Oct. 6, 2015
The Cape TRACON ASR-8 surveillance radar will be out of service from Oct. 13 until March 13, 2016, the FAA announced.
Backup systems, the Nantucket ASR-9 and the Boston Center Radar Presentation off the North Truro radar site (CENRAP), will cover the TRACON’s airspace during the outage.
Radar coverage provided by the backup systems will affect operations in the Cape TRACON airspace. Pilots can expect increased separation between aircraft, limited services to all aircraft and the potential for limited approvals for practice instrument approaches. Also, traffic advisories will not be available to aircraft not equipped with transponders or, in some areas, those flying below 2,000 feet.
With no radar and non-radar procedures being implemented at Plymouth (PYM) and Provincetown (PVC), pilots bound for these airports face possible IFR delays. Altitude confirmation will be required throughout the TRACON’s airspace because CENRAP operations prohibit the use of automatic altitude readout for traffic separation.
During the outage, the FAA is raising the Falmouth ASR-8 radar, which provides the primary radar coverage for Cape TRACON, to increase its line-of-sight coverage and reduce reflections and signal blockages caused by buildings and trees adjacent to it.
The FAA reminds pilots to check appropriate NOTAMs before planning a flight into the Cape TRACON airspace.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.