Mil LARS
Hey all, an opinion from a military LARS controller...
Thought I'd mention that a 'Radar Service' doesnt necessarily imply Radar Control. Radar services include Traffic Service, Deconfliction Service (both available in and out of CAS), and finally Radar Control which is used within CAS. Thus DS and TS can be used within CAS also. RCS merely gives the Area controller more certainty as to the ac flight profile, and they are responsible for providing a safe transit through CAS. What it does mean is that the civil sectors can co-ordinate against an ac under RCS in the knowledge that it will not deviate from its assigned hdg & alt/FL. On a DS one may ask for a change of hdg/alt/etc; on a TS one should advise before commencing the ammendment; on a BS do as one pleases :-)!
What is interesting here is that by the controller saying '...radar service' they may have simply upgraded a BS to a TS providing the track and alt are within the limitations of TS i.e. above terrain safe level (or warned that one is 'below TSL you are responsible for taking your own terrain separation', and the ac is correctly 'identified' (something that the controller is not obliged to inform you of on a Basic Service, even though by assigning a 3A code positive ident exists).
Another third key point is that a Procedural Service and BS are not radar services as each aircraft are not required to be monitored on a radar console or identified at all - unlikely on a mil console (cant speak for civvies). Or even if positive ident cannot be achieved you may hear 'G-CD traffic believed to be you has traffic 12 o'clock 2 miles manoeuvring no height information believed to be a windfarm.' From a military LARS perspective BS and TS are treated very similar. We tend to provide BS traffic with as much attention as everyone else with the exceptions of formal identification or a blip that dissappears into areas of high radar clutter.
To add to the Mil class D dit: purely East coast myself, I've never worked with class D, but I'm reliably informed that it is established around Lyneham and Brize due to the size and pax carrying capacity of the aircraft types; logical?
In practice the Lyneham/Brize class D is nothing more than an extravagant MATZ, the difference being that they can provide (and often do) SVFR clearances. In fact the controllers at Lyneham/Brize are only required to complete the Terminal ATC training course, and as such will not have used RCS (unless coming from an Area tour in which case they would have completed the corresponding training course). Either way mil terminal units will not provide RCS when a DS, TS, or SVFR clr will do :-p
Well, sun seems to be shining so its off to the club for a tour of Norfolk today... anyone at Old Buckenham fancy a bacon butty?
SL