Definition
An air traffic control facility that provides approach control services to arriving and departing IFR aircraft without the use of radar. Separation between aircraft is maintained using pilot position reports, time, altitude, and published procedures rather than radar surveillance.
Plain English
An approach control unit that doesn't have radar. Instead of watching aircraft on a screen, the controller keeps aircraft apart by listening to position reports from pilots and using time, altitude, and procedure-based rules.
Context Anchor
You may encounter this term when operating in areas without radar coverage, during radar outages, or in instrument procedures where aircraft are separated by published routes and reports rather than radar vectors.
Derivation
Nonradar' simply means 'without radar.' Radar comes from 'Radio Detection and Ranging,' developed in the 1930s and 40s. Naming the service 'nonradar' makes clear that the controller is working without that surveillance tool and must rely on older procedural methods.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must know whether radar services exist so they can plan for position reports and procedural approaches rather than radar vectors.
Analogy
It is like a dispatcher coordinating vehicles by phone reports instead of watching them on a live map. The service still works, but everyone depends more on clear reporting and timing.
Intuition Check
Nonradar does not mean uncontrolled. It means air traffic control is still being provided, but without radar tracking.
Example Sentence 1
Because the field was served by a nonradar approach control, the pilot was required to report passing each fix on the approach.
Example Sentence 2
Nonradar approach control cleared the aircraft for the approach after confirming the holding pattern entry.