Sector Inheritance and Extended Services
New Zealand airspace is unique in that we have seven sectors in fairly close proximity to each other, covering a relatively small area. In normal operation, some sectors will automatically inherit neighbouring sectors, but Enroute Controllers also have the ability to extend to the entirety of the country, providing an extended service.
Automatic Sector Inheritance
In normal operation, some sectors automatically inherit neighbouring sectors. This is feasible due to the relatively low traffic levels of the sectors that are being inherited.
It is important to note that sector inheritance is different to extended services. In Sector Inheritance, the primary sector automatically inherits the neighbouring sector - changing the sector's bounds. Whereas in Extended Sectors, the Controller assumes control of non-inheritance sectors.
| Primary Sector | Automatically inherits.. |
|---|---|
| OCR | RAN and BAY |
| NAK | OHA |
| STH | KAI |
Further information can be found in the Enroute section.
Enroute Solo Endorsements
Any Controller on an Enroute Solo Endorsement shall also follow the automatic sector inheritance rules, however, they shall not provide an extended service outside of that inheritance.
Extended Services
Workload
When providing an extended service, it's important to realise that traffic levels can build quickly, and New Zealand's unique level of GA aircraft in such a small area can cause increased difficulty. Therefore, if you notice your quality of service degrading, you should cease extending to other sectors so that you can provide a quality service. Quality, not quantity, is paramount.
Controllers shall not change Airspace Classes
Controllers are not authorised to change the classes of airspaces under their control in order to alleviate traffic concerns.
Example - If you are providing an Extended Enroute service with multiple aircraft in the circuit pattern at Woodbourne, you are obligated to provide a service to them under the VATSIM top-down controlling methodology. A Controller shall not revert that airspace to Class G in order to redirect their attention to other aircraft. In this case, you would amend the extent of your extended sectors.
Controllers shall not extend into an Event Only position
When providing an extended service, Controllers shall not extend into an Event Only position. This inlcludes the use of either their callsign or frequency.
Example - If NAK elects to extend their services to include OCR, they are not permitted to use the RAN callsign or frequency unless approved by the Operations or Events Director. It is important to note that in this case, OCR automatically inherits the airspace normally delegated to RAN, instead of inheriting the RAN position. See the OCR page for more information.
ATIS Management
Controllers are permitted to make up to 4 ATIS connections on the network. Guidance on which ATIS stations should be created can be found in the Enroute Section
Frequencies and Callsigns
As Controllers are providing a lateral extension of coverage, Controllers shall only use the Enroute Sector callsign in any RTF transmissions. Whilst an aircraft might physically be in aircraft normally delegated to Wellington Approach, for example, the control service is still being provided by Christchurch Control.
Frequency Management
When providing extended services, Controllers must cross-couple all primary frequencies of the sectors they are extending into.
While most frequencies are still able to be heard at altitude, when an aircraft crosses a sector boundary the Controller shall also transfer the aircraft to the respective frequency for that area.
It is also a good idea to annotate the current frequency in the aircraft's data block using its three letter designator - NAK or OCR for example.
Technical Limitations
At the moment, most Controller Clients only allow a Controller to have one sector as their primary. This means that only your primary sector will show as online to pilots through their pilot clients and other mapping services such as vatSpy or Volanta, even if you are providing extended coverage.
While VATSIM Radar now supports sector extensions and can display this extended coverage correctly, other platforms still do not. Controllers providing an extended service shall ensure this is reflected appropriately in their Controller Information, including the active sectors being extended to and any applicable frequencies, while still providing links to the relevant charts and feedback.
Examples of Controller Info for Extended Services
Christchurch Control - Extending OCR 123.9, BAY 119.5, OHA 126.2, KAI 129.4, STH 129.3
Need local charts? - vats.im/nz/charts
Feedback? - vats.im/nz-fb
Christchurch Control - Extending OHA 126.2, STH 129.3
Need local charts? - vats.im/nz/charts
Feedback? - vats.im/nz-fb
Bay Approach - Extending OHA 126.2
Need local charts? - vats.im/nz/charts
Feedback? - vats.im/nz-fb
Setting up vatSys
To provide an extended service in vatSys, you will need to assume control of the relevant sectors, prime their frequency, and ensure your visibility range is set correctly.
How to set up vatSys for Extended Services
- Connect as your host sector, ensuring that you amend your Controller Info text to include your extension. Ensure your range is set to 600.
- Once connected, navigate to
Settings > Sectors.... This wil bring up the Sector Configuration Window. - In the right-hand column, click on the sector that you want to assume, and then click the transfer arrows in the centre of the window. The sector will now appear under 'Controlled Sectors'.
When connected, your VSCS panel will show all other Enroute Sectors by default.
To enable them, select the frequency as normal, and click on transmit. Do this for all sectors that you are extending into.
vatSys automatically cross-couples any frequencies that you have selected as transmit.
Ensure that your Visibility Centers cover all of your airspace effectively. If they do not, you can amend them by navigating to Settings > Visibility Centers > Manual.