VATUSA9 VCR Private Message Response Issue

[Mark Kusiak]

Guys,

Had one of my VA online pilots ask a question on a request to respond to a SUP message through
VCR who did not know how to handle the request.  Can someone help clarify this so I can pass it
on to my active VATSIM pilots.

The pilot was queried by VATUSA9, Controller's name is Mani at [22:37:30] 11/17, getting the following
message:

[22:37:30] VATUSA9: Hello, I'm Mani, a VATSIM Supervisor. Please check your private messages in VRC. To view these, click on Tools and tick "Controller List" - in this window you will see a solid blue bar over my callsign. Double click that and read the messages. You will be able to reply using that chat window. Thanks.

The pilot did not know how to reply to this request, asking the question of me, hence my request here for some
guidance.

I'm also worried about potential action taken as the pilot in question is a frequent flyer on VATSIM.

Thanks for your help in advance.

[Don Desfosse]

Mark,

I wasn't there, but it looks like Mani, acting as a Supervisor, was trying to reach your pilot without response.  So he probably tried multiple methods to get a hold of your pilot.  Your pilot has a responsibility to be monitoring his connection, including attempts to contact your pilot by ATC or Supervisors.  Not sure if your pilot was using a pilot client, or observing using VRC or another ATC client.  If he was not observing using VRC or another ATC client, it's possible that Mani accidentally used an alias meant for someone using VRC.  He will likely see this thread soon, and/or I can have a quick chat with him.  However, even if it were Mani's mistake requesting a reply via VRC, the main point is that it looks, at least on the surface, like a VATSIM Supervisor needed to contact your pilot and your pilot either refused to respond, was not monitoring his connection and did not respond to a VATSIM Supervisor, or didn't know how to respond.  If he didn't know how to respond, he does need to read the section in his client's documentation on how to use private messages (PMs). 

Unless your pilot has a history of unattended connections, there is really no harm done here, and I would simply advise your pilot to be more mindful about monitoring his connection, ensuring he contacts ATC right away if in controlled airspace, and ensuring he responds to requests for contact by ATC and/or VATSIM Supervisors.

Your pilot is also free to reach out to Mani for any clarification necessary (vatusa9@vatusa.net).  Mani is a very approachable and helpful guy, and would be happy to clarify what happened from his perspective and offer any additional helpful tips as well.

Hope this helps; feel free to reach out to me if you need anything further at vatusa1@vatusa.net

[Mark Kusiak]

Don,

Thanks for your quick reply.  I've already reached out to Mani by email.

I'm working with limited information, but it appears that the only notification he got was through VRC.
Most of our pilots are using clients to monitor the network which are classic, such as Squawkbox, FSInn, or
vPilot.  He's aware of the responsibility.  I will go back and follow through to determine if he may have been
away and missed an initial request.  I've done that before, so I know how it can happen.

Thanks again for the clarification.

[Tomas Hansson]

I got the same message yesterday evening (Friday) about 30 seconds before I disconnected. I didn't notice the message until about an hour later when I was about to reconnect. My guess would be that it is a "please contact me" message but Mani used the wrong alias? I was confused as well because a) I was flying using vPilot - not VRC and b) I was not in controlled airspace and on-line for less than an hour. A clarification would be appreciated and I will send Mani an email as well.

[Manuel Manigault]

Hi everyone.  No, this was a mistake by a rookie supervisor (me).  I was trying to contact a pilot using an alias and forgot to put in the callsign.  The message was therefore broadcasted to everyone in my visibility range.  I apologize for any confusion it may have caused.

[Mark Kusiak]

Thanks Mani..

I'll let him know.  We just were not sure what happened, hence the questions.  Thanks so very much
for all that you and everyone at VATUSA do. 

Regards,

[Joseph Jucha]

Darn Mani, I thought I was special and you were just looking out for me prior to the FNO!