Pieces wrote:Thanks for flying everyone. I certainly did not expect that big of a turnout on a Thursday evening. Special thanks to the controllers for handling all of that.
I get the feeling the controllers like the challenge the way we do, also the scopes were well staffed to handle the load.
....buuuuut just incase, I would lay low for a while.
Thanks for setting this up, I will make more of an effort to partake in these moving forward.
So thankful for the email about the event. I really liked the fly-in format departing from airport of your choice. I was listening to some of the recordings on the way in to work this morning. Departure airports were very well distributed. Really cool to watch all the tracks coming in to SNA. Tower had his hands full for sure. Nothing like a NORDO or two to make things...interesting.
This is a fun format, though as Peter said on his stream it is the worst possible scenario for ATC. 50 aircraft arriving at the same airport at the same time just isn't possible.
Keith and Peter were also talking about implementing flow control - basically limiting the number of aircraft flying into the airspace by spacing departures out. We could also try an arrival window as Lance suggested.
I absolutely LOVE these large events. For the record, something has gone wrong/unexpected in each of the big events I have attended. Everything from server crash, Internet disconnect, pilots going NORDO, traffic induced go around, heavy radio traffic, mistakes......
My take. Life is chaotic and unpredictable. IMO the events are more challenging and fun because of the un-expected. Many of us on Pilotedge have the goal (long or short term) of flying in real life. In that regard, anything that prepares one to correctly handle the unexpected event is a good experience.
For example. I heard pilots requesting flight following being told "unable". While this is unusual for PE, it's more common in real life. While it might suck if you are the pilot refused, it could happen to any of us anytime flying in/out of a busy airspace. Are each of us PREPARED to be told unable? Do you have a back up plan? Would you fly in the real world without a back up plan?
As pilots, were we prepared to do our part? Listening to call signs? Responding in a timely manner?
While I was online, I didn't hear anybody being told to hold. This could happen in the real world. Are each of us prepared to correctly copy and execute a holding instruction? I for one couldn't say that I could without substantial anxiety.
My personal vote is not to take any unusual excessive steps to prevent conflicts beyond what is required for PE operations. Embrace the chaos!
Great event. Good fun PE!
Last edited by wmburns on Fri May 29, 2015 10:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
I was wondering if there is some sort of post mortem for the controllers...what went well on the scopes and what did not? It would be neat to hear what the experiences were like from the other side of the mic.
Not sure how much you would want to disclose but what would be the top issues that can be improved on for the next event? I am guessing selecting such a tight window for a single arrival destination would be one that may not be repeated....or maybe a system stress test is a good thing once in awhile.
That was a lot of traffic into KSNA. I'm assuming more than in real life, so very impressed with the great ATC. Thanks for a fun event that I was actually able to attend.
Last edited by hoser70 on Fri May 29, 2015 8:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
I wish I could have made it, but I was exhausted. I was up at 5 am EDT yesterday and couldn't muster the energy to fly at 10 pm. I was proven right because I was watching Peter's stream and around 1030 pm I ended up falling asleep( not your fault Peter haha). So I missed the action on Peter's stream as well.
Peter Grey wrote:
For the twitch watchers I plan to twitch my scope for the event. I don't know what position I'll be working but it should be interesting either way.
You didn't happen to record your stream from last night did you? I'm trying to find you on Twitch but not having any luck.
