six, radar contact, A.Z.
Caller: "M.E."

This is an example of a basic radar handoff. Zanesville is initiating the handoff to Columbus. When Columbus says the magic words "Radar contact", they assume responsibility for that aircraft.


5-4-7: Point Out

The transferring controller must:

1. Obtain approval before permitting an aircraft to enter the receiving controller's delegated airspace.
2. Obtain receiving controller's approval before making any changes to the aircraft's flight path, altitude, speed, or data block information after the point out has been approved.

The receiving controller must:   

1. Be responsible for separation between point out aircraft and other aircraft for which he/she has separation responsibility.
3. Issue restrictions to the transferring controller as necessary as long as point out aircraft is within the receiving controller's airspace.

Phraseology for Point outs

Caller: "Pomona, Stadium, point out.
Receiver: "Pomona,"
Caller: "Eight miles southwest of El Monte airport, Delta seven zero two, descending to two thousand, six hundred."
Receiver: "Delta seven zero two, point out approved, A.N."
Caller: "M.L."


So those are the basics. A handoff transfers radar and communications, and a point out transfers radar but not communications.

Discuss!

Quote from: Shane VanHoven on December 07, 2018, 04:50:26 PM

Quote from: Matthew Kosmoski on December 07, 2018, 04:17:26 PM

Quote from: Shane VanHoven on December 07, 2018, 03:05:18 PM

Quote from: Matthew Kosmoski on December 07, 2018, 01:28:17 PM

I had neighbors that accused me of being a cert factory -- and now that we all spend time together, that's an accusation of a bygone era.

Ehhhhh not so sure about that.

<16:17:20> "Matthew Kosmoski": !lastseen *vanhoven*
<16:17:20> "ZHUBot": No clients found in the database!

Sorry, I don't speak gibberish.

You've never been in our Teamspeak (at least in the past year, which is how old the client database is), so you're demonstrating exactly what I'm talking about.

I don't understand how my attendance in your teamspeak has anything to do with how easy it is for someone to checkout at ZHU.

I had neighbors that accused me of being a cert factory -- and now that we all spend time together, that's an accusation of a bygone era.

Ehhhhh not so sure about that.