CTP 24E BIRD Controller Briefing

Welcome, and thank you for volunteering to control in Iceland for this edition of Cross the Pond! This briefing provides important event information for BIRD controllers participating in CTP Westbound 2024.

Roster

The BIRD roster is available HERE.

Installing the Controller Pack

This year’s CTP Controller Pack is a standalone package that should be installed separately from any other install of the BIRD Sector File. The Controller Pack is distributed through GNG, but only via the website.

Do not overwrite your "normal" BIRD sector file with the CTP pack!

BIRD Modified Vertical Splits

For the event, the standard BIRD vertical splits will be modified to widen the middle split and push up all the splits in general. For the event, we are splitting our sectors at FL365FL355 / 375 / 385.

In other words:

The aim of this change is to more evenly distribute the expected CTP traffic load across each vertical split.

When two sector splits have been rostered, no matter what number split the roster says, the two controllers are free to pick any split they desire for that sector.

E.g., Even if the roster says Person A and Person B are to open BIRD_S1_CTR and BIRD_S2_CTR respectively, they can choose to open BIRD_S1_CTR and BIRD_S3_CTR instead if, based onif the traffic situation,situation itmeans would be better to split the sector higher at FL375 instead of FL355.

CTP NAT Tracks

During Cross the Pond, due to the high volume of traffic, the CTP planning team publishes event-specific NAT tracks. These are not the same as the current real-life tracks, and are for event traffic only.

For this edition of the event, BIRD is fully responsible for four NAT tracks (A1, A2, B1, B2) and partially responsible for a fifth track (B3.)

All the NAT tracks are visually displayed on the ACC radar view (hotkey F1+1.)

Track routings must not be shared outside of the controller team, and especially not to non-event pilots.

VATCAN Bookings Plugin

As with recent editions of CTP, we will be using the VATCAN Bookings plugin for the event. This plugin adds a variety of event-specific information to your radar scope and aircraft lists.

Firstly, you will notice two new buttons on your scope – the “Refresh” button, and the “Enter Code” button. To move the two buttons to a better place, left-click on the Refresh button and drag.

Click on the “Enter Code” button and type in the event code: wCGGRAZYjg

To start the plugin’s auto-update function, right-click on the Refresh button. You should do this before you connect to VATSIM. The border of the Event ID button will turn green when the event data has been loaded successfully into Euroscope. E.g.,See the screenshot below for an example (screenshot taken from a past edition of CTP, so the event code is different.)

The border will turn red if the download failed for any reason. If this happens, try re-entering the event code to make sure it is correct. If the code is correct, and the button is still red, contact Jonathan Fong (@mythic_fci on Discord) or an appropriate member of the CTP planning team for assistance.

If the plugin is working correctly, every event aircraft will have "EVT" displayed in orange next to their radar target, e.g.,

Aircraft without a booking will not have anything next to their target.

New Sector Inbound/Exit List Items

Event-relevant list items have been enabled on the Sector Inbound and Sector Exit lists (a few were already present before; others are new):lists.

CDMTag for BIKF DeparturesTransfer

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Confirmed Method (CZQX | Gander Domestic)

For Gander Domestic (CZQX_CTR), BIRD must accept the first time, be using the CDM for Euroscope plugin to help manage the flow of departure traffic.

The most important thing to note is that for the event, weCZQX will not be using the plugin to calculate CTOTs, since those are assigned as part of each aircraft's CTP booking. Instead, DEL must manually change the CTOT totransfer the aircraft’s CTPcommunications slotto timeBIRD.

I.e., the CTOTsequence shouldof matchevents is:

1. CZQX_CTR transfers the timetag listedto underBIRD.
2. BIRD accepts the SLOTtag.
column.
3. CZQX_CTR

   You may also note that some items previously part oftells the Departureaircraft Listto (e.g.,contact ROUTE,BIRD.

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As been removed. Thisthis is indifferent linefrom with the abolishment of oceanic clearances across Iceland/BIRD.

BIKF Event Procedures

All of BIKF'BIRD’s usual SOPsSOP, remainBIRD incontrollers effectmust forbe CTP,particularly withmindful theto additionaccept ofall theCZQX_CTR followingtag items: