What IS Roswell Approach?

Fearless Tower

Fearless Tower

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Had and interesting experience flying west recently. Was headed to Roswell NM for a fuel stop.

Roswell is charted as a regular class D, but ATIS mentioned contacting Roswell Approach prior to landing.

So, I happened to have the approach freq dialed up in preparation for arrival and something like 40 miles out while still cruising at 9k, Roswell Approach calls me up in the blind by tail number and asks if I'm on the freq and if I'm landing. I say, "yes, I was going to call you in another 10 miles..." They tell me to enter left base and hand me over to Tower. I am literally the only thing in the air for miles...I imagine they saw my ADS-B and were hoping for someone to talk to.

So.....what exactly is Roswell Approach? Are they an actual TRACON? Is it a TSRA? Something new? And why do they exist? Vector aliens? The place is dead. Literally. Airfield is literally a junk yard for retired airliners.

Not complaining. Just curious.
 
Probably just a Class D Tower with TRACON. It’s not new. Pueblo, Colorado had one 30 years ago. (It eventually got transferred to Denver TRACON. Others I know of off the top of my head are Aspen, CO and Patuxent Naval in the northeast. You can probably to to the FAA list of Tower TRACONs and pick out a few (most in the list are not Ds).

I’m not sure what gets them but if I had to guess, it’s something about the operations there. Patuxent is a naval air station in the middle of the northeast TEC corridor. Pueblo has military training. Aspen has lots of jet traffic.
 
There are a bunch of these on the east coast, although many got swallowed up by Tracon consolidation. Reading PA used to have its own (now Harrisburg). Clarksburg WV is a class D with its own approach control. Seymour Johnson is a military class D that has its own approach control that also controls Kinston.

I think what some folks might not realize is that air traffic control and air traffic control facilities are not established based on the class of airspace--it's actually the reverse. The service provided is based on needs of the airspace. Th airspace classification eventually catches up.

Controllers don't typically depict airspace boundaries on their scopes; they see sector boundaries. Airspace is designed after the fact to reflect how the airspace is being used.

I'm not familiar with Roswell but it looks like they have a TRACAB; the radar controller is up in the tower cab with the local controller, and the positions are likely combined when it's slow. I'm not sure what the operational need for the radar position is but I suspect it's related to all of the special use airspace in the vicinity of the airport.
 
Terre Haute, IN (HUF), which is Class D, has an approach. My first time overflying HUF:

Center: "Contact Hulman on 1xx.xx."
Me: <to myself> Who the heck is Hulman?

I had to look on the chart to even know that he said "Hulman". I thought I was calling mayonnaise approach (Hellmann's). :D

It's interesting also that there's no box on the sectional indicating that there's an approach frequency, and they're not listed on the sectional's listing of "B, C, TRSA, and selected" approach control facilities.
 
Brad Z said:
There are a bunch of these on the east coast, although many got swallowed up by Tracon consolidation. Reading PA used to have its own (now Harrisburg). Clarksburg WV is a class D with its own approach control. Seymour Johnson is a military class D that has its own approach control that also controls Kinston.

I think what some folks might not realize is that air traffic control and air traffic control facilities are not established based on the class of airspace--it's actually the reverse. The service provided is based on needs of the airspace. Th airspace classification eventually catches up.

Controllers don't typically depict airspace boundaries on their scopes; they see sector boundaries. Airspace is designed after the fact to reflect how the airspace is being used.

I'm not familiar with Roswell but it looks like they have a TRACAB; the radar controller is up in the tower cab with the local controller, and the positions are likely combined when it's slow. I'm not sure what the operational need for the radar position is but I suspect it's related to all of the special use airspace in the vicinity of the airport.
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Interesting. Thanks for the info.

Maybe they are there to help deconflict traffic with Hollomon AFB and the surrounding MOAs and Restricted airspace. Definitely don't have much traffic actually going to Roswell.
 
Like facilities with GCA / arrival controllers, most Ds with approach are military. Yuma, Beaufort, Mountain Home, Cairns, etc. Used to be if you wanted to get into the FAA out of the military, you wanted orders to a facility with a RAPCON, ARAC or RATCF. Getting approach rated would make you competitive to get selected for Ok City. Of course a CTO if you cross train doesn’t hurt either.

FAA website doesnt show ROW with a TRACAB but it might be out of date. Just shows TRACON right now. Building definitely looks big enough to house a seperate radar room.
 
mark.staggs said:
Terre Haute, IN (HUF), which is Class D, has an approach. My first time overflying HUF:

Center: "Contact Hulman on 1xx.xx."
Me: <to myself> Who the heck is Hulman?

