[Question] EGPG Cumbernauld Not Covered By Top-Down On VATSIM

[James Oates]

Good day everyone I wonder if anyone can answer this for me please? I have been doing some easy EGPH to EGPF flights under VATSIM ATC so today I thought I would fly EGPG to EGNC. I .msg SCT_CTR for advice as to how to get ATIS and he kindly advised me that EGPG is not covered by top-down for VATSIM. He suggest once I am in the air I can contact him again.

I did not want to hold him up as he was extremely busy but I wonder if anyone can please advise on why this was and when would I call SCT_CTR as there was nobody else online for the Scottish area. Any suggestions as to the correct process I should follow would be much appreciated.

Many thanks.

Jim

[Fraser Cooper]

Hi Jim,

Cumbernauld is an Air-to-Ground position in real life and on VATSIM. Where controllers apply top-down service to places like Edinburgh, Glasgow etc, they won’t cover ‘uncontrolled’ airports such as EGPG. 

Cumbernauld Radio - EGPG_I_TWR (VATSIM). They would be the only position that would be able to offer services at EGPG. 
 

Fraser

[James Oates]

Fraser - many thanks mate.

I dont think I ever flew from an un-controlled airport on Vatsim before 😉 I think I have it and please correct me if I am wrong. So the fact that EGPG was un-controlled and I was not in or flying into EGPH or EGPF airspace, I was also not in the Scottish TMA as that starts at 6,000 feet so basically I was not in any controlled airspace at all? I was in a C172 flying below that so it would be up to me to maintain VFR clearance of all other traffic?

Cheers and all the best

Jim.

[David Gant]

Hi Jim

The key point here is that EGPG isn't in controlled airspace (CAS), so a Vatsim CTR controller will not give you any service on the ground and there won't be an ATIS.  It would be up to you to depart on Unicom 122.8 announcing your intensions as per CAA guidelines and once in the air you could contact CTR to ask for a service outside of CAS (e.g. basic service) but personally I wouldn't if the controller had a heavy workload because the time spent waiting for VFR traffic to pass their message and to respond takes quite a chunk of airtime away from their IFR duties. 

EGNC isn't in CAS either. 

Of course if you want to fly high enough to get up into the class D airspace you must contact CTR to ask permission first.

Regarding the weather, I don't think you'll find "Vatsim" weather using either Vatspy or the Vatsim website.  You could look up current pressure on the MetOffice aviation briefing service website but you'd probably have to find the winds from some other source (or look at a windsock).

If you look on the NATS website, you'll find two resources to help in this matter.  You can look at the en-route chart ENR 6-7 which is a map of controlled airspaces.  You can also look a the EGPG aerodrome section (you'll soon get used to navigating the complicated structure of NATS website) and look at section 2.17 - Air traffic services.  Here you'll see it says the only airspace is a class G ATZ as per most small uncontrolled aerodromes and in the real-world there is a Radio (AGO) service.  Occasionally, you will find a Vatsim controller providing an AGO service and this would show up on Vatspy as (for example at Cumbernald) EGPG_R_TWR.

Hope that answers your question.

Dave

PS the above posts came while I was typing so I didn't realise your question had been answered.  Yes, as you say it's up to you to maintain VFR separation. 

Edited July 2, 2022 by David Gant

[James Oates]

David

Thanks for developing on the answer that Fraser had given. This has been a great learning experience for me and appreciate both your and Fraser's help in getting my head around it.

All the best and Cheers.

 

Jim