R in a Circle (Airport Surveillance Radar) on VFR charts

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

"Jeff Saylor" wrote in message
...

Thanks for the explanation, although I haven't found any more or
less radar services to be available at KACK (Nantucket, w/ the
R symbol) than at KMVY (Vineyard Haven) or even KPVC,
which was why I am curious.


The symbol indicates where the ASR is located, of course radar services are
available at other airports within range. Typically 30 miles or more.

Nantucket has the only (R) in Cape Approach's coverage area. Does this mean
that the only radar antenna for Cape Approach's coverage area is at Nantucket?
I ask because there is a large radar antenna in Truro, Mass (Cape Cod). On the
sectional, it even says "radomes" as a landmark feature near Truro. Perhaps
this antenna is for Cape Approach, although I suppose it could be for Boston
Center, weather, or who-knows-what. If it is indeed a Cape Approach antenna
perhaps it would be useful to have the R on the chart.

(Boston Center can handle approaches when Cape Approach is closed, but I don't
know if they use ARTCC radar or Cape's.

Sounds good. I just wish they felt the same away about approach
control frequencies for airports such as KRDG.


In the Airport Data block there should be an ATIS frequency or a "VFR Advsy"
frequency, (more likely ATIS). At fields with ATIS the recording should
have the frequency for traffic advisories, at fields without ATIS the VFR
Advsy frequency will be in the data block.

That's true, the Reading ATIS does give the approach freq. I don't see how it
would have hurt any to put Reading Approach's frequency in the listings on the
side of the chart where other approach frequencies are listed though.

"Jeff Saylor" wrote in message
...

Nantucket has the only (R) in Cape Approach's coverage area.


Otis ANGB has an (R), and I believe that's where Cape Approach is located.



Does this mean that the only radar antenna for Cape
Approach's coverage area is at Nantucket? I ask because there
is a large radar antenna in Truro, Mass (Cape Cod). On the
sectional, it even says "radomes" as a landmark feature near Truro.
Perhaps this antenna is for Cape Approach, although I suppose it
could be for Boston Center, weather, or who-knows-what. If it
is indeed a Cape Approach antenna perhaps it would be useful to
have the R on the chart.


That's the North Truro ARSR site, and former North Truro Air Force Station.
It's used by Boston and New York ARTCCs.

Where you don't find ASR you don't find ASR services.

At airports without the (R) you don't tend to not find ASR. Not if there's an
(R) at another airport nearby.


Are you sure you're a pilot? Most PEOPLE in western nations have a better
understanding of radar than you exhibit.


Sure I understand RADAR. Some big bloke shouts "MARCO" and the sound bounces
off the N-numbers on my plane. Those numbers travel to all the AM radio
antennas, and the one who's call sign matches the numbers reports back to the
tower. A big computer in the tower figures out my N-number from which stations
are receiving the echo, and puts that number on the wide screen TV up in the
tower, superimposed on the football game.

Whenever there's a touchdown, the tower calls ground control and reads off the
numbers on the TV screen to figure out which airplane landed. Ground control
writes these numbers down on a piece of paper and puts it on the taxiway
diagram. The paper has to be long and narrow in order to fit, which is why
they call it a strip.

If ground control puts the strip on the wrong taxiway, or the pilot takes a
wrong turn, they have to find the strip and correlate it with the N-numbers on
the plane. This is called a strip search. But there is ground radar also,
which makes it easier to find the pilot than to find the strip. Usually the
problem occurs at night at large airports, where from the height of a spam can
the taxiways look like a sea of blue lights. Pilots can taxi so long they have
been known to faint from starvation, so I've learned to bring a sandwich when I
fly into those places. This is called a blue light special.

Now, tell me if I got this right. If a pilot calls in to an area with the (R),
but he's passed that area before half an hour ago so it's not his first time,
there should be a strip on him, and the controllers do the strip search thing.
But since he left the area and came back, the strip expired and was discarded.
They hire a detective (because nobody wants an errant pilot in the skys) but
when they can't find the information, they radio the pilot saying "No strip
Sherlock".

