James McMannamy pointed this out in the VATSIM Forums, and I figured it would be beneficial as a controller tip in ZDV's forums, and of course, here.
The FAA has released a notice addressing the reclassification of the "heavy" category of aircraft to become aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) "heavy" classification.
To be considered heavy under the new policy, aircraft must have a maximum certificated takeoff weight (MTOW) of at least 300,000 lbs. The old rule to be classified as a heavy was an MTOW of 250,000 lbs.
Boeing 757s, both -200 and -300 models, are therefore all classified under the "large" category, and "heavy" will no longer be part of any 757 aircraft callsigns.Radar controllers:
For the purposes of wake turbulence separation, the 757 (again, both the -200 and -300 series) is a "large" aircraft when it is trailing behind another aircraft. When it is ahead of another aircraft, it is separated as a 757 (not a large nor heavy; the 757 has its own classification). If you don't know what that means, then you probably need to check out 7110.65T Chapter 5-5-4 or
this topic.
Radar Wake Turbulence Separation Minima:
Example:
B757: UAL757
B737 (a "large" aircraft): SWA300
UAL757 is
behind SWA300. (SWA300 is ahead of UAL757.)
Boeing 757 behind a Boeing 737 = 3 miles.
- A Boeing 757 is a large aircraft when it is behind another aircraft.
- Because it is behind the 737, the 757 is considered large.
- Large behind large = 3 miles of separation.UAL757 is
ahead of
SWA300. (SWA300 is behind UAL757.)
Boeing 757 ahead a Boeing 737 = 4 miles.
- A 757 creates more wake turbulence than a regular "large" aircraft.
- Because of this, aircraft behind it need more separation than they would need behind a regular large aircraft.
- A large aircraft (the 737) behind any 757 = 4 miles of separation.FAA Notice:
http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/N...e/N7110.525.pdf
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