In the Northern Control Area, for aircraft on the northbound/southbound track, how often are position reports required?

• A. every 5 deg of latitude
• B. every 10 deg of latitude or 60 min (if faster)
• C. every 20 mins
• D. every 5 deg of longitude

Answer: (A)

Position reports are required at fixed latitude intervals to keep ATC accurately aware of an aircraft’s location as you fly long north-south routes. In the Northern Control Area, the standard is to report every 5 degrees of latitude, which is about 300 nautical miles, providing timely updates for handoffs and separation as you cross sector boundaries.

This interval avoids the quirks of longitude-based reporting—meridians converge toward the poles, so degrees of longitude don’t represent a constant distance on a north-south track. A longer interval, like every 10 degrees of latitude, would widen the gap between reports and reduce situational awareness. Time-based reporting (for example, every 60 minutes if faster) isn’t the specified requirement for this track in this area, and using longitude would misalign with the nature of a north-south track.