Control zone (D-CTR)

A control zone (CTR) is the controlled airspace in the immediate vicinity of a commercial airport or larger aerodrome. The responsible authority is a tower, which in reality operates mainly by sight. The radar screen only serves as support.

The control zone has some special features compared to other controlled airspace:

Characteristics

In Germany, control zones are classified as delta airspace without exception. Therefore, all rules that apply in ‘normal’ delta airspace also apply in these zones. Depending on the volume of traffic, control zones can also be kept active only temporarily - either defined by the operating hours of the aerodrome (e.g. 06:00 - 20:00 locally) or activated when required (e.g. approaching IFR traffic). Such temporarily active airspaces can be recognised on charts by the suffix (HX) - e.g. D(HX). When inactive, the classification of the general airspace structure applies (see further links).

Control zones can be recognised on the German ICAO map by the reddish coloring of the area of responsibility.

While instrument flight traffic mainly flies published procedures (e.g. an ILS approach or a SID) in and out of the control zone, mandatory reporting points are usually used for VFR, regulating entries and exits. More details are defined in the Standard Operating Procedures of the respective aerodrome.

ATD_CTR_EDDS.pngControl zone Stuttgart - © openflightmaps.org


Revision #5
Created 17 September 2024 21:53:52 by 1583954
Updated 30 September 2024 23:05:21 by 1583954