Minimum radar separation range of a particular radar source depends on the azimuth error distribution of the radar source. One radar may be good for 3nm at 50 miles, another 3nm at only 40nm (for example). Each radar source (well, NATS one anyway) has a published separation range for 3nm, 5nm and 10nm, where appropriate. I wasn't aware of general figures being used, unless in a unit's MATS Pt2(?).

It also depends if you are separating SSR from SSR, SSR from PSR and (worst case) PSR from PSR.

Then there's MRT........:}

RS

And to quote an ex-colleague, "Traffic is well clear on radar. You will miss him in the turn"

That was before the days that the radar picture was recorded, of course. We wouldn't get away with that now would we? :E

Just been looking at Monday morning's LHR Webtrak as I was quite amazed with the busy sky outside my East London kitchen window while I was masterminding a bank holiday fry-up! Both LHR and LCY were on westerlies.

Having tired of reconciling the LHR inbounds I'd seen decending to 4000 with the (unplotted by Webtrak) LCY outbounds I'd seen launching beneath them I then noticed how the separations really do decline surprisingly sometimes from around that 13nm mark on the ILS.

I found one instance of number 1 with a (spurious?) final readout of 87kts at 308 feet :eek: with number 5 following up at 175 kts already overhead Brixton! And still they kept coming! Actually the "number 4" so to speak was on the parallel 27R with the others on 27L. It wasn't IMC, but evenso it implies Roffa's MATS Pt 2 must surely get well thumbed !

You still here and going on about LHR and LCY?

I'm afraid all it implies is that Webtrak isn't an approved surveillance radar system so believe exactly what it shows you at your peril.

Meantime I'll stick to actually knowing the rules and using the kosher equipment.

p.s. the Pt 2 is mostly distributed on a CD these days.

Oh:8
... Well I hope said cd is distributed with a nice pair of white gloves - otherwise we might imagine the thumb prints might get in the way of the rule when you least expect it :ok::p

Yep still here on high days and holidays at about 16DME :ok::ok:

I've had 1/2 nm at FL350. Both pilots had each other in sight (2 x DC8) and were happy for a visual climbthrough.

Lon More

The chap in question... didn't have the initials G.P. by any chance?

Radar separation? Eezy peezy. Get half an inch between blips on the tube. If things look a bit tight, just drop down a range - bingo! Separation regained. :E:E