GEN | Scilly Isles / St Mary's (EGHE)¶

ATC Positions¶

Callsign	Position Logon	Controller Identifier	Frequency
Scillies Approach	EGHE_A_APP	APC	124.880
Scillies Tower	EGHE_TWR	ADC	124.880

Warning

Scillies Tower and Approach operate combined on the same frequency, therefore only one of the above controller positions can be opened at a time.
There is no ATIS at St Mary’s. All traffic arriving and departing St Mary’s shall be provided with local weather and aerodrome information on initial contact.

VATSIMism

When Scilly Isles ATC is closed, it is covered top-down in the following priority order:

Coordination Name	Position Logon	Controller Identifier	Frequency
AC West	LON_W_CTR	LW	126.080
AC Bandbox	LON_CTR	L	127.830

Altimeter Setting Procedures¶

All arriving and departing aircraft will operate on the St Mary’s QNH, including aircraft intending to remain within the visual circuit. St Mary’s QFE (QNH - 4 hPa) is available on request.

The Transition Altitude within the St Mary’s ATZ and in adjacent airspace is 3000 feet.

The Transition Level and the Lowest Available Flight Level are derived in accordance with MATS Part 1 Appendix A. QNH 1013 hPa is considered ‘low pressure’, in line with MATS Part 1.

St Mary’s lies within the Scillies Altimeter Setting Region. Aircraft requesting a Regional Pressure Setting shall be provided with the Scillies Regional Pressure.

Info

From here on, unless otherwise specified, vertical references measured in feet are to be assumed as altitudes AMSL.

Runways and Instrument Approach Procedures¶

There is no preferential runway at St Mary’s; the runway best suited to the current and forecast winds shall be selected when opening a position. Runway 32 has a sharp up-slope until the midpoint where it levels off. This shall be considered when selecting Runway 32 as a departure runway. More than one runway may be used simultaneously if deemed appropriate, for example Runway 32 can be used as an arrival runway with Runway 27 being used as the departure runway.

St Mary’s has NDB (STM – 321 kHz) approach procedures for Runways 27 and 32. A direct arrival is available to the final approach course for Runway 27, by tracking outbound the LND radial 236, with the option for holding at LANLO (LND R236 at 15 DME).

VFR Procedures¶

Circuits are usually conducted over the sea at an altitude of 1100 feet, to reduce the noise impact of the aerodrome on the local area. This may be optionally increased, at controllers’ discretion, to an altitude of 2000 feet, subject to the traffic situation. As St Mary’s lies within Class G airspace, no coordination with adjacent ATSUs is required to increase the circuit altitude.

Two VRPs are established for use by St Mary’s ATC, one directly north of the aerodrome and another on the mainland. St Martin’s Head, a ‘daymark’ located on the north-eastern tip of the Isle of St Martin’s, and Pendeen Lighthouse, located 2NM north-east of LND. Both VRPs are used for position reporting by VFR aircraft inbound to or departing St Mary’s.

Pilots may be requested to transit the RMZ using the established Northern Route, following the LND radial 252° from LND to Round Island (the northernmost island in the archipelago) before routing onward to St Mary’s or Tresco. However, traffic operating VFR is not required to follow the Northern Route and may proceed VFR on track.

Whenever possible, Land’s End and St Mary’s ATC will allocate the following levels, with agreement of the pilot, to VFR flights:

St. Mary's/Tresco to Land’s End/Penzance flights - at altitude 1000 feet
Land’s End/Penzance to St. Mary's/Tresco flights - at altitude 1500 feet
Transit flights - altitude 2000 feet and above

APC/ADC shall issue a clearance to enter/transit the RMZ. Clearances shall be delivered in the following format:

Radiotelephony

(Callsign), transit of the Land’s End RMZ approved via the Northern Route/LND radial 252 (or other routing), not above/at (altitude). Report passing 10 DME LND.

Traffic shall provide a full readback, and a position report once passing 10 DME LND.

APC/ADC will issue a prenote to Land’s End ADC for all traffic, stating departure, destination, routing and level. Once the traffic has reported passing 10 DME LND, they shall be transferred to Land’s End ADC 120.255 for further instructions.

VFR traffic worked by APC/ADC and operating outside the ATZ (including within the RMZ) shall be provided with a Basic Service.

Airspace¶

The St Mary’s ATZ is established with a 2NM radius around the aerodrome up to a height of 2000 feet AAL. To provide additional protection to commercial air traffic operating between Land’s End and St Mary’s the Land’s End Radio Mandatory Zone (RMZ) is notified from the surface to 4000 feet (defined on the Land’s End QNH in that portion east of 10 DME LND and the St Mary’s QNH in that portion west of 10 DME LND – except that if only one unit is open then the relevant unit’s QNH will be used throughout the RMZ).

Alongside traffic operating to/from Land’s End St Mary’s the RMZ may also be used by transit traffic and helicopter traffic to/from Penzance Heliport and helicopters servicing the lighthouses in the area.

The controlling authority for the RMZ is:

Land's End ADC east of 10 DME LND – providing a Basic Service
Scillies APC west of 10 DME LND – providing a Procedural Service to participating IFR flights and a Basic Service to all other traffic.

Traffic wishing to enter the RMZ must obtain a clearance from the unit appropriate to the direction of flight and is encouraged to call no later than 10 NM before the RMZ boundary.

When only one position is open it shall control the entire RMZ (but shall not provide top-down ATC at the opposite airport).

For pilots requiring a surveillance-based service, or when requested by Land’s End or St Mary’s ATC, either Culdrose Approach 134.055 or Newquay Radar 133.405 / 127.930 may provide a service within the RMZ subject to satisfactory coordination with Land's End Tower and/or Scillies Approach. London Control (West) may provide this service in the absence of either Culdrose or Newquay ATC.

RMZ diagram — Land's End RMZ and Local Airspace

Local SSR Code Procedures¶

Traffic worked by APC/ADC shall squawk conspicuity (2000 for IFR and 7000 for VFR).

If departing traffic is coordinated with Culdrose Approach or Newquay Radar, they will allocate a local SSR code. Alternatively, traffic joining the ATS Route network may be coordinated with London AC West who will issue a UKCP SSR code.

Aircraft inbound to Land’s End requesting an RNP approach procedure shall be instructed to squawk 4501. This is to allow for radar monitoring of the approach by Culdrose Approach or Newquay Radar.

Traffic departing or arriving to Penzance Heliport may be instructed to squawk the Penzance conspicuity code of 7356, for radar monitoring by Culdrose Approach or Newquay Radar.