I had to look on the chart to even know that he said "Hulman". I thought I was calling mayonnaise approach (Hellmann's). :D

It's interesting also that there's no box on the sectional indicating that there's an approach frequency, and they're not listed on the sectional's listing of "B, C, TRSA, and selected" approach control facilities.
Click to expand...

The 2 or 3 that I've talked to there get really pi$$ed when you call them Terre Haute approach... o_O
 
There are a lot of military training going on at Roswell from Cannon and Holloman. When IFR, CENTER will transfer you to KROW approach if below ? 10,000 feet since their radar is much better than centers in that area and a lot of military traffic going in and out of KROW. Even when I’m VFR, approach will try and establish contact with me, but usually it’s when they have IFR traffic and need to establish that my ADSB is accurate and they have established 2 way communication with me.
 
MFD was another Class D, no-TRSA airport that had its own approach control. Looks like it went away in 2019.
 
mark.staggs said:
Terre Haute, IN (HUF), which is Class D, has an approach. My first time overflying HUF:

Center: "Contact Hulman on 1xx.xx."
Me: <to myself> Who the heck is Hulman?

I had to look on the chart to even know that he said "Hulman". I thought I was calling mayonnaise approach (Hellmann's). :D
Click to expand...
Oh, I am SO calling them Hellman's Approach the next time I'm flying through that area. :rofl:

Though if I think about it, Rochester, MN ought to be Hellman's Approach. Y'know, that's where ya find the Mayo Clinic... :D
 
Speaking of which, Rochester (KRST) is another Class D with an approach control. Duluth (KDLH,) too. Fargo has a TRSA.

I think the FAA ran out of pink ink and simply omitted the Class C airports the day they printed the sectionals for this part of the country.
 
ColinD said:
Speaking of which, Rochester (KRST) is another Class D with an approach control. Duluth (KDLH,) too. Fargo has a TRSA.

I think the FAA ran out of pink ink and simply omitted the Class C airports the day they printed the sectionals for this part of the country.
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You want some real fun? Helena, MT was the last non-radar approach control in the US. It looks like they've got radar now, but I think last time I flew through there was 2021 and they were still non-radar. That's... different.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
You want some real fun? Helena, MT was the last non-radar approach control in the US. It looks like they've got radar now, but I think last time I flew through there was 2021 and they were still non-radar. That's... different.
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I was there about a month ago and the controller said their radar was permanently out of service. Why, I do not know, but that makes them a non-radar facility again.
 
dmspilot said:
MFD was another Class D, no-TRSA airport that had its own approach control. Looks like it went away in 2019.
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This brings back a memory of when I first took a job flying a Turbo Commander there in 1981. Approach had no radar yet and had assigned me a holding pattern at the outer marker for other landing traffic, an inbound commuter. Solid and smooth in IFR conditions I suddenly felt the unmistakable "thump, thump" of flying through another plane's wake. I highly suspect the commuter went rogue and called out of his assigned altitude early in order to beat me to an approach clearance. Can't prove it, though. :mad:
 
flyingcheesehead said:
You want some real fun? Helena, MT was the last non-radar approach control in the US. It looks like they've got radar now, but I think last time I flew through there was 2021 and they were still non-radar. That's... different.
Click to expand...
Helena is still a Non Radar Approach. The A/FD has the R in circle thing but that is wrong. I called them a few years back about that. I just called them again to see if anything has changed. It hasn’t. Twin Falls Idaho TWF is the other Non Radar Approach Tower in the US. It does not have the R in a circle symbol. I just called them to verify.
 
dmspilot said:
MFD was another Class D, no-TRSA airport that had its own approach control. Looks like it went away in 2019.
Click to expand...
Medford was a Non Radar Approach Tower many moons ago. When they commissioned a Radar there I don’t remember. May have been when it was an FAA Tower. But it eventually became an FAA Contract Tower. Contract Towers don’t have IFR control authority. They microwaved Medford’s Radar to Eugene EUG and created Cascade Approach. Medford is just a sector at Cascade Approach now, physically located in Eugene.
 
luvflyin said:
Medford was a Non Radar Approach Tower many moons ago. When they commissioned a Radar there I don’t remember. May have been when it was an FAA Tower. But it eventually became an FAA Contract Tower. Contract Towers don’t have IFR control authority. They microwaved Medford’s Radar to Eugene EUG and created Cascade Approach. Medford is just a sector at Cascade Approach now, physically located in Eugene.
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Ahem, MFD ≠ MFR.
 
