Section 5 - Tower Agreement and Procedures
5.0.1 All personnel staffing the position of Tower Controller (herein “Tower”) within the Miami ARTCC shall abide by and conform to all rules and regulations applying to ATC within the VATSIM and VATUSA environments.
5.0.2 ATC personnel will use the standard callsign format for controllers within VATUSA airspace.
a. The first three (3) characters of the callsign (prefix) represent the airport at which Ground Control services are offered.
b. If the controller will be providing ATC service using voice, the designator _V_ should be used between the prefix and suffix.
c. If the controller is undergoing voice instruction in conjunction with providing ATC service using voice, the “voice student” designation will be used (_VS_) after the callsign prefix.
d. The last three (3) character of the callsign (suffix) shall be: TWR
5.0.3 The controller will provide the following ATC services:
a. Tower services at the airport represented by the controller’s callsign.
b. Ground Control services at the airport represented by the controller’s callsign when Ground services are not being provided by a Ground controller.
c. Clearance Delivery services at the airport represented by the controller’s callsign when Delivery services are not being provided by a Ground controller or Delivery controller.
5.0.4 A VATUSA S-1 rating and passing scores on Miami ARTCC’s Delivery/Ground exam and Miami ARTCC’s Tower exam are required to staff a Tower position within Miami ARTCC.
§ 5.1.0 Duties and Responsibilities
5.1.1 The controller staffing Tower shall provide, when required in the absence of a Delivery controller and Ground controller at the airport represented by the controller’s callsign, Clearance Delivery to pilots who are not yet airborne as per the Miami ARTCC Standard Operating Procedures for Clearance Delivery.
5.1.2 Tower shall provide, when required in the absence of a Ground controller at the airport represented by the controller’s callsign, Ground Control services to all aircraft requesting such services, but only at the airport represented by the controller’s callsign.
5.1.3 Tower shall provide Tower services at the airport represented by the controller’s callsign.
5.1.4 Tower is not a radar position and will not track or “claim ownership” of an aircraft using the <F3> key of ASRC.
5.1.5 Tower shall provide Tower services in accordance with FAA 7110.65 in as much as it is possible given the limitations of the virtual environment, including but not limited to:
a. All Separation minimums.
b. Wake Turbulence Separation Procedures and Advisories.
5.1.6 Tower has the final authority to declare runways in use and the direction of traffic flow at the airport represented by the Tower Controller’s callsign.
5.1.7 Tower shall coordinate arrival runways with the controller providing Approach Control service (when present).
5.1.8 Tower shall coordinate departure runways and departure headings with the controller providing Departure Control service (when present).
a. Tower shall be responsible for the initial separation between departing aircraft.
b. Tower must keep in mind aircraft performance capabilities and how a departure heading will affect a departing aircraft’s subsequent course to it’s initial departure fix.
5.1.9 Tower will coordinate with the Ground Controller (when present) with regard to the use of runways for departure and the direction of traffic flow. The Tower Controller, at his discretion, may delegate departure runway selection to Ground.
5.1.10 Tower is responsible for aircraft ground movement on all active runways.
5.1.11 Tower may initiate Gate-Hold Procedures by using the .break feature of ASRC.
5.1.12 Tower may cancel Gate-Hold Procedures by using the .nobreak feature of ASRC.
5.1.13 Tower will obtain one of the following release agreements with the controller providing Departure services (when present):
a. A blanket release subject to suspension as described in II.14 below
b. Individual departure releases for each aircraft via text or voice.
5.1.14 If Tower observes a change in color from yellow to pink of the Departure Controller’s callsign in the Controller List (CL) of ASRC, or the callsign of any other controller providing Departure services at the airport served by Tower, Tower will withhold takeoff clearances until such time as the Departure Controller’s callsign reverts to yellow.
5.1.15 If an aircraft executes a missed approach, or is instructed by either Tower or the controller providing Arrival services to execute a missed approach or go-around, any blanket departure release in effect is immediately cancelled and a new agreement must be made between Tower and the controller providing Departure service.
5.1.16 Tower will transfer communications as follows:
a. To the Ground Controller (when available) after an aircraft is clear of an active runway and no other active runways will be crossed as the aircraft taxis to parking.
b. To the controller providing Departure Control services when Tower observes a positive rate of climb and before the aircraft reaches 1,000 ft. Above Ground Level (AGL).
c. In the absence of any further ATC, to UNICOM (122.800) as soon as practical after the aircraft becomes airborne. Aircraft will be instructed to resume their own navigation at this time.
5.1.17 Tower may, at its discretion, coordinate the use of any active runway with Ground as follows:
a. So that Ground may retain communication with an aircraft to facilitate taxiing an aircraft for departure, or to taxi an aircraft to parking.
b. So that Ground may accept a transfer of communication to taxi an aircraft to parking before it has crossed all runways in use.
