ATIS

ATIS is the abbrevation for "Automatic Terminal Information Servis and is a information service for airports. Further information about the ATIS system itself can be found here. In this article here we want to concentrate on ATIS during virtual controller sessions in Austrian airspace.

On VATSIM we use voice and text ATIS. That means, that the ATIS on the VATSIM network can be received as text message or as continous voice on a special frequency, the ATIS frequency, which can be found on our airport information pages. The ATIS is provided by a controller logged on to the VATSIM network, preferrable the main controller for the specified airport (like the tower or approach controller).

Together with the controller software EuroScope we have a comfortable tool to create ATIS information for our pilots, because EuroScope does create voice and text ATIS messages from predefined sound files. For further information on how to configure EuroScope to automatically build ATIS messages please vitis the EuroScope documentation. If you installed the EuroScope VACC Austria Edition, which can be found on the homepage of VACC Austria, everything should work out of the box.

Current sound files for EuroScope to be used with Austrian airports ATIS information can be found here (included in EuroScope VACC Austria Edition).

ATIS templates

To have one common format for ATIS messages we ask you to use the templates below. If you provide a voice ATIS this is not necessary, in that case following notice as text ATIS is enough.

[Radiostation Name]
Voice and Text ATIS available on: 123.450 Mhz

Normally voice ATIS is preferred, but if you are not able to setup a voice ATIS frequency do not forget to change local details in the templates before going online.

ASRC

Center

$mypvtrw 
Wien Radar [online at least until 2000Z]
Service for Austrian (LOxx) airports only!
For charts and info visit www.vacc-austria.org

LOWW APP/TWR/GND/DEL

$mypvtrw
$radioname() INFORMATION ALPHA. [online at least until 2000Z]
ARR RWY 29 (34). DEP RWY 29. QNH $altim(LOWW). TRL060. TA 5000'.
For charts and info visit: www.vacc-austria.org

LOxx APP/TWR/GND/DEL

$mypvtrw
$radioname() INFORMATION ALPHA. [online at least until 2000Z]
ARR RWY 29 (34). DEP RWY 29. QNH $altim(LOxx). TRL050. TA 4000'.
For charts and info visit: www.vacc-austria.org

In the fourth line you can add some important info, like "Event in progress - expect...". If nothing else is important then "For charts and info, ..." should be used instead.

VRC oder EuroScope

Center

Wien Radar  [online at least until 2000Z]
Service for Austrian (LOxx) airports only!
For charts and info visit www.vacc-austria.org

Approach/Tower/Ground/Delivery

$radioname() Information %id%. [online at least until 2000Z]
%runways% QNH $altim(%icao%). TRL60. TA5000’.
For charts and info visit www.vacc-austria.org

In VRC only three lines are allowed because the first line will be added by VRC

In the third line you can add some important info, like "Event in progress - expect...". If nothing else is important then"For charts and info, ..." should be used instead.

Observer

EuroScope does create "ATIS" messages even vor observer. So, as an observer, please use following lines as your "ATIS":

VACC Austria - vATC in the heart of Europe!
For charts and info visit www.vacc-austria.org