I'll bet Blueldr remembers how the system worked back in 1950. Russ FarrisAmerican Aviation 15 May 1950:
"The outgoing pilot is given a clearance such as: "American 389 you are cleared to the Washington Airport via Glen Cove, Great Neck, Idlewild, Riis Park, Ambrose and Green Airway Five. Cross Glen Cove 1,500, Idlewild 4,500 or above, Riis Park and Ambrose 6,000, maintain 6,000 until five minutes southwest of Ambrose, then climb to maintain 8,000. Make climb on the east side of the northeast leg of Idlewild.Traffic holding Idlewild at 3,500. Pan American from Bermuda estimating Ambrose at 6:45 at 7,000. Your departure subject to Glen Cove check from your own trip 307 off at 6:39."'
So it seems they were to depart LGA and intercept the east leg of the La Guardia range, course 094 deg, then a right turn at Glen Cove onto the NE leg of Idlewild, course 218 deg, then 222 deg out the SW leg to Riis Park, a few miles east of Sandy Hook. Left to 146 deg, the SE leg of Newark range to Ambrose, then 220 deg out the SW leg of the Mitchel range on Green 5. Then right to 243 deg when the airway intercepts the NE leg of the Millville range.
First question: who's giving him this clearance? A guy in LGA tower? Where's he getting that other info?
So AA 307 will report passing Glen Cove-- who does he report to? How many other points does he report? Mostly the crew is not monitoring the ATC freq-- they're listening to the dot-dash and dash-dot? Are both pilots listening to the dash-dot some of the time? Was there a departure conroller at all, or just the tower and the equivalent of NY ARTCC? Did the aircraft talk to ARTCC or just to his company? Did any controllers have radar in 1950?