5.1.18. Until such time as Runway 8L/26R at Miami International Airport is included in the default scenery of Microsoft Flight Simulator ™, Runway 8L/26R shall be considered closed.
5.1.19 Until such time as the default scenery for Microsoft Flight Simulator ™ displays the current runway numbering system now in use at Miami International Airport, controllers will continue to refer to runways as they are displayed in the latest release of Microsoft Flight Simulator ™.
5.1.20 If Tower will be instructing a pilot to switch to UNICOM because no further ATC is available, Tower will clear any temporary altitude assignment from the flight strip and reset the scratchpad to its default condition to reflect the destination airport.
5.2.1 Tower will apply a minimum time interval of one (1) minute between successive departures using the same runway. The beginning of the interval shall be measured from the time the preceding aircraft begins its takeoff roll, to the takeoff clearance of the succeeding aircraft. All provisions of FAA order 7110.65 with regard to Same-Runway-Separation shall also apply.
5.2.2 VFR operations outside of Class B or Class C airspace:
a. Tower will advise all VFR aircraft of wind direction and velocity, and of runways in use.
b. Tower will advise VFR traffic of the traffic pattern direction of the runway for takeoff and landing (left traffic or right traffic).
c. Tower will advise all VFR traffic of any other aircraft operating in the traffic pattern, making a published approach for landing, or intending to takeoff, including the traffic leg that defines the position of the other aircraft in the pattern.
d. VFR departures will be informed before takeoff clearance that the pattern altitude is 1,000 ft. AGL (or if an obstacle is present, 1,000 ft. above the highest obstacle).
e. VFR departures will be instructed to switch to UNICOM (122.800) as they are departing the traffic pattern, unless a request is made for Flight Following, in which case they will be instructed to contact the controller providing Enroute services (when present).
f. VFR arrivals will be asked to state the runway they intend to land on.
g. VFR arrivals will be instructed to report turning base for final.
5.2.3 VFR operations within Class B or Class C airspace:
a. Tower will advise all VFR aircraft of wind direction and velocity, and of runways in use.
b. All VFR aircraft will be issued a discreet transponder code.
c. All VFR departures from Class B or C airspace will be instructed to maintain an altitude at or below 2,500 ft. until clear of Class B or C airspace, unless:
i. The measured ceiling observation is lower than the recommended assigned altitude and more than 1,000 ft., in which case the controller will issue an assigned altitude below the measured ceiling and issue a departure heading which will expedite the VFR departure from Class B or C airspace.
ii. The measured ceiling observation is below 1,000 ft., in which case the airport will be closed for VFR operations due to weather.
d. All VFR departures from Class B or C airspace will be issued takeoff clearance with the following headings:
i. If the departing aircraft will be transferred to a controller providing Departure service, the pilot will be instructed to maintain runway heading.
ii. If the departing aircraft will be switching to UNICOM (on 122.800) after takeoff, the pilot will be issued a departure heading in a cardinal direction appropriate to the direction of the destination (i.e. NORTH, NORTHWEST, SOUTH, SOUTHEAST, etc.), and which will expedite an exit of Class B or C airspace.
e. All VFR arrivals will be asked to report traffic pattern entry and/or position in the traffic pattern.
f. In the absence of further ATC, departing VFR aircraft will be instructed to squawk 1-2-0-0 and informed that no further ATC service is available.
5.2.4 When calm-wind conditions exist, operations at the following airports shall be used:
Airport
Calm Wind Direction of Operations
KMIA (Miami Intl.) East Operations
KFLL (Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood Intl.) East Operations
KFXE (Ft. Lauderdale Exec.) East Operations
KOPF (Opa Locka) East Operations
KPBI (Palm Beach Intl.) East Operations
KRSW (Southwest Florida Intl.) East Operations
KTPA (Tampa Intl.) KSRQ (Sarasota Intl.) North Operations
KTMB (Tamiami/Kendall) East Operations
5.2.5 As a part of all landing clearances, Tower will issue current winds for the arrival airport.
§ 5.3.0 Radio Frequencies
5.3.1 Tower will use the radio frequency for the airport for which service is provided as published on the Miami ARTCC website, or as published in the most current publication of the Airport Facility Directory that lists information on the airport served.
5.3.2 The following airports in the Miami ARTCC are served by Tower on these radio frequencies:
Airport
Radio Frequency
KMIA (Miami Intl.) 118.300
KFLL (Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood Intl.) 119.300
KFXE (Ft. Lauderdale Exec.) 120.900
KOPF (Opa Locka) 120.700
KPBI (Palm Beach Intl.) 119.100
KRSW (Southwest Florida Intl.) 128.750
KTPA (Tampa Intl.) KSRQ (Sarasota Intl.) 120.100
KTMB (Tamiami/Kendall) 118.900
5.3.3 Other airports within Miami ARTCC that do not have a separate radio frequency published for Tower are considered Non-Tower airports and should not be staff by a Tower Controller.