Contact Approach vs. Tower Directly

moxiepilot · August 19th, 2006, 12:10

If this is referenced in the AIM, please just diect me - I can do the research; but,

some Class D facilitys have VFR pilots contact App Control for sequencing and others don't.

For example going to RDG (Reading, PA) will have you contact Reading Apch for a squawk. They landthe same amount of traffic as TTN (Trenton Mercer, NJ). Yet Trenton Tower doesn't flip you to apch (you can just call up to land still squawking 1200).

The same services are offered at each field, so is this procedure based on ATC preference of the tower manager or would it have to do with a LOA?

D_R_ATC · August 19th, 2006, 16:28

It could be that one of the towers there may have different procedures established by letters of agreement between appch contl and them. This is not uncommon between facilities specialy if they lack of certain equipment such as a D-BRITE or ARTS III. That could explain the reason why one tower can give you a squawk code and the other tower cannot.

Van_Hoolio · August 19th, 2006, 23:13

Waterloo, IA used to be a TRSA but is now just a class Delta, but they still have an approach. Maybe Redding is the same?

Mike

Fox Xray · August 21st, 2006, 10:35

I can't find my VFR charts for PA at the moment to take a look at the airspace. Is it only class D airspace ??? I would throw an educated guess that it is due to some Letter of Agreement (LOA). At work I have access to a database at work where I can look up their LOA's, I put a sticky note in my calendar to look it up and I'll get back to this thread on any info towards the end of the week.

moxiepilot · August 21st, 2006, 11:44

thanks, i figured it was probably a LOA, but will check in on the response