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).
Washington Dulles International Airport is an international airport 26 miles west of downtown Washington. Dulles handles 90% of all international traffic within the Baltimore-Washington region, with 60,000 passengers passing through its airport daily with routes to/from more than 125 international destinations.
The Shenandoah (SHD) area of the PCT primarily serves IAD.
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.
The area of the PCT which covers Richmond is the James River (JRV) area, which also covers the southern area of the PCT.
Handled 70m+ passengers in 2015-2016 800,000+ aircraft movements in 2015-2016
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.
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 that Mount Vernon owns.
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 departure as it is rarely used.
Washington National 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.
There are 9 Standard Terminal Arrival Routes into Reagan National Airport.
Unfortunately it isn't possible to simulate the RIVER 3 approach for runway 19; runway 01 is preferred for departure and arrival in openScope.
There are various restrictions along the arrivals for DCA, pilots are expected to descend to meet those instructions when they are cleared to "descend via the STAR".
It's also worth looking at fix names for a few of the STARs such as the FRDMM3, NUMMY2 and TRUPS3 arrivals which were introduced to honour those who died in the September 11th attacks.
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)
Here are a few of the most important restricted airspaces within the Mount Vernon area. 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, go to the top of this guide.
Washington Executive Airpark 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 5/23, 3000ft, 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 6/24, 2665ft, 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 14/32, 5618ft, Asphalt
KHEF is a public airport located 30 miles west of Washington D.C and 7km southwest of the CBD of Manassas. There were 85,000 aircraft operations here in 2010-2011.
Runway 16L/34R, 6200ft, Asphalt Runway 16R/34L, 3704ft, Asphalt
Marine Corps Air Facility 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 2/20, 4237ft, Asphalt
The videomap contains the following:
- Restricted Airspaces;
- Extended centreline for ILS01;
- Various airports within the Mount Vernon Area;
- Locations of important fixes
We don't know what all the symbols on the videomap mean, however the map is courtesy of VATSIM's vZDC vSTARS file.