CTO Coordination with Radar Facilities 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A tower controller is working a satellite airport without radar service. IFR departures must be coordinated through:
- The nearest military control facility
- The parent TRACON or ARTCC that owns the overlying airspace (Correct answer)
- The pilot-in-command before each departure
- The airport's UNICOM operator
Correct answer: The parent TRACON or ARTCC that owns the overlying airspace
Satellite towers without radar service coordinate IFR departures with the parent TRACON or ARTCC that provides radar coverage of the overlying airspace.
Question 2: What does 'MARSA' stand for and when does it apply to tower-radar coordination?
- Military Assumes Responsibility for Separation of Aircraft; applies when military aircraft are operating under military rules (Correct answer)
- Minimum Altitude Radar Separation Allowance; applies to all IFR operations
- Multi-Agency Radar Surveillance Authorization; requires FAA Administrator approval
- Mandatory Airspace Restriction for Sensitive Areas; applies near restricted zones
Correct answer: Military Assumes Responsibility for Separation of Aircraft; applies when military aircraft are operating under military rules
MARSA means Military Assumes Responsibility for Separation of Aircraft and applies when military aircraft are operating under military authority, relieving ATC of separation responsibility between those aircraft.
Question 3: A TRACON controller requests a 'wheels-up time' from the tower. This request is made to:
- Document the aircraft's fuel consumption
- Coordinate departure sequencing and ensure IFR separation from other traffic (Correct answer)
- Verify the aircraft's airworthiness certificate
- Update the aircraft's filed flight plan
Correct answer: Coordinate departure sequencing and ensure IFR separation from other traffic
Wheels-up times are requested by the radar facility to sequence IFR departures and maintain required separation from arriving and departing traffic in their airspace.
Question 4: When a tower controller accepts an aircraft from TRACON on a visual approach and another aircraft on final calls 'go-around,' the tower must:
- Notify TRACON only after the go-around is complete
- Coordinate with TRACON immediately to manage the go-around aircraft's re-sequencing into the arrival stream (Correct answer)
- Issue a new IFR clearance to the go-around aircraft directly
- Place the go-around aircraft in a holding pattern without coordination
Correct answer: Coordinate with TRACON immediately to manage the go-around aircraft's re-sequencing into the arrival stream
The tower must immediately coordinate a go-around with TRACON so the radar facility can re-sequence the aircraft into the arrival flow and maintain separation.
Question 5: Under FAA Order 7110.65, when must a tower facility notify a radar facility of an aircraft that has declared an emergency?
- Only after the aircraft has landed safely
- Immediately, so the radar facility can provide assistance and coordinate with other facilities (Correct answer)
- Within 30 minutes of the emergency declaration
- Only if the aircraft enters the radar facility's airspace
Correct answer: Immediately, so the radar facility can provide assistance and coordinate with other facilities
Emergency notifications must be made immediately to the radar facility so they can provide all possible assistance, issue traffic alerts, and coordinate with upstream facilities as needed.
Question 6: What is the role of an 'automated radar terminal system (ARTS)' data tag in facilitating tower-TRACON coordination?
- It provides weather radar information only
- It displays aircraft identification, altitude, speed, and other data to support handoffs and coordination (Correct answer)
- It automatically issues clearances to aircraft
- It records pilot voice transmissions for compliance purposes
Correct answer: It displays aircraft identification, altitude, speed, and other data to support handoffs and coordination
ARTS data tags display critical flight information including call sign, altitude, and speed, enabling controllers to conduct efficient handoffs and maintain situational awareness during coordination.
Question 7: If a tower controller and TRACON controller disagree about separation standards for a specific situation, the correct course of action is to:
- The tower controller always defers to the radar controller
- Apply the most conservative interpretation and coordinate with supervisors to resolve the discrepancy (Correct answer)
- The pilot-in-command decides the applicable standard
- Ignore the discrepancy and continue normal operations
Correct answer: Apply the most conservative interpretation and coordinate with supervisors to resolve the discrepancy
When controllers disagree on separation standards, safety requires applying the most conservative interpretation while supervisors are notified to resolve the procedural discrepancy.
CTO Coordination with Radar Facilities 5
A tower controller is working a satellite airport without radar service.
IFR departures must be coordinated through: