Lenny Colton (1015584)

I don't think that this is done due to traffic levels. Most of the time, it is done due to special procedures in use at the airport in question. This can be in response to a real-world incresae in traffic but, generally, online traffic levels are not the reason for the use of the above designations on VATSIM.

I'd say they are, but most overseas territories which are not in the middle of the sea have similar arrangements.

Does POSCON intend to add the "Major Airport" and "Special Center" designations as they are used on VATSIM? These designations, once applied to an aerodrome or sector, require a user to undertake additional, location-specific, training before controlling there. This is usually a differences and special procedures theory course, followed by 1:1 training on the particular position.

However, you should remember that some territories, such as the Falklands (Las Malvinas), have British-employed local aerodrome and approach controllers, but fall under the en-route control sector of a different nation. In the case of the Falklands, the tower and radar controllers are locals, but it falls under FIR Comodoro Rivadavia (SAVF), owned by Argentina. To complicate things, the primary international airport is an RAF base (with a British EG ICAO code) - RAF Mount Pleasant (EGYP) , though there is also a small paved civilian airport for local flights only (with a local SF ICAO code) - Port Stanley Airport (SFAL). Gibraltar (LXGB) has a similar issue, technically being an RAF base (though the passenger terminal is not part of the base) with local tower and approach controllers, but falling under FIR Madrid (LECM), owned by Spain.

Bit late, I was a bit dubious when I first heard about POSCON in December but it seems to be progressing greatly and I'm very interested in what will come out of it. One question: How will S1 rating transfers be managed, given that they are subject to local restrictions?