What to do if there is no ATC online?

General Discussion
1

Hello im new to VATSIM.
I want to start my first IFR flight soon so i did some digging about some questions i have and the question I could not awnser is: What should you do if there is no ATC?.
I found out that there is a top down principle on the VATSIM network but when i went on SimAware (i want to take off from LSZH, Switzerland) but there was nobody controlling the airspace. What should you do in this situation?
I found CTAF but i dont know how to works.

2

The CoC (which you acknowledged you have read while you were creating your account) has the answer - specifically, you want to look at B5.

3

Thanks for help!

But does that mean that UNICON and CTAF are the same things?

4

Well, a more general term that probably could have been used is “advisory frequency”. Normally on VATSIM, unless there’s ATC, you go to 122.800 which is the global advisory frequency on the network. Something like this doesn’t really exist IRL: there are dedicated frequencies for each area and airport (and of course, in most countries, IFR operations always take place within controlled airspace), but since most airspaces on VATSIM are uncontrolled at any given time, VATSIM had to find a solution that makes this already unrealistic situation at least not too complicated for pilots and as such, decided on 122.800 as a global advisory frequency.
Now, for the last couple of months, a trial has been taking place in the US to implement real advisory frequencies for airports (in the US, these advisory frequencies are called CTAF), so if you are flying in the US (and only there), you use the published CTAF while in the vicinity of an aerodrome. We’ll see these next few months if real world advisory frequencies will become a more global think or not.

For now, the easiest way to think about it is:

  • are you in the US?
    → no → use 122.800 while there’s no ATC
    → yes → use 122.800 while there’s no ATC unless you are at or in the vicinity of an airport, in which case use the published CTAF for that airport (and if there’s no CTAF published, use the first listed TWR frequency)
1 Like
5

Ok thanks

6

Hi Bruno,

when flying in Europe, I highly suggest using VatGlasses: VATGlasses

When you are connected to the network and after you have entered your VATSIM ID on the VatGlasses website, you will see yourself on it and also all the active ATC sectors in the area. Use the altitude slider in VatGlasses to find out who may be responsible for you.

7

Thanks