On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Open a line and ask about a track
- Open ASMA with its default shortcut M. Enter LIST CONTROLLERS using the input box and SEND button.
- Read the list and use the controller’s short call ID, not its full name. For example, CALL LO calls London. Use the ID of the controller you actually need.
- Check the CONNECTED TO reply. Enter TRACK 012 for track number 012, or enter the aircraft’s callsign. Replace the example with the contact you are investigating.
- Read the reply. A rundown means a summary of the information held about that flight. Compare it with Flight Information and the track’s movement.
- When finished, enter HANGUP and check for DISCONNECTED FROM. Ordinary ASMA commands can then be used again.
If the controller refers you elsewhere
A controller can tell you that the aircraft’s Mode 3 squawk belongs to another controller’s allocation—a group of codes assigned for that controller to use. Find the named controller’s call ID with LIST CONTROLLERS, enter CALL and that ID, then ask about the track again.
You do not need to hang up before calling the next controller. Check the new CONNECTED TO reply: it replaces the earlier line without a DISCONNECTED FROM message for that line.
The common replies
| Reply | What to check |
|---|---|
| USE CALL ID | You may have entered a full name. Use the suggested short ID or check LIST CONTROLLERS. |
| INVALID CALL ID | Check the short ID against the list; do not guess a name or abbreviation. |
| No live track matches | Check the current track number or callsign. A contact from an earlier message may no longer be present. |
| Not using this controller’s allocation | Check the squawk and the controller you called. This response is not, by itself, a hostile identification. |
| NO ACTIVE CALL | There is no controller line to hang up. Open a line with CALL if you need to ask about a track. |
A query is different from an identity change
An ATC reply gives you information. If it offers SET buttons, clicking one can change the track’s identity. Read the evidence first. A means Assumed Friendly; a code allocation or plausible callsign alone is not proof of who is flying.
Finish the call or use the track shortcut
- If ATC is not highlighted in ASMA, choose ATC to bring its replies into view. Finish the question you need before changing sorties.
- Enter HANGUP and choose SEND. Read DISCONNECTED FROM. NO ACTIVE CALL means no controller line is currently open.
- Then choose the sortie in ACTIVE COMMS or enter another ordinary ASMA command.
Changing away from ATC with ASMA’s category buttons ends the controller call. Choosing a sortie through a COMMS tile can take a different route: it can change the messages shown while the ATC line remains open. Until that line ends, ordinary typed text can be treated as a controller query. Finish with HANGUP and check DISCONNECTED FROM before sending another ordinary command. For a quick check of the selected track, use Call ATC.
Ask about the track number, not its squawk
- Find the contact in TRACK LIST or select it on the scope. Note its track number: the game’s reference for that contact. This is different from its four-digit Mode 3 squawk.
- Open ASMA with M. Use LIST CONTROLLERS, CALL and the displayed short call ID. Check CONNECTED TO before asking the question.
- Enter TRACK followed by the actual number, for example TRACK 012. Replace 012 with your contact’s number; do not paste its squawk after TRACK.
- Match the label in the reply to that contact. If the controller refers you elsewhere, call the named controller using its listed ID and ask about the same track again.
- If nothing matches, check that the contact is still present and the number was copied correctly. Do not use an old reply as proof about a new contact.
Understand the fields in an ATC summary
| Field | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Operator / RT Callsign | The recorded company and radio name, when available. A radio name and a map callsign can look different; neither identifies the person flying. |
| Mode 3 | The contact’s squawk and named allocation. ---- means no code is provided in this summary. A code allocation is not a friendly/hostile decision. |
| Mode S | A recorded aircraft address, when available. Use the register guide to check the record; an address alone is not proof of the aircraft’s identity. |
| Type | The type available to the game’s report, which can come from declared or filed data and can be updated by visual identification. It is not automatically proof of the true airframe. Compare Aircraft Data and the other identification evidence. |
| Altitude / Speed | Reported height and speed for that contact. These are different from the aircraft type’s maximum speed or ceiling. Use the units guide if the figures are unfamiliar. |
| Route | Departure and destination from the flight plan, when one is available. Read the plan and compare the aircraft’s movement; an endpoint is not its current position. |
| Confidence it’s authentic | The game’s assessment of how the information and flight behaviour fit together. Read the reasons after High, Medium or Low. This is not a percentage chance of being friendly or permission to attack. |
Not every reply contains every field. An absent route or Mode S field is missing information; do not fill the gap with a guess. An Unknown Type is a report limitation, not an automatic hostile identification.
Practise a query without changing the aircraft
- Choose a current contact and note its track number and callsign. Leave its identity unchanged.
- Call the appropriate controller, enter TRACK with that number and read the reply. Compare two available fields with Flight Info; note any missing information.
- If you receive a referral, check the named controller in LIST CONTROLLERS and repeat the query on that line.
- Finish with HANGUP and check DISCONNECTED FROM. Do not press a SET identity choice during this practice. Asking for information does not order the aircraft to move or launch a fighter.