VATUSA Controller Training Tip - Mil ATC

[Kyle Ramsey 810181]

With the upcoming Operation Cope Thunder, Jason Sutton, head of VATUSA Training, releases the first of a continuing series of articles of training tips for controllers.

 

The link for this first installment is:

 

http://www.vatusa.org/docs/trainingtip.htm

 

A link has also been added to the VATUSA site menu so you can get them in the future.

Edited June 19, 2006 at 03:50 AM by Guest

[Jeff Turner]

Thanks Jason for putting together this GREAT tip... I'm sure that many others, like me are looking forward to more to come from your department in the future!!!

[Nicholas Bartolotta 912967]

Just curious, what is Operation Cope Thunder?

[tom van der elst]

Just curious, what is Operation Cope Thunder?

 

see here

 

cheers

 

Tom.

[Jason Sutton 879715]

It is a military training exercise taking place in the Alaska airspace. From what I understand it will involve participants from all the VATSIM Special Ops groups, i.e. vUSAF, vUSN, vUSCG, etc. You can read up on the details of the exercise here: http://www.vusaf.org/copethunder/About%20CT05.htm

[Nicholas Bartolotta 912967]

Cool beans, thanks guys!

[Richard Ruminski]

One night last week while operating ANC CTR I noticed a flight pop up over the Yukon MOA. Aircraft type was RQ4A. A quick search reveled that it was a Global Hawk. An unmanned drogue flying a high level recon mission. I then realized that this was probably one of the most realistic aircraft to appear on the Vatsim network. As in real life, here was an unmanned aircraft being flown from a remote position by a pilot sitting in front of a computer screen with a joystick. It doesn’t get any more realistic than that.

 

[Halldor Bui Jonsson]

Just to add a tip, controllers (anywhere in the world really, not just the U.S) should be familiar with when a formation flight checks in on their frequency.

The flight who is about to check in with you, will usually call something like "Viper 1 check" which is then followed in sequency by his flight members, heard in quick succession as "2" .."3".."4", then the lead will check in with ATC.

 

Example Dialouge:

 

Flight Lead: "Viper 1 check"

Wingman: "2"

Flight Lead: "Langley Tower, Viper 1, flight of two F16, 10 miles out, formation full stop"

 

What happends most of the time on VATSIM is that ATC will mis-identify the "Viper 1 check" call as somone asking ATC for a radio check, and thus screws up the whole sequence

 

Edit:

Typical scenarios where you should be enguard for these calls is as a Departure Controller expecting some fighters to be taking off soon (they will check in on the frequency before starting the takeoff roll, but not talk to you until airborne", Tower Controllers with some military aircraft inbound etc

[Ian Elchitz 810151]

Just to add a tip, controllers (anywhere in the world really, not just the U.S) should be familiar with when a formation flight checks in on their frequency.

The flight who is about to check in with you, will usually call something like "Viper 1 check" which is then followed in sequency by his flight members, heard in quick succession as "2" .."3".."4", then the lead will check in with ATC.

 

No clue if there is a rule/regulation for Vatsim, but a flight should be in contact on their own frequency - when the wingmen check in, it shouldn't be on my public frequency that I'm trying to control traffic on.

[Halldor Bui Jonsson]

for intraflight communications, a seperate radio (and frequency) is used (private chat works well for that). The entire flight needs to be on the ATC frequency, allthough only lead will do the talking. This is how it is done in the real world, and since VATSIM tries to simulate that, I dont see why there should be any rules against it.

[Ian Elchitz 810151]

Halldor - that might work for some slow sectors but I'm telling you that having a flight of 4 chattering on LA Center's frequency on any given evening would degrade the already cluttered radio traffic to the point that no one would be having any fun.

 

Unless I'm mistaken, the VUSN (and other military based VA's on Vatsim) require formation flights to use separate voice frequencies for inter-flight communications.

 

Often you have the flight leader on voice with the ATC and the others are simply on the text frequency.

 

In fact many of them have multiple frequencies that they use which are defined at the highest leves of their administrations.

 

SB3 fully supports pilots to be on multiple frequencies for voice - plus a private channel which a key may be bound too.

 

I think that we often miss the point that VATSIM doesn't always necessarily strive to be "as real as it gets" - we often need to sacrifice some realism for common sense.

[Halldor Bui Jonsson]

I never said a formation flight should be using the ATC frequency for chattering.

 

A Lead simply checking his pilots in on the frequency and then lead and only lead talking to you (while the rest of the flight uses the *other* frequency to talk between themselves, i would not consider chatter.

