Mats Oral Board Rac 1&2

Front 1

With reference to MATS, explain the meaning of the following words:

a) SHALL

b) SHOULD

c) MAY

d) WILL

Back 1

a) is used when application of the procedure is mandatory.

b) is used when application of the procedure is recommended.

c) is used when application of the procedure is optional.

d) is used to indicate futurity, never to indicate the degree of requirement for application of a procedure.

Front 2

Explain the definitions of the following words and terms:

• Air-taxiing
• AIW Area
• Ceiling
• Essential Traffic
• Hot Spot
• Manoeuvring Area

Back 2

• Movement of a helicopter above th4 surface of an aerodrome, normally in ground effect and at a ground speed of less than 20kt
• An area within controlled airspace that is subject to airspace intrusion warning alert criteria.
• The height above ground or water of the base of the lowest layer of cloud below 20000 feet covering more than half the sky.
• Any controlled traffic that is not separated by the prescribed minima in relation to other controlled flights where separation is required.
• A location on an aerodrome movement area with a history, or potential risk, of collision or runway incursion, and where heighten attention by pilots/drivers is necessary.
• that part of an aerodrome to be used for the take off and landing of aircraft and for the surface movement of aircraft associated with take off and landing but does not include areas set aside for loading, unloading , or maintenance of aircraft.

Front 3

What are the objectives of air traffic control services?

Back 3

• prevent collisions between aircraft
• prevent collisions between aircraft on the manoeuvring area and obstructions on that area
• expedite and maintain an orderly flow of air traffic
• provide advice and information useful for the safe and efficient conduct of flights
• notify appropriate organisations regarding aircraft in need of search and rescue aid, and assist such organisations as required.

Front 4

Explain the responsibility for the provision of an Air Traffic Control Service?

Back 4

The elimination or reduction of delays is an important objective, but expedition must not be permitted to compromise safety.

Front 5

List the divisions of Air Traffic Services?

Back 5

• Aerodrome control service
• Approach control service
• Area control service
• Aerodrome flight information service
• Area flight information service

Front 6

Describe the following Airspace Designations within which Air Traffic Services may be provided?

• FIR
• CTA
• CTR
• GAA
• TM
• SUA

Back 6

• Flight Information Region - Airpsace between the surface of the earth and unlimited covering the whole air route structure served by New Zealand
• Control Area - Controlled airspace between specified lower and upper limits within which only authorised flights are permitted.
• Control Zone - Controlled airspace about one or more aerodromes within which only authorised flights are permitted
• Transponder mandatory airspace - Airspace designated by the Director, within which the carriage and operation of an SSR transponder is mandatory for ATM or ACAS functionality.
• General Aviation Area - An area within controlled airspace where intensive VFR activity may be carried out by day without an ATC clearance.
• Special Use Airspace - Airspace designated by the Director as necessary in the interests of aviation safety or security or in the public interest.

Front 7

What are the conditions for using VFR Transit Lanes?

Back 7

• Contolled airspace that may be used by day only because they are clear of IFR procedures and released as Class G airspace for VFR aircraft.
• No entry clearance required from ATC
• VFR flights may be instructed to proceed via transit lanes where traffic situation requires
• not effective at nights and revert to controlled airspace.

Front 8

Where control of certain aircraft or parts of an ATS sector have been delegated to another sector, what considerations must be established regarding conflicting traffic approaching the ATS boundaries?

Back 8

Where controlled flights might conflict at or about contiguous ATS sector boundaries, coordination shall take place to clearly establish which sector/unit is responsible for ensuring separation is maintained and/or traffic information is passed.

Front 9

Regarding the division of responsibility between Aerodrome and Approach Control;

• What is the aerodrome controller responsible for?
• Describe the required vertical buffer between the upper level of TWR responsibility and the lower level of APP responsibility?

Back 9

• The aerodrome controller is responsible for the control of all flights within the aerodrome traffic circuits and VFR flights within the CTR. This is a delegated authority from the appropriate approach control unit. The approach controller may also suspend any or all VFR operations within the CTR whenever safety requires such action.

• The specifics of such delegation shall be detailed in LOA/LUO, and shall include:
• the upper limits of TWR responsibility and the lower limits of APP responsibility, including:
• a 500 ft buffer where the upper limit of TWR responsibility is within a CTR or Terminal CTA and 4500 ft AMSL or below, Note: provision shall be made for the application of 1000 ft wake turbulence separation where appropriate; or
• a 1000 ft buffer where the upper limit of TWR responsibility is above 4500 ft AMSL, and
• CTR areas/sectors for use by aerodrome control.

Front 10

Provided safety is not jeopardised, traffic priorities shall be applied as follows:

Back 10

• an aircraft known or believed to be in a state of emergency or impaired operation has priority over all other aircraft; and
• an aircraft landing, or in the final stages of an approach to land, has priority over a departing aircraft; and
• an aircraft landing or taking off has priority over taxiing aircraft.

