Label Handoff and Frequency Change Question

[av8boy]

Dave, I read your post that if jurisdiction isnt accepted, then you have to vector around the airspace. So the question was for ANSA. (as an aside, does that ever happen?)

Yes it does happen, ferris. However, it is incredibly rare.

As an approach controller handing-off to the Center, it can happen when an aircraft is approaching the lateral boundary of my airspace* or the vertical boundary (130), and perhaps the vertical is a better example. When the tower issues a clearance it says something to the effect of “…maintain five thousand, expect flight level 310 one-zero minutes after departure…” Assuming that traffic permits, when I get the aircraft and radar identify him, I climb him to 130. Depending on his rate of climb, and again, assuming he’s headed out of my airspace vertically rather than laterally, I may initiate a handoff as he’s out of 8.5 or so. Note that the aircraft is still stopped at 130. When the Center takes the handoff, under a memorandum of understanding, I am to climb him to, say, 210 (and he'll get higher from the Center when the low sector hands-off to the high sector, but because I've got my filters set so as to exclude that, I never see it). So, once the handoff has been accepted by the Center, I issue the climb to 210 and the frequency change. If the handoff is not taken by the Center, the guy is still stopped at 130 until we get it sorted-out on the land line.

Aircraft approaching the lateral boundary of my airspace are treated the same way: if the handoff is not accepted by the Center, then I can’t enter the Center’s airspace with the guy. On this side of the pond it would be inconceivable to do it any other way. Yes, that can mean spinning the guy, but that’s the way it is. However, as I said, that scenario is exceedingly rare. In 26 years I’d bet I’ve seen it no more than a handful of times, and even then, coordination is almost always completed before the aircraft gets established in the turn.

If the handoff is not accepted by the Center and the aircraft is approaching the boundary, either the departure coordinator or I am yelling on the shout line at the Center sector in question. That pretty much does it. But here’s the rub: turning an aircraft to keep him in my airspace (or the Center or another approach sector doing the same to keep an aircraft out of my airspace) happens so rarely because it’s almost always a case of the other controller not noticing the flashing target approaching the boundary. Spinning the aircraft is not a substitute for flow control—if my airspace is saturated I’m not going to just ignore handoffs. That’s stupid and will result in that Center controller having a large flock of aircraft circling at the boundary, my boss asking me what the hell my major malfunction is, and my well-being threatened next time I visit the Center. This being the case, I’m going to solve my problem by having appropriate management employ some sort of flow. Same thing the other way—if the Center is up to its ears in aircraft, it’s not going to ignore my handoff. It’s going to implement some sort of flow.

Also, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody vector around my airspace, especially on the basis of my not accepting a handoff. That would be absurd. If I’m saturated and the Center has someone who needs to transition my airspace, the Center may climb him above my airspace if possible and solve the problem that way, but vector around and add 100 miles to the trip? No sir. Ain’t gonna happen.

BTW, I'm not implying that this model should be the standard elsewhere. I'm just explaining how my world works over here.

Hope that helps.

Dave


*Which always reminds me of the admonition I received from a pilot one day upon using the “my airspace” term-of-art in casual conversation with him… He said, “it’s not your airspace, it’s our airspace. You just control aircraft in it.” Fair enough—I’m as service-oriented as we come. However, as shorthand among us ATCers, it is unrivaled.