Definition
A leased telecommunications network that carries voice and data between facilities of the National Airspace System (NAS), such as ARTCCs, TRACONs, control towers, and flight service stations. LINCS provides the dedicated circuits the FAA uses to connect its facilities, replacing earlier government-owned interfacility communications lines.
Plain English
LINCS is the phone-and-data network the FAA leases from a commercial provider to link its air traffic control and flight service facilities together so they can talk to each other and share information.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym lists and in discussions of communication links between FAA facilities, not as a system a pilot operates in the cockpit.
Derivation
‘Interfacility’ means ‘between facilities.’ ‘NAS’ stands for National Airspace System — the FAA’s overall network of airports, airways, controllers, navaids, and procedures. ‘Leased’ signals that the FAA rents the circuits from a commercial telecom provider rather than owning them. Put together: a rented communications network linking the FAA’s air traffic facilities.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots don’t use LINCS directly, but it is the backbone that lets one ATC facility hand you off to another, share your flight plan, and coordinate traffic. When this network has issues, pilots may notice delays in clearances, handoffs, or flight plan processing.
Intuition Check
Do not think of LINCS as aircraft equipment. It is a ground-based FAA communication system connecting facilities to each other.
Example Sentence 1
An outage on LINCS can slow coordination between the en route center and the approach control handling your arrival.
Example Sentence 2
The controller used LINCS to coordinate a handoff with the next facility.