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Tower Enroute Control (TEC)

Overview of the TEC system



What's TEC?

Within the national airspace system it is possible for a pilot to fly IFR from one point to another without leaving approach control airspace. This is referred to as 'Tower Enroute Control' or 'TEC' which allows flight beneath the enroute structure. The TEC concept has been expanded (where practical) by reallocating airspace vertically/geographically to allow flight planning between city pairs while remaining within approach control airspace. Pilots are encouraged to use the TEC routes and when filing flight plans within SoCal.

Other airways which appear to be more direct between two points may take the aircraft out of approach control airspace, or interfere with other traffic flows thereby resulting in additional delays or other complications.

Don't let the name fool you, though, the "tower" in "Tower Enroute Control" does NOT mean you'll only be talking to towers along the route of flight. In fact, you can actually pick up TEC clearances from non-towered airports.

How's it different to normal IFR?

Don't have to file in advance: You can pick up an IFR clearance for a TEC route without filing a flight plan.  Since they are 'canned' routes, they can be issued very quickly, without much effort. Much thought has been put into the TEC route system such that, to the extent possible, it avoids, goes above/below the traffic flows in and out of surrounding airports. 

That said, since online controllers often have to wear many hats (working DEL, GND, TWR, APP and even CTR simultaneously), we still recommend filing a flight plan using the published TEC route to avoid placing undue burden on the controllers if you sense the controller are already very busy.  During quieter times, or if you are working specifically with a DEL/GND/TWR controller, feel free to call up and ask for 'tower enroute' to your destination without filing.

Stayin' low: TEC routes sometimes involve flying at altitudes lower than would otherwise normally be selected, particularly for higher performance jets. This is necessary to keep the planes within the approach controller's airspace, the ceiling for which is well below that of a fast moving jet.  It's less of an issue for slower moving piston aircraft.

Bring on the routes!

If you're viewing this on the PilotEdge site, the link in the 'related materials' section will take you to the FAA's preferred route database. Try entering "SNA" for the departure airport and "BUR" for the arrival airport, and you'll see the 3 published TEC routes. CSTN1 is for pistons, and will be flown at 4K. CSTN5 is used when LAX is in east ops (a rare condition) for all aircraft, flown at 6k. CSTN2 is for jets and turboprops during normal ops, flown at 6k.

If you're viewing this on the VATSIM ZLA site, the link in the 'related materials' section takes you to the ZLA TEC routes page.  Enter the departure and arrival airports in the search fields. It will display the corresponding route, the route code (can be used as the route in a flight plan should you chose to file it) and a set of altitudes based on the type of aircraft.  Certain routes are only available for specific types of aircraft. Be sure to select the route that applies to your aircraft type.

For added fun, try switching off FSNav, your GPS, or any other moving map displays.  Pick up your TEC route and only refer to the L-3 low enroute chart for your navigation. The L-3 chart is available for download from this site, and also available in scrollable, zoomable form via Skyvector. Both are linked below.

Related Materials
Skyvector.com
Web site containing scrollable, zoomable VFR and IFR charts
L-3 low enroute IFR chart
IFR chart depicting victor airways around southern California
Preferred Route Database
Allows searching of the FAA Preferred Route database
MyFlightRoute
3rd party site with ability search TEC routes