Local Radar Approach Control (LRAC)

[Kent Kasten]

I'm having a serious issue understanding why a local controller on the VATSIM network during normal non-event operations with maybe 5-10 aircraft an hour would ever need or want this level of control? Can someone explain to me the benefits to both the pilot and controller that LRAC provides? Can you also tell me what changes from the local controllers perspective when it comes to phraseology used?

Thanks!

[Bradley Grafelman]

A few ideas off the top of my head (though I'll admit I'm not a r/w controller and might be wrong on any/all points):

• You still wouldn't use "radar contact" phraseology, although you would start radar tracks on things like transitioning VFR traffic and accept radar handoffs for IFR arrivals (although perhaps that last one applies to any tower with a CTRD?).
• Traffic information changes from "ahead and to your left", "on a right base", etc. to the full o'clock/distance/direction/etc. phraseology (again, perhaps this is just any tower with a CTRD?).
• You can vector traffic (not just departures using a DVA) in your airspace using headings.
• You can increase your departure/arrival rate by providing radar separation between departures/arrivals.
• You can switch to using mileage rather than time for wake turbulence separation (again, might just need CTRD?).

EDIT: With #1, I should say I think you will very rarely ever hear a tower say "radar contact". I recall hearing it once from Boise Tower (KBOI) for a VFR transition, but IIRC they're also an up/down facility, so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it.

EDIT2: By the way... where is this coming from all of a sudden? (Just wondering what the context is as it applies to VATSIM operations.)

[Dhruv Kalra]

Brad is correct in all of his statements. Additionally, an LRAC tower owns airspace that it is delegated from its parent radar facility (typically the surface area of a B/C airspace up to a pre-defined altitude). This is usually specified via SOP/LOA and all standard airspace coordination procedures (handoff/pointout/APREQ) apply.

For certain VFR operations (surface area transitions, helicopters, etc.) tower controllers will indeed say "radar contact" to aircraft. The JFK LiveATC feed is a great place to listen in on some of these operations.

[Kent Kasten]

Thanks Brad and Dhruv. That actually made sense and I can understand some of the benefits LRAC provides.