The Official Guide for all New Pilots and Those who Need a Refresher Course Written by Randy Jones The purpose of this guide is to teach all pilots who are new to flying online how to interact with the Air Traffic Control services provided by those awesome VATSIM controllers. You will find useful information that should answer all of your questions. After reading this, you should be prepared and confident enough to join a training session to apply your newly acquired skill of ATC interaction. Please note, this is not an FAA publication, nor is it one from VATSIM. This is a purely independant work for all Pacific and AFA Pilots to utilize. Table of Contents 1. The concept of online air traffic control 2. Basic FAA Regulations for the new pilot 3. The flight plan and the pilot 4. Your first squawkbox session - what to expect 5. Communicating with air traffic control 6. Flying enroute 7. Landing Procedures 8. Other Concerns Section 1 -- The concept of online air traffic control Since the development of the originan Microsoft Flight Simulator way back when, pilots from all over the world have been trying to attain the most realistic aviation simulation experience possible. We have seen countless add-on files to add more aircraft, more traffic, and better scenery. However, until recently, flying under real-time Air Traffic Control has only been available to real world pilots. Until now. As many of our pilots experience, the challenge of having online ATC is something that they cannot live without. Flying without it brings the feeling of nakedness. With the help of Squawkbox, you can communicate with countless ATC facilities, when available, and chat with fellow pilots while flying your favorite aircraft in real time weather. Yes, I said real time weather. Before you can connect to the VATSIM servers, you must have a VATSIM ID and a valid password. Click Here to get your VATSIM ID and password now. (Just a reminder, they do not accept free internet accounts, so if you only have hotmail or yahoo, they won't work.) Section 2 -- Basic FAA Regulations for the new pilot If you aren't a pilot in real life, you will find that there are a few rules you must know first in order to interact with ATC properly. These rules are only a few that you can find in the current FAR/AIM, which you can purchase at your local FBO or read online at http://www.faa.gov/. The first basic rule you must understand is the difference between VFR and IFR operations. VFR is an acronym for "Visual Flight Rules," and means just that. VFR pilots are commonly known as "fair weather pilots," as they have certain airspace and weather restrictions. IFR pilots are the hardcore, all-weather pilots that fly day or night, in fair or poor weather. The difference between these two makes all the difference in your flight plan, and may or may not apply special rules to your flying. Below is a basic list of the requirements for VFR/IFR flight. You will be suprised at how many pilots who request VFR online don't have a clue what the rules are! Basic IFR Rules To fly under IFR rules, you first must file an IFR flight plan, and be versed in the rules for IFR flight. You will need to be familiar with STAR's, SID's, IAP's, and other sources of information available to complete a flight under IFR. There are also special weather critieria that must be met for an IFR flight: When the weather is lower than VFR minimums, or less than 3 statute miles visibility and less than 1,000 feet AGL ceiling. Sometimes the weather determines if you go VFR or IFR, but expect all Virtual Airlines to fly IFR flights. You may file an IFR plan on a day that has perfect weather. Don't let the weather dictate your intentions. For altitudes above FL180, you must be on an IFR flight plan. Basic VFR Rules To fly under VFR rules, you need to first meet certain weather criteria at the airport and along the route you wish to fly. These criteria are: Minimum visibility of 3 statue miles and a cloud ceiling of 3,000 feet AGL or higher. While enroute, you need to maintain separation from clouds. In controlled airspace (other than Class Bravo) you must be no less than 500 feet below, 1,000 feet above, and 2,000 feet horizontal from any clouds, be them scattered or a ceiling. You are not allowed to enter any cloud formation for whatever reason. On a VFR flight plan, your enroute alititude depends on your planned course. If heading Easbound (360-179) must be at an odd altitude plus 500 feet. (i.e. 3500, 5500, 11500, etc). If heading Westbound (180-359) must be at an even altitude plus 500 feet. (i.e. 4500, 6500, 12500, etc) All VFR traffic may NOT enter Class Alpha Airspace (FL180-FL600) unless they're on a special clearance or request IFR clearance from their local ATC facility. Airways Many IFR and VFR flights utilize a vast network of airways known as Victor Airways, as they are designated with a letter "V" and a number (i.e. V-109). These airways are in controlled airspace always, and are established to control the flow of traffic across popular routes. They are eight miles wide and start at 1,200 feet AGL and extend up to (but not limited to) FL180. They usually link one VOR to another, and along the way you'll find intersections and other navigational fixes to aid your IFR flight. Airspace Airspace is categorized into four basic areas: Controlled, Uncontrolled, Special Use, and Other. Controlled Airspace consists of Classes Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo. There is no Class Foxtrot Airspace in the United States. Uncontrolled Airspace is known as Class Golf Airspace. Special Use Airspace areas are designated as Prohibited, Restricted, Warning Areas, Alert Areas, Military Operations Areas (MOA's), Controlled Firing Areas, and National Security Areas (NSA's). Other Areas include Airport Advisory Areas, Military Training Routes (MTR's), Parachute Jump Aircraft Areas, Temporary Flight Restrictions, and Terminal Radar Service Areas (TRSA's). Class Alpha Airspace is restricted to IFR operations only, begins at FL180 and extends up to FL600. Class Bravo Airspace is shaped like an upside down wedding cake, is found at the most busiest airports, and usually extends up to 10,000 feet MSL (except KDEN). If you operate within 30 NM of the Class B airport, and underneath the layers of this airspace, you are required to have a Mode C transponder. You also need a clearance to enter Class B airspace, don't expect to waltz right in all happy and jolly. Class Charlie Airspace is also found at the more busier airports in the U.S. It is similar in shape to Class B, however it is much smaller. Class C usually extends up to 4,000 feet AGL above the primary airport's elevation, at the lower layer is five miles wide, and the upper layer is up to 10 miles wide. Before you enter Class C airspace, you must establish two-way communications, as a clearance is not required. You also are requred to have a Mode C transponder in Class C Airspace. Class Delta Airspace quite small compared with B and C. It extends up to 2,500 feet AGL above the primary airport's elevation, and is only five miles wide. In order to enter Class Delta, you must also establish two-way communications, as a clearance is not required. Class Echo is the remainder of all controlled airspace. It can begin as low as 1,200 AGL and extends up to FL180. The area above FL600 is also Class Echo Airspace. In this airspace above 10,000 feet MSL, you must have a Mode C transponder. Class Golf is Uncontrolled Airspace, and is found underneath Class Echo. ATC is not provided in this airspace. Transponders When you operate Squawkbox, it automatically acts as a Mode C transponder. Mode C means altitude encoding, which is very important in situations where the flow of traffic is high. A transponder lets you enter in a certain code so the ATC can separate you from VFR traffic, and identify you more easily. Never "squawk" the following codes unless you actually have this emergency in flight: 7500, 7600, and 7700. For the purpose of not encouraging any "copycat terrorism" I will only define one code: 7700. If you actually have an inflight emergency (i.e. engine fire, engine failure, structural failure, onboard system malfunction, etc) then you must change the numbers on you transponder to 7700, as you will get priority over all other incoming aircraft. Do not squawk 7500 or 7600, as they are not needed while flying online. Flight Levels When you fly airliners on Flight Sim/Fly2k, you will spend the majority of your time up in the flight levels. Just remember, no matter the direction of your flight, you need to select an odd flight level (i.e. FL290, FL350, etc). If there is traffic congestion, or another departing aircraft on the same route as you selected the flight level you wish to have, you may have to refile the next available level (i.e. if FL310 is taken, FL290 or FL330 may be available for you to use instead). METAR Reports A METAR is a weather report that condenses information such as winds, temperatures, atmospheric pressure, cloud layers, etc into an easy to decipher format. All weather that you receive while operating on VATSIM will be in METAR form. Occasionally, you will be able to pull up weather from an operating ATC facility. This weather is called ATIS and is usually presented in METAR form. A good example of a METAR would be: KSEA 110456Z 22009KT 10SM BKN016 BKN024 OVC044 11/08 A2986 You're confused, aren't you? Here's the translation: Seattle/Tacoma International Airport. 