At that point, the airplane falls out of the sky because there's no RADAR to
hold it up. The pilot looks for a field, finds one with horses, waits for the
shout of MARCO and replies POLO as he dives into the game.

Am I close?

Jose

--
(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)

"Teacherjh" wrote in message
...

At airports without the (R) you don't tend to not find ASR. Not if
there's an
(R) at another airport nearby.


Where there's an (r) at a nearby airport you find ASR services.



Sure I understand RADAR. Some big bloke shouts "MARCO" and the sound
bounces
off the N-numbers on my plane. Those numbers travel to all the AM radio
antennas, and the one who's call sign matches the numbers reports back to
the
tower. A big computer in the tower figures out my N-number from which
stations
are receiving the echo, and puts that number on the wide screen TV up in
the
tower, superimposed on the football game.

Whenever there's a touchdown, the tower calls ground control and reads off
the
numbers on the TV screen to figure out which airplane landed. Ground
control
writes these numbers down on a piece of paper and puts it on the taxiway
diagram. The paper has to be long and narrow in order to fit, which is
why
they call it a strip.

If ground control puts the strip on the wrong taxiway, or the pilot takes
a
wrong turn, they have to find the strip and correlate it with the
N-numbers on
the plane. This is called a strip search. But there is ground radar
also,
which makes it easier to find the pilot than to find the strip. Usually
the
problem occurs at night at large airports, where from the height of a spam
can
the taxiways look like a sea of blue lights. Pilots can taxi so long they
have
been known to faint from starvation, so I've learned to bring a sandwich
when I
fly into those places. This is called a blue light special.

Now, tell me if I got this right. If a pilot calls in to an area with the
(R),
but he's passed that area before half an hour ago so it's not his first
time,
there should be a strip on him, and the controllers do the strip search
thing.
But since he left the area and came back, the strip expired and was
discarded.
They hire a detective (because nobody wants an errant pilot in the skys)
but
when they can't find the information, they radio the pilot saying "No
strip
Sherlock".

At that point, the airplane falls out of the sky because there's no RADAR
to
hold it up. The pilot looks for a field, finds one with horses, waits for
the
shout of MARCO and replies POLO as he dives into the game.

Am I close?


No.

Am I close?

No.


Dang. That cheereo box promised I'd be a pilot if I sent in my $3.00 and five
box tops.

Jose

--
(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

"Jeff Saylor" wrote in message
...

Thanks for the explanation, although I haven't found any more or
less radar services to be available at KACK (Nantucket, w/ the
R symbol) than at KMVY (Vineyard Haven) or even KPVC,
which was why I am curious.


The symbol indicates where the ASR is located, of course radar services are
available at other airports within range. Typically 30 miles or more.

According to a NTSB report* on the TWA 800 accident, NY TRACON has 5 radars
located at JFK airport, Newark, NJ airport (EWR), Islip, NY airport (ISP), White
Plains, NY airport (HPN), and Stewart Field airport in Newburg, NY (SWF).

JFK, EWR, ISP are in Class B or C airspace. Stewart (Class D airspace) has the
R in a circle.
White Plains does not have the R in a circle symbol.

Is there any particular reason why White Plains does not have this symbol if it
has radar?

* http://www.ntsb.gov/events/TWA800/exhibits/Ex_13A.pdf

"Jeff Saylor" wrote in message
...

According to a NTSB report* on the TWA 800 accident,
NY TRACON has 5 radars located at JFK airport, Newark,
NJ airport (EWR), Islip, NY airport (ISP), White Plains, NY
airport (HPN), and Stewart Field airport in Newburg, NY (SWF).

JFK, EWR, ISP are in Class B or C airspace. Stewart (Class D
airspace) has the R in a circle.
White Plains does not have the R in a circle symbol.

Is there any particular reason why White Plains does not have
this symbol if it has radar?


None that I'm aware of. Perhaps it's because the HPN ASR isn't located on
the field proper. It's very close, it's just a bit south of the general
aviation parking area that's west of hangar E, between Tower and Wolfe
Lanes. But that doesn't seem like a significant distance, and the ASR at
SWF is sited similarly but does have the R.