Front 11

Where practical, and following a request from the pilot, aircraft involved in, or positioning for, the following activities shall be granted priority:

Back 11

• ambulance or mercy missions; and
• search and rescue; and
• civil defence or police emergencies; and
• carriage of heads-of-state, heads-of-government, or equivalent dignitaries.

Front 12

How are IFR pilots required to make specific priority requests?

Back 12

Pilots of IFR aircraft requesting priority are required to use the Item 18 STS/ option in the flight plan, and to also make the request via RTF to the ATS unit on departure or to the applicable ATC unit when requesting clearance to enter controlled airspace.

Front 13

How are VFR pilots required to make specific priority requests?

Back 13

VFR flights are required to request this special priority via RTF from each ATC unit responsible for the airspace within which the flight intends to operate at the time of requesting entry into controlled airspace.

Front 14

After receiving a priority request from the pilot of an IFR or VFR flight, what are your responsibilities regarding the subsequent affected ATS sectors?

Back 14

A request for priority handling from an aircraft or unit/sector shall be passed verbally to the next subsequent affected unit/sector.

Front 15

Describe the priority that applies regarding these aircraft:

• an A320 departing versus a P28A departing
• RVSM aircraft
• a light aircraft operating in the non standard circuit pattern
• aircraft in the climb versus arriving traffic
• training instrument approach aircraft
• flight inspection aircraft
• IFR training instrument approach aircraft versus two RPT departures at the holding point

Back 15

Priority shall be given to the aircraft first able to use the airspace or manoeuvring area except:

• where a significantly greater economic penalty to another aircraft would result, eg. by permitting a light aircraft to operate ahead of a jet aircraft
• RVSM approved aircraft shall have priority for level allocation over non-RVSM approved aircraft within the RVSM stratum. A non-RVSM State aircraft (military, customs or police service) shall be afforded the same priority within the RVSM stratum as an RVSM approved aircraft.
• aircraft operating in the normal pattern shall be given priority over aircraft desiring to operate in conflicting patterns
• as a general principle, aircraft in the climb should be given preference for routing against arriving aircraft of similar type
• where a training instrument approach has been approved, normal priority shall be given to the aircraft from the time it commences final approach
• where prior arrangement has been made for flight inspection checks and a priority has been predetermined

• where a more orderly flow or a significant economic benefit for a number of other aircraft would result by deferring this priority

Front 16

Describe the priorities that shall be applied within the Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch CTA/CTR(C)s, and Hamilton, Rotorua, Tauranga and Woodbourne CTA/CTR(D)s?

Back 16

• Within the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch Terminal CTA/C and CTR/C airspace, the Hamilton CTA/D and CTR/D, the Rotorua CTA/D and CTR/D, the Tauranga CTR/D, and the Woodbourne CTA/D, the following priorities shall be applied:
• commercial flights operating within these airspaces for the purpose of arriving or departing the principal airport shall be afforded greater priority than other aircraft; and
• aircraft of lower priority may be held or delayed to enable service to aircraft of higher priority; and
• the departure or arrival order of aircraft may be varied within the same priority group in order to achieve best runway and airspace utilisation.

Front 17

Describe the priorities that shall be applied between arriving aircraft within the Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch CTA/CTR(C)s, and Hamilton, Rotorua, Tauranga and Woodbourne CTA/CTR(D)s?

Back 17

The approach sequence should be established in a manner that will facilitate the arrival of the maximum number of aircraft with the least average delay.

• Priority 1 Regular Passenger Transport flights that are able to fly the following MNM speeds: 190 kt at 10 NM final, and 140 kt at 4 NM final
• Priority 2 All other flights, excluding training, which are able to fly the following MNM speeds: 190 kt at 10 NM final, and 140 kt at 4 NM final
• Priority 3 Flights not able to comply with priorities 1 or 2.

Front 18

Describe the priorities that shall be applied between departing aircraft within the Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch CTA/CTR(C)s, and Hamilton, Rotorua, Tauranga and Woodbourne CTA/CTR(D)s?

Back 18

Departing aircraft

• Priority 1 Regular Passenger Transport flights that are able to maintain a rate of climb of not less than 1500 ft per minute to 4000 feet
• Priority 2 All other flights, excluding training, not able to comply with priority 1
• Priority 3 Training flights.

Front 19

With regards to CAM, what is your responsibility when passing an enroute clearance to an IFR flight that has a CTOT?

Back 19

The ATS agency responsible for passing the enroute clearance shall:

• confirm the calculated time of departure reported by the pilot is correct; or
• advise the CTOT from the SkyLine listline.

e.g. "(aircraft callsign) CTOT (time)"

• Subsequent changes need not be passed, unless the pilot requests.