radar contact


radar contact

[′rā‚där ‚kän‚takt] (engineering) Recognition and identification of an echo on a radar screen; an aircraft is said to be on radar contact when its radar echo can be seen and identified on a PPI (plan-position indicator) display.

radar contact

i. The situation which exists when the radar position of a particular aircraft is seen and identified on a radar display (ICAO). The term is used by air traffic control (ATC) to inform an aircraft that it has been identified on the radar display and that radar flight following will be provided until radar identification is terminated. Radar service may also be provided within the limits of necessity and capability. When a pilot is informed of radar contact, he or she automatically discontinues reporting compulsory reporting points. The term is used to inform crew that the aircraft is identified and approval is granted for the aircraft to enter the receiving controller's airspace. The term radar identified is also used.
ii. The term as used by interceptor aircraft means that the target aircraft is on the scope.
radar contact lost
i. A term used by air traffic control (ATC) to inform a pilot that the radar data used to determine the aircraft's position are no longer available. The loss may be attributed to several factors, including the aircraft's merging with weather or ground clutter, the aircraft's operating below the radar's line-of-sight coverage, the aircraft's entering the area of poor radar return, the aircraft's transponder failing, or the radar ground equipment failing.
ii. When used by an interceptor aircraft, it means that the target aircraft is no longer on the radarscope. It may be because the target has moved out of the field of view of the interceptor radar or out of the range of radar pickup, or any other reason.