"John Galban" wrote in message
oups.com...
Additionally, just because you are talking to "Nellis
Control" does not necessarily mean that you are talking to a military
controller. The FAA often provides radar services that one might
assume were military. One example in the Phoenix area is Luke AFB
Approach. While meandering through the Alert Area getting advisories
from Luke Approach, you're actually talking to a civilian controller in
the Phoenix Tracon.

I'm not saying one way or the other whether Nellis Control is
military or not, only that it can be hard to know for sure just by the
name.

Actually, Luke AFB has had it's own USAF approach control since at least the
early 1980s. It is currently operated by the 56th Operations Support
Squadron.

The Nellis Air Traffic Control Facility (which includes both the RAPCON and
Range Control) is also a USAF operation and is run by the 57th OSS.

The point of not being able to tell if a facility is staffed by military or
civilians simply by the name is correct.

But the reality is it doesn't matter. In the US air traffic control is air
traffic control and a controller is a controller - military or civilian.