Ranges from touchdown

Max

Earlier I was listening to LLFIN And i Heard somebody call and the controller immediately gave an amount of track miles, how can I tell an aircrafts range?

Graham

Range from touchdown is an approximation of the remaining track miles to run, which depends to some degree on your vectoring planning and how you integrate traffic for final approach. For example, if you know you will have a 10 mile final and the inbound is handed over to you on the base leg heading at 10 miles, your approximate range to go is 20 miles. (A clear cut turn from base onto final.) If however you intended to turn that traffic off base onto a wider heading to establish on an extended final, the approximate range to go would be greater. You calculate the range to go and call it out on first contact based on your planning and how you intend to establish the most orderly and expeditious traffic flow. You can also use the range and bearing line to assist by plotting a line from your traffic to your intended headings along the route on the way to final. There are some videos on You Tube that give further specific examples of LLINT and LLFIN.

FewCloudy

I think at Heathrow the ranges to touchdown on Westerlies are approximately 30nm from each of LAM, BNN, OCK, and BIG so if an aircraft if 5nm off one of the fixes they have approx 25 miles to touchdown. Similar on easterlies except LAM and BIG are 60 track miles initially.

CloggyUk

It all comes down to mental arithmetics! If you have 7 aircraft in the sequence, all of M wake turbulence cat and the first one at 10 nm final. Number 2 will have no less than 13 track miles, #3 16, #4 19 etc etc! So when there are Heavies in the mix, it makes it a bit more interesting. The life of an approach controller is not as easy as one thinks! 🤪

Cheers, C

CloggyUk

[unknown] I would say being a Tower controller, as that is what I do. I have done an Approach Radar course in the past, but never validated it as there was no option to. Neither was there an option to do Area. Had I been able to do those, I might have said either of those.

I bought LC 20 years ago to keep my vectoring up to scratch in case I ever fancied a change. But I never made the change, life just happened as it did. Now I am happy to sit in my little tower, looking out the window, and just enjoying what I do. (Unless I get stupid weather avoidance requests 🤪)