FAA Aircraft Dispatcher (ADX)Navigation and ATCHard
A dispatcher is planning a flight through the North Atlantic (NAT) organized track system. To reduce the risk of collision with aircraft on the same track due to lateral navigation errors, what procedure allows pilots to fly a lateral offset from the cleared track centerline?
- AReduced Lateral Separation Minimum (RLatSM)
- BStrategic Lateral Offset Procedure (SLOP)
- CComposite Route System
- DMach Number Technique
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Strategic Lateral Offset Procedure (SLOP)
The Strategic Lateral Offset Procedure (SLOP) allows pilots in oceanic airspace to offset up to 2 nautical miles right of the centerline (in tenths of a mile increments) to reduce collision risk from lateral navigation errors and wake turbulence encounters between aircraft on the same track.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. RLatSM refers to reduced separation standards between tracks, not an individual aircraft's offset procedure.
- C. The Composite Route System refers to route structuring in the Pacific, not lateral offset procedures.
- D. Mach Number Technique is used for longitudinal (speed-based) separation, not lateral offsets.
Strategic Lateral Offset Procedure (SLOP)
SLOP allows aircraft in oceanic airspace to fly small lateral offsets (right of centerline, up to 2 NM) to mitigate collision risk from navigation errors and wake turbulence.
- Offsets permitted: centerline, 1 NM right, or 2 NM right
- Always offset RIGHT of track, never left
- Used in NAT and other oceanic/remote airspace
- Reduces mid-air collision risk from small nav errors
Memory trick: SLOP: Slide Laterally, Only to the right, Prevent collisions