ATC Runway selection

ATC
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Training server?

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No? What made you think I was talking about the TS?

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On the TS it is common to behave like you described.

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To me it is really a combination of 2 things that we as controllers try to doā€¦

  1. efficiency trumps all. What is the most efficient way to operate an airport from the controlling perspective. This is from the approach to tower standpoint (and ground dependent of taxiway layout).

  2. realistic procedures. We try to balance realism as much as possible but it doesnā€™t always work out depending on the traffic level and available options in IF.

ā€”

Taking into account those 2 things, ifatc will work to determine efficiency + realism = operations.

Places like ATL, DFW, LAX, LFPG, EDDF are all relatively simple with great layouts to bring full realism to controlling.

While EGLL is very hard to have full realism all the time. Heathrow IRL alternates a landing and departing runway throughout the day. When itā€™s busy on IF, that just isnā€™t possible. Thereā€™s too many aircraft coming into the airport when itā€™s featured to limit runway usage, so approach and tower are required to operate them both. There may be a focus on one, but typically both are available unlike real world.

The next big factor is intersecting runways. If runways intersect, typically we go by what is best for controlling purposes. If a taxiway gets blocked by using a runway, we try to avoid that

Long story short, thereā€™s a lot that can go into the decision. Ifatc tries to balance both sides of my points above. And feel free to message the controller via ifc PM and ask things if youā€™d like, remember that you may not be responded to until after the session

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i dont understand why people dont use SIDS/STARS- THEY ARE ESSENTIAL and i am a pilot, not IFATC

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My assumption is that they see SID/STARS as troublesome as they donā€™t usually go directly to an airport and would instead make them fly a little more

Also not all people that flies in IF have good knowledge in aviation, another possible contribution to the statement above

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I think IRL they have a controller for each runway or section of the airport. In IF they donā€™t really have that.

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Weā€™ll for me I always use a SID or STAR but sometimes they need to fix it so I donā€™t use it.
For example KJFK the SID only goes south or north not east or west. And the arrival sometimes adds a waypoint way past the airport. For the airports that they fixed I donā€™t see a problem and always use SIDS and STARS.

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They actually arenā€™t essential. Sometimes flights IRL will fly direct from their departure airport to the first waypoint in their route without a SID and vice versa for a STAR. It might be that there is no procedure which connects the airport to the route for example.

The only time they are essential is if ATC/ATIS dictates it.

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Yes, but it is really rare. Most places in the US have radar coverage so chances are the aircraft is receiving radar vectors to said the first waypoint. However, if this isnā€™t available for some reason, Airports have published standard climb gradients as well as ODPs which allow pilots to safely transition out of an area.

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