[ATC Assist - Non standard procedures]

Thanks Harrison.

[September 2017 - Membership Report]

Thanks Paul,

 

How are the pilot ratings counted? I understand that P4 up is not accurate at this point, but I assume P2 is also inaccurate (only 2 across all of VATSIM, one of which is VATOCE and the other VATPAC?). Is it only counting a pilots highest rating? All good if it's something that can't really be fixed in this first iteration of stats, but thought I'd ask.

[ATC Assist - Non standard procedures]

Harrison, looks like a clear cut error to me you should feel free to fix. Any revision to locals (not that I have any claim to know, but doesn't really seem necessary on this point) seems a different issue entirely.

[ATC Assist - Non standard procedures]

Matthew's point re the Radar SIDS from 25 is well taken, and tbh it doesn't seem to make much of a difference if there are auto headings in locals, because if it was me, I'm not going to assign headings (even auto release headings in the locals) that I haven't been given directly by APP anyway (unless of course we'd agreed in coord to depart all 25 departures on the same, autoreleaseable heading).

 

But in regards to the original point, I suspect there are a few people who don't realise that 34D/25A in ATC Assist is actually 25D/34A (I had this discussion once on TWR with APP, so it does come up), and either don't use it or put something in ATIS that they aren't using in actuality (and the procedure they're actually using is a death trap), and is probably an easy fix.

[ATC Assist - Non standard procedures]

The configuration is actually just mislabelled. It actually spits out an ATIS for 34 arrs, 25 deps, which to me seems suitable for autorelease and are not dependant. No idea if that is not not a RL configuration, but I've used it on vatsim, and it is in SY local instructions (Mode 7, 25D/34A).

[Separation Assurance - Auto Release Departures]

Hey, Port Noarlunga sounds familiar... Does the VFR tracking coastal have dirty plugs, and it will it require a short final on rwy 12?

[Parafield Ops 29/09/2017]

Credit to Dan for opening up the nonstandard TWR for the lols, and to Josh for having to deal with all the clearances and ground traffic, but especially to all the pilots who came in. It was mostly circuits (we must have had a good 7 or 8 on contra circuits on parallel runways at the same time at various points), although also had a few VFR departures out via the VFR exit points and one or two IFR radar departures (we also got AD APP for a while there from Trey). Randomly staffing airports does sometimes work!

 

Pop-Up Procedural as a similarly unscripted repeated event, folks?  :cool:

[(Spilled) Milk Run, 25th September 2017 - Sydney Procedural - Radar broken.]

Fairly wild guess, cause moodle doesn't say. I'm going to say if you're in visual conditions and you can apply visual separation standards you can still operate parallel ops basically as otherwise operated when Sydney is in PROPS modes with IVAs and IVDs. Reports from pilots as bases for traffic reports to aircraft as opposed to radar.

 

If you can't apply visual separation (say IMC), you would presumably have to maintain procedural separation until pilots were fully established on the instrument approaches (probably 1000 ft altitude sep, with holds at the IAPs or elsewhere), though I don't know if you could release two aircraft onto the instrument approaches to both parallel rwys in IMC without radar, or would have to do one at a time. I'd assume at minimum you'd need to stagger them to allow some number of miles between aircraft on the approach track. I remember someone mentioning no published holds for the inst apchs at YSSY, so I don't know what you could feasibly expect to give for holds for, say, RNAV or ILS approaches. Maybe you could only arrive on one para rwy, depart on the other in IMC for safety?

[Thank you! - Spilled MRM 28th AUG17]

It was great, and reminded me where I  really need to work on my flying. I.E not getting down low enough on downwind for the 3 mile final into the Gold Coast. I like this kind of thing because it shakes you out of the rote SY-ML mindset - the CG approaches actually mean you have to actually fly a bit

 

Control was great as always, and I super enjoyed the wx vectors - spiced things up nicely.

[Question 1]

30/70, I think, with the same caveats as above about realism = fun. Having said that, I'm still learning what is real anyway (and no, that's not a comment about my life or mental state in general).

[Lack of transparency in the appointment of new VATPAC staff]

Hi Tracy,

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

So it will be an opportunity just for people to vent/discuss/etc? That's fine. Probably not really for people like me anyway. If there's any kind of group consensus or resolution or 'vibe' that emerges as a result, would be nice if that is transmitted to those of us in the rest of VATPAC who can't make it onto TS tomorrow night.

