ATC: how to approach beginners on the network

[Mats Edvin Aaro]

Disclaimer:

This is a sporadic PSA from my own experiences as a beginner, controller and supervisor on VATSIM. These are my own personal opinions, and does in no way reflect VATSIM's official stance on the issue.

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We have all been there, some just don't want to realize it. No matter who you are, how many hours you have or what the first three digits of your CID reads, we have all been through that palm-sweating frustration of not daring to press the PTT to ask for a clearance. Who hasn't felt the desperation when you couldn't understand an ATC instruction and didn't have the guts to admit it, only to mumble your way through it and hope he wouldn't catch up on it.

As a supervisor I come across users with different amount of experience every session, and not once has an hour passed without me having to talk to or handle a beginner. And every time, i understand the situation they're in. A lot of people are afraid when the message from _SUP comes through, but fear not - we're only here to help. I will go to great extent to help beginners, give them advice, links, and follow them up on email afterwards if I have the time to do so. That is my duty, and my passion. Of course there are situations where a "newbie" can ruin for other users, such as departing without contacting the controller at EGKK during peak hours, where I have to take action to avoid major inconvenience for other people. If you are able to put yourself in his or her spot, you will see how frustrating, scary and nervous an experience like that might be.

 

So from my experiences, I have some advice to other controllers on how to approach such situations.

 

To controllers handling beginners:

Out of the 1000+ hours I have gathered in my time as a controller, I can't recall how many times I've pulled my hair in frustration by beginners not following my instructions. Sometimes, it can feel like it will ruin the whole controlling session. And after walloping several times without response, you go to VATSPY, open the ATC tab, and see that…. WHAT, NO SUPERVISORS ONLINE?!?!?!

My, oh my, do I remember that. But after some time, I started remembering things I had forgotten (or surpressed) from my time as a beginner on the network. From not understanding the top-down principle, not know what an IFR flight means etc... Unfortunately for me, VATSIM Stats saves all of that. 😕 

Controllers; believe it or not. YOU are the face of VATSIM. Not the supervisors, not the BoG, not the people behind the scenes. YOU are the first person new pilots will talk to, and if you don't think about how you approach them - you might be the last one as well.

Some controllers I've told this to tells me "it's not my job to teach pilots how to talk to ATC". And yes you are correct, BUT...

Even though it's not your responsibility to teach them and hold their virtual hand through the virtual skies, how you act can be the difference between them staying and expanding their knowledge and their hobby through VATSIM, or being too scared to ever reconnect. Most of you do this very well - kudos to you.

A good tip to everyone, use aliases. Whenever I talk to a beginner, I give them two links. The PLC (formerly called PRC) (vats.im/plc), and the CoC (vats.im/coc). The holy grail of beginnerland. If you're like me and lacks creativity, copy this into your alias file:

Quote

.plc Hello, I see you are new to the network. First of all - welcome to VATSIM! It may be tempting to jump right ahead and fly, but I would suggest you read through some training material first, in order to prepare yourself for what you may encounter. First of all - you should read the VATSIM tutorials at vats.im/plc. Here you can find everything you need. Second of all, you should read through the VATSIM Code of Conduct (vats.im/coc), especially sections A and B, in order to not get in trouble for something you didn't know. Let me know if you need any more questions, I am here to help you! 

 

The great myth of the wallop

If you find yourself in a position where a beginner poses a conflict, or you are unsure what to do, never be afraid to wallop for a supervisor. I have heard about vACC/ARTCC's having policies about when you can and cannot wallop, which I question - but that is a different topic. A "wallop" is simply a way to send a message to online supervisors in order to notify them for assistance. Both pilots and Controllers can utilize this, and it is the same format across all clients.

In order to send a wallop, write this into your scratchpad/text Box:

Quote

.wallop [brief description of issue]

 

Far too often I see people simply typing things like .wallop help, which gives us no way of prioritizing the case before initiating contact. That leads to a lot of lost time. Try giving a brief description of what is happening along with the callsign of the user - so we can get started right away instead of you having to write it all once more. A good example of a wallop is something like this:

Quote

.wallop AAL123 taxiing without contact, not responding to contact me's, conflicting with traffic.

If I get a wallop like that, I can take immediate action instead of having to assess the situation because of lack of information.

TL;DR

Beginners aren't all that bad. Controllers are front figures. If you haven't got time to handle it yourself - wallop.

[Grant Williams]

Excellent post here, Mats. I just did a flight out of KPDX with a buddy on Discord and he is very new to VATSIM and radio comms with controllers. The controllers were very helpful and friendly. He kept correcting himself on Discord and was embarrassed when he made mistakes. He kept saying things like, "Well that's not how I hear it on LiveATC."

