A snapshot from the Maastricht simplified RUHR sector used for training

To whom and why it can be proved useful

General characteristics and features

RVSM , non-RVSM traffic 

Visit here the website of Vic Day to download ATC2k and various sectors 

Download the Manual of the ATC2k

Download Explanations document to help using quickly the programme

Visit here the description of the Random Exercise Designer tool for ATC2k  

Visit here to work or download an XLS  file that calculates the aircraft performance in ATC2k!

Important Note for older ATC2k.EXE version users : 

The default extension of previous programmes was *.DAT, while for the ATC2k.EXE is now  *.ASD to avoid conflicts with the file extension DAT for Win98,2000, XP etc. Nevertheless, they are both simply text files and you may just rename them. They will function properly even if loaded as simple ASCII text *.txt files ! However , only *.ASD extension files are picked up by the default browser when you open an exercise file in ATC2k , unless you select any extension (*.*)

Click here to see such a sample *.ASD file

  A snapshot from the real Luxembourg APP sector

To whom and why it can be proved useful

A programme like this can help quite a spectrum of ATC people :

ATC Simulation design & viewer

To have a handy tool for designing and viewing a simulation exercise you have designed . The on-line editor (Notepad) is activated via the main menu and changes can be extremely fast by changing just the necessary data . Then , entering the simulation again you can review and play all the actions you expect the student to do . It is recommended to all instructors who can thus work very fast on exercise design . A valuable tool for such an otherwise time consuming job especially due to many trial-and-error work needed

Part Task Training

By this term we define any simple simulation tool available to your students who can freely play some exercises merely to develop certain skills , analytic or global . The student may use it with his own PC anywhere and get quite a benefit out of it

Procedure Demonstrator

It is ideal for the classroom and briefing/debriefing demonstrations . Especially when used via a projector , the class can watch all the particular points of executing procedures . The same is true for every small simulator programme but this is probably the smallest for the amount of offered facilities

HMI familiarisation

Let us not forget its main reason of development . At the moment it is the best HMI demonstrator that can bring closer new concepts of HMI to the controllers . People can combine traffic inputs and traffic analysis. The more you use it , the more you love it !  

General characteristics and features

1. Simulates APP and ACC equally well without any limitations

Many runways and aerodromes are possible . Aerodromes are assigned automatically upon definition an ILS . A visual approach without ILS is also possible during the running. All levels/altitudes are possible and the aircraft performance varies along all the altitudes . On handing over traffic between sectors , the traffic will stay there for the next 3 minutes and will then disappear. So if you are an ACC handling traffic to APP , traffic does not need to perform the entire ILS procedure and vice versa. Traffic emanating from an aerodrome and coming say to an APP or ACC does not necessarily need an aerodrome as activation point , it can be just any point all the same. 

At the same time there is possibility for many , crossing or parallel runways for the same aerodrome. Under the same location indicator runways may be created with different length , interception altitude and elevation . In theory you may create any amount of aerodromes to simulate even more complex situations , yet this new feature makes it in a more 'handsome' way 

2. Any area can be easily simulated at any extend

There is no limit to the area you are going to simulate . It may be that you activate one flight from EGLL climbing to FL 330 flying to EPWA waiting , in real time , to arrive into a simulated sector , say over Maastricht . It already looks as if ARTAS ( a Pan-European Tracker and Server ) and RADNET ( a Pan-European Radar Network ) are already everywhere ! In practice you prefer to create traffic initiation points at a closer range to your sector boundaries . Nevertheless , if you would like to show how early co-ordination would look like in such an advanced environment , there you have your chance

3. Creating exercises is so easy !!

Truly speaking there can be nothing more easy . So many programmable features just achieved by one letter character . One exercise takes some Kbytes only with all its environment in ASCII format . Remarkable !

3a. You define your palette in RGB components ( in % )

3b. You define navigation points just by their co-ordinates

3c. You decide whether these Nav points will be real or fictitious just by using a letter

3d. You decide which of them will be exit points and/or points where a flight strip window will be created again just by using a letter

3e. You define routes using your predefined points

3g. You define your flight plans just by using one line for each !

3f. You define coloured areas ( controlled , uncontrolled airspace etc ) by using the co-ordinates of the corner points

4. The user decides the performance envelop of his aircraft

You decide the limits of performance at ground and at ceiling level , the rest is done by the programme .

5. Every exercise is a stand-alone file

There is no need to load additional files ( geography files , performance files , display files etc.. ) as with other 'sophisticated' systems . One file contains everything . You may also change some of the features from one to the other . Hint : Do you remember as an ATC instructor how many times the student would not understand why the same type of aircraft will not always have the same performance ? Well , now it's your turn . You may create difference in the performance of the same type between successive exercises .

Copy-and-Paste will be your best friend to expedite exercise design. You may use the semi-colon [ ; ] sign as a REMARK index . After this symbol you just write things for your own understanding in the file which are not used by the exercise . In the same way you may activate-deactivate certain data when necessary without deleting them

6. The memory capacity of the exercises is unimportant 

All these data take usually something between 4 to 10 Kb !!! My record is an exercise of 2 hrs and 30 minutes about , with 90 flights and some 16 Kb of memory

7. You may set your own separation parameters

I think it was me (?) who first asked for it ! Well , the story with us controllers could be summarized in "1000 feet and 5 nautical miles !" but this is not the case everywhere . Covering a wide range of spaces in ACCs and APPs Vic decided to offer people the chance to adjust their standards to their areas . You may enter the STCA ( Conflict Alert ) minima and the separation minima in the upper and lower airspace in distance (miles) or time (minutes) .  

8. Variations in the performance of any type is possible between different exercises

This feature becomes very significant with cadet controllers , as people - and that goes beyond cadets even - tend to believe they do know the way an aircraft will perform at a given moment and instructors face a serious problem in trying to convince them for the contrary ! If an aircraft behaves always in the same way then you actually train people to think that way ...... except if you use the following feature of ATC2k . You may note that many professional simulators bought for some millions of euro do not have this characteristic available !

So , you may define a type of aircraft normally , say as a "B744" , but you may also create another one like , say with a different performance but named as , say , B744+ . The 4 first letters will always appear in the flight plan , but never the rest . These may be any symbol(s) to indicate to the designer the particular characteristic of this type . For example a "B744-" may indicate a fully loaded Jumbo on a long range flight who is a poor climber or the "B744+" an empty one ...whose pilot does not insist so much on the economy and will push it hard to go up ! Some companies do follow different attitudes on aircraft performance and this feature will allow this to happen in ATC2k . The performance details are part of an exercise file , therefore performance can change between any exercise files

9. QNH , Wind , Holding 

You may now set the parameters for QNH and Wind different for every exercise file. Holding over a point can be instructed  but the aircraft will only circle around 

10. Rates of Climb and Descend

It is now possible to impose rates of Climb-Descend . The rate appears below the IAS value , in the same window

RVSM traffic

And then there was RVSM !

The 1000 feet vertical separation implemented in Europe from 2001 (UK) and 2002 onwards between FL 290 and 410 triggered Vic to further work on this subject to help numerous friends around . The basic idea remains the same but the added features and changes have given a different 'power' to this splendid programme . You may note that :

·        An RVSM equipped flight is indicated by inserting after the call sign the capital W letter 

·        Without it flights are considered as non-RVSM equipped

·        The Traffic Analysis of Conflict & Risk includes the RVSM separation and the RVSM and non-RVSM definition of flights both for the MTCD and STCA analysis

·        In the FL windows the RVSM levels are inserted now and may be selected for clearances and co-ordinations

Return to  the Front (Home)  Page