Some clarifications regarding vroute+VATBOOK+pre-filing

[Andreas Fuchs]

Hello everyone,

 

I noticed that some people have a slight misconception about the relationship between ServInfo, vroute, VATBOOK, VATSIM pre-filing euro-book.net and route-databases.

 

I will start off with this simple graphic that I have created to explain what's going on here:

 

 

Let's start off with our new system:

• vroute shows you all the current and the booked ATC & FLIGHTS. Through vroute you can book any flight and any ATC-position that you have used before for a minimum of 1 hour
   
  
• ServInfo can only show you the booked ATC-positions and this can be done seperatedly only! To do so you need to switch the third network button on the top left to show the blue EUROBOOK-symbol. Load the data with this button, you can filter the dates with the buttons on the bottom of ServInfo's window. Caution: Booked flights are not display through ServInfo!
   
  
• FIR / ARTCC / VAs: through these websites you are able to book flights (mostly VAs) or ATC-positions (through the website of your FIR/ARTCC). All of these websites can also display any information downloaded from VATBOOK's database and display them in any desired way (booked ATC & flights, or only booked ATC for a certain area, etc.).
   
  
• Route databases are able to add/edit/delete flights at VATBOOK, they only need to stick to VATBOOK's communication protocol.
   
  
• euro-book.net has become a seperate and unfortunately an isolated system! The reason for this is that euro-book's webmaster is still sending flight-reservations to the predecessor of VATBOOK so these flights do not show up at vroute or any other service that uses data from VATBOOK! We have reminded the webmaster of euro-book.net several times to change the booking-protocol so the data get's sent to new address but since last year July there has been no reaction or reply

 

 

VATSIM Pre-Filed Flightplans

Now we come to the point that get's misunderstood by many people: flights booked through VATBOOK are never automatically pre-filed with VATSIM! As a consequence all pilots still need to file a flightplan before departure, be it via Squawkbox, FsInn or through VATSIM's flightplan pre-filing webform.

 

Why should you still book your flight then? First of all you will enable potential air traffic controllers to get motivated by the flight forecast for a certain time. So: the more pilots book their future flights the higher their chances will be to encounter ATC who got triggered through booked flights!

There you can also see clearly that you, no matter whether if you are ATC or a pilot, do have some responsibility to use the booking-system in a disciplined way. The more "fake-bookings" we have, the lower will be your chances to have ATC/flights for your booked time, area or route! So, if you book an ATC-position or a flight and later on realize that you are not able to stick to your plan (real-life rules!), then please do everyone a favour and delete or modify your booked ATC presence or your booked flight.

 

Again: your disciplined usage of VATBOOK is crucial to its success because only if its booking-data is reliable people will trust it. Please try to be courteous to the others, use it in a responsible way. Every single member of VATSIM can make a difference!

I wish you many, many enjoyable hours online with VATSIM and please use vroute and VATBOOK!

Edited July 2, 2010 at 11:30 AM by Guest

[Kyprianos Biris]

Very informative post Andreas. I suggest it goes pinned on top !

Thank you.

[Mariano Buitrago 830786]

How can we make ATC bookings into VATBOOK from our ARTCC's website? Is there an interface available? From what I read in the great explanation, this is a valid way to make bookings... This is something we've been wanting to do for a long time.

 

Thanks

Mariano Buitrago

Air Traffic Manager

Virtual Washington ARTCC

http://www.zdcartcc.org

[Richard Jenkins]

Mariano,

 

Drop me a note and I can get you in contact with people that will show you how to build booking into your site.

[Andreas Fuchs]

Or drop me a private message, I will point you to the information you need

[Michal Rok]

The interface docomeentation is available at http://www.euroutepro.com/support/viewforum.php?f=3

 

 

Michal

[Robert Fersch]

Hello Andreas,

 

I use simroutes and VATroute and have never seen an option to book a flight with VATBOOK.

 

How is this done or is this an option which these sites have not implemented yet?

 

I have been using eurobookand am disappoionted to learn that the bookings are not shared. I will be using vroute in the future.

 

Thanks for all the excellent work on this and other aspects of Vatsim which enables all of us to share these friendly skies.

 

Best Regards,

Bob Fersch

[Andreas Fuchs]

Dear Bob,

 

your thanks must go to Michal Rok, he's made VATBOOK and vroute and he's hosting these services as well. I am just the messenger

 

Regarding your question: simroutes is not yet sending flight-bookings to VATBOOK but as far as I understand it, Ian is working on it. Maybe he can reveal something regarding simroutes and VATBOOK?

[Timm Rehberg]

...ready for delete

[Michal Rok]

???

[Andreas Fuchs]

Hi Kimmo,

 

the problem is that our "friend" Arek, who is running, euro-book.net, has also reserved and used the URL www .vatbook.net . We have *no* control over that

 

So, for www .vatbook.net and www .euro-book.net (which are identical) the same applies:

 

euro-book.net has become a seperate and unfortunately an isolated system! The reason for this is that euro-book's webmaster is still sending flight-reservations to the predecessor of VATBOOK so these flights do not show up at vroute or any other service that uses data from VATBOOK! We have reminded the webmaster of euro-book.net several times to change the booking-protocol so the data get's sent to new address but since last year July there has been no reaction or reply

 

I wish things were different and this kind of name-confusion is one of our main problems in this project. Unless we can stop/modify these URLs, we need to have users who know that they can only use Vroute to book their flights.

 

I hope this was a satisfactory answer to your question. If you need to know more, please let us know here.

[Andreas Fuchs]

Hi Kimmo,

 

you are not taking my time, no worries.

 

As stated in my first answer, euro-book.net is seperated and isolated from any other booking-database. Officially we are using vroute on which you can see booked ATC and booked flights, this is the only place with correct data.

[Andreas Fuchs]

Hello Kimmo,

 

yes, it is REALLY a pitty. Unfortunately the author of euro-book. net does not respond, we would love to enable communication of his service with VATBOOK, but there's either no interest or just complete ignorance on his side. I wish it was different.

 

Regarding your suggestion: I hope Michal reads this thread, otherwise please forward your request to the Michal Rok's e-mail or private message.

[Michal Rok]

Hope the upcoming version of vRoute would support looking up ATC/Pilot booking view for futher than 24h in the future then.

 

I'm still looking for an innovative and intuitive way how to show this information. Anyone can offer a hint?

 

 

Michal

[Andreas Fuchs]

Well, keep the map-style as is (or the new style, that you are currently developing) and "simply" add a time-filter. Users can define a start-date and -time and an end-date and -time. According to this filter Vroute would show who is planning to be online, both as a list and graphic, if possible.

[Michal Rok]

I thought of the ATC Coverage expansion option, but then someone just wanting to check ATC in Poland for tomorrow would have to invent a fictious route to/from Poland in order to be able to check something much simpler. Expanding the map is not feasible for technical reasons.

 

I was more looking at the direction of adding an extra tab in online section with date selector, showing ATC and flights for the previously selected country.

 

 

Michal

[Kyprianos Biris]

http://forums.vatsim.net/viewtopic.php?t=33797

 

An important change regarding VATBOOK and ServInfo for those who use it to check booked ATC positions before deciding the route they'll fly (i.e. with booked ATC positions being the important factor when choosing the destination).

[Michal Rok]

Yep, thanks. Just for clarification - no change in vroute is necessary.

 

 

Michal