Santa Maria Oceanic FIR

Santa Maria (LPPO) FIR , is one of the most largest flight information regions. Seven times bigger than Lisbon FIR it provides control to nine airfields one of them the famous Lajes NATO Airbase.
Besides its huge size Santa Maria provides oceanic control to some of the North Atlantic Tracks , with capability to manage hundreds of flights per day. In Santa Maria the West/East RVSM system is used , so flights proceeding between 180 and 359 should use even flight levels like (320,380) and flights proceeding 000 and 179 should use odd flight levels like (330,370).

Santa Maria Flight Service Station

The Flight Service Station is a facility provided to pilots and flight operators for filing flight plans, collecting flight condition and safety data for particular destinations, alternate airports and enroute segments. Conducting a flight briefing for a departing flight would require the flight service station operator to:

Non Radar Area Control:

For several years Santa Maria FIR and Santa Maria Terminal was a Non Radar Area Control, that means Concencional Control was used, flight levels, estimating time, and distance reports. All procedures was fundamental for a good functioning of Terminal.
Convencional Control still be used all over Santa Maria FIR.

Radar Area Control:

Now a day allmost 50% of Santa Maria Terminal is under radar control.

Radar Control (1000FT-FL300). East Terminal Area Delimeted by GOMOS, RODIL, TIMTO, FROM TIMTO TO SIPRU along East Lajes CTA, from SIPRU DUE North to Terminal limit. Click here to view radar map.