Section 3. Airport Conditions
3-3-1. LANDING AREA CONDITION
If you observe or are informed of any condition which
affects the safe use of a landing area:
NOTE-
1. The airport management/military operations office is
responsible for observing and reporting the condition of
the landing area.
2. It is the responsibility of the agency operating the
airport to provide the tower with current information
regarding airport conditions.
3. A disabled aircraft on a runway, after occupants are
clear, is normally handled by flight standards and airport
management/military operations office personnel in the
same manner as any obstruction; e.g., construction
equipment.
a. Relay the information to the airport manager/military operations office concerned.
b. Copy verbatim any information received and
record the name of the person submitting it.
c. Confirm information obtained from other than
authorized airport or FAA personnel unless this
function is the responsibility of the military
operations office.
NOTE-
Civil airport managers are required to provide a list of
airport employees who are authorized to issue information
concerning conditions affecting the safe use of the airport.
d. If you are unable to contact the airport
management or operator, issue a NOTAM publicizing an unsafe condition and inform the management
or operator as soon as practicable.
EXAMPLE-
"DISABLED AIRCRAFT ON RUNWAY.''
NOTE-
1. Legally, only the airport management/military operations office can close a runway.
2. Military controllers are not authorized to issue
NOTAMs. It is the responsibility of the military operations
office.
e. Issue to aircraft only factual information, as
reported by the airport management concerning the
condition of the runway surface, describing the
accumulation of precipitation.
EXAMPLE-
"ALL RUNWAYS COVERED BY COMPACTED SNOW
SIX INCHES DEEP."
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 4-7-12, Airport Conditions.
3-3-2. CLOSED/UNSAFE RUNWAY
INFORMATION
If an aircraft requests to takeoff, land, or
touch-and-go on a closed or unsafe runway, inform
the pilot the runway is closed or unsafe, and
a. If the pilot persists in his/her request, quote
him/her the appropriate parts of the NOTAM
applying to the runway and inform him/her that a
clearance cannot be issued.
b. Then, if the pilot insists and in your opinion the
intended operation would not adversely affect other
traffic, inform him/her that the operation will be at
his/her own risk.
PHRASEOLOGY-
RUNWAY (runway number) CLOSED/UNSAFE.
If appropriate, (quote NOTAM information),
UNABLE TO ISSUE DEPARTURE/LANDING/TOUCH-AND-GO CLEARANCE.
DEPARTURE/LANDING/TOUCH-AND-GO WILL BE
AT YOUR OWN RISK.
c. Except as permitted by para 4-8-7,
Side-step Maneuver, where parallel runways are
served by separate ILS/MLS systems and one of the
runways is closed, the ILS/MLS associated with the
closed runway should not be used for approaches
unless not using the ILS/MLS would have an adverse
impact on the operational efficiency of the airport.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 3-10-5, Landing Clearance.
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 4-7-12, Airport Conditions.
3-3-3. TIMELY INFORMATION
Issue airport condition information necessary for an
aircraft's safe operation in time for it to be useful to
the pilot. Include the following, as appropriate:
a. Construction work on or immediately adjacent
to the movement area.
b. Rough portions of the movement area.
c. Braking conditions caused by ice, snow, slush,
or water.
d. Snowdrifts or piles of snow on or along the
edges of the area and the extent of any plowed area.
e. Parked aircraft on the movement area.
f. Irregular operation of part or all of the airport
lighting system.
g. Volcanic ash on any airport surface area and
whether the ash is wet or dry (if known).
NOTE-
Braking action on wet ash may be degraded. Dry ash on the
runway may necessitate minimum use of reverse thrust.
h. Other pertinent airport conditions.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 4-7-12, Airport Conditions.
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 2-1-9, Reporting Essential Flight
Information.
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 3-10-10, Altitude Restricted Low
Approach.
3-3-4. BRAKING ACTION
Furnish quality of braking action, as received from
pilots or the airport management, to all aircraft as
follows:
a. Describe the quality of braking action using the
terms "good," "fair," "poor," "nil," or a combination
of these terms. If the pilot or airport management
reports braking action in other than the foregoing
terms, ask him/her to categorize braking action in
these terms.
NOTE-
The term "nil" is used to indicate bad or no braking action.
b. Include type of aircraft or vehicle from which
the report is received.
EXAMPLE-
"Braking action fair to poor, reported by a heavy D-C
Ten."
"Braking action poor, reported by a Boeing Seven
Twenty-Seven."
c. If the braking action report affects only a portion
of a runway, obtain enough information from the pilot
or airport management to describe the braking action
in terms easily understood by the pilot.
