Wallop Guidelines

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide controllers with guidance about when and how to request Supervisor intervention (.wallop).

Guidance

VATSIM is wonderful community, but sometimes our controlling or flying experience can be disrupted by other members. When to call a SUP is a question often asked, so below are some tips to better equip you for when things go awry:

To request help from a SUP, utilize: .wallop [aircraft/ATC callsign] [BRIEF description of what you need help with].

For example: .wallop UAL123 unresponsive, not in conflict, first contact me sent at 03:00z.

TIP: Just because you have an aircraft selected in your controller client, does not mean it will show up in the wallop. You must still type out the callsign.

It is always helpful to check if a SUP is online. You can do that by checking this link: https://stats.vatsim.net/who VATSIM supervisors are 100% volunteers so there is no mandate to always have a supervisor online.

If you experience a major issue (ie harassment, bullying, inappropriate messaging/frequency chatter) and a SUP does not respond to your wallop, you can file a report here: https://support.vatsim.net

Any screenshots you have will be helpful for the investigation.

When dealing with a NORDO (no radio communications) pilot, you should include when you sent your first contact me and whether the airplane conflicts with someone else (see example above). NORDO pilots should be walloped after an effort has been made by the controller to hail the pilot and get them on frequency. How soon is dependent upon your workload and traffic levels. A dead airspace with a NORDO pilot and no conflict imminent does not warrant an immediate wallop.

When dealing with a pilot struggling to control their aircraft or not following instructions, an attempt should be made to get the pilot corrected and back on course. This is not to say that it is your job to teach the pilot how to fly, but rather you should ensure any potential confusion/miscommunication is addressed first. Should it become clear that the pilot does not know how to operate their aircraft or follow NAS and local airport procedures, they should be walloped.

For example:

.wallop UAL123 not flying proper departure procedure off of JFK. Not adjusting course per my instructions. Will conflict with landing LGA traffic.

Notice that in that example how direct the three lines are. The SUP does not need to know every detail of the SKORR# departure, just that they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. You’ve tried to correct the situation, but they are not complying. They will be a traffic concern for other aircraft in the area. The worst thing a walloping controller can do is this: .wallop UAL123 doesn’t know what he’s doing. Not only is this unhelpful for the SUP, but it also makes you look very unprofessional.

Avoid frivolous wallops. "VATSIM does not care to engage in the constant policing of its Members." This means that SUP’s are here to help resolve issues that affect the experience of its members, not be the realism police.

A common example of this is: .wallop UAL123 spawned at the wrong terminal.

While we are always trying to convey realism on the network, it is not appropriate for a controller to wallop a pilot because they’re doing something “not 100% realistic.”

Pilots can wallop too! Pilots have the power to wallop in the same way that controllers do. When flying on the network, pilots can report inappropriate behavior on frequency, pilots not utilizing UNICOM/CTAF frequencies, AFK controllers, and other behavior that violates the VATSIM CoC. This means that a controller can be walloped for rude and unprofessional behavior. It is very tempting (especially during busy times) to dunk on pilots and chew them out for messing something up. While the pilot may be at fault for a B8a violation (a pilot must be proficient with their aircraft prior to connecting), you are at fault for an A1 violation (Account holders shall, at all times, be courteous and respectful to one another).

It is important to respond to follow up messages from SUP’s. Many times a controller will wallop a pilot during a really busy push or event, and find it hard to keep an eye on their messages. It’s imperative to make sure you are responding to any questions or messages from the SUP because often they can’t take action without more information. This directly affects your session since that pilot will likely still cause issues because the investigation came to a halt with a lack of response from the controller.

It is also important to remember that not all SUP’s are controllers. There are some SUP’s on the network who are pilots only or maybe only have their S1 certification. Like in the “bad pilot example,” keep your facts concise and clear of specific procedural jargon to better facilitate a smoother experience.

Lastly, don’t try and take on the Supervisor role as a controller/pilot. Don’t engage in accusatory language with other members or tell them they’re violating specific codes of conduct. Just wallop the member in question and let the SUP deal with it. Most of the times the resolution is a misunderstanding of something and a simple nudge from a SUP is enough to resolve it.

Pilot Quality Feedback

VATUSA is collecting data on pilot quality. If you are able, please log your wallops using this brief survey:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2LpO9WQdjiEvmaYvY-RunrReUM7pdJ2GxBxVDQb32rk0oUg/viewform

This survey is not to be used maliciously.
This survey does NOT collect any personal data from any controllers who choose to participate. Any personal data that is included in responses (callsigns, names, etc.) will be redacted. The data is being collected to establish trends.
Do not log one pilot with multiple violations as more than one response. The survey is formatted in such a way that you can select multiple violations of B8(a)(b)(c).

More Resources

VATSIM Code of Conduct: https://vatsim.net/docs/policy/code-of-conduct
VATSIM CoC companion document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_A9Hnqmv0G-TCG34tCJJ5czdgpC06y0Y/view?pli=1
VATSIM Code of Regulations: https://vatsim.net/docs/policy/code-of-regulations
VATSIM Support FAQ: https://support.vatsim.net/kb/index.php