Standard Operating Procedures and Letters of Agreement

Special Operations and Situations Procedures

Date	Code	Version	Contact
2009-10-22	SOP-005	1.01	Facility Advisory Board (FAB)

PURPOSE:

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) provides procedures to be used between controllers and aircraft for special situations, emergency situations and emergency training, and special operations.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR) for this SOP is the ZOA Facility Advisory Board. This SOP shall be maintained, revised, updated or cancelled by the ZOA Facility Advisory Board. Any suggestions for modification / amendment to this SOP should be sent to the FAB for review.

DISTRIBUTION:

This SOP is to be read and applied by all ZOA controllers.

BACKGROUND:

In accordance with ZOA ARTCC policy, procedures shall be established to ensure consistent handling of actual emergencies, simulated emergencies, pilot emergency training, special situations, and special operations. Such procedures shall be based on VATSIM and VATUSA policies, the FAA Airman Information Manual (AIM), technical order 7110.65, as well as VATUSA training material.

CONTROLLER INITIATED SITUATIONS:

Temporary Suspension of an Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP).

An APP or CTR controller wishing to temporarily suspend use of an IAP per CPS_011 shall:
1. Obtain approval from the shift supervisor.
2. Inform aircraft requesting the IAP that ATC cannot clear aircraft to execute the approach, and the simulated reason (suggested reasons are due to a temporary obstruction, such as a crane on the final approach course).
3. Inform the aircraft that if they are in VMC, they may cancel IFR and proceed VFR.
4. Offer an alternative approach if available, including visual approach, if weather permits.
Example:

"SWA335, Unable to issue ILS RWY 29 due to construction activity. VOR/DME RWY 29 or Visual Approach RWY 29 available. If VMC, you may cancel IFR and proceed VFR. State intentions when able."
Temporary Closure of a Runway.

A TWR, APP, or CTR controller wishing to temporarily close a runway per CPS_011 shall:
1. Obtain approval from the shift supervisor.
2. Inform aircraft requesting use of the runway that ATC cannot clear operations on the runway, and the simulated reason (suggested reasons are due to an aircraft accident, construction, relevant weather conditions. Note - if weather conditions are used, Reported METARs should be at/below minimums for the IAP with lowest minimums).
3. Offer an alternative runway if available.
4. If aircraft wish to proceed to the closed runway, inform the aircraft that take off/landing clearance cannot be issued and to proceed with the operation "at pilots own risk".
Example:

ATC: "Unable to assign landing runway 29 due to construction activity. Runway 27R available."

Pilot: "Sir we want to use 29. Our FMC is set for 29."

ATC: "Unable to issue landing clearance. Landing will be at your own risk."
Temporary Closure of an Airport.

An APP or CTR controller wishing to temporarily close an airport per CPS_011 shall:
1. Obtain approval from the shift supervisor.
2. Inform aircraft requesting use of the airport that ATC cannot clear for operations on the airport, and the simulated reason (suggested reasons are due to an aircraft accident, construction, relevant weather conditions. Note - if weather conditions are used, Reported METARs should be at/below minimums for the IAP with lowest minimums).
3. Offer an alternative airport that meets appropriate needs for aircraft type.
4. Optionally (at ATC discretion) offer to allow the aircraft to hold at an appropriate fix until the airport re-opens. Provide a time (zulu) to expect further clearance (EFC), which would be the anticipated time of airport re-opening.
5. If aircraft wish to proceed to the closed runway, inform the aircraft that take off/landing clearance cannot be issued and to proceed with the operation "at pilots own risk".
6. If an aircraft proceeds at own risk, continue to provide normal approach services to the FAF for arriving aircraft, or for departing aircraft, provide IFR or VFR clearance as applicable. DO NOT clear the aircraft to take off or land.
Example:

ATC: "Oakland Airport closed to due to ground emergency. Recommend divert to San Jose. You also have the option hold at ECA until the airport re-opens, estimate 0145 zulu. State intentions when able."

Pilot: "We'd like to hold for landing at Oakland."

ATC: "Cleared to ECA, hold northeast of ECA on the 049 radial, 1-minute legs, right turns, expect further clearance 0145 zulu"
Intercept and Escort Tasking of Military/Government Aircraft.

