The Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control is a FAA air traffic control facility which provides radar services to the Washington D.C. and Special Fight Rules Area. The PCT is a combination of four TRACON facilities for the region’s four major airports: Washington Dulles (IAD), Washington National (DCA), Baltimore-Washington (BWI) and Richmond (RIC).
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is an airport just 3 miles south of downtown Washington. It covers 861 hectares, acting as a fortress hub for American Airlines.
In an effort to send more air traffic to the larger Washington Dulles Airport, flights in and out of the airport must not exceed 1,250 statute miles in any direction. There are a few exemptions issued by The US Department of Transportation.
There are no international routes from DCA; the only international flights that go to DCA are business jets that must depart from US Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance facilities.
The airport is known by many pilots for its River Visual procedure for runway 19 which requires at least 3 statute miles of visibility. It uses the Potomac River and various bridges including the Roosevelt Bridge, Memorial Bridge, Rochambeau Bridge and more.
As of December 2019, DCA has 579 daily departures via 17 airlines to 87 unique destinations.
The Mount Vernon Area is the part of the Potomac PCT which mainly covers DCA. The airspace is relatively large, so here is a diagram of the airspace Mount Vernon owns.
More information above under About this facility.
Mount Vernon (MTV) covers Washington National and certain other minor airports in the area.
IAD is an international airport 26 miles west of downtown Washington. Dulles handles 90% of all international traffic within the Baltimore-Washington region, with 67,000+ passengers passing through its airport daily with routes to/from 116 destinations (December 2019)
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is 9 miles south of downtown Baltimore and 32 miles northeast of Washington. BWI handles the most passengers out of all the three major airports within the Baltimore-Washington area. The airport handled 248,585 aircraft movements in 2015-2016; the majority of those flights being operated by Southwest Airlines, which has a fortress hub here.
Chesapeake (CHP) covers Baltimore and the northern area of the PCT.
Richmond International Airport is the smallest of the four major airports within the Potomac Consolidated TRACON, 7 miles southeast of downtown Richmond. During 2015-2016 it handled 3,818,759 passengers across 10,073 aircraft movements.
James River (JRV) covers Richmond and the southern area of the PCT.
The instrument procedures are as of AIRAC 2007.
DCA has very strict noise restrictions, however security is the number one priority. The areas around the National Mall and US Naval Observatory are both prohibited airspace with a ceiling of 18,000ft. This means that aircraft departing to the North must climb quickly and sharply turn left.
DCA has various instrument departures which are all available for usage in openScope. The only departure which is not assigned automatically is the National Seven (NATNL7) departure as it is used much less frequently than the others.
There are 9 Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs) into Washington National.
Pilots are expected to descend to meet certain altitude and speed restrictions when they are cleared to "descend via the STAR".
Unfortunately it isn't possible to simulate the RIVER 3 approach for runway 19; runway 01 is preferred for departure and arrival in openScope.
It's also worth looking at fix names for a few of the STARs such as the FRDMM#, NUMMY# and TRUPS# arrivals which were introduced to honour those who died in the September 11th attacks.
CAPSS#
CLIPR#
DEALE#
FRDMM#
IRONS#
NUMMY#
SKILS#
TIKEE#
TRUPS#
DCA is home to three runways:
| Runway | Length (ft) | Width (ft) | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/19 | 7,169 | 150 | Asphalt/grooved |
| 15/33 | 5,204 | 150 | Asphalt/grooved |
| 4/22 | 5,000 | 150 | Asphalt/grooved |
Potomac Approach (OJAAY Sector, feeder)
Potomac Approach (DCA East Arrival)
Potomac Approach (DEALE Sector)
Potomac Approach (LURAY Sector)
Potomac Approach (DCA Final West)
Potomac Departure (FLUKY - West up to 9500')
Potomac Departure (TYSON - West 9500' and below)
Potomac Departure (KRANT - East up to 9500')
Potomac Approach (ADW Final Radar)
Potomac Approach (ADW Arrival)
With Washington National's close proximity to downtown Washington, D.C., it is important to be cognizant of the various restricted airspace in the region. The areas around the National Mall and US Naval Observatory are both prohibited airspace with a ceiling of 18,000ft.
For details of other restricted airspaces, see FAA Order JO 7400.8Z
P-56A is the airspace which seeks to protect the National Mall and various other monuments in Washington D.C.
P-56B is a circle of 0.5nm radius around the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Designated altitudes. Surface to 18,000 feet MSL. Time of designation. Continuous. Using agency. United States Secret Service, Washington, DC.
Hill MOA is in the south of the Mount Vernon Area.
Altitudes. Surface to and including 3,000 feet MSL. Times of use. Sunrise to sunset. Controlling agency. FAA, Potomac Approach. Using Agency. U.S. Army, Fort A. P. Hill, Bowling Green, VA.
The Demo 1 MOA is in the southwest of the Mount Vernon Area.
Altitudes. 500 feet to 5,000 feet MSL. Times of use. Intermittent by NOTAM. Controlling agency. FAA, Potomac TRACON. Using agency. U.S. Marine Corps, Commanding General, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA.
Washington Dulles is controlled by the Potomac TRACON but not directly controlled by the Mount Vernon sector. For more details about KIAD, see the top of this guide.
| Runway | Length (ft) | Width (ft) | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1L/19R | 9,400 | 150 | Concrete/grooved |
| 1C/19C | 11,500 | 150 | Concrete/grooved |
| 1R/19L | 11,500 | 150 | Concrete/grooved |
| 12/30 | 10,501 | 150 | Concrete/grooved |
Washington Executive Airport, also known as Washington Executive Airpark or Hyde Field, is a general aviation airport 2 miles southwest of Clinton's central business district in Maryland. It is just 1nm east of Potomac Airfield. It is subject to the Special Flight Rules Area restrictions which were introduced by the FAA after the September 11 attacks.
| Runway | Length (ft) | Width (ft) | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/23 | 3,000 | 60 | Asphalt |
Potomac Airfield is a public-use airport within Fort Washington. It is also subject to the Special Flight Rules Area restrictions, imposed by the FAA after the September 11 attacks.
| Runway | Length (ft) | Width (ft) | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/24 | 2,665 | 40 | Asphalt |
Davison AAF is an airport for military use in Fort Belvoir. The airfield provided support between 1957 and 1976 for "Army One", the callsign of a US Army Aircraft carrying the United States president.
| Runway | Length (ft) | Width (ft) | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/32 | 5,421 | 75 | Asphalt |
Manassas Regional Airport, also known as Harry P. Davis Field, is a public airport located 30 miles west of Washington D.C and 7km southwest of the CBD of Manassas. The airport was home to 85,000 aircraft operations in 2010-2011.
| Runway | Length (ft) | Width (ft) | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16L/34R | 6,200 | 100 | Asphalt |
| 16R/34L | 3,700 | 100 | Asphalt |
MCAF Quantico is a United States Marine Corps field within the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. It is base for HMX-1, the USMC helicopter squadron which is responsible for carrying the President of the United States.
| Runway | Length (ft) | Width (ft) | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/20 | 4,250 | 200 | Asphalt |
The videomap contains the following:
- Restricted Airspaces;
- Extended centerline for runway 01;
- Various airports within in and around the Mount Vernon Area;
- Locations of important fixes;
- The Potomac River
The map is courtesy of VATSIM's vZDC vSTARS file.
<<<<<<< HEAD vZDC PCT SOP
MTV Airspace Diagram vZDC PCT SOP
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