Remote communications outlet

RCOs and RTRs may be UHF or VHF and are divided into a variety of classes determined by the number of transmitters or receivers.

Class O facilities were created specifically to provide ground-to-ground communication between air traffic controllers and pilots located at satellite airports.

The idea was to create a way for pilots to receive en-route clearances or departure authorizations and cancel IFR flight plans.

Class O RTRs also were intended to allow pilots flying below the coverage of the primary air/ground frequency to continue to receive advisories from air traffic control.

[2] In 2017, the FAA announced a final policy determination which would remove 641 of the roughly 2,100 RCOs in the conterminous United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.