Southern California TRACON (SCT) - About SCT
SCT is featured.
Since SCT is featured prominently in the novel and extreme liberties were taken, this page is dedicated to the real facts about SCT with references.
What is SCT?
Southern California TRACON (SCT) is an air traffic facility that serves most airports in Southern California. It goes by the name Southern California TRACON, SCT, or SoCal TRACON. These terms are commonly used interchangeably. It was commissioned in 1992. The first consolidating TRACON facility to arrive was in 1994, Los Angeles TRACON, followed by Coast, Burbank, Ontario and then San Diego. The consolidation was complete in 1995. In 2007, Palm Springs Radar sectors were absorbed into Southern California TRACON.
The controllers at the facility manage about 2.2 million planes over roughly 9,000 square miles in a year, making the facility one of the busiest in the world. The airspace covers an area from 20 miles north of Burbank to the US/Mexican border and from San Bernardino to Santa Catalina Island. Airports receiving SCT services include Burbank Airport, John Wayne Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Long Beach Airport, March AFB, MCAS Miramar, NAS North Island, Ontario Airport, San Diego International Airport, Van Nuys Airport and many smaller airports that service general aviation.
This information came from the Facility Orientation Guide which describes Southern California TRACON. It is also referenced across the internet including FAA.gov. Click here for the document on Southern California TRACON (SCT).
Where is SCT?
Most references to SCT indicate that it is in San Diego, CA. While not easy to find, it is documented that the FAA located SoCal TRACON at MCAS Miramar. (SCT documented Location example one - on page 20 and SCT TRACON documented location example two - on page 5-18). In fact, on October 24, 1989 the Los Angeles Times reported that the FAA it would use Miramar Naval Air Station as a radar approach center for air traffic control, consolidating facilities at Los Angeles, Burbank, Ontario and El Toro. Subsequent to this announcement, Miramar Naval Air Station became Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. It can be seen in the attachment on page 2-15: Southern California TRACON.
Beyond being in San Diego, why is the specific location SCT important? Who cares?
As an author, I did. Throughout the book, I tried to be as factually accurate as possible. That way, when the reader read facts that were fictionalized; it would leave them wondering if something was real or not; just like american politics. SCT and its exterior location as described in the book is real!
The Posse Comitatus Act does come up for discussion in the book and affected the plot. This act limits the use of federal military personnel to enforce domestic policies within the United States. There are exceptions to the act, but it was an important consideration in the book. Because SCT is on federal land, this act came into play and had an impact.
So, if a crime is committed at SCT who has jurisdiction? Of course, there are letters of agreements and protocols in place, but when the jurisdictions intersect in a spontaneous time of crisis; it creates a fun dynamic.