"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

"Jeff Saylor" wrote in message
...

The R in a circle symbol next to an airport on Sectionals nindicates
that this airport has Airport Surveillance Radar. But what does this
really indicate to the VFR pilot?

At Reading, Pennsylvania (KRDG) there is such a symbol. This
(Class D Airspace) airport has its own Approach control (shared
position in the tower, actually). Unfortunately at no place on the
Sectional is a frequency for approach given, even on the tables next
to the chart.

At Nantucket, Mass. (KACK) there is such a symbol. This (Class D
Airspace) airport does not have approach control. Radar services are
provided by Cape Approach during the day and Boston Center
during the night. (Active times are not given, but there are boxes on
the map itself that indicate what frequency to use for Cape Approach).

Stewart Intl, NY (KSWF) also has such a symbol. Radar services are
provided by New York TRACON.
(all of these airports are on the NY Sectional).

So what does this symbol really mean? At one airport where it is used,
the airport has a hidden-from-the-chart approach frequency. (The
frequency is of course available in the Airport/Facility Directory and
IIRC via ATIS among other places). At other airports, radar services
are provided by facilities that also provide service to many other
airports (without the R symbol.)

The only thing that I can think of is that it indicates there is a radar
(ASR) antenna on the field for a class D facility. Then again, Class D
airspace airport KMDT (Harrisburg Int'l) has such an antenna (atop the
hill nearby), but no such R in a circle icon on the sectional. It does
however had a surrounding TRSA with a TRACON, so perhaps that
is why no R in a circle is necessary.


The blue R in a circle symbol is used to indicate the presence of ASR where
there is no other indication. It would be superfluous at the core airports
in Class B and C airspace and TRSAs. It doesn't matter where the approach
control facility is located.

Ok, I get that, but what makes this information useful to the pilot? For
example, what is available to a pilot landing at Nantucket (Class D, Cape
Approach, R-in-circle) that is not available at Vineyard Haven (Martha's
Vineyard with Class D, Cape Appraoch, No R-in-circle)? Both airports have a
number of approaches, including ILS that controllers can vector pilots to.