''The UK SMF is set at 3.5NM or less and 600ft or less. The 600ft figure is based around the possible 400ft MODE C tolerance for levels I guess.''

In TC, where standard separation is 3 miles, the SMF is set at LESS THAN 2NM and/or 600ft or less.

As a former colleague wrote on his CA1261 (shortly before he retired) after cutting it a little fine on LL Approach:

2.00 miles = HERO
1.99 miles = W****R

Glad that we can and do use visual separation over here. Helps to keep aircraft moving... As for in the UK, probably not enough nice days to make it worth while <EG>...

Scott

just think,
you take reduced vertical separation for coordination, and with the allowable Mode C errors, your 500ft turns into 100ft....


now that would be impressive... (or perhaps slightly scary), depends on how you look at it..

500' isn't reduced vertical separation, it's Emergency separation.

i suppose for civvies it would be.... but civvies can take the 500ft if you offer it and they want to..... seem to remember something about in the vicinity of Brize Norton and Lyneham, and something along the lines of "also when re route is impracticable, but this should be an exception rather than routine"...


but still, 2 FJs 100ft in IMC could be interesting...

Up til recently Farnborough worked on a Mil licence using both the JSP 318 and the MATS pt1 - meaning that reduced seperation was allowed (500ft)

Rage,

You're quote of my statement re AREA tolerances sounds like a bit of a dig.

I would quite happily work to 2 miles if I worked on a quarter of my usual range, and all the aircraft did half the speed?

Or maybe I just took ik the wrong way?:ok: