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The Control Room Floor / Re: Direct Requests
« on: April 02, 2020, 05:14:16 PM »
IMHO, the reason that VATSIM controllers tend to "over coordinate" direct clearances in the enroute environment is because they're taught to follow very specific LOAs in training, usually on next-door facility handoffs, with little focus on non-specific overflight traffic.
For example, ZJX has a very specific flow into ZTL for A80 arrivals, especially ATL jet arrivals. They have to be below a certain altitude and joining a particular STAR depending on ATL config. ZJX can't deviate from that unless ZTL approves it, which they probably won't.
But if ZJX has an enroute aircraft that's overflying ZTL enroute to MCI or something, the handoff is as simple as "on course; level at cruise altitude" or something of that nature. There wouldn't be any issues clearing the guy direct MCI. If ZTL needed to change something, they would.
Of course, this generalization does not always apply, and my example of ZJX to ZTL procedures is only as an example and does not reflect the actual process.
Summary: Not all handoffs are very specific like the ZJX/ZTL LOA for A80 arrivals, or the ZLA/SCT LOA for LAX arrivals... or so on. Most of the time, they are as simple as making sure they're at the proper altitude and on pilot navigation when they switch.
Coordination, however, does fix this issue. The solution to the problem might be to train enroute controllers better to know precisely what the handoff requirements are for aircraft going to the next sector, even if it's as simple as "on course and level."
For example, ZJX has a very specific flow into ZTL for A80 arrivals, especially ATL jet arrivals. They have to be below a certain altitude and joining a particular STAR depending on ATL config. ZJX can't deviate from that unless ZTL approves it, which they probably won't.
But if ZJX has an enroute aircraft that's overflying ZTL enroute to MCI or something, the handoff is as simple as "on course; level at cruise altitude" or something of that nature. There wouldn't be any issues clearing the guy direct MCI. If ZTL needed to change something, they would.
Of course, this generalization does not always apply, and my example of ZJX to ZTL procedures is only as an example and does not reflect the actual process.
Summary: Not all handoffs are very specific like the ZJX/ZTL LOA for A80 arrivals, or the ZLA/SCT LOA for LAX arrivals... or so on. Most of the time, they are as simple as making sure they're at the proper altitude and on pilot navigation when they switch.
Coordination, however, does fix this issue. The solution to the problem might be to train enroute controllers better to know precisely what the handoff requirements are for aircraft going to the next sector, even if it's as simple as "on course and level."
It's like all my little ATC-kids are growing up, even though you're way older than me 
