Introduction

Overview

A helicopter does things no aeroplane does. It stops in the air, takes off from an apron, lands on a helipad in the middle of the aerodrome, flies slow and low and follows its own corridors over highways and rivers. For the controller, that is both a help and a trap. It helps because a helicopter fits into gaps no aeroplane would. It is a trap because the habit of treating everything as an aeroplane leads to clearances that make no sense, or to forgetting the rotor downwash next to a parked single-engine aircraft.

This manual is for anyone who will work helicopters on Vatsim Brasil, at each rating:

• on the ground (GND, S1), which moves the helicopter around the manoeuvring area;
• at the tower (TWR, S2), which clears landings and take-offs, on the runway and away from it;
• at approach (APP, S3), which handles helicopters on the Helicopter Special Routes (REH), where they are published.

It covers routine control: the helicopter that arrives at, departs from or crosses a controlled aerodrome. At the end, it covers two specialities seen on the network, offshore operations and public safety and air ambulance operations, with the limits VATSIM sets on them.

About this Manual

The regulatory basis is the ICA 100-4, Special Air Traffic Rules and Procedures for Helicopters¹. It has the definitions, the helicopter VFR rules, the aerodrome procedures, the REH, offshore operations and the helicopter phraseology. The ICA 100-37² adds wake turbulence, rotor downwash and priorities. The ICA 100-12, Rules of the Air, gives the general VFR rules, the MCA 100-27 glossary gives the definitions, and the CIRCEA 100-111 and ANAC's RBAC 90 feed the special operations page. The MCA 100-16³ gives the general phraseology; it has no helicopter section, so the specific transmissions come from chapter 7 of the ICA 100-4.

What is specific to the network follows VATSIM's Code of Conduct⁴, Global Controller Administration Policy (GCAP)⁵ and Special Operations Policy⁶.

Where real-world rules and network practice differ, the manual shows both and says which one applies on Vatsim Brasil. Technique that is not a rule is marked as good practice.

Scope

This manual covers:

• what changes with helicopters for a controller: hovering, ground taxi, air-taxi, air-transit, helipads and occasional landing areas;
• the helicopter's own VFR rules, which are more flexible than the aeroplane's;
• GND and TWR work with helicopters at a controlled aerodrome;
• the REH and what APP does with helicopters on them, in general terms;
• offshore, public safety and air ambulance operations, and what VATSIM allows;
• phraseology, in Portuguese and English.

Out of scope

This manual does not cover:

• each terminal area's REH, with its points, altitudes and frequencies: these are on the terminal pages and in each region's AIC;
• flying the helicopter and helipad certification, which belong to ANAC;
• separation in general, covered in the Separation and Wake Turbulence Manual;
• helicopter IFR in detail: to the controller, it is almost always an ordinary category A IFR flight.

How to use this manual

1. Read Fundamentals for the vocabulary and what a helicopter can do. It applies to every rating.
2. If you are S1, read Ground Control.
3. If you are S2, also read Tower.
4. If you are S3, also read Approach and REH.
5. Everyone should read Special Operations before handling an offshore, police or air ambulance flight.
6. Look up the Phraseology and go over your rating's Quick Checklist before opening the position.