where to report rude ATC personnel

[Josh Mcaninch]

I was flying just fine until I hit one of the centers, after providing a tail number and altitude, he snapped saying aircraft couldn't just enter the airspace and announce like that... Everywhere else I have flown it has been acceptable and a preferred method, as much as I hate to complain he had me and 4 others providing way more info. I disconnected just to avoid him, not welcoming at all and the first time in his airspace.

[Evan Reiter]

Hey Josh, sounds like something didn't quite work properly. What you've described - providing a tail number and altitude - is normally what you would want to check in with. However, it's possible that depending where you were and what type of flight you were flying, you may have entered airspace without a clearance. We'd need to know a little more about the situation.

Normally, the best people to reach out to are the home facility of the controller. Most ARTCCs/FIRs/facilities will have a link where you can provide feedback directly to their staff. Failing that, if you search for the name of the facility (example: "Chicago ARTCC VATSIM"), you'll find their website, which will have contact info. You can also find contact info from the division (VATUSA in the example of Chicago).

[Robert Shearman Jr]

23 hours ago, Josh Mcaninch said:

I was flying just fine until I hit one of the centers, after providing a tail number and altitude, he snapped saying aircraft couldn't just enter the airspace and announce like that... Everywhere else I have flown it has been acceptable and a preferred method, as much as I hate to complain he had me and 4 others providing way more info. I disconnected just to avoid him, not welcoming at all and the first time in his airspace.

If you've been handed off from another controller, checking in with just your altitude is usually sufficient.

If you're coming into controlled airspace from uncontrolled airspace, you should check in with your altitude *and position*, not just your altitude.  Controllers accepting an initial check-in from someone who wasnt a radar-handoff from another controller, without a position, are essentially giving you a "pass" on not providing everything you should be.  But in doing so, they have inadvertently set you up for the kind of interaction you described. 

That doesn't excuse a controller being rude -- find their facility website and leave feedback, as Evan suggested.

[Andreas Fuchs]

11 hours ago, Robert Shearman Jr said:

If you're coming into controlled airspace from uncontrolled airspace, you should check in with your altitude *and position*, not just your altitude.  Controllers accepting an initial check-in from someone who wasnt a radar-handoff from another controller, without a position, are essentially giving you a "pass" on not providing everything you should be.

Which is specific to the USA/North America. In most other places of our virtual world controllers will not expect you to report your position, because most users of Euroscope can see on their radar when a station is transmitting on voice at a given time.

EDIT: typing/wording errors. Doh!

Edited June 6, 2022 at 12:50 PM by Andreas Fuchs

[Robert Shearman Jr]

Gah -- thanks Andreas.  While I have tried to be more conscious lately about answering based on US procedure vs the rest of the VATSIM digital globe, I really thought that one was universal.  Thanks for the clarification.

[anthony arthur]

Have anybody out there had a problem with very low voice volume of air traffic controllers? Just went to fly into YSSY 11.00 pm 26/11/22 Aus eastern summer time and I couldn't here a thing that he said.

It makes it very hard to do as they require when you can't here them. I could here everyone else as clear as day and the other controllers on the way but syd tower.

[Andreas Fuchs]

Did you tell the controller in question about it? We cannot hear ourselves, we need other users' feedback.

Edited November 29, 2022 at 10:01 AM by Andreas Fuchs
typing error

[Lauri Uusitalo]

If he was rude, then perhaps it was better not to hear him.

[David Bromage]

On 11/26/2022 at 10:13 PM, anthony arthur said:

Have anybody out there had a problem with very low voice volume of air traffic controllers? Just went to fly into YSSY 11.00 pm 26/11/22 Aus eastern summer time and I couldn't here a thing that he said.

It makes it very hard to do as they require when you can't here them. I could here everyone else as clear as day and the other controllers on the way but syd tower.

Just say something like "Sydney Tower, reading you about 1".