CTR controllers may request tasking of a military/government aircraft/flight to escort a distressed aircraft or intercept an intruder per CPS_011 shall follow these procedures:
1. Confirm capabilities and conditions.
  - For distress situations verify that the distressed aircraft is in VMC.
  - Ask the escort aircraft/flight if it is available and capable for tasking for an escort mission and provide approximate range and bearing to the interception/escort target.
  - Verify that the escort aircraft/flight leader is TCAS equipped.
2. Execute Interception.
  - The escort aircract/flight leader shall be instructed to squawk 7777.
  - The escort aircraft/flight leader shall be vectored to visual range. If visual contact is not established within 5 miles the mission shall be terminated.
  - TCAS identification must occur during the interception and be maintained throughout the mission.
  - Once visual contact is established the escort aircraft/flight leader shall declare MARSA (military assumes responsibility for separation of aircraft). Eg: "Navy 178, flight of two, is MARSA."
3. Escort of Distressed aircraft.
  - ATC shall vector the distressed aircraft to a suitable airport.
  - The escort/flight leader should terminate the escort prior to the distressed aircraft entering the traffic pattern.
4. Escort/Identification of Intruder.
  - The interceptor shall attempt to identify the type of aircraft.
  - Once identified, the interceptor may request to terminate the mission, or ATC may instruct termination.
5. Termination.
  - The escort/flight leader shall break away from the distressed aircraft/intruder.
  - Upon termination, ATC shall assign a beacon code the aircraft/flight.
  - Once ATC has established proper separation, ATC shall advise MARSA is terminated and provide a diverging vector from the escorted aircraft, then arrange for clearance to return to base. Example: "Navy 178 flight, radar contact 12 miles south of SWR. MARSA Terminated. Fly heading 140."
Search and Rescue (SAR) and Aeromedical Evacuation Tasking.
1. CTR controllers may request tasking of a military/government aircraft/flight to conduct searches for simulated downed aircraft or aeromedical evacuation of simulated casualties or possible casualties.
2. Provide range and bearing to the incident site and ask the aircraft if it is capable of accepting the mission.
3. Provide vectors to the incident under VFR or IFR as WX conditions dictate. The SAR aircraft must be capable of maintaining VFR while conducting a SAR mission, and should be released for VFR flight upon reaching the incident area.
4. If simulated casualties are to be evacuated, provide radar vectors or an IFR clearance to a suitable support airfield as WX conditions dictate.

PILOT-INITIATED SPECIAL SITUATIONS:

Emergencies.
1. Pilots declaring a "distress" situation (emergency) shall be vectored to the closest airport that meets runway length and instrument approach requirements as requested by the pilot. However, if the situation permits, the aircraft shall be vectored to an military airfield or a secondary airport, so as not to disrupt primary arrival flows.
2. Aircraft declaring an "urgency" situation (potential emergency) shall be offered vectors to the closest airport that meets runway length and instrument approach requirements as requested by the pilot. If the pilot declines the vectors, he shall be expected to continue per last clearance.
Lost Communications Beacon Code.

An aircraft squawking 7600 that does not appear to be on text or voice comms shall be contacted via private message. Controllers should check voice program (roger-wilco) and text frequency.
Utilization of Special Use Airspace (SUA).
1. Regardless of real-world published times of operation, Special Use Airspace shall not be considered "hot" unless it has been scheduled by military/government aircraft as described below. Except, certain SUA over national security items (e.g. Livermore National Labs) shall be considered permanently active. Permanently active SUA shall be indicated in the fixed GEO section of ZOA sector files. "Reservable" SUA shall be indicted in the SID section of the ZOA sector files.
2. Military pilots wishing to conduct free flight for tactical training should request reservation of SUA. The reservation may be submitted in real time, however, should be obtained prior to entry into the SUA, and when possible, during call for departure clearance.
3. Military aircraft shall schedule use of the SUA to OAK_CTR when airborne, but may submit the request through local ATC prior to departure. Local ATC (DEL/GND/TWR/APP) shall pass the request through to OAK_CTR.
4. ATC shall not deny use of the SUA when no other operations are scheduled. Multiple flight/units, conducting joint operations may be cleared into the same SUA, so long as they have coordinated between themselves.
5. Flights shall be cleared to/from SUA via entry exit fixes associated with the SUA.
6. ATC shall provide advisories to keep military aircraft within the SUA on a workload permitting basis.
7. ATC shall assign beacon code 4000 or discrete code 400x to aircraft or flight leaders operating within SUA. In addtion, ATC may optionally tag the aircraft with the scratchpad entry "SUA" per SOP-020.
8. MARSA is assumed to be in effect when aircraft have crossed the entry fix.
9. ATC shall instruct military aircraft entering the SUA to maintain VFR, advise that frequency change is approved, and to contact OAK_CTR for IFR clearance, if needed, 5 minutes prior to exiting the SUA. Example: "Navy 178, flight of two, entering FOOTHILL MOA. Radar service terminated. Frequency change approved. Contact OAK_CTR on 132.2 for IFR 5 minutes prior to exiting the MOA."
10. Upon exiting the SUA, ATC shall issue a discrete beacon code, shall radar identify and resume separation responsibilities, and advise the aircraft/flight that MARSA is terminated. Example: "Navy 178 and Flight, radar contact 12 miles south of SWR. State intentions."
11. Aircraft conducting tactical training within the SUA are exempt from standard speed restrictions.
12. Aircraft conducting tactical training within the SUA are exempt from IFR operation and altitudes.
13. ATC shall inform any aircraft of the "hot status" of any SUA upon request. Example: "Maxwell MOA is 'hot' 11000 to not include FL180."
14. ATC shall announce a use the phrase "whiskey alert", with a traffic advisory, to notify military aircraft of unauthorized penetration of the SUA (spill-in condition).
In-Flight Refueling.

