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Chapter 1 - Getting Started

Welcome to FligthStrips

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TABLE OF CONTENT

  1. Basic Philosophy
  2. InstallationBasic and ActivationFeatures

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1 Basic Philosophy

FlightStrips is a program design to aid controllers in Copenhagen. It is not a gimmick it is as:

  • Traffic Organization tool
  • Coordination platform
  • Flow mangement program

It is a vital program to run, to ensure a smooth session, especially with several controllers online.

FlightStrips is a mandatory requirement when sitting on a ground position in EKCH


1.1 Traffic Organization Tool

Flightstrips build itself on its real life counterpart, and is build around the old paper strip system, digitalized and optimized for use at Copenhagen Airport.

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FlightStrips consist of a selection of "Scopes" specifically designed for each station, and its responsibilities, based either on Geopgraphical location of the position (TWR), or the Area of Responsibility (GND+DEL).

within each of these "Scopes" are a number of "bays" present each designed to mark the phase of flight the aircraft is currently is. These phases can be:

  • Planned Departures
  • Pushbacks
  • Taxi-outs
  • Takeoffs
  • Airborne flights
  • Flights on final
  • Taxi-ins

The list in not exhaustive and is carefully tuned for any and all scenarios we can encounter on VATSIM.

As a controller you must manipulate these flights in and out of their respective bays, and onwards to other controllers, when you contact with them terminates.

FlightStrips is configured to work in tandem with Euroscope, managing STATES and OWNERSHIP of flight!! 


1.2 Coordination Platform

Flightstrips fills the gap in lieu of the absense of COOPANS, the usual tool for airborne controllers to coordinate.

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FlightStrips consist of various coordination tools, to ensure each flight is appropriately tracked by controllers. Coordination is at the very heart of FlightStrips, to work in an environment where we are not sitting next to eachother.

Coordination features includes

  • Transfer, Assume and Ownership status of the flights through ownership of strips
  • Tactical instruction and non-standard taxi coordination
  • Direct messages, and memory aids to other controllers
  • Tactical requests through helper strips for crossing, landing and departing traffic on non-standard runways.
  • Automatic Go-Around coordination intergrated with COOPANS.

The list in not exhaustive and is carefully tuned for any and all scenarios we can encounter on VATSIM.



1.3 Flow Management Program

Flightstrips allows through its user interface to sequence traffic, manage startup times and direct intergration with CTOTs.

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Automatic intergration with most of the plugins of Euroscope, Flightstrips allows you to take advantage of managing all phases of flight within the scope.

This includes features such as:

  • CDM and vIFF intergration
  • ECFMP mandatory routing intergration
  • VACS intergration
  • StopBars intergration (in progress)
  • GSX stand/pushback intergration (in progress)

The list in not exhaustive and is carefully tuned for any and all scenarios we can encounter on VATSIM.


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2. InstallationBasic & ActivationFeatures

FlightStripsThis section is includedto withhighlight the Danishvery sectorbasic filefeatures package.when you open FlightStrips for the first time. These are features not related to the different "scopes", "Bays" and "positions", but are general for FlightStrips.

FligthStrip will always consist of:

  1. Four collumns spanning across the scopes
  2. Variety of bays within those columns containing "Headers" and space for strips.
  3. A Task bar at the bottom


2.1 Columns

All standard scopes have 4 columns.

Columns may have different features and needs, but will "in general"

  • Have Arrivals on left columns
  • Have Planned Departures (Uncleared) on the right side.

some scopes will have slightly wider columns certain places to accomendate strips that contains more information.

2.2 Bays

Bays are making up the columns and contains a header and space for strips

Within the four columns described above are various "bays" located.

Each bay corresponds to the active phase of flight the aircraft is in.

They are logically build up, and have the general feature that:

  • ThereDepartures is"mainly" moves from RIGHT to LEFTno installation or download process as the program is web-based.
  • ThereArrivals is"mainly" nomoves actionfrom required in EuroscopeLEFT to activate the plugin.RIGHT.

