In
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
, MARSA designates the delegation of responsibility for separation of
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
in flight to military authorities by civilian
air traffic control
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...
authorities. MARSA is an
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
for ''Military Authority Assumes Responsibility for Separation of Aircraft.''
MARSA procedures are used when military aircraft must operate in close proximity and with close coordination. Under such conditions, it may be impractical for standard civilian air traffic controllers to ensure safe separation of the aircraft. MARSA procedures delegate the separation responsibility temporarily to the military authority operating the flights, thereby relieving ATC of the separation workload. When operations in close proximity have concluded, the designated military authority relinquishes responsibility back to ATC, and normal ATC procedures resume.
Typical applications of MARSA procedures include military formation flights and in-flight refueling operations.
MARSA operations are defined by regulatory documents and agreements between civilian and military aviation authorities. MARSA operations are initiated under specific conditions and terminated under equally specific conditions, using precisely defined steps to formally transfer responsibility to and from military authorities.
Sources
''FAA, Order JO 7110.65W, Air Traffic Organization Policy'' Retrieved: 1 Sep 2016.
References
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See also
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Aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
*
GIANT KILLER
GIANT KILLER is a military Air Traffic Control (ATC) call sign used within certain regions of the contiguous United States (CONUS). The callsign is primarily administered by the United States Navy for military flight operations on the East Coast.
...
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Wingman
A wingman (or wingmate) is a pilot or UAV who supports another pilot in a potentially dangerous flying environment. ''Wingman'' was originally the plane flying beside and slightly behind the lead plane in an aircraft formation.
According to th ...
Air traffic control in the United States
American military aviation