1. PURPOSE.

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) outlines the procedures to be used by controllers working Norcal Approach "Delta" Sector, the primary airport KSMF, and satellite airports, to ensure that traffic flows are handled in as efficient and timely a manner as possible. By specifying standard handoff points, departure and arrival routes, coordination between adjacent facilities may be greatly reduced.

2. 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.

3. DISTRIBUTION.

This SOP is intended for use by controllers staffing positions within Norcal TRACON "Delta" sector airspace, as well as controllers working at positions interfacing with Norcal TRACON "Delta" sector facilities

4. BACKGROUND.

Over time, controllers have found that having aircraft arrive via pre-approved arrival routes, either by STAR’s (Standard Terminal Arrival Routes) or via vectors through pre-determined arrival fixes, provides for a more orderly traffic flow, and reduces the need for communication between Sacramento Approach and other Sacramento TRACON and ZOA Center positions. It is also vitally important that all facilities understand what an airplane is going to do (i.e., what altitude he has been cleared to) when he approaches an adjacent controller's airspace. These procedures outline what instructions pilots will be issued as they go from controller to controller.

5. Primary Responsibilities.

The primary responsibilities of Norcal TRACON "Delta" Sector are the sequencing of Sacramento area arrivals and separation of Sacramento area departures.

6. PROCEDURES.

a. Frequencies and Callsigns

1. Norcal approach "Delta" sector shall use 125.25 as its frequency, SMF_APP as text callsign, and "Norcal Approach" for arriving traffic and "Norcal Departure" for departing traffic as voice callsign.

2. Frequencies for secondary airports should be determined from appropriate publications.

b. Airspace and Sectorization Plan:

1. SMF_APP shall own the airspace within the lateral limits depicted on this graphic, from surface to FL190, except all actively manned Class D airspace within the lateral limits.

2. No departure control or further sub-sectorization is approved.

3. The Sector files authorized for use in operating this sector is the certified Center sector file available on the "downloads" page of the ZOA ARTCC web site.

c. Release Procedures and Runway Use Plans

1. The active runway plan will be determined by SMF_TWR per SOP_050. Normal prevailing winds are from the north.

2. Departure release procedures with SMF_TWR will only be in use upon request by SMF_APP.

3. To insure no conflicts with SMF departures, releases must be obtained for all secondary airports from the radar facility managing departures.

d. Special Instructions:

1. Aircraft arriving with flight plans indicating “NO STAR” (or those that have not filed for an approved STAR) shall be have their clearances amended to approved STAR’s listed in this SOP, so that all traffic is placed on consistent arrivals streams.

2. Aircraft filing “NO SID” (or those that have not filed for an approved SID) shall have their clearances amended to approved SID’s listed in this SOP, so that all traffic is placed on consistent departure streams.

3. Departures from KSAC, KMHR, and KMCC and all secondary airports shall be issued initial climbs of 5000. Releases must be obtained from the radar facility managing departures. The departure controller must exercise caution to separate the operations from the WRAPS5 arrival and FROGO6 and DUDES9 departure streams.

4. Visual approaches are commonly used for IFR arrivals during VMC. All entries to downwind legs shall be made at or above 3000 and to the west of the field.

5. Norcal "Delta" Sector is responsible for the operation of both the Sacramento and Beale Class Charlie airspaces.

e. North Operations:

1. General. To the south of the field, CCR1 and WRAPS5 Arrival streams will be merged prior to ELKOE and should be at 2600 by ELKOE for a final vector to ILS 34L. To the north, the TUDOR1 arrivals will be taken off the STAR at TUDOR and merged with FLUNK3 arrivals, which shall be vectored south on the west side of the field to enter a left downwind at or above 3000. Arrival runway will be assigned based on where the aircraft will park - see (6)(f)(1).

2. CCR1 arrivals are received from CCR_APP with instructions to "descend and maintain 6000, depart ISYOH heading 020." Aircraft for ILS 34L shall be descended to 2600 and vectored for a left base to join the localizer prior to ELKOE. Aircraft for GPS 34L/R shall be vectored direct SAC and cleared for the approach.

3. FLUNK3 arrivals are received from OAK_C_CTR with instructions to cross FLUNK at 11000 on a fixed pointout to OAK_B_CTR. Aircraft shall be descended to 6000 departing FLUNK. Aircraft shall be instructed to "depart TENCO heading 255, descend and maintain 3000." Aircraft shall then be vectored to enter a left downwind at or above 3000, merged with base leg traffic of the CCR1/WRAPS5 stream and vectored to join the localizer prior to ELMAC.

4. TUDOR1 arrivals on the LMT or LKV transitions will be received from OAK_C_CTR with instructions to cross BOWLS at 12000. Arrivals on the RBL transition will be received from OAK_C_CTR with instructions to cross PIECH at 10000. Arrivals on the ILA transition will be received from OAK_CTR with instructions to cross ILA at 10000. Aircraft shall be descended to 3000 prior to TUDOR and instructed to "depart TUDOR on a heading of 180" to enter a left downwind at or above 3000, then merged with base leg traffic of the CCR1/WRAPS5 stream and vectored to join the localizer (ILS) or cleared for the approach (visual, NDB) prior to ELMAC.

5. WRAPS5 arrivals are received from MOD_APP with instructions to cross TWANE at 11000. Aircraft shall be descended to 3000 departing SAC. Aircraft for ILS 34L shall be descended to 2600 and cleared for the approach prior to ELMAC. Aircraft for NDB/GPS 34L/R shall be vectored direct SAC and cleared for the approach.

6. Missed Approaches can be executed per the published procedures or alternately climbed to 3100 on runway heading to be given a left turn and merged with the TUDOR1/FLUNK3 stream. If the published procedures are issued (which will place the aircraft at 1800 on the east side of the field), extreme care should be taken to separate northbound vectored departures climbing through 2000.

