One of the ways the FAA manages many things without creating new regulations is through Letters of Agreement (LOAs). There are many types of LOAs but one creates clarity among Air Traffic Control facilities regarding who controls what. In theory, they eliminate ambiguity amongst the parties involved. Sometimes LOAs also affect pilots and the issue is that few LOAs are readily available, making it rather difficult for pilots to find out.
Now, we’ve been referencing LOAs on these pages for years. Most of the time they’re innocuous and we pilots might have little need or interest in knowing them. This includes perhaps the most common LOA, that between a Center and a TRACON that specifies how each is to route traffic to the other. Typically, this involves gates, altitudes, speeds, and in-trail spacing.