I am a teacher, and my advise to newer people on the network would be the same thing I tell my students... If you don't know, ask. Don't be afraid to ask if you're confused! In my experience of being on VATSIM on and off over the years, ATC has always been helpful.

 

[Tim Murphy]

Some great discussion points. Reminding us of how new pilots may be scared away due to a bad first impression is important. I remember a controller when I was a new pilot I flew out of JFK an made a lot of mistakes. Nicholas Gonzalez was the controller and his gentle approach to one of my first times flying is the reason I kept flying - this was over 10 years ago. 

Thanks!

[Aidan Deschene]

Thanks for the post! I may have to relay this information so some of our controllers at my facility who may get into issues with new pilots, and may get even scared or annoyed at new pilots. We all do need to help eachother out, and if there is an issue just ask.

When I'm controlling I always ensure that the aircraft knows what they're doing, and if they don't, I'll take a minute when time and situation permits where I can help them out, or message them some tips/tricks or information.

And... I am certainly looking into that lovely alias you posted! Mahalo!

[Samuel Rey]

This is soo right! My first experience on the network was messaging a controller asking if he was OK with me asking for a clearance and then disconnecting. I was sooo scared! I don't know why VATSIM makes us all scared of calling up, but it does. The controller replied telling me that he had no problem with that, and encouraging me to ask for taxt, etc. as it wasn't busy and he could help me. That ended up being my first VATSIM flight. This experience greatly influenced the way I treat beginners. When they come in, expecting to be eaten alive by controllers, and instead, receive a welcoming message encouraging them to have fun and ask questions, they will most likely stick around.

On 5/19/2020 at 4:09 PM, Mats Edvin Aaro said:

Controllers; believe it or not. YOU are the face of VATSIM. Not the supervisors, not the BoG, not the people behind the scenes. YOU are the first person new pilots will talk to, and if you don't think about how you approach them - you might be the last one as well.

Yes! I think one of the things that causes most disagreements in VATSIM is this. While us controllers are users just like the pilots, not admins or anything like that, but for pilots we're the other side of VATSIM. Look at it this way: what other pilots did is 'what the other guy' did. But if we give a clearance, 'I was on VATSIM and they cleared me..' So if you're having a bad day, and treat a pilot badly, consider that likely, for that pilot, it's not you who treated him badly, it's 'the VATSIM controllers treated me badly'

[Mats Edvin Aaro]

Exactly @Samuel Rey, and a surprising amount of people don't realize that. IMO that should be taught with every rating, even from S1 level. Controlling on VATSIM isn't just knowing how to issue a pushback or taxi clearance; it's also about knowing your place, role and function, and having that attitude VATSIM is looking for amongst controllers and pilots alike. 😄

[William Teale]

On 5/29/2020 at 5:30 AM, Samuel Rey said:

I don't know why VATSIM makes us all scared of calling up, but it does.

Just means you care about what other people think. If it helps, it's not limited to VATSIM - it's a common stage for real pilots, learning how to talk to ATC.

[Tom Dowd]

Of course the first step in dealing with a new pilot is to point him towards the PRC so he can read up on the appropriate material. Some pilots however, do not want to learn and expect you to do everything for them.

[Mats Edvin Aaro]

@Tom David We have recently introduced a mandatory "P0" course + test that all new registrations must undergo before being able to log onto the network. There they are shown all of these resources in a very organized manner. You can view the info they receive by going to this link, which is a new section in the PRC PLC (Rebranded Pilot Learning Center).

11 hours ago, Tom David said:

Some pilots however, do not want to learn and expect you to do everything for them.

From my personal experience, the "some" here is very relative. I have hardly ever come across someone on the network totally oblivious to learning new skills on their own. They exist of course, but they aren't many.. 🙂 Again, just my experience.

[Tom Dowd]

The P0 course and test is a good step, should weed out some of the troublemakers.

[Robert Shearman Jr]

Agree.  It won't be a perfect solution but it will be a step.  At the very least, it communicates the message that this is not the place for "goofing off" and "antics" but a realistic simulation of real-world aviation.  At least some will see that distinction and decide VATSIM is not the right place for them.  And if there are still those who choose to participate in the former, it's more likely willful disobedience than accidental ignorance, and can be dealt with as such.

[Kirk Christie]

19 hours ago, Tom David said:

The P0 course and test is a good step, should weed out some of the troublemakers.

Just like having a driver's licence doesn't stop law breakers.

[Robert Shearman Jr]

12 hours ago, Kirk Christie said:

Just like having a driver's licence doesn't stop law breakers.

But it may REDUCE them.  But I guess you're saying unless it's a perfect solution it shouldn't be done? 