11th day of the month, 0456Z (Zulu Time). Winds 220 at 09 Kts, Visibility 10 Statute Miles. Broken Cloud Ceiling at 1600 feet AGL, Broken Cloud Ceiling at 2400 feet AGL, Overcast Layer at 4400 feet AGL. Temperature 11 C. Dewpoint 08 C. Altimeter 29.86. To look up current METAR reports, as well as other current useful weather information, visit National Weather Service. To learn how to decode METAR reports, visit this website. Section 3 -- The flight plan and the pilot      The key to a sucessful flight, hands down, is your Flight Plan. Proper pre-flight preparation not only organizes you for you flight, but also increases your enjoyment of this wonderful hobby. For the purpose of this tutorial, I will be focusing on several points only: charts, route, FS2k Flight Planner, arrival, and organization. If you are a pilot in real life, you should already know how to plan a flight properly. If you're new to Flight Sim, this will be an easy to learn tutorial for you. Get your notepad ready! Where are you Planning to Go?      If you're an APG group member, you've obviously got to choose where you're flying from and your final destination. Before you select a flight line, you should take several things into consideration: Length of the flight. If you have the time to fly a 4 hour flight, that's great. If you're short on time, you may want to do just a quick hop. Weather enroute. If you're flying from KORD (Chicago-O'Hare) to KCLT (Charlotte-Douglass) and have severe thunderstorms forecasted enroute, would it be a good idea to tackle them? ATC coverage. Some pilots pick a flight depending on which airports currently have ATC operating facillities on VATSIM. If you fly from KLAX (Los Angeles Intl.) to KSLC (Salt Lake City) and KSLC doesn't have any ATC, you may want to fly to a city that does. Will it be VFR or IFR? All commercial flights are under IFR rules, so for now, let's assume that everything is IFR for now.      Once you have selected your flight, it's time to gather your charts. A good online source for charts is Clearance Unlimited. They have a collection of airport charts for most major airports worldwide. Make sure you get all available charts for your airport, including airport diagrams, SID's (Standard Instrument Departure charts), STAR's (Standard Terminal Arrival charts), IAP's (Instrument Approach Proceedure charts), etc. Here are a few notes about selecting the right chart for the job. SID's are published IFR departure charts that handle IFR traffic on popular outbound routes from your departure airport. Make sure you select the SID that allows you the best departure for the direction of flight that will take you to your destination. If a SID is too complicated for you to use, you may want to try to select an easy one to try at first. Note: you do not always need to use a SID, it's only up to the pilot to select one. Also, ATC may assign you a SID, depending on traffic congestion. STAR's are also an optional chart. They optimise traffic flow into an airport, and may also be assigned by ATC depending on traffic flow. If you choose a STAR, make sure you select one that logically follows your route of flight. STAR's cover a large area, sometimes up to 200 nm out of your destination airport. If you're flying a commuter route, you may not need a STAR for navigation. IAP's are charts that you use when you're on approach to a runway. Depending on your approach, they may be in the form of ILS, VOR, NDB, Visual, etc. If you're on the ILS approach to Runway 16R at KSEA, you're going to want to have that chart handy. In your flight plan, if you do not plan on using a SID or a STAR, you must indicate in the "remarks" section "NO SID" and/or "NO STAR."      Once you have your charts selected, you should decide on your route of flight. There are many ways to do this. You may want to fly direct by GPS, or via several Victor airways. Maybe you'd care to take a Jet Route to your destination. The choice is totally yours. Below are several examples of flight plans, and an explanation of the route. Example #1 Departure Airport: KSEA (Seattle-Tacoma) Arrival Airport: KGEG (Spokane Intl.) Route of Flight: KSEA-BLUIT3-V120-KGEG Translation: You depart KSEA on the BLUIT3 SID, and take Victor Airway 120 to Spokane. This is a simple flight plan. Let's try something a little more interesting. Example #2 Departure Airport: KPDX (Portland Intl.) Arrival Airport: KLAX (Los Angeles Intl.) Route of Flight: KPDX-PTLD5.BTG-V23-V585-V109/113/585-V107-V299-KLAX Translation: You depart KPDX on the Portland Five Departure, then proceed to KLAX via V-23, V-585, V-109/113/585 (this is one Victor airway that has three number designations), V107, V299, then direct to KLAX. Note: No STAR was in the flight plan. Example #3 Departure Airport: KDFW (Dallas/Ft. Worth) Arrival Airport: EHAM (Amsterdam/Schippol) Route of Flight: KDFW-DIRECT-EHAM Translation: This is a GPS flight plan that takes you from KDFW to EHAM directly, bypassing airways, jetroutes, and is the quickest way to get to your destination. ATC may vector you on course upon your departure, and ATC will probably vector you in for the approach at EHAM.      