ATC-pie user guide: Difference between revisions

* a connected ATC (if accepting strip exchange), to initiate a handover;

* the '''strip shelf''' (visible at the bottom of loose and racked strip panels), which clears the strip from your work bench and stores it as shelved.

This feature allows you to overlook your airport and the connected (multi-player) or simulated (solo and teaching sessions) traffic, like a controller from a tower viewpoint. It allows to choose from the tower positions specified in the source data if any, otherwise defaults to somewhere over the airport to allow towering of all available airports. It is disabled in CTR mode. Additionally, more views can be hooked up to your scene.

'''Running internally''' only requires FlightGear installed on your computer. A basic installation is enough, but you will need the [[scenery]] for your airport if you want anything exciting to see (and not sea!). Also, aircraft will only be drawn properly if the appropriate [[Aircraft|models]] are available. In multi-player, the models required are those flown by the players. For simulated aircraft (AI traffic in solo-simulated and teacher-controlled aircraft), read about <code>icao2fgfs</code> in <code>resources/acft/Notice</code> to understand how ATC-pie chooses models and liveries for its viewers. Aircraft and scenery locations can be filled in the ''System'' settings dialog if they are not in your [[$FG_ROOT|FlightGear root directory]].

* inform radar display and help monitor traffic, checking against

* anticipate conflicts between controlled aircraft.

Registering vectors on strips enhances the drawing of linked radar contacts, enables easy monitoring of tracks and detection of aircraft flying off course. To register vectors automatically when a radar contact is linked to a strip (and suggest the appropriate text chat instruction), use the following mouse gestures:

See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvA3MRlGJjU video 5] of the tutorial for more on vectoring, and check the quick reference ''display conventions'' to interpret the lines and colours of the course and vector graphics drawn on the radar contact.

NB: If either of the DEP or ARR airports are missing or unidentified, radar tags show the strip destination detail (ARR) if it is filled, possibly with a heading if it is recognised.

In solo sessions, you control virtual IFR planes, receiving and handing over strips to virtual ATCs depending on your position and the aircraft's intentions. ATC-pie allows to train in different situations:

* as an en-route controller (CTR) if started in centre mode;

* or in airport mode, where four combinable positions are available:

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

== ATC strip exchange (handovers) ==

=== Sending and receiving strips ===

To hand a strip over, drag it and drop it on the recipient in the list of connected controllers. Received strips appear on their collecting rack (if defined), with an identification of the sender which disappears as soon as the strip is clicked on. Double-click on the rack tab or column header to add an ATC callsign from which to collect strips. They may link automatically to identified radar contacts, according to the auto-link configuration (general settings).

Check [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQIud-cAlT4 tutorial video 6] for a presentation of the feature.

On multi-player session start, there are two "sub-systems" that can be activated to enable strip exchange. They differ in terms of interoperability with other clients:

* the '''IRC sub-system''' allows full flexibility with other ATC-pie clients (e.g. exchanging unlinked strips), but does not currently operate with any other software;

* the '''handover service''' is [[OpenRadar]]'s native system, which ATC-pie implements to enable coordination with its users, but some limitations apply (see below).

For most interactions to work while respecting both approaches as much as possible, the following principles and restrictions apply: