HEL | Sumburgh (EGPB)¶

Responsibility¶

RAD is responsible for the provision of offshore radar services to traffic operating within a combined Sumburgh/Brent/North Sea Area IV sector at and below FL85. RAD shall not provide air traffic services to individual oil rigs and traffic approaching oil rigs shall be instructed to self-announce on UNICOM 122.800.

VATSIMism

Sumburgh Radar has also been delegated part of the real Aberdeen REBROS sector north of 59N on VATSIM due to ATC visibility range restrictions.

Traffic outside controlled airspace working Scottish Area Control (ScAC) or Swanwick Mil will be coordinated with RAD as required.

The provision of the offshore function is at the controller’s discretion and when provided must not adversely affect the primary Approach Radar service to traffic inbound/outbound Sumburgh.

Provision of Air Traffic Services¶

Controllers shall provide UK FIS, subject to surveillance and VHF radio coverage. Between identified and coordinated traffic within 40 NM of Sumburgh, controllers may apply 3 NM horizontal deconfliction minima. Controllers shall apply 5 NM deconfliction minima outside of 40 NM from Sumburgh and against traffic which is not identified or coordinated within 40 NM.

Altimeter Setting Procedures¶

Traffic operating within 40 NM of Sumburgh shall operate on the Sumburgh QNH.

Traffic outside of 40 NM shall operate on the appropriate RPS, which can be obtained through the UK Controller Plugin.

Controllers must account for differences between the relevant QNH/RPS when applying vertical separation near ASR boundaries.

A nominal Transition Altitude of 6000 ft is defined within the offshore sectors and traffic operating above this level shall operate on flight levels. Minimum Flight Levels will vary within each QNH/RPS region and 1013 hPa is considered ‘high pressure’ (i.e. the minimum flight level is FL70 when the QNH is 1013 hPa).

Helicopter Main Routing Indicators (HMRI)¶

The main network of HMRI defined by the ADN VOR radials are outlined in the Aberdeen/Dyce Airfield Controller Brief. Additional routes are defined which are not based on the ADN VOR radial network. These are routes ECHO and WHISKY which are bi-directional routes to/from Sumburgh (direction dependent on Aberdeen runway in use – see the Aberdeen/Dyce Airfield Controller Brief), and routes X-RAY and YANKEE which route to the Atlantic Rim region via Wick/WIK VOR.

Sumburgh has routes to the East Shetland Basin (ESB) boundary fixes – GOLF/HOTEL/JULIET/LIMA/MIKE. Routes JULIET and LIMA are defined by SUM VOR radials 045° and 053° respectively. Routes HOTEL and MIKE route parallel to JULIET and LIMA respectively, from the ESB boundary fix to 40 DME SUM, then direct to SUM VOR. Route GOLF track is identical to route HOTEL from SUM VOR out to 40 DME SUM, then direct to the ESB boundary fix GOLF.

HOTEL/GOLF/LIMA are outbound routes. JULIET/MIKE are inbound routes.

The HMRI are depicted in charts ENR 6-26 and ENR 6-27.

Offshore Sector Responsibility and Altimeter Setting Regions

Outbound Procedures¶

Helicopters may elect to depart IFR or VFR with clearance to the destination, specifying the HMRI, Standard Departure and flight rules, initial altitude/altitude restriction, and squawk.

Radiotelephony

BHL68A cleared to Cormorant Alpha, via route LIMA, IZACK departure IFR, climb to altitude 3000 ft, squawk 4250.

IFR traffic shall be passed the appropriate standard clearance and prenoted to RAD, departure is subject to release from RAD.

VFR traffic shall be individually coordinated with RAD - traffic routing via HMRI GOLF/HOTEL/LIMA is generally given a clearance via Mousa VRP.

Easterly (Runway 06/09/15) IFR Departures¶

HMRI	Standard Departure	Route	Altitude
GOLF HOTEL LIMA	IZACK IFR	IZACK - track to intercept HMRI track at 20 DME SUM	Climb to altitude 3000 ft
ECHO WHISKEY	BENTY IFR	BENTY - track to either TIRIK or MOCHA to join HMRI ECHO or WHISKEY respectively	⁠

Westerly (Runway 24/27/33) IFR Departures¶

HMRI	Standard Departure	Route	Altitude
GOLF HOTEL LIMA	BODAM IFR	BODAM - track to intercept HMRI track at 20 DME SUM	Climb to altitude 3000 ft
ECHO WHISKEY	SILOK IFR	SILOK - track to either TIRIK or MOCHA to join HMRI ECHO or WHISKEY respectively	⁠

Inbound Procedures¶

Inbound traffic will free-call RAD once clear of oil rig local traffic. RAD will assign an SSR code and confirm the inbound HMRI route and level. RAD may clear inbounds from the HMRI structure via the following standard routings but may also provide any alternate clearance as felt appropriate to integrate the traffic into the arrival stream.

Easterly (Runway 06/09/15) IFR Arrivals¶

HMRI	Route
JULIET MIKE	Via HMRI to 20 DME SUM then direct BODAM then radar vectors / visual approach
ECHO WHISKEY	Via HMRI to either TIRIK/MOCHA then direct SILOK then radar vectors / visual approach

Westerly (Runway 24/27/33) IFR Departures¶

HMRI	Route
JULIET MIKE	Via HMRI to 20 DME SUM then direct IZACK then radar vectors / visual approach
ECHO WHISKEY	Via HMRI to either TIRIK/MOCHA then direct BENTY then radar vectors / visual approach

IFR holds are established at 20 DME SUM on HMRI JULIET/MIKE and at TIRIK on HMRI ECHO and at MOCHA on HMRI WHISKY – inbound course aligned with HMRI, left-hand turns, 1-minute legs.

VFR holds are established at BENTY, BODAM, IZACK, SILOK, and the Mousa VRP – 2-minute left-hand orbits (right-hand at BENTY), not above altitude 1000ft. VFR traffic from JULIET/MIKE is typically routed via Mousa VRP.