Skip to content

Structure and Sectorization

This page gathers the data that changes over time. No other page in the manual repeats these values.

Boundaries and classification

The Atlântico ACC operates H24, in Portuguese and English, with callsigns CENTRO ATLÂNTICO and ATLANTICO CENTER1. Its responsibility extends east to the 010° W meridian, by regional agreement2. To the south, the FIR reaches the 34° S parallel1.

Airspace Limits Published classification
Atlântico FIR GND to UNL A above FL 245, G below FL 145
Atlântico UIR FL 245 to UNL A above FL 245

Two remarks that matter in practice:

  • The upper airspace is a UIR, not a UTA as in the continental FIRs1. The class is A in both cases.
  • Between FL 145 and FL 245 there is no specific published classification for this FIR. The general rule applies: airways above FL 145 are Class A3.

Sectors and published HF frequencies

The AIP divides the FIR into eight sectors, SECT 01 to SECT 08, all GND/UNL and all belonging to the Atlântico ACC1.

AIP sectors Published HF frequencies (kHz)
SECT 01 to SECT 04 3452, 4669, 6649, 8861, 13357
SECT 05 to SECT 08 4669, 5565, 8855, 10096, 13315, 17955

4669 kHz is the only frequency published for all eight sectors, and is therefore the reference for the position covering the whole FIR.

EUR/SAM Corridor and AORRA

Two volumes overlap the FIR and carry almost all of its traffic. Both lie between FL 290 and FL 410.

EUR/SAM Corridor AORRA
Traffic Brazil and Europe or North Africa Brazil and Southern Africa
Structure Fixed ATS routes Random routes between gates
Requirement RNP 10 and RVSM4 5 RNP 106
Routes or gates UN741, UN866, UN873, UN857, and the extensions via DAKAP (UZ51) and BUGAT (UL206)7 SORSA, CIDER, MIGEX, VURTO, EKALO, EDVEL, MUKEK, OBKOL, GELAM, VURIL, GARUP6
Compulsory reporting The route's reporting points 010° E, 000°, 010° W, 020° W, 030° W, 040° W and 050° W6

When entering the FIR bound for the AORRA via the ARUSI or UKEDI fixes on a track through Brazilian waypoints, ADS-C and CPDLC capability is mandatory6.

Cruising levels

Magnetic track RVSM (general)5 AORRA6 RVSM suspended5
000° to 179° 290, 310, 330, 350, 370, 390, 410 290, 350, 410 290, 350, 410
180° to 359° 300, 320, 340, 360, 380, 400 320, 380 320, 380

RVSM is suspended when there are pilot reports of severe turbulence8.

Adjacent units

Direction Units
Brazilian mainland Recife ACC, Curitiba ACC, Amazônico ACC
North and northeast Sal Oceanic ACC, Dakar and Dakar Oceanic ACC, Canarias ACC
East and southeast Accra ACC, Luanda ACC, Johannesburg Oceanic ACC, Cape Town ACC
Northwest Cayenne ACC
South and southwest Montevideo ACC, Ezeiza ACC, Comodoro Rivadavia ACC

On the network (Vatbrz)

In practice, the only connected adjacent units are usually SBRE_CTR and SBCW_CTR. What to do when the next unit is offline is covered in Operational flow.

Positions on VATSIM

Position Sectors Logon VATSIM frequency Reference HF
SBAO_FSS 01 to 08 SBAO 133.500 MHz 4669 kHz
SBAO_N_FSS 01 to 07 SJAN 133.025 MHz 13315 kHz
SBAO_S_FSS 08 SJAS 133.125 MHz 10096 kHz
SBAO_NW_FSS 01 to 06 SJNW 133.275 MHz 8861 kHz
SBAO_NE_FSS 07 SJNE 133.075 MHz 17955 kHz
SBAO_SW_FSS 08 west SJSW 133.450 MHz 8855 kHz
SBAO_SE_FSS 08 east SJSE 133.325 MHz 5565 kHz

VATSIM frequency is the voice channel you tune on the network. It is in the VHF band because that is what the network carries, and it is not a published aeronautical frequency. The reference HF is the real-world frequency associated with the position, useful to give the pilot context and to fill in the controller information, never for tuning. Only the SBAO logon is published in the AIP9; the other codes are a division convention.

Attention!

If this table differs from the installed sector package, the sector package prevails. Check before connecting.

When to split

  1. General rule: open SBAO_FSS, which covers the whole FIR.
  2. First split: SBAO_N_FSS and SBAO_S_FSS, separating the EUR/SAM corridor from the AORRA.
  3. Combined sectors: only for events or exceptional demand.
  4. Coordinate when opening and closing. Whoever arrives takes over airspace from whoever is already online; whoever leaves hands the traffic back. The transfer is coordinated, never assumed.

The VATSIM Brasil sector opening policy takes precedence over this guidance.

Combined Sectors Overview Map

How to use the map

Select the position in the top right corner to see its lateral boundary. Click on the area to see callsign, frequency and logon.

  1. AIP-Brasil, ENR 2.1. ↩↩↩↩

  2. AIP-Brasil, GEN 3.3, item 2, NOTE 1. ↩

  3. AIP-Brasil, ENR 1.4, items 1 and 2. ↩

  4. AIP-Brasil, ENR 3.5, item 6. ↩

  5. AIP-Brasil, ENR 2.2, item 1, and ENR 3.5, item 7. ↩↩↩

  6. AIP-Brasil, ENR 3.5, item 8. ↩↩↩↩↩

  7. CIRCEA 100-66, Art. 3°. ↩

  8. AIP-Brasil, ENR 3.5, item 7.8.1. ↩

  9. AIP-Brasil, ENR 3.5, item 9.2.1. ↩