Once your flight plan is ready and you have all of your charts selected, you need to put everything in an order that is logical and easy to access. If your charts are real or printed charts, arrange them in the order that you'll need them, with the airport diagram on top, followed by your SID, any enroute charts you may have, your selected STAR, and any IAP's that you think you will need. At the bottom should be the airport diagram of your destination airport. Also, keep a notebook and a pen/pencil handy to write down your IFR clearance or any other ATC instructions that you may need to remember for future use. Write them down in a logical order, starting at the top of the paper, working your way down. As each instruction is completed, cross it off. Good organization is important, and you will become a better pilot from it.      Now, start up Squawkbox, log on, select the "stand-by" mode on your menu, and file your flight plan accordingly. Make sure to select a proper alternate airport, indicate the time enroute that you plan to fly, fuel on board, passenger count, and any notes that you want ATC to be aware of. When you're ready to fly, deselect the "stand-by" mode on SB and get ready to call ATC for your clearance! Section 4 - Your first squawkbox session - what to expect      At this point in the tutorial, you should be prepared for your first SB session. Are you nervous? Excited? Whatever your feelings, don't worry. Just sit back and relax. Your Flight Sim experience is about to enter a whole new plane of existence! Don't be intimidated by ATC, they enjoy the hobby as much as you do, and are there to help you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them. It would be smart to ask them in private, so you should type ".msg" and then the ATC callsign, followed by your message, so you don't congest the ATC frequency. You'll see fellow pilots sitting on the ramp, taxiing, departing, and arriving. It's a whole new dimension into this hobby, and one that you'll soon find that you cannot be without. You will find that SB is an easy and powerful tool to use. Please read on, and find out how to work with ATC. Section 5 - Communicating with air traffic control      At this time, your flight plan is filed, your charts are ready. The passengers have boarded and the gate just disconnected from your airplane. Here is what you should do next. Before you call up any ATC facillity, you need to have the current weather at your airport, providing you have a functioning ATC facillity. It's quite easy to do. Type ".atis" and the callsign of the controller who's ATIS you wish to view. Please note that most ATIS's will be in METAR format, so you should refer above to the links on how to translate METAR information. The ATIS is updated whenever new weather information is available for the airport, and is given a "letter" name, i.e. "Alpha" or "Quebec." When you feel that you are ready for your flight, you need to contact the ATC facillity in charge of ground operations. Depending on ATC coverage at your airport, you may not have a Clearance Delivery or a Ground Controller to work with. You may find that only a Tower Controller, Approach Controller, or Center Controller is available. If you have both a Tower and an Approach, you should contact the Tower, as Approach will be busy vectoring airplanes to and from the airport. If you do have a Ground Controller or a Clearance Delivery, you will call them up before you do anything else. Call the Ground Controller (or whoever is available) for your clearance (if on an IFR flight plan). Your message should say (I'll use the callsign UAL123 as an example): "Seattle Ground, UAL123 at the North Terminal with Information Delta, request IFR clearance to KLGA." This message tells ATC your location, that you have the current weather information, and intentions. ATC should call back with your clearance, and you should write it down. You are expected to repeat the clearance back to ATC, to indicate that you understand it. After your initial call, ATC should respond with something similar to: "UAL123, I have your clearance, advise when ready to copy." ATC wants you to tell them when you are ready to accept your IFR clearance. When you're ready, you should reply with: "Seattle Ground, UAL123 is ready to copy clearance." Your IFR clearance could be something as simple as: "UAL123, you are cleared to KLGA as filed. c/m 15,000, expect FL310 in 10 after departure, departure frequency 119.9, squawk 0232." What does this mean? ATC has cleared you to your destination, as you filed it in your flight plan. Upon takeoff, you will climb to 15,000 feet and expect your final altitude of FL310 10 minutes after departure. The departure frequency is 119.9, in this case, Seattle Tower, and you are to put the code 0232 into your transponder. Now, readback the clearance to ATC, in shorthand if you like: "Cleared a/f to LGA. c/m 