Frequency Ask Questions
Q. How does the system work? In layman's terms, can you explain how real live controllers get hooked up with pilots who are using the flight simulators?
Pilots use software that connects their existing flight simulator to the PilotEdge servers. Our controllers are located all over the country and use software that emulates the various radar scopes used in the real world. They connect to that same network, allowing them to see the pilots on their scopes.
Pilots communicate with ATC by selecting a frequency on the radio panel and speaking through a headset, exactly the same as flying a real airplane. PilotEdge maintains a healthy roster of air traffic controllers, ensuring that we have a sufficient number of controllers online to support the needs of the connected pilots.
Our controllers use the same real world procedures for the supported facilities, providing an experience for the pilots that mirrors the real world, right down to the detailed IFR departure procedures out of small Class D airports. Pilots can practice pattern work, cross country navigation, receive flight following, receive radar vectors, file IFR flight plans, pick up a clearance, practice instrument approaches, and even practice non-towered radio operations on the CTAF.
Once the system is fully online (est. mid-2011), controller presence will be guaranteed throughout the coverage area (California, Reno and Las Vegas) during the network's operating hours, slated to be 8am-11pm PST, 7 days a week.
Q. Can you explain the system in more technical terms?
PilotEdge employs a traditional client-server architecture. The clients include the ATC scopes and the pilots' simulators. The servers are the PilotEdge data and voice servers. The data servers keep track of aircraft location, orientation and appearance (gear, flaps, spoilers, lights, etc) in real-time and send position updates of nearby aircraft to each pilot client, allowing the sim to draw the aircraft once they are within visual range.
We also have a voice architecture which models the usage of 2-way VHF radios. This allows pilots to dial the real world frequency of the facility they're attempting to reach (delivery, ground, tower, approach, departure, or center). The system determines if the pilot and controller are able to hear each other based on the aircraft's altitude and proximity to the radio transmitter associated with the frequency being used. For example, an aircraft attempting to reach Long Beach Clearance Delivery from the ramp at San Diego will not receive a response (nor will ATC hear those calls), even if it's the same controller that is actually providing the delivery services at San Diego and Long Beach at the time.
Q. Who are the controllers, and how many are typically online?
The controllers are a mix of active-duty FAA air traffic controllers, retired controllers, or simply enthusiasts with hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of controlling experience (either real world, or from other online networks). Our commitment is that you'll be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the three.
We do not disclose our staffing configurations and policies, largely because it is dynamic and flexible based on the traffic loads and patterns, much like the real world. We can reveal that we have a base level of staffing, per region, which we will always maintain during operating hours. We also bring in additional controllers as needed to handle the load.
Q. How does this compare to synthetic ATC applications?
Synthetic ATC applications do have the potential to help primary students when practicing highly scripted and standardized scenarios, where a student might be trying some ATC calls for the very first time. There's a certain level of comfort associated with 'talking to a computer'.
That said, most of these systems require the user to employ a narrowly-defined vocabulary when interacting with the system. Ask any Air Traffic Controller exactly how pilots should call up ATC, and the most common answer is, "just tell us what you want, we'll work it out. Oh, and we don't bite." It could be argued that a limited-vocabulary synthetic system teaches students precisely the OPPOSITE lesson.
That's about as generous a review as can be given to synthetic applications, "they might help a small number of people when they're first getting started." After that, their usefulness rapidly diminishes.
PilotEdge provides an incredibly immersive aviation experience, not only as a result of having human-powered ATC, but also by virtue of the other human-powered traffic. Those two factors combine to provide a world which simply cannot be meaningfully replicated using synthetic technology.
Case in point, you're flying a 200nm cross country flight on PilotEdge under IFR, in IMC when your alternator goes offline. You run the checklists and cannot bring it online. The more load you can shed, the longer that battery will last, and the longer you can stay in communication with ATC. Once you get to about 90% of the nominal system voltage, your comm radios are going to die, and you know it.
What do you do? Whatever you elect to do, your decision is going to impact the pilots and controllers around you. You know people are listening, playing the 'what if' game, and wondering how you're going to handle it. All of these factors come into play and help you remain immersed in the environment. With synthetic ATC and a static world...are you _really_ going to care?
What do you think a synthetic system is going to say if you report, "Center, 3AC reporting an alternator failure, we're in IMC. Can you work on finding the nearest VFR weather, and can you get us lower?"
Q. How much does it cost?
The system is free of charge during the Beta testing program. Once it's launched, retail users can expect to pay under $20/mth for unlimited usage.
Q. How do controllers handle all of the real world frequencies?
Obviously, it would not be a fiscal reality to mirror the real world staffing of northern and southern California, nor do we anticipate having the same traffic levels and patterns as our real world counterparts.
Our proprietary voice routing system allows a small number of controllers to maintain a listening watch over multiple frequencies at the same time, allowing a single controller to work multiple ground, tower, or approach/enroute facilities. We carefully monitor the traffic levels on any given frequency, and will bring on relief controllers to provide additional services at any 'hot spots' that are causing significant workloads.