[Kirk Christie]

On 8/26/2020 at 7:21 AM, Robert Shearman Jr said:

But I guess you're saying unless it's a perfect solution it shouldn't be done? 

Never said that, and please dont infer as such.

Edited August 27, 2020 at 09:32 AM by Kirk Christie

[Tobias Dammers]

Some perspective from a relatively recent beginner (~100 hrs on the network):

New pilots fall into different categories, and in order to effectively help them, it is probably a good idea to assess which category they fall into.

Most new pilots will be in the "well-intentioned" category: familiar with the basic rules of the network, able to fly the aircraft at least in a non-stress situation, willing to follow advice, and at least somewhat prepared. The best help you can give these pilots is to speak slowly, keep your instructions short and piecemeal, offer vectors instead of complex arrivals, try to keep them out of the busiest hotspots in the airspace, expect slower reactions and more readback corrections and "say again"s, and generally be prepared for a little bit more hand-holding.

Another category is "well-intentioned, but in over their heads". These pilots WANT to follow the rules and do everything right, but unlike the first category, they don't come prepared enough. They may have issues flying the aircraft, they may not have the charts ready, or they may be unable to read them, they may not be familiar enough with radio phraseology to correctly interpret your instructions, etc. IMO, the correct reaction here is to help them to your best abilities, and as workload permits, but when it becomes clear that they cause too much disruption, or that their intentions are too far beyond their abilities, as a controller you will do them and yourself a favor by asking them, kindly, to disconnect and try an easier flight in a less busy airspace, and maybe point them at some suitable learning materials (if you have the time).

Then there's the "gamers" - people who expected vatsim to be like a typical game, where you can essentially just hop in and learn by doing. These people probably haven't read the rules, and may not even realize what a nuisance they are; they need some serious expectation management and/or a reality check. A kind but determined text message pointing at the relevant rule documents and "getting started" tutorials is probably the least painful way of doing that. If they keep disregarding, upgrade them to "troll" (even if they are not trolling on purpose, a gross misconception of what is expected of them will lead to the same practical problems, and the same priorities in handling them).

Which brings us to the last category: "trolls" / "goofs". These are people who won't take ATC, the network, or other pilots, seriously, and they will not make any attempt at bettering themselves - they're just here to goof off. You can give them the benefit of the doubt and treat them like "gamers", but when that doesn't help (and if they're actual trolls, it won't), have them kicked off the network.

This rough categorization, and especially the "well-intentioned" vs. "wrong expectations or outright troll" split is important, because the former group needs practical help and some slack to keep their workload manageable and their inevitable mistakes non-fatal, while the latter needs corrective measures ranging anywhere from expectation management to disciplinary action. Pointing a well-willing but somewhat overwhelmed first-time pilot at the CoC is a bit of a dick move when their problem is not that they don't understand the rules, but have trouble following every detail due to workload issues; and on the other side, ATC should not bend over backwards to accommodate a pilot who willingly and knowingly disregards ATC advice, whether out of malice or gross incompetence.

And yes, the P0 rating should help with the trolls and gamers, but it's not foolproof, because anyone with a pre-P0 account can of course still log on and do some serious goofing.

Oh, and just so we're clear: the treatment I have gotten from Vatsim controllers as a bloody beginner has been nothing short of excellent. I like to think of myself as having been in the "well-intentioned and prepared" category, and the treatment I got was completely appropriate, if not perfect.

[Marco De Sanctis]

I'm an absolute beginner and genuinely willing to learn and improve, because I believe the experience you get in VATSIM is like no others 🙂

I've done a few VFRs, gradually getting more far away from the airport, and also picking areas with less traffic. Things have been quite smooth, hence I wanted to do the major step towards IFR.

What I do is usually rehearsing the route in offline mode, in order to make sure I have all the charts in order and I know what to expect, especially during taxing, TO and landing.

My main struggle is with ATC comms: albeit having studied the jargon and knowing the key phrases, I get very often confused with what ATC is communicating. Also on my end, nothing short of excellent treatment from Vatsim controllers.

What I've done a few times was to connect from a busy airport and stay parked at the gate, just to listen what ATCs and pilots say in order to get more familiar with the terms and phrases, without disturbing anyone. Is this the correct thing to do?

I hope this point of view might help and I welcome any suggestions to better enjoy the network.

Marco

Edited September 10, 2020 at 02:02 PM by Marco De Sanctis

[Sree Bharath Jaya Sasi]

A great perspective indeed Mats, I personally haven't really flown on the network so to speak, I started as a controller(unlike the Majority) and I can quite distinctly remember what my first controlling session was like. The great thing is that almost all controllers I have seen in VATSIM are usually more than willing to help beginners get started, and IMO that is one thing that helps make VATSIM what it is. Everyone has to start at some point and being in this community I believe it is very much the responsibility of every controller to ensure that beginners who are willing to learn enjoy their time on the network. I personally do make it a point to give this perspective to any controller impatient with beginners(I have very rarely met someone like that), it is not that I do not understand why they get frustrated but the important thing is such a negative impact could possibly lead to a lot of members leaving VATSIM for ever

[Gabor Szász]

Guys,

I am planning to fly on VATSIM, but I affraid of speaking with ATC. I used to listen when I parked and for me, however I can speak English, and mostly I understand the phraseology, my biggest problem is that the speed of the conversation is very fast. Is there any ways to sign for the controller that I am beginner and if he is not busy then speak with me slowly and in a very much understandable way?

Do you have best pratcices?

Thank you for your answer.

Cheers,

Gabor

[Torben Andersen]

You can write a remark in your flightplan stating you are a beginner and request a slower communication rate. However, the full flightplan is not alway read by ATC depending on position: As enroute controller I can see your flightplan route through my area using Euroscope, without opening your flightplan, which means that I probably don't read your flightplan remarks. So written remarks has its limitations. You can also tell the controller on initial contact, that you are a beginner and would like some patience and slower communication from ATC. I'll certainly try to accomodate you, but if you fly to a very busy airport during an event, things are happening fast, so stay away from such areas (eg. London/Frankfurt) until you feel more comfortable on voice. But I would always prefer you to communicate on voice, as text is more slow and easily overlooked by ATC. VATSIM has begun a program for beginners, and if your local FIR doesn't offer a first wing program, try to encourage them to do so. Here the pace is a lot more acceptable for a beginner and great to be accustommed to the voice com world.

 

[Nick Warren]

4 hours ago, Gabor Szász said:

Guys,

I am planning to fly on VATSIM, but I affraid of speaking with ATC. I used to listen when I parked and for me, however I can speak English, and mostly I understand the phraseology, my biggest problem is that the speed of the conversation is very fast. Is there any ways to sign for the controller that I am beginner and if he is not busy then speak with me slowly and in a very much understandable way?

Do you have best pratcices?

Thank you for your answer.

Cheers,

Gabor

Answered your question in your other thread as well, however, to be honest, it's usually pretty obvious when someone is a beginner.  I'm going to go my usual pace, however if I can tell someone is struggling (again, usually obvious and early in the encounter), I will slow down and cater my instruction set accordingly  🙂

[Alistair Thomson]

4 hours ago, Gabor Szász said:

Do you have best pratcices?

I also responded in your other thread:

If you didn't get all of what ATC says, the standard way of indicating that is to use the phrase 'say again', eg. "Xxxx Tower, say again <followed by your callsign."

But if the problem is simply that ATC is speaking too fast (which is very common), your standard phrase is "speak slower" rather than "say again." 

The rate of speech from ATC shouldn't be more than 100 words per minute, and that's pretty slow.

[Andreas Fuchs]

Actually, if you did not understand an instruction, because it was too fast, you say say again slower.

[Jonas Helkey]

19 hours ago, Alistair Thomson said:

 

The rate of speech from ATC shouldn't be more than 100 words per minute, and that's pretty slow.

Infuriatingly slow almost. The Backstreet Boys' "Rock your Body" comes along at 100 beats per minute, for some reference. You'd be saying one word per beat in that song, which coincidentally is exactly what happens in the actual song at the part we all know and love: "Back Street's back, alright!"

 

You also have that song stuck in your heads for the rest of the day now and I'm not sorry at all.

Edited January 13, 2021 at 01:45 PM by Jonas Helkey

[Robert Shearman Jr]

5 hours ago, Jonas Helkey said:

The Backstreet Boys' "Rock your Body" comes along at 100 beats per minute, for some reference. You'd be saying one word per beat in that song, which coincidentally is exactly what happens in the actual song at the part we all know and love: "Back Street's back, alright!"

 

You also have that song stuck in your heads for the rest of the day now and I'm not sorry at all.

I will hunt you down, good sir, and exact my revenge.  You'll get knocked down, but you'll get up again -- I'm never going to keep you down.

[Jonas Helkey]

57 minutes ago, Robert Shearman Jr said:

I will hunt you down, good sir, and exact my revenge.  You'll get knocked down, but you'll get up again -- I'm never going to keep you down.

 

But do consider that I'm strong. No-one can tell me I'm wrong. Searching my heart for so long.

Both of us knowing:

 

We're making a travesty of this poor thread.

Edited January 13, 2021 at 07:52 PM by Jonas Helkey