Gate booking system available for VATSIM online flying?

[Gordon Zhu 1182053]

Hello everyone,

 

I found a gate booking system is really necessary to VATSIM flying.

 

Last time when I participated in WF2016 event, I found there is no gate available in the airport, and I accidently parked on the top of an aircraft. So I disconnected from the network. I waited until someone disconnected left a free gate and I logged in again. However, I don't know the gate I parked has already been [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned to an arrived aircraft.

 

The problem is how do we know a gate is available for a user just connected to the sim?

 

I don't want to cause any inconivence to every crew and controller involved in the event, but I really want to participate to this amazing event.

 

Is there a proper way to resolve this problem? Is there a gate booking system available or to be introduced to VATSIM in the future?

 

Any constructive suggestions will be appreciated.

 

Enjoy your jonrney on VATSIM!:)

 

Cheers,

Gordon

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

you dont and there isnt.

 

you arent expected to know if ATC has given someone else a gate.

 

for events, you simply have to make use of the space available at the field, not just the terminal area. use other parking areas when available

[Andrew Ogden]

For WF down in New Zealand, there are minimal gates at both Dunedin and Queenstown, so we ended up lining aircraft up side by side on the gr[Mod - Happy Thoughts] parallel to the runway, and even resorting to parking just off taxiways.

[Daniel Katz]

The problem is how do we know a gate is available for a user just connected to the sim?

A few programs will let you download the VATSIM data file and show the traffic at the airport without connecting to the network with your pilot client. You can zoom in and see the VATSIM traffic at the gates and just move over to a vacant gate (if there is one) before you actually connect. FS Commander works very well for this (even the unregistered version). Aivlasoft EFB may have a similar feature as well.

[Ross Carlson]

A few programs will let you download the VATSIM data file and show the traffic at the airport without connecting to the network with your pilot client. You can zoom in and see the VATSIM traffic at the gates and just move over to a vacant gate (if there is one) before you actually connect. FS Commander works very well for this (even the unregistered version). Aivlasoft EFB may have a similar feature as well.

 

Note that the data file that these programs use is generated by the servers every 2 minutes, last I knew. So even if a spot appears to be available, it may not be when you connect.

 

Also note that it can take up to 10 seconds for an aircraft to appear when you first connect with vPilot. So it can sometimes appear that someone else connected on top of you, when in fact they were there first. I always give the other pilot the benefit of the doubt and move to a new location if someone appears on top of me within the first 10 seconds of when I connect.

[Kirk Christie]

What is the problem with being parked on some one else?

[Ross Carlson]

What is the problem with being parked on some one else?

 

Nothing if you don't care about realism.

[Andrew Ogden]

What is the problem with being parked on some one else?

VATSIM is 'As real as it gets' so i think it would be more realistic for both pilots and controllers if we had people on different gates. I know as a controller i would tell someone to move if they were parked on someone else.

 

EDIT: Beat me to it Ross

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

As a controller you would be going beyond your duties doing so depending on where you control anyway, US, terminal isnt controlled by us. pilots are more then capable of working it out themselves

[Martijn Rammeloo]

I am the developer of the 'EHAM Gate Planner'. This is a web-based tool to help GND controllers [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign gates to inbound aircraft, taking into account airline, pax/cargo, acft type, Schengen etc. It also knows which gates are blocked by outbound planes, making them unavailable to inbounds. If available, the tool will [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign a real-life gate if the pilot uses a real-life callsign.

 

As a matter of fact, it would be very easy to create a 'booking system'. However... after some bad experiences with people 'playing' with the tool (for example, manually blocking all gates), I decided to put the page behind the VATSIM SSO, and only S1+ rated Dutchvacc controllers have been able to use it since that moment.

 

I believe the Austrians have a public booking system.

 

Kind regards,

 

Martijn

[Thimo Koolen]

A funny related experience I had:

As I was controlling Schiphol Delivery one evening, the entire airport was empty, except for one plane. There are almost 150 gates/parking positions for IFR flights. Another airplane joins, exactly on top of that other airplane.

 

Ontopic, a gate booking system would be hard to archieve, and probably not possible. Not everyone uses that (and it's difficult to require people to do so) and with default scenery or an addon, parking positions can be different and different coordinates. So I guess it won't happen.

[Martijn Rammeloo]

Ontopic, a gate booking system would be hard to archieve, and probably not possible. Not everyone uses that (and it's difficult to require people to do so) and with default scenery or an addon, parking positions can be different and different coordinates. So I guess it won't happen.

 

Of course, there is no way to enforce it. However, you can encourage pilots to use it, and for example during events with booked flights, you can ask them to use it in the pilot briefing.

 

I am very aware of the differences between the existing sceneries . At this moment my planner uses three different sets of lat/lon coordinates, and sets 4 and 5 will follow shortly with the release of two new commercial sceneries. So, as long as the pilot enters the scenery he uses, it is quite easy to determine the actual place he will spawn at.

 

Still, security issues keep me from implementing it.

 

Martijn