The XAVIUS Air Traffic Control Center (ATCC) - available at the www.xavius.com site - was a very pleasant surprise to all ATC SIM fans . Its unique feature relies mainly in the human factor & atmosphere which non professional people do not have a chance to really feel . Those who worked for this programme did a lot towards this direction and we thank them for it . As with TRACON , this American software triggered the creation of many various sectors and other add-ons by 'fanatic' ATCers
There is a free-downloadable 'lite' version ATCC 1.0 with all the main features but with some 12 U$ and a code number received you may work the ATCC 1.1 version !! It is a 'talking' version with very good pilot-sounding , at times intentional transmission overlapping and / or ...no answers due to a R/T blockage .
It is also accompanied ( on downloading ) by :
a wonderful manual on ATC in general and with all commands
maps of sectors and ...
detailed information on the traffic strategy in each one
ICAO updated aircraft type designators ( no more EA32 and M80 but A320 and MD80 !)
Note :
I highlight the following actions triggered by the ALT key not included on the normal instructions :
ALT + C = Screen Centering around present cursor position . Be careful : Control + C = a "violent" Quit The Programme
ALT + P = Allow for a 'Pee' break when really working as qualified controller on the sector !
ALT + D = Labels Intense / Deemed
The programme started with the typical older aircraft type designators ( ex : EA30 , B73S etc.. ) but now there is a new AC_CHAR.DAT file for new aircraft types ( ex : A320 , B733 etc. ) . You have to proceed to the necessary changes though on the AIRLINES.* files ( airlines types of aircraft in various sectors ) and GA_ AC.DAT ( The general aviation aircraft types ) to modify them as well , else there would be a conflict of data and the programme will stop indicating : 'corrupted files'
This simulation of the true american ARTS type system is above any expectations for a PC simulator in inputs and functions
Well done fellows !
It is a typical DOS-based software running in any Windows environment without any problem ( I run it equally well on Windows 98 and NT 4.0 ) and covers the standard ACC objectives in lower and upper airspace . Personally I used it extensively in only 3 sectors in Memphis the ZME-26 (Upper) , ZME-07 (lower) and ZLA-19 Loas Angeles Lower for about 40 hours of ...service . After this experience , here are the comments I have to make to our amateur-ATCO friends who should not miss this software if you really love ATC . There are off course PROs and CONs , inevitably , but ...."satisfaction is guaranteed" .... at the end ! Here are the main points :
1. The Screen
It reflects , 'courtesy of reality' , the standard equipment of Black/White random scan radar scopes introduced about 35 years ago . No 'windows' , no color , no fancy functions and definitely no modern HMI , as with the ATC2k.EXE . But this is natural and .....good for some people like me who spent their carrier on those screens ! It brings me back 'those memories' !
A screen shot when I was running Upper Memphis ZME-26 sector
2. The ATC functions
There are a number of very realistic ones - I suppose all those existing in the real environment - that require some action by the user , like :
Proposal of Handover and Acceptance . No R/T contact is allowed without a prior acceptance
Bearing Distance measurement
Entry of Temporary and Hot flight levels in a label
Relocation of label . Aircraft is at the 5 position of the numeric keypad and 1-9 are possible label block leader directions
Show route
Off centering and Zooming
Change of light intensity-contrast of targets and video map
Restriction to reach a FL at a point
Request for an Assistant ATCO , if not on training mode - where you'll have to do everything alone
3. The R/T dialogues
Here XAVIUS does its best ! The phraseologies used between controller and pilots are the 'richest' ever to be encountered up to now in any of those ATC SIMs ! A great job really , although , some are eventually missing out of the so many one may imagine . It does create though the real atmosphere in ATC with a unique imagination . There are of course all the necessary instructions needed , like turning aircraft , climbing , descending , speed adjusting etc. , but many of them are triggered by the 'human' interaction . Say for instance that you give a direct routing instruction to an aircraft via a point not included in its flight plan . Pilots will 'react' accordingly . There also those who will demand a heading instruction to facilitate them in joining the normal navigation track , a feature to be found only here as with all other programmes all navigational points are known to the system and such a request is rather 'abnormal' .
The nicest , however , is the request of a pilot for further climb or descend , if forgotten beyond a certain point or switched to a wrong frequency channel or ready for higher and not cleared yet .
- " What is the traffic for COA231 ?" , a pilot would ask if not switched to the upper sector to continue its further climb ? , or ...
- "When AAL459 can expect further descend ?" if not yet switched to APP near the aerodrome , or ......
- "Uummm , Eerrr ...Say again please for SKW793 ....!" for an unsuitable instruction .
4. Random Unusual Situations
The primary radar reflections of weather may appear randomly at different areas and pilots will request avoidance for deviations . At times that will cause a total anarchy of traffic but an ATCO is supposed to be able to manage the situation under these conditions as well
And ... it is a controller's nightmare but ...it does happen ! At times the radar system will no longer update the screen data , targets remain 'frozen' and there is only the latest traffic picture and the strip information you may use to cope with the situation . You have to prove that you can handle that too !
5. The CONs .....
Inevitably you may find some difficulties which could be overcome , I presume , like :
The maps although detailed should be designed by some better software than the Windows DRAW . It takes some time to import and redraw them with Designer or Corel Draw .
The video map could have included the display of Nav-points as an option , like say with Alt+M ( for Map ) ...but I do not know if this a 'must' for the ARTS system
Lack of full strip board display ; you may display only one 'paper-like' strip at a time
Lack of early information on inbound traffic . Few times , but not always , this may lead to a conflict especially with traffic activated too close to the sector boundary
Some common ICAO R/T phraseologies are not there . By and large , though , you can do the job with the existing ones
There are of course some improvements ......a proof that people like it and work on it ....The XAVIUS site (www.xavius.com) hosts a lot of sectors and other facilities for the programme designed by fans . The sector and traffic design does not seem to be a friendly business but now there are instructions for the how to do it . If it keeps like that then soon we shall see a new 'mighty' version of this excellent software
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