Originally Posted by Kirk Biddlecombe
But area is surely similar? (In the sense that the job is to vector/climb/descend... aircraft no?)
Nope, quite different. Area control is about funnelling large numbers of aircraft along airways and making sure that they get their climb and descent at appropriate times, whilst dodging slower aircraft on the same route, and other aircraft from the opposite direction and crossing tracks. The aircraft
generally don't change direction that much, although they require vectors to maintain separation against other aircraft. To process the high volumes of traffic in an area control sector requires a lot of procedural planning and separation, whereas approach radar is more of a close-in knife-fight with fewer aircraft, but using radar more and working to closer tolerances of separation than an area controller, using vectors and speed control to keep a finely tuned sequence moving without wasting any space.
If I make area sound like more of a blunt art than approach, well don't let me mislead you. Whilst approach radar requires more finesse and precision, area is the harder discipline to master, and has it's own particular rewards.