Looking at Dinard, StNazaire, Nantes they have CTR that start from above the ground…I can understand why it’s needed for Dinard (parachutes at Dinan) & StNazaire (ULM at Cambon), however, I expected these to be called CTA or TMA?
Has anyone come across similar design in other countries? does it make any difference operationally (e.g. SVFR in CTR? APP vs TWR?)
I know EBBR ctr has an exclusion zone for EBGB.
Italy has had these non-ground CTRs for a very long time, and lots of them.
Yes, in theory, any CTR should touch the ground. These things here should be CTAs instead.
Anyway, I don’t see many possible operational implications.
As far as I know, a CTR by definition goes to the surface.
The only difference between a CTR and a CTA from a practical point of view (at least as far as I’m aware) is that (as you correct allude to) SVFR is only available in a CTR and not a CTA.
Yes Bergamo has one, most of the time it seems related to existing uncontrolled airfields in vicinity…I would have expected that CTR vs CTA matters for ATC/ATIS weather versus PIC weather and SVFR
I know EBBR ctr has an exclusion zone for EBGB
I guess TWR had enough giving ATC takeoff & landing clearances, get them out 
EHAM Amsterdam is another
Very interesting.
Skybrary says a control zone is
Skybrary
A control zone is a block of Controlled Airspace extending from the surface of the earth to a specified upper limit. (ICAO Annex 11 — Air Traffic Services)
The lateral and vertical extent of control zones is detailed in the appropriate national AIP
So I looked in Appendix 11 and this is what I find
It doesn’t seem to say that it HAS to go to the surface, but where it’s below a CTA it says it has to go from the surface up to the CTA base. It’s like it’s assumed to be going to the surface.
My best guess is that it previously said it has to go from the surface and in some edit that was mistakenly removed yet ICAO still assume it goes from the surface and other AIS choose to act differently because it no longer says what ICAO assume it says!
It doesn’t seem to say that it HAS to go to the surface, but where it’s below a CTA it says it has to go from the surface up to the CTA base. It’s like it’s assumed to be going to the surface.
Thanks for highlighting that, actually it also explain another question regrading the two ways how CTR, CTA, TMA gets ordered sometimes:
This fits the situation in all examples above,
In some other places you CTA under TMA
dublinpilot wrote:
It doesn’t seem to say that it HAS to go to the surface, but where it’s below a CTA it says it has to go from the surface up to the CTA base. It’s like it’s assumed to be going to the surface.My best guess is that it previously said it has to go from the surface and in some edit that was mistakenly removed yet ICAO still assume it goes from the surface and other AIS choose to act differently because it no longer says what ICAO assume it says!
There’s more to it. In Annex 11, a CTR is defined as “a controlled airspace extending upwards from the surface of the earth to a specified upper limit.”
SERA has an identical definition.
