… and now I have the southern chart out, Bournemouth and Southampton don’t have ATZs shown either.
I can think of many reasons to have it this way
Examples?
Well, for that, you first has to explain the purpose of an ATZ. Not in the UK context, but in general.
The purpose, loosely speaking, is to define a volume of airspace around an airport, which, despite being the same class of airspace as the airspace surrounding it, has some special rules/procedures.
That is also more or less the ICAO definition. The details are up to the relevant CAA to define, which is why for example a UK ATZ has different rules than an Italy ATZ. In fact, even within one country, every ATZ may have very different rules. For example, Egelsbach (EDFE) has just recently “got” an ATZ. An ATZ with very specific rules just for Egelsbach, not applicable anywhere else.
So, in other words: an ATZ is volume of aispace with specific rules/procedures.
Looking at a typical CTR, it is quite a big volume of airspace. An ATZ within the CTR allows the CAA to define different rules for that smaller volume of airspace.
This could be:
-different flight procedures
-visibility requirements
-radio procedures (who to talk to, etc.)
-etc.
Peter wrote:
But an ATZ inside CAS seems completely pointless.
I have no idea what purpose ATZs, CTRs and similar serve. All that’s needed is for airspace to one of classes A through F.
Silvaire wrote:
I have no idea what purpose ATZs, CTRs and similar serve.
Maybe this short Wikipedia article helps? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_zone
My point is obviously that CTA, CTR, ATZs and other redundant airspace definitions serve no useful purpose except to create confusion, as demonstrated by the original post. The same is true in the US for those few TRSAs that still exist – for reasons unknown. In that latter case I have no idea why they don’t make them Class C airspace.
@what_next, I fly out of an airport with 700 based aircraft and 600 operations per day. There are three or four other similar airports within 5 to 10 minutes, all Class D, and the Class D areas are under Class B. I’m pretty familiar with control zones (and controlled airspace in general).
Silvaire wrote:
@what_next, I fly out of an airport with 700 based aircraft and 600 operations per day.
The airport I fly from has less based aircraft, but a lot more than 600 operations per day. From Lockheed Galaxy to an occasional motorglider. Lots of flying school VFR traffic as well. It obviosly needs to be class D, but only the special regulations of the german control zone (the last paragraph in the Wikipedia article above) allow this mixed operation in marginal VFR weather. So to me these rules make perfect sense.
You would only have had to experience my workplace over the last 20 years to understand that complexity cascades, with one unnecessary rule creating other rules, all of which in combination create a negative overall effect!
Silvaire wrote:
All that’s needed is for airspace to one of classes A through F.
Not quite. You can have special VFR in control zones, but not otherwise. In Sweden you may only fly in an ATZ in connection with take off or landing. None of these rules are covered by airspace classes. Sure, the Swedish ATZ rule could be replaced by a restricted area with the same flight restriction, but I’m not sure that would improve things.
How do you handle special VFR in the US?
Airborne_Again wrote:
How do you handle special VFR in the US?
It’s authorized by the tower within the Class D etc. surrounding the airport.
Airborne_Again wrote:
In Sweden you may only fly in an ATZ in connection with take off or landing. None of these rules are covered by airspace classes
I don’t think additional rules need to exist. I regularly transit in all kinds of ways through the airspace of Class D ATC controlled airports, with tower coordination. For example, the other day I flew backwards along the downwind of an operating runway. It’s tight airspace with Class B nearby, so you get through where it works best for ATC at any particular time. At uncontrolled airports you just keep your head ‘on a swivel’ and so does everybody else on a common air to air frequency.