You move a strip from bay to bay, until it is transfered to next controller.


The bays you have on your scope have four different variations to easily distinguish certain capabilities

  1. Regular Bay
    • Gray background, with darker gray header. The normal bays you use.
  2. RWY bay
    • Black Background. These are to signify that they correspond to an Active Runway.
  3. Passive bay
    • Light Gray header. Bays there for your information but that you cannot manipulate in any way
  4. MESSAGES bay
    • A special green colored header, reserved for messages in between controllers, not usable for Strips.

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Each bay can be resized to be made larger or smaller depending on the amount of strips that are needed.

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In the header of a bay, you will sometimes see different buttons that leads to various selections:

  • Gray: Leads to different menus, relevant to that bay
  • Blue: MEMAID, as specified in Chapter 2.
  • Yellow: CROSSING, as specified in Chapter 2.
  • Orange: LAND/START, as specified in Chapter 2.


1.13 ActivationTask Bar

WhenCommon openingto Euroscopeall scopes is the FlightStripsTask dialoguebar, opens,which promptingenables youvarious features relating to loginthe ifoperation notof already.the airport.

YouIt needcontains from left to be logged in to your VATSIM account to access FlightStrips. Do this byright:

    • PressScope "Login"View
    • LoginWeather to your VATSIM AccountInformation
    • ObserveRunway your user is shown in the login menu (highlighted in red below)Status
    • ConnectStrip toAction Euroscope AND select appropriate primary frequency.Icons
    • Observe you are connected (There may be a "syncronization period as well")

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The login is saved for ~30 days, and will only need to be revalidated if not utilized within that time.


1.2

SCOPE Opening FlightStrips

VIEW

OnceThe loginscope view is complete,accessed youby needpressing to press "Open App" inon the Flightstripsbottom window.left icon, opening up a row of scope selections.

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FligthStrips will always select the appropriate scope when you log on, but there can be reasons for selecting another scope, for certain non standard situations.


An expanded view of other, more secondary scopes are available by pressing the arros on the left side. This is mainly non-airport based views, views in new windows, and views for split positions.

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Additionally there is:

  • RESET, to return to the default scope.
  • FULLSCREEN icon to put the program into fullscreen mode.

WEATHER INFORMAITON ICONS

Displays the Weather and Runway in use information for the airport. Connects to VATIS and Euroscope Runway setup to sense correct selection

  • TheDEP AppRWY / ARR RWY can be selected manually (Shows RED if different from other controllers setup)
  • QNH Read from vATIS
  • ATIS can be clicked to view full ATIS (Shows RED if ATIS is not set up for Airport)
  • Current Information from vATIS
  • Current Wind

RWY STATUS ICONS

Three icons displaying each of the three runway pairs. They are black by default.

  • Can be selected as OPEN (Black, Default)
  • Can be selected as LOW-VIS (Orange displayed)
  • Can be selected as CLOSED (Red displayed)

STRIP ACTION ICONS

To the right of the runway status icons is the 4 strip action icon.

  • TRF: After selecting a strip (click on callsign), clicking on TRF will open ina yourmenu defaultto browsermanually window.select

    any

    Toonline optimizecontroller usageto of Flightstrips, we recommendtransfer a dedicatedstrip screen and window for the program. do this by:

    1. Press "Open in App" in the top right of your browser.to.
    2. EnterMRK: fullscreenAfter modeselecting bya strip (click on callsign), clicking on theMRK iconwill inmark the leftstrip borromby cornera ofpurple FligthStrips.outline for tactical purposes
    3. PressREQ: F11After orclicking otheron appropriateREQ, fullscreenclick shortcuton (dependingany strip on your browser).
    scope

    Youto canrequest ata alltransfer timesto accessyou, FligthStripsto viareceive the websitestrip.

  • X: After selecting a strip (click on callsign), clicking on X will delete the strip.

MRK TRF

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REQ X

FlightStrips is optimized for 16:9 displays, and will work to its fullest potential in a fullscreen mode on that ratio.image.png

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