Pilots disconnecting when receiving contact me.

[Nick Saffari]

Hey everyone. This has been in the back of my head for a while, but as it has been happening more often I had to say it here. Has anyone noticed that about 40% of the time when you send a contact me the pilot will disconnect. That makes me confused because I wonder what goes through their heads when they see it. VATSIM is all about the ATC and a contact me isn't bad. The first time I saw this in effect was when I was on a minor ground position last year when I just got my S1. This was my 2nd or 3rd time on the network and I hop on and this guy just starts his taxi. I send a contact me. He disconnects and then reconnects in the air. I am currently an S3 and I was on Vegas approach and I was excited to get on for 2 arrivals. Only got one because one ditched after a contact me. Anyway was just wondering if anyone could relate to me and have seen this weird pilot behavior before.

[Nestor Perez]

Yeah, no worries. I’ve had many cases where pilots disconnect when receiving the contact me and reconnect when back in uncontrolled airspace. Not that I understand this behaviour, as in my opinion that’s all VATSIM is for...

[Andrew Ogden]

Try oceanic, sending contact-mes to pilots is like trying to play whack-a-mole with your radar scope and failing miserably.

[Andreas Fuchs]

LOL nice one Andrew

[Robert Shearman Jr]

Agree. I find it completely bizarre, but there are many pilots on the network who use it for multiplayer connectivity and/or an hours-logging service, and don't want to be bothered by ATC. It baffles me especially because there are a number of better services out there to provide those things, without human ATC, which I also agree is the whole point of flying on VATSIM. ::shrug::

[Arthur Melton]

ATC is over intrusive,I reckon.

[Nestor Perez]

Arthur, could you please elaborate a bit more on your point? I'm willing to hear actual reasons for pilots to disconnect when being requested to contact a controller, but I can't really understand your point.

[Romano Lara]

I asked this on the VATSIM Facebook page and have gotten all sorts of justification.

 

Anyone who's ever played console game...especially Call of Duty in this particular example knows they have a anti-quit feature . If for whatever you quit in the middle of the game, and the server flags that you are fond of doing this, you will be unable to access the server for 30 minutes. Just thought I'd leave this here.

 

But some pilots are just on the network for unknown reasons. In the VATSIM Facebook group, some even mentioned deliberately descending below FSS airspace just to avoid talking to them.

[Joshua Jenkins]

This is definitely one of my biggest pet-peeves as an Air Traffic Controller on VATSIM. In my opinion, having a mandatory training program in place for new pilots would likely iron out the majority of the non-serious pilots (who, I [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ume, are the ones primarily doing this). And (going a bit off topic here) yes I know this isn't a new brilliant idea but considering the number of times its been requested/suggested just here on these forums, it would be nice to hear whether or not someone higher up has actually started to work on implementing some of these ideas.

 

Just food for thought

Cheers,

[Richard McDonald Woods]

Generally, I believe that we need a great deal more ATC and pilot training to be available (different, perhaps, than taken ). Much can be achieved in offering training without resorting to tutor involvement in the early and middle stages. Also we must not fall into the trap of concentrating on ATC and piloting separately. Unless both interests take into account to skill needs of the other, we will not progress very far.

 

There are many freely-available professional pilot training videos. These need combining into a carefully structured learning management system to give pilots the opportunity to obtain high quality and interesting training at their own pace. But I feel a very great inertia within VATSIM to getting any progress on this over the years, even when I propose to help to design it.

 

There may be ATC training materials available but, as a pilot, I am not sure. Additional work needs to be done here and urgent progress made.

 

One thing is for sure - until there is a joint effort to progress training, we shall continue to be stuck in the 'yes, I understand. We need to do something about it' without actually progressing and agreeing a goal and timescale.

[Robert Shearman Jr]

considering the number of times its been requested/suggested just here on these forums, it would be nice to hear whether or not someone higher up has actually started to work on implementing some of these ideas.

page 6

 

https://www.vatsim.net/sites/default/files/minutes/BOG_2018-Q4.pdf

[Daniel Morris 1132365]

I think making a contact me more friendly would help the situation, the ones that don't care are generally loud, obnoxious and don't care about being in the way - THEY need training or weeding out NOT the nervous new starter.

 

The kind of pilot that thinks he's inconvenienced somebody or simply found it too intimidating to contact ATC are the ones to disconnect.

 

A contact me sounds like a "telling off" kinda like "why aren't you on my frequency CONTACT ME NOW" when really it could be friendlier, something that sends a message like "welcome to London center, please contact me on 123.45"

[Joshua Jenkins]

page 6

 

https://www.vatsim.net/sites/default/files/minutes/BOG_2018-Q4.pdf

 

Interesting and good to hear some steps are being put in place. At the same time a 30 minute "get to know VATSIM a little more" session isn't gonna do very much in my opinion.

