Essential Tips from Air Traffic Controllers

Recently, I had the opportunity to tour the Potomac TRACON facility in Warrenton, Virginia, which serves as the approach control facility for the Washington, DC region. This tour was part of FAA's Operation Rain Check, a public initiative that allows individuals to learn more about the inner workings of air traffic control. During our visit, we gathered invaluable insights from the controllers on how we pilots can make both our jobs and theirs easier. Below are some key takeaways.

Don't Get Too Close to the Bravo Airspace

One of the first tips we learned was a crucial one: don’t get too close to Bravo airspace. In training, we hear a lot about the legalities of staying out of Bravo and other types of airspace without proper clearance. However, what keeps us legal doesn’t always ensure our safety.

For instance, let’s consider a scenario where we’re flying westbound at 2,900 feet, just north of Dulles Airport. The Bravo airspace begins at 3,000 feet, meaning we’re just 100 feet below the legal limit. But what’s happening in that corridor of airspace? To the south are the triple parallel runways of Dulles that we’re crossing the extended centerlines of. This area hosts a common arrival route used by aircraft landing at Dulles, known as the Maple 3 arrival.

At 2,900 MSL, we're below the Bravo, but cutting right underneath the arrivals corridor used by the heavy iron going into runway 19 left, center, and right.

Aviation sectional chart near Dulles Airport with arrivals corridor overlaid

These three interior legs set up aircraft for landing on Runways 19 Left, Center, and Right. The minimum altitudes for the approach fixes DADEY and IZUMI are both 3,000 feet. So, at 2,900 feet, we’re just below the Big Iron. Let’s look at a recent Ethiopian Airlines flight that came in from Rome; its assigned arrival was indeed the Maple 3, and it flew at 3,000 feet between DADEY and IZUMI. Imagine looking to your right and seeing a Boeing 777 flying just 100 feet above you. The mandatory IFR separation is 1,000 feet, making this a pretty tight squeeze.

As you can see from this Boeing 777 coming in on the corridor at 3,000 feet, you'd be awfully close to them, though legal, at 2,900 MSL.

ATC Can't See Weather

Another important takeaway was that ATC can’t see weather unless there’s active precipitation falling to the ground. This is applicable to all radar weather, especially for controllers working in windowless facilities.

Picture this: we’re flying at 2,000 feet and staring at a towering cumulus cloud. It might take some special knowledge but let's say we know that this cloud sits right on top of the arrivals for BWI Airport over the CAPKO intersection. Even if we were unaware, ATC would appreciate a quick report of towering cumulus clouds over CAPKO, as this information can be relayed to arriving aircraft who may need to hold or vector away until the weather clears.

When we check our Nexrad weather radar, we see nothing—so neither would ATC. So, if you spot significant weather, let ATC know. For our own safety, we should also steer clear of those angry clouds.

Use On Course Headings

Lastly, we learned the importance of using on course headings when communicating with ATC about our desired route. For example, if we plan a VFR flight between two airports, and the direct route would take us right through a restricted area, We can instead find a fix that allows us to navigate around the restriction.

When we ask ATC for flight following, we can specify that we’ll be flying an initial on course heading of 025°. This heading can be easily identified in our flight plan or by using the ruler feature on ForeFlight. When we ask to go direct to a fix or airport far from the controller's area, they might not be familiar with it. But everyone understands what an on course heading of 210° or 040° means. It simplifies communication and reduces confusion.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the insightful tips we gathered from our time at Potomac TRACON. The knowledge shared by the controllers is invaluable for us as pilots. They help us navigate the skies more safely and efficiently, and by implementing these tips, we can enhance our flying experience while also making their jobs easier.

Have you heard any other tips from ATC? Or would you like to hear more insights? As always, check out our full ground school programs at FlightInsight for more in-depth knowledge that can make you a better pilot.