MBI/Expected ATC Coverage

Expected ATC Coverage

This change, effective immediately, is targeted to modify ARTCC policy.

The purpose of this Mandatory Briefing Item is to announce the release of the new “Expected ATC Coverage” feature, and introduce the regulations that surround it.

The following policy will supersede any other published policy. Please start using the new policy below until the Publications section is formally revised. As always, if you have any questions feel free to e-mail the staff at [email protected].

Background

In order to help give pilots a more predictable way of knowing if they are going to get ATC coverage when flying in or out of ZNY airspace, we are launching a new feature, “Expected ATC Coverage” that allows controllers to add their plans to a schedule that will show up on the website when they expect to be controlling and what position.

Regulations

This is NOT a booking/reservation system! This is NOT a way for a controller to reserve a position between certain times! It is meant as a way to give pilots a more predictable experience when flying into ZNY. This does NOT change the first-come-first-serve policy of controlling.

This means: If controller A adds their schedule at LGA TWR between 19:00-21:00z on Monday the 1st, and another controller B is already connected at that time when controller A goes to connect, controller B has the right to remain on the position.

Again, this is NOT meant as a way to reserve a position, it’s meant to allow pilots to have a more predictable experience when flying.

Another thing to keep in mind is that although we know and absolutely understand that things can come up in the middle of a controlling session, we expect controllers to complete and honor the reservation that they have set up. If controller A has booked LGA TWR between 19:00-21:00z, we expect the controller to do their very best to ensure that LGA TWR has coverage in that time-frame. Repeated failure to complete booked sessions might be subject to the controller having their ability to reserve expected ATC coverage revoked for a period of time as decided by the senior staff.

Future Plans

This is stage one of the feature rollout. In future, we plan on implementing the reverse of this feature, allowing pilots (2 or more pilots flying in or out) to request ATC coverage. Exact implementation plans for this feature are not yet complete, but we expect it to be a way for controllers to be notified about incoming flights and be able to “accept” these requests to provide pilots with coverage.

Support

If you have any suggestions or find any issues, you can submit a new ticket on the NYARTCC website “Support” section.

If you have any questions, you can ask them on the NYARTCC Discord or send an email to [email protected].