Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) Practice Test 2025 – All-in-One Comprehensive Guide to Exam Success

A degree divergence chart is essential for applying lateral separation in air traffic control. Lateral separation relies on the horizontal spacing between aircraft to prevent them from coming too close to one another. This chart provides guidance on the angular positions of aircraft relative to their intended flight paths, allowing air traffic controllers to ensure that aircraft maintain appropriate distance when diverging from a shared route or airspace.

In the context of air traffic management, lateral separation is particularly important when dealing with aircraft operating on parallel or intersecting flight paths. By using the degree divergence chart, controllers can track the separation based on the angle of divergence, enabling them to maintain safe distances and prevent potential conflicts.

Vertical separation, on the other hand, involves altitude differences between aircraft and would not be relevant to a degree divergence chart, which focuses on horizontal positioning. Similarly, time-based separation relies on the interval between aircraft over a specific point, and speed-based separation considers the relative speeds of aircraft to maintain safe distances, both of which are factors that the degree divergence chart does not address.