Chapter 1: Initial Shootdown

Over North Atlantic airspace, there is a bunch of faux pilots flying with callsigns belonging to major VAs (virtual airlines) whose real-world counterparts are all members of the Three Major Alliances (Star Alliance, SkyTeam, OneWorld), as well as non-aligned virtual airlines, in a network known to many as VATSIM, the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network. All pilots own a copy of either Flight Simulator or X-Plane, or else their interfaces with the network don't work.

A Flight Service Station is basically an air traffic control (ATC) station which covers large expanses of airspace without towered airports, most often encountered in oceanic environments, such as the Atlantic Ocean. With the Shanwick Oceanic FSS (Flight Service Station) staffed...

Curtis: Shanwick Radio, DAL (Delta) 124 reporting.

Alec: DAL124, Shanwick Radio, go ahead.

Curtis: "DAL124 is position 57N40W at 17:15 Zulu, FL370 (Flight Level 370). Estimating 58N35W at 17:47 Zulu, 57N30W next. Mach point 84, ground speed 470. Over.

Alec: DAL124, copy position.

Flight levels are used in combinaton with zulu time in position reports, but most of the time their use is completely different one from the other. Flight levels are in use when an aircraft is higher than an altitude called the transition altitude, which differs from a country to another. When an aircraft reaches that altitude, it must set its altimeter to 29.92 inches of mercury, and altitude is noted in flight levels,obtained by dividing the altitude by 100. Zulu time, in contrast, is the universal time used in aviation and corresponds to the time in Greenwich, U.K. when no daylight-saving time is in use in said location. However, when DST is in use in the United Kingdom, the zulu time is equal to the time in Greenwich minus one hour.

The TCAS (Traffic Crew Alert System) itself is only the pilot side of the traffic radars used by controllers. They allow pilots to detect traffic with varying ranges, depending on range settings. However, at the same time, Norberto, who is flying KORD-LIRF as AAL (American) 476 at this time, gets a TCAS warning with air-to-air missiles coming his way. He doesn't know a thing about defending himself against Sidewinders or other such things, he can't just take the risk of crashing his aircraft to the sea because of crazy maneuvers.

Norberto: Panpan, panpan, panpan, this is AAL476, AAL476, AAL476. I got missiles after me! I am about to be shot down!

Alec: AAL476, send your report.

Norberto: AAL476 is position 57N40W at 17:18 Zulu, FL390. Estimating 58N35W at 17:49 Zulu, 58N30W next. Mach point 86, ground speed 490. Over.

SquawkBox itself is a software used by pilots to act as their interface with the network and with the controllers in their makeshift control towers. Over SquawkBox's private chat, however, that pilot tried to join top Virtual OneWorld (member airlines and Virtual OneWorld itself) officials then flying, to inform them that Virtual SkyTeam is up to no good.

Norberto: Sir, I want you to inform Virtual OneWorld that Virtual SkyTeam has engaged hostilities with us.

Yvan: What happened? Did a SkyTeam-based aircraft try to shoot you down?

Norberto: That is correct. I saw it, we were both Boeing 767s. I want you to move over the mid-Atlantic at these coordinates and try to shoot down DAL124.

Please note that all airline and airport codes used in the network to either connect or file flight plans are in the ICAO format – 3 letters for airlines, 4 letters for airports. But Yvan is on the tarmac at VVTS (Tansonnhat Intl - Vietnam); if he wants to shoot down DAL124, he has to take off from either Greenland or Keflavik, Iceland. Using the Boeing 777-200 spokesman aircraft, which is also the airborne symbol for Virtual OneWorld, is a little risky, it therefore means that he has to use a standard-issue Boeing 777 to take that aircraft down. He takes off from Keflavik as JAL (Japanair) 10.

Norberto: Japanair 10, where are you? The starboard engine is on fire!

Yvan: Hang on, I will head for where DAL124 is heading to, 58N35W.

Near 58N35W, though, after half an hour of cruise flight, along with the climb to FL380, JAL010 engaged the afterburners and he flies at M1.73. Armed with ammunition heavier than Sidewinders, he approaches DAL124.

Norberto: I'm hit! JAL010, finish DAL124 off, for Virtual OneWorld.

He fired two well-placed missile shots, which destroyed spots near vital engine components of the enemy aircraft and the resulting chain reaction blew the engines and the wings off DAL124's B767. As a result, the aircraft exploded due to its center tank still containing fuel. The controller enters his .wallop command from his ATC station, outfitted with VRC (Virtual Radar Client) radars, in order to file a complaint to the nearest VATSIM supervisor, about virtual airlines declaring hostilities one on another.

Stephen: VATSIM support line.

Alec: Yes, I downloaded VRC, and the last time I controlled as Shanwick Oceanic, 767s reportedly shot each other.

Stephen: That shouldn't happen: we designed VATSIM so pilots wouldn't dogfight each other at sea.

However, four interconnected pilots pull an all-night session of online flying and one of them just saw the flaming debris of DAL124's aircraft, falling in front of him. That aircraft sustained some damage to its flaps and the engines flamed out.

Hassan: Shanwick Oceanic, mayday, mayday, mayday, this is Egyptair 531, requesting diversion in Gander. We have a bird strike on the port engine.

Jere: I'm back. Wait, where are you guys?

Daniel: I'm en route for London-Heathrow. But HASSAN reported that he had to land in Gander because he had debris from a dogfight in an engine.

Jere: I'm sorry, I had to go to the lavatory.

Emma: I'm en route for London-Heathrow too. Egyptair 531, what was your original destination? Elal 70, if you didn't quarrel with your family so much, you wouldn't have to go to the lavatory all the time!

Jere: I don't need to take tips from a Fokker girl!

Hassan: I was en route for New York Kennedy (KJFK). Three hours more and I could have landed safely in New York.

Emma, when flying shorthauls with pax loads that does not exceed 100 passengers, reportedly flies Fokker F70s or F100s, even F28-4000s if she is in the mood for a more hands-on flying style, hence the nickname of Fokker Girl. But, this time around, she flew WSSS-EGLL (Singapore Changi-London Heathrow) and, as one pax caused a medical emergency, she had to land at VVTS. With some luck, she found a JAL Cargo Boeing 777-200ERF on the tarmac and then vanishing. However, Hassan gets to enter a quarrel with his family.

Hassan's dad : Hassan! Hassan!

Hassan: Hang on, guys, my dad wants something.

Hassan's dad: Hassan!

Hassan: What?

Hassan's dad: You've been on your computer all weekend. Shouldn't you go out and socialize with your friends?

Hassan: I AM socializing, bad pig! I am logged on to a massive ATC network with people from all over the world and flying using Teamspeak.

Hassan's dad: I'm not a bad pig.

The father of Hassan fades out of Hassan's room, while the Egyptair-callsigned pilot opens up Servinfo, a software used by pilots and controllers alike to look up for traffic, locations of aircraft, weather reports, flight plans in use and ATC stations.

Jere: I am the best B767-200 pilot in all of VATSIM!
Daniel: Wow! Look at all those people flying right now.

Jere: All crummy narrowbody flyers. We should have more variety in the VATSIM skies.