ZOA ARTCC Controllers shall only clear aerial refueling operations in accordance with LOAs with IAMPSO organizations. Other military aircraft shall not be cleared to conduct these operations.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION AND PROCEDURES:

MARSA.
1. MARSA may only be applied to military operations specified per LOA or ZOA ARTCC SOPs.
2. Application of MARSA is a military command prerogative, meaning it may not be be invoked indiscriminately by individual units or pilots. However all military formation flights are implied to be operating under MARSA between members in the formation.
3. ATC facilities do not invoke or deny MARSA. Their sole responsibility concerning the use of MARSA is to provide separation between military aircraft engaged in MARSA operations and other nonparticipating IFR aircraft.
Aircraft Communications during Special Operations.
1. Aircraft conducting operations in accordance with this SOP shall not use their assigned ATC frequency for air-to-air communications or military air-to-ground communications.
2. Aircraft capable of text and voice communications should use one system to maintain communications as required with ATC, and the other for air-to-air or military air-to-ground communications. For a flight of aircraft, only the flight leader is required to maintain contact with ATC.
Aerial Refueling Operations (ARO).

To simplify aerial refueling operations coordination, ARO shall only be conducted or at/above F390 over land and within 30nm of land.
Special Use Airspace classifications and application within ZOA.
1. Restricted Airspace.
  
  Restricted airspace is defined as being "joint-use" (between civil and military users) or "non-joint-use". All restricted airspace within ZOA is "joint-use". Therefore the following procedures apply:
  1. If the restricted area is not active, OAK_CTR will allow the aircraft to operate in the restricted airspace without issuing specific clearance for it to do so.
  2. If the restricted area is active (in use by virtual military/government agency), the ATC facility will issue a clearance which will ensure the aircraft avoids the restricted airspace.
2. Warning Areas.
  
  Warning Areas are offshore areas allocated for military use.
  1. Civil aircraft may enter at their own risk. ATC shall not prohibit them from entering the airspace, however OAK_CTR shall advise any such aircraft when the Warning Area is in use.
  2. OAK_CTR shall be aware that some oceanic arrival routings to/from R463.ALCOA will pass through W-513 and the southern edge of W-260. OAK_CTR must coordinate the safe passage of the aircraft when the Warning area is in use, either by issuing vectors or limiting clearances to the Oceanic flight, or restricting the military operations.
3. Military Operating Areas (MOAs).
  
  MOAs consist of airspace of defined vertical and lateral limits established for the purpose of separating certain military training activities from IFR traffic. The following procedures apply:
  1. Whenever a MOA is being used, nonparticipating IFR traffic may be cleared through a MOA if IFR separation can be provided by ATC. Otherwise, ATC will reroute or restrict nonparticipating IFR traffic.
  2. Most training activities necessitate acrobatic or abrupt flight maneuvers. Military pilots conducting flight in virtual military aircraft within a designated and active MOA are exempted from the provisions of FAR 91.303(c) and (d) which prohibit acrobatic flight within Federal airways and Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class E surface areas.
  3. Pilots operating under VFR should exercise extreme caution while flying within a MOA when military activity is being conducted, however ATC shall not prohibit this activity. Prior to entering an active MOA, civil pilots should contact the controlling agency for traffic advisories.