7. DUDES9 departures shall proceed under pilot navigation. FMG and LLC transitions shall be handed-off to OAK_C_CTR, MVA transitions shall be handed to OAK_B_CTR.

8. FROGO6 departures shall proceed under pilot navigation, and handed-off to OAK_B_CTR.

9. Northbound departures shall be issued runway heading and expect vectors to RBL. Aircraft shall be vectored to heading 300, then vectored direct to RBL and climbed to FL190 when clear of the downwind arrival stream. Aircraft shall be handed to OAK_C_CTR.

f. South Operations:

1. General. On the west side of the field, CCR1 and WRAPS5 Arrival streams will be merged at ELKOE and must remain at or above 3000 entering the downwind leg to clear vectored prop departures below them at 2000. To the north, the TUDOR1 arrivals will need to be merged with CCR1 and WRAPS5 arrivals turning base. Visual approaches shall be the preferred method of arrival in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC), with arrival runway assignment based on where the aircraft is parking. SWA, AWE, DAL, HAL, COA and JBU park at Terminal A and should be assigned runway 16L. Everyone else parks either at Terminal B, Air Cargo or General Aviation and should be assigned runway 16R.

2. CCR1 arrivals are received from CCR_APP with instructions to descend to 10000. Aircraft shall be descended below 10000 by SAC R-257. Aircraft shall be instructed to "Descend and maintain 4000." Aircraft for the visual runways 16L/R shall be instructed to "Turn Base leg at or above 3000" and cleared for the visual approach. Aircraft for the ILS runways 16L/R will be turned right heading 070, descended to 3000 on a base leg, and vectored to join the localizer. Aircraft for NDB 16L will fly the downwind after ELKOE at or above 3000, then when abeam METRE, turned direct METRE to execute the published hold procedure turn and cleared for the approach.

3. FLUNK3 arrivals are received from OAK_C_CTR with instructions to cross FLUNK at 11000 on a fixed pointout to OAK_B_CTR. Aircraft shall be instructed "After FLUNK descend and maintain 6000." Aircraft for the ILS / Visual 16L/R shall depart TENCO heading 255 and be descended to 2000 to join the localizer.

4. TUDOR1 arrivals on the LMT or LKV transitions will be received from OAK_C_CTR with instructions to cross BOWLS at 12,000'. Arrivals on the RBL transition will be received from OAK_C_CTR with instructions to cross PIECH at 10000. Arrivals on the ILA transition will be received from OAK_C_CTR with instructions to cross ILA at 10,000'. Aircraft shall be descended to 3000 prior to TUDOR. Aircraft on the LMT, LKV, or RBL transitions shall be instructed to "descend and maintain 1800 until established" and cleared for the ILS approach departing TUDOR. Aircraft on the ILA transition shall be descended to 2000 by GRIME and vectored to join the localizer.

5. WRAPS5 arrivals are received from MOD_APP with instructions to cross TWANE at 11000. Departing TWANE, aircraft shall be instructed to "descend and maintain 10000." Departing SAC, aircraft shall then be instructed "descend and maintain 4000." Aircraft for the Visual approach runways 16L/R may be cleared for the approach from the right downwind with instructions to "Turn base at or above 3000." Aircraft for ILS 16R/L should be heading 340 after ELKOE as published for a right downwind leg, then turned to join the localizer outside the FAF. Aircraft for NDB 16L shall be turned direct METRE when abeam METRE to execute the published hold procedure turn and cleared for the approach.

6. Missed Approaches can be executed per the published procedures or alternately climbed to 3000 on runway heading to be given a right turn and merged with the CCR1/WRAPS5 stream. Care should be taken to separate northbound vectored departures.

7. DUDES9 departures shall proceed under pilot navigation. FMG and LLC transitions shall be handed-off to OAK_C_CTR, MVA transitions shall be handed to OAK_B_CTR.

8. FROGO6 departures shall proceed under pilot navigation, and handed-off to OAK_B_CTR.

9. Northbound departures will be recieved from SMF_TWR in a left turn to heading 010. They shall be vectored direct to RBL when able and climbed to FL190 when clear of any arrival traffic on the FLUNK3. These aircraft shall be handed to OAK_C_CTR.

g. Beale AFB Operations:

1. Departure releases must be obtained by BAB_TWR for operations from runway 15 at all times, and for runway 33 at the request of SMF_APP. This shall protect FLUNK3 and TUDOR1 arrivals to KSMF.

2. The vZOA vUSAF LOA authorizes a Radar Final Approach Control (RFC) Facility which shall operate as BAB_FC_APP on 124.55. When this position is active, SMF_APP shall delegate the airspace contained in the Beale Class C to BAB_FC_APP.

3. SMF_APP shall hand no more than 2 aircraft to BAB_FC_APP at a time.

4. SMF_APP shall handle all BAB departures on a fixed point-out with BAB_FC_APP, thru the Beale Class C.

5. SMF_APP shall alert BAB_FC_APP by interphone (chatbox) of all aircraft requesting a PAR approach.

6. BAB_FC_APP shall instruct all missed approaches to "fly runway heading, c/m 3000" and handoff the aircraft to SMF_APP for re-sequencing.

h. IFR Low Altitude Routing:

The following are low altitude preferred routes for the SMF region to the Bay Region:

The following are low altitude preferred routes for the Norcal "E" sector region to the Stockton Region:

i. Additional Comments:

1. The METRO1 departure is obsolete and is not to be used.

2. SWR1 arrivals to SUU may briefly pass through SMF_APP airspace on a fixed pointout at 11000.