15000, expct FL310 in 10, dep freq 119.9, sqk 0232." At this time, the tower will call you back, and if you correctly repeated your clearance: "UAL123, readback correct." Unless you request otherwise, ATC should also say "Pushback and Startup approved, advise when ready to taxi." You now have permission to push back from the gate and start your engines, but you do not have taxi clearance. At this time you may reply: "Roger, p/b and startup approved, UAL123." When you're ready to taxi, call up ATC. "Seattle Ground, UAL123 ready for taxi instructions." Depending on the controllers workload and other ground traffic, ATC may reply with a simple: "UAL123, taxi to Runway 34R and hold short." ATC may also give you specific instructions: "UAL123, taxi via Bravo to Runway 34R and hold short." This clearance tells you that you will use Taxiway Bravo to get to your departure runway. Take a look at your airport diagram before you taxi, just to make sure you understand, and respond to ATC: "Taxi via Bravo to 34R and hold short, UAL123." Taxi per instructions to your departure runway. If told to hold short, call ATC upon reaching the point where you hold short: "Holding short 34R, UAL123." At this time you'll get your takeoff instructions. Depending on traffic, ATC may say: "UAL123, Runway 34R, taxi into position and hold." Or, ATC may say, "UAL123, Runway 34R, winds 010 at 15, cleared for takeoff." Depending on the ATC facillities open, you may be handed off to a Departure/Approach Controller or to a Center Controller. Their jobs are to regulate the flow of all departing, arriving, and enroute aircraft. The more you fly on VATSIM, the more controllers you will get to work with.      Due to the many different instructions and clearances you may get, I have compiled a small list of the most frequently used ones for your reference. "Taxi to Runway and hold short." This means that you are cleared to taxi to your departure runway, but you must hold short of it. That is, do not cross onto the threshhold, or do not start your takeoff roll yet. You will hold short and wait for further instructions. "Taxi into position and hold." This means that you are cleared to cross onto the threshhold, but you are only allowed to line the aircraft up on the centerline and hold. Do not move. Wait there until further instructions. "Cleared for Takeoff." This means that you are cleared for takeoff. "Fly runway heading." If you are not using a SID, or if you are using a full vector SID, the controller may ask you to maintain runway heading until told otherwise. "Radar contact." This means that ATC sees you, and/or you are cleared to enter Class C or D airspace. "Request approved." If you requested permission to do something, i.e. turn right, an altitude change, etc, ATC says that you are clear to do as you requested. "Without Delay" This means "do it now, and tell me later." It is usually used if there is conflicting traffic and you are vectored away from it to avoid hitting it. "Expedite" This is commonly used when taking off. "Expedite takeoff" would mean that you are asked to takeoff ASAP, because there may be an aircraft on final and the controller wants you in the air quickly, or for another reason. "c/m" Climb and Maintain. "d/m" Descend and Maintain. "t/r" Turn Right. "t/l" Turn Left. "a/f" As Filed. Usually used with clearance delivery, stating that you are cleared to proceed as filed per your flight plan. "Squawk" This is in reference to changing a code on your transponder. "Sqawk 3400" would be a request to change your transponder code to 3400. Sqawk VFR would be a request to change your transponder code to 1200, the standard VFR code. "Standby" This is neither a denial to a request or an approval for a request. It is usually used when a controller has received your request, but is too busy to respond at this time. ATC will call you back soon, so don't sweat it. For a complete list, check out VATSIM's website. By now, you should understand how to communicate with ATC. There's a bit more ahead, but you're almost done, so don't worry! Section 6 - Flying enroute      After departing, but before landing, you are flying enroute. If you're flying a 757 across country, you're probably on one of the upper flight levels. If you're flying a commuter flight, you're probably getting ready to descend soon. Whatever the case may be, you are now in the enroute portion of your flight. At this time, you will be in contact with a Center Controller. Their job is to provide traffic separation and to help you as best as they can. They can be busy at times, so don't expect a lot of information out of them if they are. If you're flying a long haul route, you may be in contact with several different Center Controllers who cover different regions.      