Frequently Asked Questions

What is vEFPS?

vEFPS, or Virtual Electronic Flight Progress Strips, is an application designed to deliver realistic Electronic Flight Progress Strip functionality to users of the VATSIM network, primarily targeted at the United Kingdom. Given that no official documentation is available for any of the real-world systems used, the system aims to infer the behaviour of some real-world systems based on available publicly available sources - press releases, images on blogs and footage from YouTube or other video sources.

The system aims to deliver EFPS functionality to all common aspects of VATSIM controlling that are predominant within VATSIM UK - Aerodrome, Approach and Area, including Shanwick Oceanic.

When does it release?

vEFPS released to the public on the 28th October 2024.

What can I do in the MVP?

Upon the release of our Minimum Viable Product (MVP), you'll be able to:

• Control traffic on any Aerodrome Position (_DEL, _GND_ or _TWR) using a position specific workflow.
• Update strip data using our rich User Interface.
• See strip data updates reflected in Euroscope.
• 'Click n' Tap' strips between bays.
• See updates from other controllers in real time.

After the release of our MVP, we'll continue to add features, focusing on the 'complete' Aerodrome experience, before moving on to delivering capabilities for FISOs, Approach controllers, Area controllers and Oceanic Control positions. Later, we'll add capabilities for Assistants, Mentors/Students, Unit Supervisors, CPDLC, PDC, Flow Control measures and more.

How does it work?

vEFPS operates by interacting with Euroscope (other clients may be supported in future. Maybe.) in order to fetch and update certain data for flights operating on the VATSIM network. This data is exchanged in a central hub and distributed to users of our Web Application that are controlling on VATSIM. There are three core components:

• The vEFPS Euroscope Plugin provides us with a capability to fetch data from and update data in Euroscope. This allows us to generate strips for aircraft, populate those strips with details and ensure that anyone not using vEFPS receives data updates when a user changes something in our web application.
  
  The plugin relies on messaging technology to send data to and receive data from our central hub. You may be required to open specific ports on your firewall to permit this.
• The vEFPS Messaging Hub provides a conduit for messages between vEFPS users and the various Euroscope instances they're controlling with. This is where much of our application logic is performed, to determine who needs to know about which strips and facilitate the distribution of strip data.
• The vEFPS Web Application is the actual controlling tool which vEFPS users will use to manage strip data, alongside other functionality in the future. The application requires authentication via VATSIM Connect - VATSIM's single-sign on and authentication platform - in order to be used. The application will then determine the logged in controller's callsign before displaying a strip bay layout and strip data relevant to that position.
  
  The application will dynamically update the display based on other controllers logging in, the presence (or disappearance!) of aircraft on the VATSIM network and interactions with other controllers.

Is it safe to use?

Absolutely, yes. Our Euroscope Plugin is the only component which needs to be 'installed' on your PC and you can choose where this file lives. The binary is only consumed in the execution of Euroscope and performs the following actions:

• Very temporarily listens for an HTTP callback in order to authenticate within the Plugin.
• Reads data from and writes data to Euroscope via APIs exposed in the Euroscope Plugin Architecture.
• Makes a number of web requests to publicly accessible endpoints, in order to make simple logic decisions.
• Reads messages from and writes messages to a RabbitMQ messaging queue, required for the successful operation of vEFPS.

That's it! Other than files cached by your browser, we don't store any files or data - or look for any! - on your computer.

Can I be a developer/tester?

We appreciate your interest! Currently, our development and testing team is not expanding. While we aren't accepting new members at this stage, we're grateful for your enthusiasm. Please refrain from reaching out to staff regarding joining, as our current capacity is set. Thank you for your understanding.

Does it work on: Tablet/Mac/PC?

vEFPS is designed to be accessible across various devices. As long as you have access to a standard web browser, you can seamlessly use vEFPS on tablets, Macs, PCs, and other compatible devices.

Why doesn’t the strip board look like those used at [Insert ICAO Here]?

At its current stage, vEFPS operates as a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), prioritising essential functionalities over airport-specific features. While the system doesn't replicate the distinct strip boards of specific airports like Heathrow, Copenhagen, De Gaulle, or Dubai, we do plan to explore and integrate these unique features in future updates. However, specific timelines for these enhancements have not been set yet. We're committed to evolving and enhancing vEFPS based on user needs and feedback as we move forward.