 

I think a slightly more intensive training course such as Richard was suggesting will be more effective in separating the trolls from the serious ones at the start.

 

THEY need training or weeding out NOT the nervous new starter.

 

Exactly so why not weed them out when they first join? Once the flow of new "obnoxious" pilots are stopped, then you can focus on eliminating the ones already on the network.

 

EDIT: Also I just want to note that when sending contactme's I send them a PM manually instead of using the built in text alias.

[Arthur Melton]

When pilots hear contact me from a controller ,Its like the voice of doom, why don't they contact the callsign if all they just want is a fresh ID. Also if I am flying a payware with an FMS which I have all set up including the star I don't need a controller to interfere .also I have my FSinn radar on at all times to see local traffic At other times when flying my old freeby aircraft I have quiet enjoyed a talkdown waypoint to waypoint to the localiser,thanks

[Ryan Geckler]

When pilots hear contact me from a controller ,Its like the voice of doom, why don't they contact the callsign if all they just want is a fresh ID. Also if I am flying a payware with an FMS which I have all set up including the star I don't need a controller to interfere .also I have my FSinn radar on at all times to see local traffic At other times when flying my old freeby aircraft I have quiet enjoyed a talkdown waypoint to waypoint to the localiser,thanks

 

Yeah, that's not how VATSIM works. Might as well just fly offline.

[Robert Shearman Jr]

Also not how the real world works. Pilots flying into busy Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] B airports don't get to dictate their runway choice. ATC issues runway [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ignments to best meet the needs of overall traffic flow at the time. I have difficulty understanding why one might spend all that money and time so they can fly an ultra-realistic aircraft, but stop short at wanting to learn to cope with runway [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ignment changes, vectors for traffic, holds, and other issues that come with real airliner flights.

 

And I truly fail to understand why one would connect to VATSIM at all if they did not want to interact with ATC -- why not a more casual multiplayer environment like FSCloud or others instead?

 

(I'm not suggesting there aren't reasons, FYI -- just that I have difficulty understanding them.)

[Arthur Melton]

Good idea. How do I resign from Vatsim??

[Johnny Coughlan]

if I am flying a payware with an FMS which I have all set up including the star I don't need a controller to interfere

 

Great logic *clap* *clap*.

 

I have my FSinn radar on at all times to see local traffic

 

Good luck connecting and using your 'radar' with FSinn once AVF is released, bye bye .

 

Good idea. How do I resign from Vatsim??

 

This isn't a job, I hope you realise that, you do realise that don't you?.

[Dhruv Kalra]

Good idea. How do I resign from Vatsim??

So instead of embracing the variability and unpredictability that is operating in the Air Traffic Control system, you'd rather take your ball and go home?

 

I sincerely hope you're not involved in aviation as a career or aspiring to the same. You're in for a lifetime of disappointment.

[Arthur Melton]

Hi Old buddy, I was in the Royal Air Force working on the real aeroplanes before you were wearing three cornered pants. {nappies or diapers}

[Andreas Fuchs]

Then your reaction is causing even more raised eyebrows.

 

Edit: better style

Edited July 5, 2019 at 01:55 PM by Guest

[Richard McDonald Woods]

Hi Old buddy, I was in the Royal Air Force working on the real aeroplanes before you were wearing three cornered pants. {nappies or diapers}

Whoah, Arthur! Age does not apply here.

[Robert Shearman Jr]

Arthur -- since you seem perfectly willing to continue engaging in this discussion, would you mind articulating your reasons for connecting to VATSIM, given your clear distaste for interacting with online ATC? My opinion (and the opinion of many, I suspect, including I imagine most of the Founders and Board of Governers, if I had to guess) is that pilot-to-ATC interaction is one of the fundamental reasons the network exists in the first place. So I'm curious as to your reasoning for using it, despite what seems to me to be a pretty venomous opinion of VATSIM Controllers. And yes, although surely it's an intentionally loaded question, I'm legitimately asking for your viewpoint.

[Magnus Meese]

When pilots hear contact me from a controller ,Its like the voice of doom, why don't they contact the callsign if all they just want is a fresh ID. Also if I am flying a payware with an FMS which I have all set up including the star I don't need a controller to interfere .also I have my FSinn radar on at all times to see local traffic At other times when flying my old freeby aircraft I have quiet enjoyed a talkdown waypoint to waypoint to the localiser,thanks

You've completely missed the whole role and function of both VATSIM and ATC.

[Arthur Melton]

Then please tell.