 

Chattering would be them using YOUR frequency to communicate between THEMSELVES imho

[Todd Cole 857559]

Im an F-15 pilot myself in the vUSAF. And the flight lead communicates with ATC and the flight members communicate with each other on a private voice channel. So it all works out.

[Steve Ogrodowski 876322]

Ian,

 

I think you misread Halldor's reply. His followup to your original statement was what you describe (a separate, private channel for intra-flight comms).

[Jack Harrison 933681]

You really don't need positive check in's. This can really clobber the freq when you get up in the division level. All the wingmen should be following lead through on the comms. If they get lost, that's what the intra-flight freq is for. Heck, the wingmen don't even really need to have any ATC frequency up at all, they just follow lead.

[Bo Gercke 845743]

It would be nice if someone actually talked to the plethora of military controllers on the network about current, and relevant military procedures so that poor, or maybe, inaccurate information isn't put out on the network. But, than again, maybe we're not striving for realism here, either. Just another example of pilots getting online to "have fun." But that sure was a lot of typing to explain something to just have fun with.

[Jeff Turner]

It would be nice if someone actually talked to the plethora of military controllers on the network about current, and relevant military procedures so that poor, or maybe, inaccurate information isn't put out on the network. But, than again, maybe we're not striving for realism here, either. Just another example of pilots getting online to "have fun." But that sure was a lot of typing to explain something to just have fun with.

 

I'm sure with your real world pleathera of military information Bo, especially beyond the tower and approach level faciilities that you operate as a Navy controller, that you would be more then happy to offer what you feel needs to be updated on the tip that Jason volunteered his personal time to write for all of us.

 

I'm guessing since you have been inactive for awhile, that you would understand why we didn't come to you personally and ask your expertise...

 

Thanks to ALL the people at the VSOA, like the Virtual USAF and Virtual USN that offered the information to us when asked to help our controllers understand military ops better in VATUSA...

 

More tips coming in the near future folks, Keep an eye out for them!

[Jason Sutton 879715]

It would be nice if someone actually talked to the plethora of military controllers on the network about current, and relevant military procedures so that poor, or maybe, inaccurate information isn't put out on the network.

 

Not that it matters but I tried to discuss procedures that were taking place in the upcoming Cope Thunder excercise. The information I received came from real-world Air Force pilots and a couple of Air Force air traffic controllers, some who are members of VATSIM, some who are not. I went to them because I wanted accurate and concise information, which I did in my strive for realism.

[Bo Gercke 845743]

It would be nice if someone actually talked to the plethora of military controllers on the network about current, and relevant military procedures so that poor, or maybe, inaccurate information isn't put out on the network. But, than again, maybe we're not striving for realism here, either. Just another example of pilots getting online to "have fun." But that sure was a lot of typing to explain something to just have fun with.

 

I'm sure with your real world pleathera of military information Bo, especially beyond the tower and approach level faciilities that you operate as a Navy controller, that you would be more then happy to offer what you feel needs to be updated on the tip that Jason volunteered his personal time to write for all of us.

 

I'm guessing since you have been inactive for awhile, that you would understand why we didn't come to you personally and ask your expertise...

 

Thanks for the concern, Jeff. Regarding my "inactivity": As I stated in my resignation, I received orders overseas. I leave on Wednesday, as a matter of fact. So yes, my obligation to the United States Navy comes before any obligation to this hobby. Furthermore, my inactivity in the hobby has nothing to do with my knowledge of my profession. If you have a useable resource, USE IT! In regards to helping the community with putting out accurate, and relevant information; my email is still active and updated. I would be willing to help anyone with anything that I can help with regarding ATC. VATSIM has given me more opportunities than I could have ever done on my own. My desire to contribute didn't die with my resignation from the ZJX ATM position, or because my personal life takes precedence over my hobby. I know for a fact that there are also 4 other current Navy controllers online who would be willing to help. I'm not quite sure how many Zoomie controllers we have here, but there are some of those also.

 

I like that little stab about "personal time". Are we all not on "personal time" in VATUSA? I mean, last I checked, none of the ATM's got/get paid a cent for the time that was/is put in. Have things changed? Anyway, my thinking has always been that if you're going to put something out, make it as accurate and applicable as possible.

 

So yes, I'd be happy to help Jason with updating the original copy of the docomeent. I'll work on it after I get to Diego Garcia, on Friday. Thanks for the offer, Jeff.