Some pilots choose to fly at 4X simulation speed once enroute. This is fine and good, but it is recommended not to accelerate to that speed until your final enroute altitude has been reached. If you're in communications with a Center Controller, or any other ATC facillity, you must request permission for 4X speed, otherwise they get a little unhappy. There will be times when you cannot accelerate to 4X due to traffic restrictions. However, if there is not a controller in your area, you are free to do so at your own will, so long as you slow to normal speed when entering a region that has an active ATC facillity. Once you establish contact with them, you can again request permission and if approved, proceed under 4X once again. Once you get close to your destination, you should return to normal simulation rate before starting your initial descent.      Flying at 4X is a personal preference. Some simmers don't have time to wait three hours to fly to a destination. Others get their most enjoyment out of transitioning to the different airways. The choice is yours. Section 7 - Landing procedures     Once you start your initial descent towards your destination, you are starting the landing phase of your flight.  To perform this sucessfully, remember these tips: Remember to reset your alitimeter from 29.92 to the local setting upon descending below FL180. Once you've descended below 10,000 feet MSL, remember to keep your airspeed at or below 250 kts unless otherwise directed by ATC.  This allows proper traffic separation, and gives you a time cushion. Depending on which virtual airline you fly with, and your type of aircraft, you need to keep all operational speeds in mind during landing operations.  If you're in the final phases of a STAR and about to get your intercept vector onto the ILS, you may want to slow to approach speed.  If you're a few minutes from being vectored around to an ILS, you should be at 200 kts or slower, depending on your aircraft, or as requested by ATC.  This gives you a reasonable speed to maneuver at so you don't overshoot any vectors. If you're flying an ILS approach, always be at or above the glideslope.  This keeps you from flying an approach that is too low and could be a hazard to your aircraft, passengers, and any people/buildings/terrain below you. Once you receive the clearance "Cleared to land," this means precisely that.  You are cleared to land on the runway that was assigned to you. For any reason that you deem your approach as hazardous or poor, you can call a "missed approach" or a "go-around."  You will be given an altitude and vectored around to try it again.  Even the most experienced pilots have to do this sometimes, so don't feel bad if you don't have a successful approach.  Do not try to salvage an approach that you are already having difficulty with.  When in doubt, go around! Section 8 - Other Concerns A note about Air Traffic Control instructions: If, for any reason, you feel that the controller issued you an instruction that you cannot comply with due to safety reasons or another reason, you may inform ATC that you are unable to comply and request an alternate instruction. ATC may ask for an elaboration of your reasoning, but they will not be upset with you, as you are the pilot in command, you have the final say. Don't be intimidated by ATC. They are here to guide and help you. They are also here to answer any questions that you may have, and are happy to help. Consider other pilots when online. If Pilot A gets a taxi instruction before you, do not taxi ahead of them. It is considered rude, and ATC may have a word with you later, to say nothing of the pilot of the other aircraft. If you get yorself lost while taxiing at an airport, or if you are unfamilliar to the airport, ask ATC for a "progressive taxi," which you will receive full attention and be guided to your runway/parking/etc one taxiway at a time. Be optimistic! If a controller almost caused you to hit a rather large mountain, he/she didn't do it on purpose! If a student controller is vectoring you and you receive a vector that doesn't work for you, tell them, or ask for a "missed approach" and try it again. If ATC confuses you at any point in time, ask them to clarify their instructions/reasoning. No matter how much you consider yourself to be proficient at barnstorming, do NOT buzz the control tower either without a clearance or in Class B or C airspace. You will have a nice tongue lashing when you land. Also, do not exceed 250 kts below 10,000 feet MSL unless you have specific permission from ATC. If you're flying an F-16 out of KSEA for fun, and after takeoff you accelerate to 550 kts, you may also get a "nice" message from ATC. Don't freak out if you didn't readback your clearance correctly, or if you didn't answer ATC properly. ATC will not bite your head off. On your first few sessions, you will make mistakes. That's how you learn. So don't sweat it, take it lightly, and add correction where needed. You'll do fine!