The notion of a controller working multiple frequencies is not a new one. It's actually what happens on ground, tower, approach and enroute positions in the real world on a daily basis. Have you ever been taxiing to the active and heard the ground controller clear someone to land, yet you don't hear a reply from any aircraft? That's a typical example of frequencies being combined into a single position. In that example, a single controller was working the ground and tower frequencies. When the controller transmits, the message is broadcast on the tower AND ground frequencies, regardless of the context of the message. The pilots, of course, can only hear other pilots that are on the same frequency.
PilotEdge employs this same technique but takes it to the next level. We have individual positions that cover all of the delivery positions for a given area, another position to cover all of the ground roles, and another position to cover all of the towers. As needed, of course, additional controllers can log in and cover just a single tower if the traffic level warrants it.
Pilots have to swap frequencies to get from point 'A' to point 'B' and will talk to different controllers as they progress to their destination
Just like the real world example described above, on PilotEdge you will hear the controller making transmissions for other roles/positions, but you will only hear pilots who are on your frequency. The difference here is that rather than combining just tower/ground at one airport, we're combining multiple airports.
Does that mean you might transmit at the same time as another pilot, since you can't hear those other frequencies? Sure, but ATC will cope, just like they do in the real world. Again, if an airport starts becoming busy enough to warrant a dedicated controller, we will bring in one of our standby controllers and have them open up a dedicated position in fairly short order. Pilots need not do anything differently, or change their radio frequencies, the voice on the other end will simply change to another person, and pilots at the airport will no longer hear those 'combined' transmissions for other fields.
Q. Is this for home use, or can it be used in a commercial environment, too?
The system is designed to be used in both environments. We firmly believe that both types of customers bring a different flavor and mix of traffic to the system, all of which are actually very healthy attributes of an environment that attempts to replicate a small portion of the National Airspace System.
PilotEdge is available for private use at home. It can also be used in commercial/educational environments, such as:
- secondary school aviation programs
- flight schools and FBO's
- simulator centers
- pilot training programs
- part 121/135 recurrent training programs
Additionally, commercial customers can choose to bring the entire architecture in-house, running a fully-independent instance of PilotEdge on their own equipment, using their own people to provide the ATC services and traffic. This is typically of interest for ATC training programs, hybrid ATC/pilot training programs, or international customers who, by definition, will be flying outside of the PilotEdge coverage area.
Q. Are professional controllers available? Is there some sort of QA so that professional clients are ensured professional ATC capabilities?
Controllers are hand-selected to take part in ATC operations on PilotEdge, based entirely on experience, knowledge, and the ability to provide a plausible experience for our customers, the pilots. We fully realize that this amazing technology is of no use to anyone if the controllers are either:
a) not online, or
b) not able to provide a level of service that matches what pilots would expect to receive in the real world.
The PilotEdge service is not about technology, it's about the people that provide the ATC, and the pilots that fly on the network. Those two factors are really what drive a successful experience for pilots. The technology simply allows it to happen, but it does not make it happen. Controllers are routinely monitored to ensure compliance with the standards which we have established, as well as those of the FAA standards handbook for ATC. Pilots also have the opportunity to submit feedback regarding any incidents that occur while flying online.
Q. Who gets to be in this virtual world? Can anyone join in regardless of experience level?
Online flying networks exist which encourage and welcome one and all to fly online, regardless of experience level. PilotEdge is NOT one of those networks. This is a necessity because the network can only achieve its goal of providing a realistic, plausible environment if the pilots flying on the network are able to function at a professional level.
PilotEdge welcomes pilots who:
- can maintain full control of their aircraft throughout the taxi, takeoffs, enroute, approach, and landing phases of flight
- can comply with basic ATC instructions (fly a heading, maintain an altitude within a reasonable tolerance)
- already have a reasonable understanding of how to interact with ATC
There will undoubtedly be moments of casual conversation and levity on PilotEdge frequencies, just like the real world, however, this is a network for real world pilots, student pilots, or simulator enthusiasts who take their flying seriously.
Because PilotEdge charges a subscription fee, even for at-home use, it's assumed that pilots who are on the network are here for the right reasons. Should that not be the case, pilots will be removed from the network if their presence becomes detrimental to the experience of the other members.
To be clear, pilots who unintentionally deviate from an assigned altitude or route while on an IFR flight plan, or inadvertently enter Bravo airspace without a clearance while flying VFR will NOT be removed from the network. These are real world scenarios that do happen on a daily basis, and are not grounds for removal. If it becomes clear, however, that a pilot is here for the wrong reasons, or is simply not ready to be flying here, then steps will be taken to rectify the situation.
Q. How many people can be connected at one time?
The system is designed to accommodate a considerable volume of traffic. It has been tested with more than 500 concurrent users and has plenty of room for expansion beyond that number.
Q. Is there the ability to work with military aircraft in special use airspace such as air refueling tracks and low level routes?
Yes, controllers will allow aircraft to use special use airspace (MOA's, restricted airspace, warning areas and alert areas). We do recognize the published operating times of such airspace.
Q. Does the system model real world weather?
ATC has access to the latest METARs directly from their scopes. The pilot client, however, does not enforce real world weather. It is left up to individual users if they would like to enable the 'real weather' option in their simulator, or as is often the case, set up their own weather configuration to support a particular training scenario. Pilots should inform ATC if they're using artificially inclement weather, however, since doing so might limit the ability to see other traffic, or to shoot a visual approach which might be in use at the destination airport.