Glossary

ATC Manual of Operations
NAV Canada's now-outdated Operations Manual. Most content on VATCAN is referenced from MANOPS. This manual contains all procedures and regulations for air traffic control

Meteorological Aerodrome Report
A routine aviation weather observation report issued at fixed intervals (usually hourly).

Mandatory Frequency –
A frequency designated at certain aerodromes where pilots must broadcast position reports and intentions when flying in the area.

Minutes-In-Trail

MINIT is a longitudinal flow-management restriction that specifies the time interval required between aircraft proceeding along the same route or converging routes.
Where MIT uses distance, MINIT uses time.

MINIT is normally applied when:

• Traffic flows are long-range, making distance separation difficult to manage tactically

• Oceanic or procedural airspace is involved (Gander Oceanic, Reykjavik, Shanwick, etc.)

• Downstream capacity is reduced and time spacing is a more reliable way of smoothing traffic

• Navigation performance varies, making simple mileage less precise
  
  

Best use: To assist Oceanic ATC units for mitigating capacity limitations

Miles-in-Trail

MIT is a longitudinal separation technique used by ATC to manage sequencing, spacing, and demand—especially when traffic flows into a constrained sector, airport, or terminal area.
Instead of specifying a time interval (like Minutes-in-Trail), MIT specifies a distance that must exist between aircraft operating along the same route or converging routes.

Controllers apply MIT to:

• Regulate arrival demand into busy TMAs (e.g., CYHZ, CYQM)

• Manage flows crossing sector boundaries

• Assist with sequencing for STARs or approach streams

• Prevent overload when downstream capacity is reduced (weather, staffing, runway config, traffic, events)

• Smooth out flows for adjacent FIRs or Centres