Northern California TRACON (NCT) (

Terminal Radar Approach 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 airsp ...

), or NorCal TRACON for short (pronounced "nor-cal tray-con"), also known as NorCal Approach, is an

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 ...

facility that provides safety alerts, separation, and sequencing of air traffic arriving, departing, and transiting the airspace and airports in

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

, United States. Located in Mather about 10 miles east of downtown

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, NCT controls airspace over , and serves

Reno International Airport Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

Sacramento International Airport Sacramento International Airport is located northwest of Downtown Sacramento in Sacramento County, California, United States and covers . It serves the Sacramento Metropolitan Area, and it is run by the Sacramento County Airport System. The a ...

San Jose International Airport Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport , commonly known simply as San Jose International Airport, is a city-owned public airport in San Jose, California, United States. It is named after San Jose native Norman Mineta, former United Sta ...

Oakland International Airport Oakland International Airport is an international airport in Oakland, California, United States, 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown located in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned by the Port of Oakland and has domestic passenger f ...

, and

San Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport is an international airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County, south of Downtown San Francisco. It has flights to points throughout North America and is a major gateway to Europe, the Middle E ...

, plus 19 other smaller airports with airport traffic control towers. NCT is the 3rd busiest TRACON in the US. NorCal TRACON is the step between local control and an

Air Route Traffic Control Center In air traffic control, an area control center (ACC), also known as a center or en-route center, is a facility responsible for controlling aircraft flying in the airspace of a given flight information region (FIR) at high altitudes between a ...

(ARTCC), in this case, Oakland Center. San Francisco International Airport is the 2nd largest airport in California and the largest airport serving Northern California. When an arriving aircraft nears the Bay Area, Oakland Center advises it to contact NorCal TRACON. TRACON gives the arrival a descent profile, ILS and other

landing Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...

aid clearances. During busy times, TRACON often has to hold aircraft in the air. After TRACON sets up the flight for an approach to landing, the flight contacts the

air traffic control tower 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 airsp ...

at the arrival airport for landing clearance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northern California Tracon Air traffic control in the United States Buildings and structures in Sacramento County, California Aviation in California Rancho Cordova, California Sacramento County, California

See also

References