Military Training Routes

[Scott Fritz]

When I was taking my OTS Saturday evening I had a Navy pilot call me up on approach before take off from Lemoore NAS. He was requesting clearance to fly the IR-203 Military Training Route. What is a Military Training Route? The US Military has created special routes for military aircraft to practice low level high speed flying. Here is the definition from the FAA website:

MILITARY TRAINING ROUTES (MTR)

MTR?s are used by the Department of Defense and associated Reserve and Air Guard units to conduct low-altitude navigation and tactical training in both IFR and VFR weather conditions below 10,000 feet in excess of 250 kts.

IFR Military Training Routes (IR): Operations on these routes are conducted in accordance with instrument flight rules regardless of weather conditions below 10,000 feet. These routes are depicted on Low Altitude En Route and Military Training Route Charts and are identified by four digit numbers (IR 1001) at 1500 feet and below, or three-digit numbers (VR 101) above 1500 feet.

For more information on Special Use Airspace, see the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM).

I had already started adding these routes to the Center Sector file so I knew where this pilot was flying. I am hoping someone can give me more information on these routes and how to handle them in the future.

[nobody291]

Scott -

I hope I'm not giving you an extremely simplistic answer and missing your point, but I believe that the info you seek is in 7110.65 9-3-7. There is also info about aerial refueling and other less common operations in section 3.

-Eric

[Scott Fritz]

Actually that was a very good responce to my question. It made me go look at the section of 7110.65 that deals with special flights again. As a controller I have a couple responsibilities for the MTR. First I need to keep non-military aircraft clear of the route and a buffer space to each side. Second I need to insure seperation between successive military aircraft entering the route at the same altitude.

ZOA has two IFR MTRs and they are IR-203 and IR-207. The easiest way to clear an aircraft on to one of those routes would be the following phrasology, "Navy 3 cleared into IR-203 maintain IR-203 altitudes." and if you need to provide seperation between the aircraft your clearing and one already on the route you can add "cross (fix) at or later than (time)"

After a year of controlling this was the first time I had anyone ask for one of the military training routes but it is good for all of us to know what they are and how to deal with them.

[ielchitz]

They should be in the sector file already.

I'm not sure what version of the sector file I currently have (it does not contain the MTR's) but I do know that Jim and I added the MTR's at one point. This could have been just before we both left ZOA - so there is a chance that they were never released.

I'll take a look.

[Scott Fritz]

Yes they both are in the sector file.