ATC-pie user guide: Difference between revisions

* a flight plan is already filed (the matching FPL count displays a non-zero value near the callsign field as you type): click on the button to select one to link to the strip on save;

** ground (GND), to taxi aircraft between parking positions and runways;

** tower (TWR), to control runways and immediate surroundings;

** departure (DEP), to bring departing traffic to their exit point;

** approach (APP), to vector arrivals onto final.

When '''playing CTR''', your task is to transit the aircraft across your airspace, always ensuring separation, and to hand each of them over to the most appropriate neighbouring centre North, South, East or West of your sector. You can specify local navpoints in the location settings so that the system includes them as turning points in the randomised aircraft's routes.

In '''airport mode''', traffic is either inbound or outbound. Assuming APP, inbound aircraft must be sequenced and vectored into tower range for handover, unless you are in the TWR position as well. Each inbound aircraft either requests ILS or visual. Playing TWR, you must clear them to land when appropriate, i.e. cleared for ILS approach or expected runway reported in sight. If landing cannot take place (too high, not cleared...), aircraft will go around. Controlling GND, you must move inbound traffic near their parking position once they have vacated the runway, and hand them over to the ramp. Outbound traffic must be brought to hold short of a runway threshold and report ready for departure with TWR. If you play DEP, you must hand outbound aircraft over to the en-route centre (CTR) once they are high enough and close to their exit point if specified in its route. Entry and exit points are configurable in the location settings.

The '''''PTT turns off sounds''''' option is recommended for those of you who do not wear headsets, as it will avoid GUI sound notifications being picked up by your microphone while transmitting on frequencies.

First, '''text aliases''' are dollar-prefixed words (like <code>$foo</code>) that ATC-pie will try to replace with context-dependant values on message send. This allows to write and save formatted messages and avoid typing verbatim for every message of a recurrent format. For instance, anybody will enjoy the comfort of sending <code>Current weather is $metar</code>, whose alias will expand to the current primary station weather, instead of typing or copy-pasting a weather look-up for every such message.

Aliases can be predefined or custom. Predefined aliases take values that are specified by the program, e.g. <code>$metar</code> standing for the current weather, and may depend on the local environment (declination, airport elevation...), on your configuration (transition altitude, runways in use...) or on the current selection (QDM to airport, assigned route...). They are all listed with their meaning in the "quick reference", ''Text aliases'' section. Make sure to take a look.

* world (program user), in the general notes;

# Look for a line beginning with "foo=" in the general notes (notepad dock). If one is found, the alias is substituted with what follows the '<code>=</code>' character.