EXAMPLE-
"Braking action poor first half of runway, reported by a
Lockheed Ten Eleven."
"Braking action poor beyond the intersection of runway
two seven, reported by a Boeing Seven Twenty-Seven."
NOTE-
Descriptive terms, such as the first or the last half of the
runway, should normally be used rather than landmark
descriptions, such as opposite the fire station, south of a
taxiway, etc. Landmarks extraneous to the landing runway
are difficult to distinguish during low visibility, at night, or
anytime a pilot is busy landing an aircraft.
d. Furnish runway friction measurement readings/values as received from airport management to
aircraft as follows:
1. Furnish information as received from the
airport management to pilots on the ATIS at locations
where friction measuring devices, such as
MU-Meter, Saab Friction Tester (SFT), and
Skiddometer are in use only when the MU values are
40 or less. Use the runway followed by the MU
number for each of the three runway segments, time
of report, and a word describing the cause of the
runway friction problem. Do not issue MU values
when all three segments of the runway have values
reported greater than 40.
EXAMPLE-
"Runway two seven, MU forty-two, forty-one, twenty-eight at one zero one eight Zulu, ice."
2. Issue the runway surface condition and/or the
Runway Condition Reading (RCR), if provided, to all
USAF and ANG aircraft. Issue the RCR to other
aircraft upon pilot request.
EXAMPLE-
"Ice on runway, RCR zero five, patchy."
NOTE-
1. USAF has established RCR procedures for determining
the average deceleration readings of runways under
conditions of water, slush, ice, or snow. The use of the RCR
code is dependent upon the pilot's having a "stopping
capability chart" specifically applicable to his/her
aircraft.
2. USAF offices furnish RCR information at airports
serving USAF and ANG aircraft.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 4-7-12, Airport Conditions.
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 3-3-5, Braking Action Advisories.
3-3-5. BRAKING ACTION ADVISORIES
a. When runway braking action reports are
received from pilots or the airport management which
include the terms "fair," "poor," or "nil" or whenever
weather conditions are conducive to deteriorating or
rapidly changing runway conditions, include on the
ATIS broadcast the statement "Braking Action
Advisories are in effect."
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7210.3, Para 10-4-1, Automatic Terminal Information
Service (ATIS).
b. During the time Braking Action Advisories are
in effect, take the following action:
1. Issue the latest braking action report for the
runway in use to each arriving and departing aircraft
early enough to be of benefit to the pilot. When
possible, include reports from heavy jet aircraft when
the arriving or departing aircraft is a heavy jet.
2. If no report has been received for the runway
of intended use, issue an advisory to that effect.
PHRASEOLOGY-
NO BRAKING ACTION REPORTS RECEIVED FOR
RUNWAY (runway number).
3. Advise the airport management that runway
braking action reports of "fair," "poor," or "nil" have
been received.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7210.3, Para 4-3-1, Letters of Agreement.
4. Solicit PIREPs of runway braking action.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 2-6-3, PIREP Information.
c. Include runway friction measurement/values
received from airport management on the ATIS.
Furnish the information when requested by the pilot
in accordance with para 3-3-4, Braking Action.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 2-9-3, Content.
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 3-9-1, Departure Information.
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 3-10-1, Landing Information.
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 4-7-12, Airport Conditions.
3-3-6. ARRESTING SYSTEM OPERATION
a. For normal operations, arresting systems
remotely controlled by ATC shall remain in the
retracted or down position.
NOTE-
1. USN- Runway Arresting Gear- barriers are not
operated by ATC personnel. Readiness/rigging of the
equipment is the responsibility of the operations
department.
2. A request to raise a barrier or hook cable means the
barrier or cable on the departure end of the runway. If an
approach end engagement is required, the pilot or military
authority will specifically request that the approach end
cable be raised.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7610.4, Chapter 9, Section 3. Aircraft Arresting System,
Single Frequency Approach (SFA), Simulated Flameout
(SFO)/Emergency Landing Pattern (ELP) Operations, Celestial
Navigation (CELNAV) Training, Para 9-3-1 through Para 9-3-8.
b. Raise aircraft arresting systems whenever:
1. Requested by a pilot.
NOTE-
The standard emergency phraseology for a pilot requesting
an arresting system to be raised for immediate engagement
is:
"BARRIER - BARRIER - BARRIER"
or
"CABLE - CABLE - CABLE."
2. Requested by military authority; e.g., airfield
manager, supervisor of flying, mobile control officer,
etc.
