Terms of Reference

“Must” means a procedure is mandatory.

“Must not” means a procedure is prohibited.

“Should” means a procedure is recommended.

“May” or “need not” means a procedure is optional.

“Will” means futurity, not a requirement for the application of a procedure.

Singular words include the plural.

Plural words include the singular.

“Aircraft” means the airframe, crew members, or both.

“Approved separation” means separation in accordance with the applicable minima in this order.

“Altitude” means indicated altitude mean sea level (MSL), flight level (FL), or both.

“Miles” means nautical miles unless otherwise specified, and means statute miles in conjunction with visibility.

“Course,” “bearing,” “azimuth,” “heading,” and “wind direction” information must always be magnetic unless specifically stated otherwise.

“Time” when used for ATC operational activities, is the hour and the minute in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Change to the next minute is made at the minute plus 30 seconds, except time checks are given to the nearest quarter minute.

“Runway” means the runway used by aircraft and, unless otherwise specified, does not include helipads and/or their accompanying takeoff/landing courses. (See Pilot/Controller Glossary terms – Runway and Helipad.)

Flight operations in accordance with the options of “due regard” or “operational” have the following requirements:

Obligates the authorized state aircraft commander to:

Separate his/her aircraft from all other air traffic; and

Assure that an appropriate monitoring agency assumes responsibility for search and rescue actions; and

Operate under at least one of the following conditions:

In visual meteorological conditions (VMC); or

Within an area that is covered by an ATC surveillance source and in communications with ATC, or within surveillance source service volume and radio communications range of a facility, Department of Homeland Security or DoD unit capable of providing the pilot assistance to operate with due regard to other aircraft; or

Be equipped with airborne radar that is sufficient to provide separation between his/her aircraft and any other aircraft he/she may be controlling and other aircraft; or

Operate within Class G airspace.

An understanding between the pilot and controller regarding the intent of the pilot and the status of the flight should be reached before the aircraft leaves ATC frequency.

“CFR” means Code of Federal Regulations.

SAME COURSES are courses whose protected airspaces are coincident, overlap, or intersect and whose angular difference is less than 45 degrees. (See FIG 1-2-1.)

CROSSING COURSES are intersecting courses whose angular difference is 45 through 135 degrees inclusive. (See FIG 1-2-1.)

OPPOSITE/RECIPROCAL COURSES are courses whose protected airspaces are coincident, overlap, or intersect and whose angular difference is greater than 135 degrees through 180 degrees inclusive. (See FIG 1-2-1.)

The change number and the effective date are printed on each revised or additional page.

A page that does not require a change is reprinted in its original form.

Bold vertical lines in the margin of changed pages indicate the location of substantive revisions to the order. Bold vertical lines adjacent to the title of a chapter, section, or paragraph means that extensive changes have been made to that chapter, section, or paragraph.

Paragraphs/sections annotated with EN ROUTE, OCEANIC, or TERMINAL are only to be applied by the designated type facility. When they are not so designated, the paragraphs/sections apply to all types of facilities (en route, oceanic, and terminal).

The annotation, USAF for the U.S. Air Force, USN for the U.S. Navy, and USA for the U.S. Army denotes that the procedure immediately following the annotation applies only to the designated service.

WAKE TURBULENCE APPLICATION inserted within a paragraph means that the remaining information in the paragraph requires the application of wake turbulence procedures.

The annotation PHRASEOLOGY denotes the prescribed words and/or phrases to be used in communications.

The annotation EXAMPLE provides a sample of the way the prescribed phraseology associated with the preceding paragraph(s) will be used. If the preceding paragraph(s) does (do) not include specific prescribed phraseology, the EXAMPLE merely denotes suggested words and/or phrases that may be used in communications.