Vancouver Terminal Control Unit procedures

Procedures

Airspace

The Vancouver/Victoria Terminal Control Unit (TCU) provides Terminal services to Vancouver International Airport and to several satellite airports in its vicinity. Providing Pacific Gateway air services, Vancouver joins Canada to virtually all of the Pacific Rim.

The TCU extends in an irregular shape to include the Langley (CYNJ), and Pitt Meadows (CYPK) airports and Boundary Bay (CZBB), as well as a myriad of smaller uncontrolled water aerodromes. When no terminal services are available at the Victoria Airport (CYYJ), Vancouver takes over there as well.

Vancouver airport is a class C airport. The 7nm control zone (C) extends to 2500ft ASL and is surrounded by a TCA extending up to 16'000ft. The TCA is class C transponder airspace below 12'500ft, then B above that. As the TCA is merged with that of Victoria the shape is extremely irregular.

Click here to see the VFR Terminal chart for a close up of the Vancouver control zone.

This document only covers Terminal procedures. For aerodrome procedures of airports within the TCA please visit their designated pages in the menu to the left.

Squawk Codes

Internal flights (flights remaining inside the Vancouver FIR): 5101-5147
External flights (flights leaving the Vancouver FIR): 3701-3747

Frequencies

Callsign	Voice Callsign	Frequency	Airspace
CYVR_O_APP	Vancouver Arrivals	128.6	The Orange area as depicted on the diagram at the top of the page.
CYVR_I_APP	Vancouver Arrivals	133.1	The Green area as depicted in the close-up graphic. This position may only be opened if all other sectors are staffed.
CYVR_DEP	Vancouver Departures	132.3	The Blue area as depicted on the diagram at the top of the page. Departures manages all through traffic not landing in Vancouver. Workload permitting it may provide service for the Victoria sector as well.
CYYJ_APP	Victoria Terminal	133.85	The red area as depicted on the diagram at the top of the page. Victoria Terminal proveides IFR services for CYXX, CYNJ, CYCD and CYYJ.

Procedures

TERMINAL

Terminal roles for Vancouver / Victoria are divided between Inner Arrivals, Outer Arrivals, Victoria Terminal and Departure controllers.

OUTER
Outer Arrivals receives handoffs of arriving aircraft in one of the four arrival corridors from the ACC unit (Vancouver Center) or from either Victoria Terminal or the Comox MTCU. Aircraft will enter the corridors at 250kts or less and at an altitude prescribed by the relevant STAR. These arrivals are descended through the arrival corridor and into the pre-descent area to either 8000 ft or, in the case of straight in arrivals, to 6000 ft. The primary role of the Outer Controller is to ensure a sequencing of aircraft leading to the downwind leg and transfer to the Inner controller.

INNER
Inner Arrivals sequences arriving aircraft received from the Outer controller for hand off to a Tower controller. Inner is therefore responsible for directing speed reductions on the downwind leg, turns to base and turns to final or localizer intercept. Aircraft should be descended to 3000 ft by for final approach. Transfer to tower can occur once the aircraft is established on final approach.

Because the two main runways (08s/26s) are not far enough apart, true parallel runway operations are not possible in Vancouver. Inner Arrivals needs to ensure that aircraft arriving on both runways are adequately staggered.

If there is only one arrivals controller available, both Outer and Inner positions will be manned by the call sign CYVR_O_ARR. This position will refer to him/herself in their ATIS as "Vancouver Arrivals" if a Departures controller is available, or as "Vancouver Terminal" otherwise.

DEPARTURE

The primary function of Departures controller is to guide departing aircraft away from the airport as efficiently as possible, and in a manner that will permit them to continue their climb free of any conflict. Aircraft departing Vancouver will be climbing to either 2,000 or 7,000. If no conflict will occur with arrival or other terminal traffic, departure may issue climb up to 16'000ft (which is the ceiling of the TCA).

The airspace limits are clearly defined in the graphic at the top of the page. In summary the Departures sector is responsible for all the airspace within the north two thirds of the TCA, excluding the arrival boxes. If the Victoria sector is unmanned DEP may also take responsibility it's airspace.

VICTORIA

Although technically a part of a TCU shared with Vancouver, Victoria Terminal has a degree of autonomy and has sole responsibility for both arrivals and departures in Victoria, Nanaimo (CYCD), Abbotsford (CYXX), Victoria Harbour and any of many other coastal and inland float bases.

It should be noted that Victoria does not staff a departures controller.