Staff-Up Guide

[Ben Wright]

What is a Staff-Up?

A Staff-Up allows a group of controllers to advertise ATC coverage of an airport in advance. The VATSIM UK Marketing Department will then advertise the Staff-Up on its' social media accounts, the VATISM UK Discord, and myVATSIM events calendar, with the intention of increasing traffic levels for the duration of planned coverage. It is important to note that a Staff-Up is not a VATSIM UK event, so all bookings must be made via the CTS, event-specific postitions may not be opened, and flow measures shall not be promulgated via the ECFMP.

 

How Do I Organise a Staff-Up?

Staff-Ups were introduced over 4 years ago, when the level of traffic on the VATSIM Network was a fraction of what exists today. In addition, placing a Staff-Up on the myVATSIM events calendar greatly increases the visibility of the Staff-Up, compared to advertising on the VATSIM UK Forums and social media accounts alone. Therefore, a larger burden of responsibility is placed on the organiser of a Staff-Up to ensure traffic levels do not become unmanageable. Before organising a Staff-Up, please consider if any of the following traffic factors apply:

• Airport - popular airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester are usually very busy. Organising a staff-up without adequate aerodrome and area coverage will lead to an unmanageable traffic situation.
• Date and time - Friday evening to Sunday evening represent the busiest times on the Network.
• Length of coverage - Longer Staff-Ups tend to attract more pilots, especially towards the latter end of coverage. Plan for reduced coverage extending at least 30 minutes beyond the end of the Staff-Up in order to 'tidy up' late arrivals.
• Additional circumstances - Concurrent events in the UK/Europe, as well as VA/streamer group flights may contribute to an increase in traffic levels.

Please be aware that the VATSIM UK Marketing Department will ultimately decide whether a staff up is suitable to post on myVATSIM. Please plan appropriate coverage for busy airports (including area control) and feel free to contact the Marketing Department early about the issue. It is preferable to arrange as much coverage prior to posting your staff up, as doing so provides evidence to the Marketing Department of your ability to manage the traffic.

The VATSIM UK Marketing Department reserves to right to refuse advertisement on the myVATSIM events calendar if deemed necessary.

Before posting your Staff-Up on the VATSIM UK Forums, you must ensure the availability of enough controllers to cover, at a minimum, ground, tower, and approach positions at the Staff-Up airfield. As stated previously, area coverage must also be organised in advance if traffic levels are expected to be high. All bookings must be made via the CTS System. Please note that VATSIM UK Division Policy regarding booking priority still applies - exams and mentoring sessions both take priority over regular bookings, irrespective of whether these bookings are for a Staff-Up or not.

Staff-Ups posted on the VATSIM UK Forums less than 10 calendar days from their planned date will not be posted on the myVATSIM events calendar. A banner is required for posting on the myVATSIM events calendar, however this will be provided for you. Custom banners are not permitted to avoid confusion between VATSIM UK events and Staff-Ups.

You must provide full ATC coverage for the entire duration of the Staff-Up. If, after posting, ATC coverage can no longer be guaranteed, please message a member of the VATSIM UK Marketing Department to remove the myVATSIM event posting.

 

Staff-Up Forum Post Formatting

Title format: [Date Month Time] STAFF UP - Aerodrome + ICAO. For example: [1st April 1900-2100z]  STAFF UP - Manchester EGCC

• Use the UK date format (Day before month)
• Use the full month name (i.e December not Dec)
• Remove colons from times (i.e. 1800-2100Z, not 18:00-21:00Z)
• Include a hyphen between event times
• Include a "z" to indicate that the time is in Zulu
• Block capitalise "STAFF UP" and the airport ICAO code
• Capitalise the first letter of the month and aerodrome

Post Content -  Please fill out the following template to ensure that details regarding your staff up are unambiguous.

• Aerodrome: As per title, include name and ICAO code
• Date and Time: Same format as the title e.g 1st April 1800-2100Z
• Staffed Positions: Note that GND, TWR and APP is mandatory e.g EGLL_2_GND, EGLL_S_TWR, EGLL_N_APP, LTC_CTR, LON_SC_CTR
• Other Information: Will you be simulating any special operations? For example, providing LARS coverage for general aviation.

Edited July 23, 2023 by Ben Wright
New revision