Possible way to attract traffic

[David Wilson-Okamura 91149]

From reading the forums, I get the impression that there's a growing interest in doing VFR on VATSIM. I also get the impression that there are a lot of controllers out there who are bored silly, because they don't get any traffic.

 

I don't have any experience as a controller, whatsoever. But I'm wondering if there's a way that these two groups could make each other's lives more interesting.

 

I realize that some ARTCCs don't need to worry about traffic -- they get it automatically. But for those that don't, have you thought about specializing in VFR? You'd need to pick the right airport: something scenic that's fun to fly around. Then get the word out, not just on VATSIM but on AVSIM and Flightsim.com and the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim newsgroup.

 

Obviously there are no guarantees. I've read a number of stories of controllers who "staffed it and they didn't come." On the other hand there's Donald Fiveash who's been doing the tower at Santa Monica (KSMO) for a couple hours most nights of the week, and I try to stop in for at least half an hour every night. Some nights I get in too late, and don't make it. Why do I go there? Because he's consistent, he has a lot of experience to share, and he caters to light aircraft.

[Andre Koch 852831]

The problem is, there are no dedicated VFR controllers (actually I´m not sure about the US, if you guys do have them then my apologies). However, I would like to share our experiences in the VACC-SAG (Switzerland, Austria, Germany), maybe they are of some use for you. What we did was introducing the "weekly VFR tuesday". On Tuesdays, there are numerous controllers online in the SAG who control only small airfields who would otherwise never get service at all. Pilots love this VFR-tuesday and fly around in their "lawnmovers" (small Cessnas, Pipers, Diamonds etc.).

 

The lessons we learned: It needs to be consistent (once a week, at a fixed day) and while there is a critical m[Mod - Happy Thoughts] of airfields that need to be open (around half a dozen), they must not be too far away from each other. It would be perfect if those airfields were all within a 100mile-circle. If you do all that, pilots will come.

[David Wilson-Okamura 91149]

1. I really like the idea of staffing several airports within a 100-mile circle. Even two airports, with traffic going back and forth, would be a lot of fun.

 

2. You're right about consistency on the controller end. I think it also applies on the pilot end. If they want to have airports that cater to them, GA pilots need to make it interesting for the controllers. Right now, they are scattered all over the country. If they were to concentrate in a few areas, it would be more fun for everyone: there would be more planes on the ground and in the air, and controllers would have a reason to staff the towers.

 

3. Point taken about "specializing in VFR." When I said "specialize," I meant "devote special attention to." The United States is a big country, but most of the VATSIM traffic is concentrated around a few hubs -- for several reasons, none of them sinister: because the default scenery at those airports is more built up, because the names are more famous, and because those are the real-world hubs for the airlines on which VAs are based.

 

But what about the controllers in other areas? Someone a little while ago suggested that it would be great to have all of the centers staffed across the country. To which someone else responded, it's boring for the centers in the middle, who spend their hours just handing off their planes to another controller.

 

My suggestion is: if you aren't getting airline traffic, offer something that the airline hubs don't. "Specialize," if you will, in GA traffic -- and let people know that you're doing it.

[Chris Faver 918077]

well I'm just curious about being a controller at a small Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] D airport. i would like to be a controller at KFUL in socal its where i normally fly out of in real life, and its mainly just a VFR airport and thats how i tend to like to fly. is that normal during busy hours that ppl are on flying small aircraft in VFR conditions around say the socal area?

[David Wilson-Okamura 91149]

There's more and more GA traffic in the Socal area -- mainly because several controllers have made a point of opening cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts]-D airports. The irony is that Socal is probably the last region that actually NEEDS more traffic. Lots of pilots already come into ZLA either for KLAX or KLAS. The regions that could really benefit from this strategy (of staffing GA airports) are the ones that don't get a lot of airline traffic.

[Keith Smith]

David,

 

Good suggestions, I hope many ARTCC's give it a try. As you said, ZLA already gets a good amount of traffic, but we enjoy the variety. We're having an event this Sunday, May 22 called 'D-Day', where we staff lots of Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] D towers. http://www.laartcc.org/event/info/4. I'll be adding a pilot tutorial to that site before the event for beginners who are trying VFR for the first time.

 

The Chief of Oakland ARTCC (ZOA) just announced that they will run weekly General Aviation evenings, where they open several towers.

 

I also understand that some smaller towers in Washington DC have been opening up, too.

 

Seems to me that momentum is picking up!

 

Keith

[James Hillyerd 931735]

Another suggestion for controllers that might want to work with VFR pilots... Staff areas that have scenery upgrades available. I don't know how many virtual pilots buy these upgrades, but I bought mega scenery for the Pacific Northwest, and so far have never seen anything other than SeaTac staffed. VFR is a lot more interesting with real scenery.

[Brad Littlejohn]

There's more and more GA traffic in the Socal area -- mainly because several controllers have made a point of opening cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts]-D airports. The irony is that Socal is probably the last region that actually NEEDS more traffic. Lots of pilots already come into ZLA either for KLAX or KLAS. The regions that could really benefit from this strategy (of staffing GA airports) are the ones that don't get a lot of airline traffic.

 

Thus, the saying goes: "If you build it, they will come".

 

Don Fiveash is the man behind ZLA's surge in GA traffic, as he has been staffing SMO frequently. He used to instruct out of there, and knows that field better than the strips of paint on the runway for 3/21 there. He's also thinking of the little guy, who wants to fly in the pattern, work on his pilot skills, but not want to fly any big tin on the single biggest preferred route (real world speaking) in the southwest region. Others are following suit, and IMHO, more power to them. I'd love to see IDA, HLN, OMA, or SAW towers open handling people in the patterns.

 

All it takes for them is to be open. That should attract them enough. Show the presence, be on for a while (yes, you may start out with little or no traffic at all), but they will come.

 

BL.

[David Wilson-Okamura 91149]

All it takes for them is to be open. That should attract them enough. Show the presence, be on for a while (yes, you may start out with little or no traffic at all), but they will come.

 

Telling people about it also helps. Don puts "Newbies welcome" in his ATIS. I've also been posting messages in various non-VATSIM forums. For all I know, there may be more towers out there that are already doing this that we don't know about. Would it be possible to start a new forum for GA traffic here?

[Robin Goodchild 928027]

Hi,

 

One thing I noticed is (and I speak from a pilot perspective here) is that few controllers (I can't, and won't name names) stay on less than 30 mins at a time! No sooner have they logged on, are they logging off again. I have to say that just recently I haven't seen this, and managed to find someone not from our ARTCC that had been on over 5 hrs! GOOD ON YA!

 

I find I need to man TWR for about 2 hours before I even see any traffic, then it picks up and before I know it, I have 6 or 7 aircraft flying in and out most of the evening. I think ATC requires a bit of patience to get traffic, but once you get it, it's great!!

 

Personally speaking, I aim to be on for at least 3 hours, as anything less and you don't get a good run. You start without traffic, then just as it is picking up you're leaving. That's no good to either side. If you can also co-ordinate with others in your ARTCC that works well, too. Agree that one of you does TWR, another ground (or APP etc) to give a good service to those who do visit. Give a great service, and that traffic will return, and so on.

 

Best regards,

Robin.