Tower Arrival
Towers are now acquiring BRITE monitors that give the controllers a radar screen picture of their area. The pilot has no way of knowing if this exists without a tower visit. There are different types of BRITE with differing capabilities. By letters of agreement (LOA) the tower may have been given, by the terminal facility, a very specific area and transponder codes for use in that area. BRITE (A radar screen) is used to determine position, provide advisories, suggest headings, (not a vector) and to provide information. The fact that radar is becoming increasingly available makes many arrivals more controlled and seemingly easier. Do not rely on a radar environment to protect you from other aircraft. Just be aware that proper radio procedures are expected in the radar environment. Also, should a suggested vector, heading, or heading fail to avoid traffic or weather you as a VFR pilot bear the primary responsibility. Under the present FARs anything bad that happens under VFR is not necessarily the fault of ATC.  BRITE now exists at CCR, LVK and APC.  It has existed at Hayward for years.

Always get the ATIS; communicate from a known (pre-planned) checkpoint 10 to 20 miles out. If you are unfamiliar, so advise ATC. If another aircraft is arriving so as to conflict relative to your position don't hesitate to give a progressive call as to your position and altitude. Awareness of the relationship between aircraft, their reporting points and your position/route is an important element in flying safety. For this reason report and confess if you are in an unfamiliar situation. ATC and other pilots can then be made aware of a potential surprise. Much better aware and watching than SURPRISED.

Standard terms for 'straight in' arrivals:
"34X 3-4 mile final" May include such terms as "approaching, passed VOR 20 seconds ago, etc. with altitude.
"34X two mile final" This is a required call and if not given by ATC as part of your clearance, give it anyway.
"34X Quarter mile final, low for 32 right"
"34X short final, high for 32 left"

Standard terms for "base' arrivals:
"34X two mile base" Again, this is a required call if not given by ATC in your clearance, give it anyway.
"34X one mile base, high"
"34X close in base"
"34X wide base"

Standard Terms for Downwind Arrivals:
(A left downwind to a left runway or a right downwind to a right runway never need be requested just say that you will report.)
"34X right downwind, high"
"34X wide left downwind"
"34X extended downwind, call my base"
"34X Abeam numbers, request short approach"

Before and after your initial clearance the tower may communicate with another aircraft. Always listen and mentally calculate position/altitude information that may affect your safety. The tower may issue to you a traffic advisory and may ask your position. It is wise to keep a running reference as to your location referenced to known checkpoints. i.e.

"34X Willow Pass thirty seconds ago two thousand looking for traffic"
"34X coming up on the BART yards at one-thousand five hundred have traffic"

If the tower fails to give you an advisory, go ahead and give your own advisory as above for the other pilot's benefit.

"34X Abeam numbers, request short approach".

As with Ground, acknowledge any tower clearance or instruction with the word HOLD in it since it confirms your understanding that at some point you are to STOP.
Tower: 34X taxi closer and hold short 19L...
Response: 34X understand closer and hold short

Tower: 34X taxi into position and hold...
Response: 34X position and hold

Acknowledge any traffic information
Tower: 34X # 2 behind Cessna on base...
Response: 34X looking
When you see traffic...
34X have traffic
When you don't see traffic...
34X negative traffic

The only clearance that need not be acknowledged is for take off, however, it is not wrong to acknowledge it if it can be done without causing delay in moving the aircraft.

--If the controller is obviously busy don't bother with making requests...do that later. If the controller does not give you time to acknowledge...don't.

--If you are given a command - EXECUTE and then use the radio

--If at any point you do not understand use "34X say again" or "34X say again everything after..."

Class D ATC Provides No Traffic Separation unless BRITE Equipped
ATC is required to provide aircraft separation only for the length and width of the runways for arriving and departing aircraft. Category I aircraft must have 3000 feet separation on the runway. The landing clearance is issued in anticipation that the required distance will exist on arrival. As ground control, ATC is required to provide separation only sufficient to prevent accidents. At night only one aircraft is allowed on the runway at a time. A departing aircraft is allowed to be over the runway at the prescribed distance. The entire airspace of Class Delta is the responsibility of the see and be seen pilot. Even though communication is required the responsibility of ATC does not include separation.

The rule(s) for intersecting runways require that only one runway will own the intersection at time. This means one aircraft owns the runway up to the intersection at a time. Once past the intersection its 'ownership' can pass to the other runway. The LAHSO can selectively limit the use of an intersection.

The few additional circumstances where ATC is required to provide separation or at least a notice of separation is for wake turbulence, restricted altitudes for opposite direction traffic and IFR separation for the entire Class Delta Airspace when below VFR minimums. Only one IFR aircraft is allowed into the Class Delta Airspace, when that airspace is below VFR minimums, at a time unless the controller can see and accept separation responsibility OR one of the pilots have a visual of the other and agrees to maintain visual separation. I have flown into the latter situation several times. I am above the airport and have visual with a departing IFR aircraft. I have been cleared into the airspace and to land as long as I have visual with the departing aircraft. It works.

Entering Class D Airspace
Suggestions by an ATC tower to answer questions and reduce problems. Two-way communications must be established prior to entry and must be maintained in Class D airspace. Pilots should contact the tower with position, altitude, destination, and any requests.
1. Listen before you transmit. Know what you want to say before you key up.
2. Acknowledge instruction.
3. Advise tower as soon as possible if you request pattern work.
4. Request preferred runway on initial call. It's not guaranteed, but they try.
5. Readback runway assignments. This is now a national requirement, not just "roger" or two clicks of the mike button.
6. Read back runway hold short instructions. ATC is required to obtain from the pilot a read back of all runway hold short instructions.
7. When ready for departure, say runway and departure request. This saves you and ATC extra transmissions that add up when it's busy.

Crossing Class D Airspace
"Napa tower Cessna 1234X Crockett at l900 request flight through your Class D airspace surface area en route Santa Rosa will report clear"
Tower will normally approve the transit, give you the current altimeter setting and remind you to report clear.

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