 

And no worries. Wouldn't be the first time I've seen politics in an online community, won't be the last. It's all good FWIW, everyone's been super nice so far, so I'm not going anywhere

[Lack of transparency in the appointment of new VATPAC staff]

Seeing as this seems to be 'the' thread, and being a newb, having a constant fear of starting new forum threads unnecessarily, can I just ask a simple question about the Town Hall?

 

I likely won't be able to make it in person, or if I do only for a short time, but I would like to be there, even though I'm new and don't really have a particular horse in any race. Will someone be taking minutes from the meeting, or some other record of the discussion for those who can't attend in person?

[Two Questions: P2 and CTAF on vPilot]

Hi Daniel,

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

So, does that mean I could do the theory component with, say, VATSTAR, and then request through them a checkride for the prac with a local VATPAC instructor (which would be easier just scheduling-wise than getting one with a VATSTAR one)? Is that how that would work?

[Two Questions: P2 and CTAF on vPilot]

Hi all,

 

Just a couple of quick questions for a relative newbie to VATSIM/ RL non-pilot.

 

I've gathered that VATPAC itself doesn't do Vatsim P2 training. As I'm curious and want to learn, and think it would be worthwhile going for Vatsim P2, what would people recommend in terms of pursuing P2 (i.e who should I study with, are there particular things I should be aware of for the tests, is it worth learning keyboard shortcuts for lights, pumps, etc for the C172 to spend less time looking at switches and more at instruments and out the window, is turn coordination a big deal because I seem to have a twitchy rudder control on my Logitech 3D Extreme Pro[although having not flown a RL c172, I have no idea what real performance is meant to be like], etc)?

 

Secondly, not that I have done much VFR flying (mostly FMS enabled jets so I can get used to procedures and ATC without a huge pilot workload), but in terms of flying in uncontrolled areas, I gather that Unicom is basically text only for the benefit of non-audio pilots, which makes total sense especially when at cruise, or on jets on standard approaches for eg. But what about regional centres that have no ATC and are CTAFs (of which, just looking through charts, are many in Australia)? Can I connect and do voice on those frequencies using vPilot (my current client) when there is no actual ATC logged in? Or am I expected to use text on those as well? That seems unwieldy, especially when handflying circuits under VFR. Any advice?

 

Thanks for any input!

[Thanks for a first VATSIM flight on the Milk Run]

Well, I didn't crash into anything. If multiple readbacks, missed initial contacts, freaking out Departure because I didn't call in after initial climb and requesting clearances from the wrong controller on more than one occasion counts as good, I'll take that

 

Landings are scaring in Vatsim, tho, just because I felt like TWR must have been judging everything I did on landing.

[Thanks for a first VATSIM flight on the Milk Run]

Yep, sounds right, I was basically the last one out of Melbourne in that big wave of traffic. Yeah, I enjoyed myself, was good fun!

[Thanks for a first VATSIM flight on the Milk Run]

So, I went a bit crazy, and aside from some circuit flying and a mic check, this was my first time on VATSIM. During peak on the Milk Run. Yep.

 

Things started off mostly ok for A320 VOZ231. I fluffed my squawk but apart from that I got my clearance ok. A busy departure meant I had to actually hold for my pushback (after Gnd logging on and me not noticing, so mistakenly asked Tower instead). Departure runway changed mid taxi added a bit of frantic scrawling on my piece of paper, but otherwise was fine.

 

It was a lot of fun flying out right behind a Qantas flight and getting sequenced later on before YSSY Approach (who I stuffed up contact with by contacting Melbourne Centre's southern contact again). I also nearly freaked out when I got told we were doing left circuits into an ILS approach (I knew very little about PRMs, enough to think I was ok, but thankfully I had enough time on approach to look at the chart and at PRM generally!), but was fine. Didn't quite make a buttery smooth landing, and I think Sydney Gnd was a bit perplexed when I contacted him after crossing runway 7 (had no idea whether I should expect a clearance to a gate or just do whatever), but otherwise enjoyed myself.

 

I can't really remember anyone's names, but I'd like to thank everyone I came in contact with from roughly 0800 to 1030z this Run (ML TWR, GND, APP, ML-SNO, ML-WOL, YSSY APP (especially that nice flyover of the runway and the circuit to 16L , TWR and GND) for being fun, especially those of you who had to deal with multiple readbacks, weird AWOL contacts that you had to PM me about, etc. I think I also forgot to say hi to most of you in initial, tbh I had enough trouble getting the contacts right!

 

Thank you VATPAC