NOTE-
USAF. Web barriers at the departure end of the runway may
remain in the up position when requested by the senior
operational commander. The IFR Enroute Supplement and
AP-1 will describe specific barrier configuration. ATC will
advise transient aircraft of the barrier configuration using
the phraseology in subpara c, below.
3. A military jet aircraft is landing with known
or suspected radio failure or conditions (drag
chute/hydraulic/electrical failure, etc.) that indicate
an arresting system may be needed. Exceptions are
authorized for military aircraft which cannot engage
an arresting system (C-9, C-141, C-5, T-39, etc.)
and should be identified in a letter of agreement
and/or appropriate military directive.
c. When requested by military authority due to
freezing weather conditions or malfunction of the
activating mechanism, the barrier/cable may remain
in a raised position provided aircraft are advised.
PHRASEOLOGY-
YOUR DEPARTURE/LANDING WILL BE TOWARD/OVER A RAISED BARRIER/CABLE ON RUNWAY
(number), (location, distance, as appropriate).
d. Inform civil and U.S. Army aircraft whenever
rubber supported cables are in place at the approach
end of the landing runway, and include the distance of
the cables from the threshold. This information may
be omitted if it is published in the "Notices to
Airmen" publication/DOD FLIP.
EXAMPLE-
"Runway One Four arresting cable one thousand feet from
threshold."
e. When arresting system operation has been
requested, inform the pilot of the indicated
barrier/cable position.
PHRASEOLOGY-
(Identification), BARRIER/CABLE INDICATES
UP/DOWN. CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF/TO LAND.
f. Time permitting, advise pilots of the availability
of all arresting systems on the runway in question
when a pilot requests barrier information.
g. If an aircraft engages a raised barrier/cable,
initiate crash alarm procedures immediately.
h. For preplanned practice engagements not
associated with emergencies, crash alarm systems
need not be activated if, in accordance with local
military operating procedures, all required notifications are made before the practice engagement.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 4-7-12, Airport Conditions.
3-3-7. FAR FIELD MONITOR (FFM)
REMOTE STATUS UNIT
a. Background.
1. To meet the demand for more facilities
capable of operating under CAT III weather, Type II
equipment is being upgraded to Integrity Level 3.
This integrity level will support operations which
place a high degree of reliance on ILS guidance for
positioning through touchdown.
2. Installation of the FFM remote status
indicating units is necessary to attain the integrity
necessary to meet internationally agreed upon
reliability values in support of CAT III operations on
Type II ILS equipment. The remote status indicating
unit used in conjunction with Type II equipment adds
a third integrity test; thereby, producing an approach
aid which has integrity capable of providing Level 3
service.
3. The remote status sensing unit, when
installed in the tower cab, will give immediate
indications of localizer out-of-tolerance conditions.
The alarm in the FFM remote status sensing unit
indicates an inoperative or an out-of-tolerance
localizer signal; e.g., the course may have shifted due
to equipment malfunction or vehicle/aircraft
encroachment into the critical area.
b. Procedures.
1. Operation of the FFM remote sensing unit
will be based on the prevailing weather. The FFM
remote sensing unit shall be operational when the
weather is below CAT I ILS minimums.
2. When the weather is less than that required
for CAT I operations, the GRN-27 FFM remote status
sensing unit shall be set at:
(a) "CAT II" when the RVR is less than
2,400 feet.
(b) "CAT III" when the RVR is less than
1,200 feet.
3. When the remote status unit indicates that the
localizer FFM is in alarm (aural warning following
the preset delay) and:
(a) The aircraft is outside the middle marker
(MM), check for encroachment those portions of the
critical area that can be seen from the tower. It is
understood that the entire critical area may not be
visible due to low ceilings and poor visibility. The
check is strictly to determine possible causal factors
for the out-of-tolerance situation. If the alarm has not
cleared prior to the aircraft's arriving at the MM,
immediately issue an advisory that the FFM remote
status sensing unit indicates the localizer is
unreliable.
(b) The aircraft is between the MM and the
inner marker (IM), immediately issue an advisory
that the FFM remote status sensing unit indicates the
localizer is unreliable.
PHRASEOLOGY-
CAUTION, MONITOR INDICATES RUNWAY (number)
LOCALIZER UNRELIABLE.
(c) The aircraft has passed the IM, there is no
action requirement. Although the FFM has been
modified with filters which dampen the effect of false
alarms, you may expect alarms when aircraft are
located between the FFM and the localizer antenna
either on landing or on takeoff.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 4-7-12, Airport Conditions.
|