I didn’t post this in ground school because it isn’t a full tutorial, and this is meant toward Training Server pilots. I’m not IFATC, but I do control on training server, and I do notice things that are common mistakes that should be corrected before reaching grade 3. So here are common training server mistakes and how to fix them.
Do not ask for frequency change after given the message “Taxi to runway XX, contact tower when ready” or the message “Exit runway when able, contact ground on taxiway.” Both of these messages include “contact” and a frequency to contact, so there is no need to ask for a frequency change in this occasion.
Do not ask for a check in and flight following! It is very common on training server to see pilots check in with Departure or Center, and them immediately request flight following after. Either check in, or request flight following, if you have already received FF from another frequency, only a check in is needed.
Don’t use “remaining in the pattern” when departing the airspace with an FPL. It’s not uncommon to see the message, “CALLSIGN is ready for takeoff at runway XX, remaining in the pattern,” but the pilot actually departs the airspace and flies to a destination. To find out what remaining in the pattern means, click HERE
I’ve seen many other mistakes on training server as well, but in this thread, I just wanted to address the mistakes that are common and easy to understand and fix. Mistakes such as calling inbound improperly, flying at incorrect altitudes at cruise, or understanding where one controller’s airspace ends and another’s begins are mistakes that are covered in other tutorials and threads. I just wanted to do this to make the training server a little bit more realistic, and make sure pilots know not to do these mistakes before flying on expert server.
If I said anything wrong in the mistakes corrections (As I said, I’m not IFATC), please feel free to correct me. Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps!
Yes, but that topic is quite long and covers everything. The whole point of this thread is to address just a few common mistakes and how to correct them without having to read through an entire manual.
Thanks for the feedback kind sir. I’d just like to point out that two out of your three points are listed in section 6.1 of the topic Infinite Flight Pilot Communications Manual.
Nevertheless, lovely reminder. Hopefully some people see this and make the right choice next time they fly!
I understand, and I think the Pilot Comms Manual is a wonderful topic, but even though that exists, I still see these mistakes every day, so I hope pilots see this to correct some mistakes because the manual has been there for a while, and I still see these mistakes
Yes, I was weary of that, but I still see these mistakes every day, which means these threads did not fully accomplish getting rid of these mistakes, so I though I’d give it a go
Yes, an aircraft that reports position after being cleared to land is a little annoying. You could reply, “CALLSIGN, you’re already cleared to land, avoid unnecessary reports”
Instead of a list of things to do (that inadvertently points out less experienced users), I’m sure the mods/devs would better appreciate a tutorial or some video-guide to teach new pilots these helpful reminders!
trust me, I recently posted a huge rant about people not using NATs correctly and it got shutdown by a dev real quick. These are the pointers they gave me
Sounds pretty extreme of me but these shouldn’t happen on expert server. Training server is where these types of mistakes are made and if people just continue to lower the bar and standards for realism then expert server just isn’t fun. I’d rather have more stringent requirements and even violations for these type of messages because they waste time on frequency and are unprofessional.
There a lot of stuff pilots do not know how to respond to. One of the most common is “XXXXX Go around”. They say “going around XXXXX” but then they land on the runway. I had that happen 5 times in 30 minutes one time at KLAX. It is so frustrating. Just go around. I am trying to save you form colliding with the aircraft that is taking forever to takeoff. It is for your own good
It must be very frustrating. I try to avoid controlling KLAX on training server because it’s so chaotic and nobody listens to ATC. I personally haven’t experienced many problems with Go-Arounds, except when I ask a pilot to Go Around, and they don’t
I’m happy I moved on from TS 😁. Anyways, yeah I agree with you but most people on the TS aren’t on the IFC. I don’t even think that they know what the IFC is. So I don’t know if they’re gonna get this message