Victoria Intl airport procedures
Procedures |
Airspace
Victoria International Airport is a class C airport. The 7nm control zone (C) extends to 2500ft ASL. At times CYYJ is the fourth busiest airport in Canada in terms of aircraft movements, between commercial operations, general aviation, and a large flight training community. The Victoria Airport is approx. 30 miles south of Vancouver International. In real life it might require no less than 9 frequency changes to fly between these two airports. If a pilot can fly between these airports without causing ATC grief, they can fly anywhere in Canada successfully!
IFR service is provided by the Vancouver/Victoria TCU's Victoria (CYYJ_APP) sector. The Victoria sector also provides service for Abbostford, Nanaimo, and a multitude of smaller airports in the area.
When Victoria is not online the Vancouver departures sector is responsible for the airspace.
Click here to see the VFR Terminal chart for a close up of the Victoria control zone.
Squawk codes
- Internal flights (flights remaining in the Vancouver FIR): 5501-5577
- External flights (flights leaving the Vancouver FIR): 0701-0777
Frequencies
| Sector ID | Radio Callsign | Frequency | Airspace |
| CYYJ_APP | Victoria Terminal | 133.85 | The Red area as depicted in the sector overview. |
| CYVR_DEP | Vancouver Terminal | 132.30 | The Blue area as depicted in the sector overview. Departures manages all through traffic not landing in Vancouver which will include arrivals to Victoria via the YVR VOR. |
| CYYJ_TWR | Victoria Tower | 119.70 | The 7nm control zone to 2500ft ASL |
| CYYJ_GND | Victoria Ground | 121.90 | All taxiways. |
Note: See the Vancouver/Victoria TCU page for Terminal/Arrival/Departure procedures.
Noise abatement procedures
Restrictions: Consistent with limiting factors, all acft shall use runway 09/27 fr 04-15Z‡.
Limiting factors: Physical condition of surface (dry, wet, icy); max effective crosswind component 15 knots; max effective tailwind component 5 knots; visual restrictions due to the position of sun. – Local turbo-jet training flights not permitted from 06-15Z.
Procedures for crossing the southern Strait of Georgia within Terminal Class C airspace refer to Vancouver Intl, VTPC for Crossing the Southern Strait of Georgia.
Heli training areas depicted in CFS available 16-04Z daily & are active when broadcast on ATIS. PPR only. Not above 500 AGL unless advised by ATC.
Clearance
An agreement has been set up between the airport and the TCU allowing the Clearance controller to issue IFR clearances without requesting them from Terminal. In this arrangement the prefix "ATC clears" will be dropped, as the clearance is not being relayed. Also the phrase "Clearance on request" should not be used, as this implies that you are waiting for someone to give you the clearance. If you have to delay the clearance use something along the lines of "Standby, I'll call you" .
Preferred routes exist and should be used whenever possible. See CFS for more info.
All IFR flights are to be cleared via a Standard Instrument Departure. There are 3 in Victoria. Which one is used depends on the active runway.
- Clear aircraft departing runways 27 via the Mill Bay 4 (M4D/M4V) Departure with either Disco Transition (south) or Vancouver Transition (north east)
- Clear aircraft departing runway 09 via the Victoria 3 (J3) Departure.
- Clear category A & B a/c departing runway 31 via Cloake 3 (C3). Refer to Noise Abatement Procedures.
Ground
Standard ground procedures apply. The runway layout typically requires several runway crossings for taxi to the active so coordination with Tower is essential. See MANOPS for phraseolgy.
Taxi route for arriving wide-bodied acft is via twy E, twy G, runway 02/20, twy B or twy E, runway 02/20, twy B.
Taxi route for departing wide-bodied acft is via twy B, runway 02/20, twy G, twy E or twy B, runway 02/20, twy E.
Tower
Runway configurations
During the day all runways are available for arrival and departures, but only runway 09/27 is equipped with conventional instrument approaches.
Right hand circuits runway 09, 20 & 31 (CAR 602.96).Night ops runway 02/20 not authorised except for takeoff on runway 02.
Runway 02/20 restricted to max 50,000 lbs for take-off and landing. No weight restriction for taxiing acft runway 02/20.
Simultaneous Runway Operations can be considered to expedite departures and arrivals and reduce taxi requirements for traffic leaving the airport. Refer to the tower SOP and training pages for generic procedures.
Departures
The Vancouver / Victoria Terminal has the responsibility of ensuring the initial separation and release of IFR traffic, therefore a release must be requested from the Victoria sector for each IFR departure. If Victoria is not online request release from Vancouver Departures.
IFR traffic is handed off to the Victoria or Vancouver Terminal with the take-off clearance, unless VFR traffic requires positive control of IFR a/c within the CZ. In that case handoff would occur once traffic is clear, no later than 2400ft.
Arrivals
VFR TrafficThough it is a responsibility of the TCU to provide the appropriate separation between successive arrivals on final approach, responsibility for spacing between arriving aircraft may be transferred to the Tower once the aircraft crosses the Final Approach Fix (FAF).
With the use of radar the Tower assumes control of arrivals at the FAF regardless of the weather conditions. See MANOPS section 362.5 for the proper control transfer procedures.If using IvAi in conjunction with FS to operate a visual tower viewpoint you may decrease the 3 nm separation of aircraft on final provided both aircraft are in sight. Aircraft conducting visual approaches in accordance with MANOPS section 566 and 567 are responsible for maintaining their own separation.
On Arrival traffic will be handed off to Tower once established on the approach (or any leg for visual approaches) prior to entering the control zone.
Visual approaches for all runways are depicted on the CAP plates for Victoria.
Arrival and Departure Procedures for VFR a/c are depicted on the VTPC charts in the Canada Flight Supplement.
Separation of VFR and VFR/IFR traffic in the control zone can be accomplished by switching circuit traffic from left to right in the case of runway 27 or right to left (runway 09) depending on the direction of arriving a/c or by extending the down wind legs.
For example:
"Uniform Romeo Whiskey, Tower, extend your downwind, you are number 2 to land runway 09, number 3 for the airport, Dash 8 landing runway 13, your traffic C172 Mill Bay shoreline, report him in sight."
"Tower, Uniform Romeo Whiskey, I have the traffic, requesting the option."
"Unifiom Romeo Whiskey, roger, turn base to follow that traffic, number 2 runway 09, make next circuit Left hand."
or
"Victoria Tower, Golf Sierra November, down wind, full stop, runway 27."
"Golf Sierra November, Tower, you are currently number 8, extend your downwind to Sidney Spit, orbit right, I'll call you back."
Simultaneous Runway Operations
From To LDA in feet. Thld 27 Intxn 02-20 3045 Thld 27 Intxn 13-31 4460 Thld 09 Intxn 02-20 3170 Thld 31 Intxn 09-27 3380 Simultaneous Runway Operations can be considered to expedite departures and arrivals and reduce taxi requirements for traffic leaving the airport.
For example, a VFR arrival from the south and a carrier departing runway 31:
"Air Canada 451, Tower, taxi to position and wait runway 31, traffic landing runway 27"
"Uniform Romeo Whiskey, Tower, are you able to land runway 27 and hold short runway 31, 4460ft remaining"
"Tower, Uniform Romeo Whiskey, affirmative"
"Uniform Romeo Whiskey, thank-you, winds calm, cleared to land runway 27 to hold short runway 31, break break, Air Canada 451, traffic landing runway 27 to hold short runway 31, contact Terminal airborne, cleared for takeoff runway 31."
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