RussR said:
I was there about a month ago and the controller said their radar was permanently out of service. Why, I do not know, but that makes them a non-radar facility again.
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I was mistaken. Helena is still non-radar. I think the "permanently out of service" was a joke.

luvflyin said:
Helena is still a Non Radar Approach. The A/FD has the R in circle thing but that is wrong. I called them a few years back about that. I just called them again to see if anything has changed. It hasn’t. Twin Falls Idaho TWF is the other Non Radar Approach Tower in the US. It does not have the R in a circle symbol. I just called them to verify.
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Yep. It turns out that the FAA gave Helena some sort of ADS-B based "thing" that they can't even use for separation anyway. They've always been non-radar.

Maybe that's why they got the circle R thing - But it's definitely wrong.

I thought Twin Falls had gotten the circle R before Helena, but I didn't look before posting because I thought they'd gotten radar too.

It's definitely a bit of a trip to fly through in any case!
 
North Dakota has 4 Class D airports, all of which have some form of radar approach service. KFAR has a TRSA. KGFK and KMOT have nearby USAF bases with radar. KBIS has neither of those, but has its own TRACON. The handoff from Center to Bismarck Approach seems to happen 40 +/- 10 nm away.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Had and interesting experience flying west recently. Was headed to Roswell NM for a fuel stop.

Roswell is charted as a regular class D, but ATIS mentioned contacting Roswell Approach prior to landing.

So, I happened to have the approach freq dialed up in preparation for arrival and something like 40 miles out while still cruising at 9k, Roswell Approach calls me up in the blind by tail number and asks if I'm on the freq and if I'm landing. I say, "yes, I was going to call you in another 10 miles..." They tell me to enter left base and hand me over to Tower. I am literally the only thing in the air for miles...I imagine they saw my ADS-B and were hoping for someone to talk to.

So.....what exactly is Roswell Approach? Are they an actual TRACON? Is it a TSRA? Something new? And why do they exist? Vector aliens? The place is dead. Literally. Airfield is literally a junk yard for retired airliners.

Not complaining. Just curious.
Click to expand...
I used to live in the area. Interesting airport. Elvis' old jet used to be parked there. We pulled up to it around 2019 in a 172 once right as airport ops was driving by in a truck. They opened it up and let us look inside. Still have videos on my phone of it before they turned it into a restaurant somewhere. Crazy plane, red velvet everywhere, old style tv, microwave, and a laydown couch :lol:
 
It's been a long time since I flew around the Dallas Metro area, but recently visited and noticed their approach / departure control has changed their name to "Lone Star"... which a think is pretty cool.
 
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Rick A said:
It's been a long time since I flew around the the Dallas Metro area, but recently visited and noticed their approach / departure control has changed their name to "Lone Star"... which a think is pretty cool.
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Yep, back in November 2024. I guess “Regional” was a bit too non-specific. Here’s the thread from then:

Jim_R

Thread '"Regional Approach" vs "Lone Star Approach"?'

I've flown into/out of the Dallas area dozens of times over the last 10 years and am familiar with "Regional Approach". I always thought that was an odd name, but assumed it was probably negotiated in a smoke-filled room decades ago as a compromise so that neither Dallas nor Fort Worth would get their knickers in a twist if it were named "Ft Worth Approach" or "Dallas Approach" instead.

Last weekend, I was handed off from Ft Worth Center to "Lone Star Approach". I was a little surprised by the new name, but it seems to make a little more sense than the generic 'Regional' moniker it used...
 
Last week center handed me off to Regional Approach nearing the terminal area.
Thought for a minute there names had reverted… but the controller must have just being saying RA for too long, still LSA.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Last week center handed me off to Regional Approach nearing the terminal area.
Thought for a minute there names had reverted… but the controller must have just being saying RA for too long, still LSA.
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So, history lesson: it was named "Regional Approach" back in the day, when KDFW was known as "DFW Regional Airport." Regional Approach was the approach facility for the DFW TCA. Then KDFW became "DFW International Airport," and the "Regional" tag for approach no longer made a lick of sense.

As for "Lone Star"? OK, I guess, but I've heard D10 controllers explicitly state that they weren't changing from "Regional." On frequency.

But what the heck. I still sometimes call KRBD "Redbird," and everyone knows what it is.
 
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