Hi everyone,Sorry if this is off topic - What would you say are the minimum PIC767 skills needed to try a flight on VATSIM? I have the necessary programs setup and configured -Squawkbox Main program, SBHost, ServInfo to see where the active areas are, Roger Wilco for voice. I have printed out the tutorials on getting started on VATSIM and think I'm confident in the basics.I'm a big fan of the PIC product and believe I've progressed to the point where I know the automatics fairly well. I know the basics of FMC operation - setting up a route, the ability to put in speed and/or altitude restrictions, holds. What I don't feel confident in yet is the ability to fly any instrument approach completely by hand. Is this skill necessary to get started? If it is, I'll check back in in 2 years or so :-).Oh - one other question on VATSIM - who do you contact first for clearance when starting your flight? If I'm taking off from JFK and the closest controller to me is Boston Center, do I contact him first?Thanks for any feedback.Craig

Great questions Craig!You have everything you need to get up and join

hi,i've flown pic on vatsim many times.....when i had cable :-(now i don't do it anymore :-(...all i can say is:follow steve's advice,and you WILL be addicted :-)happy flyin' on vatsim

Craig,I am glad you are interested. Michal (I think) had asked a similar question about a month ago in a thread about the "Down Under" flight we had. Check out a couple of our replies (including some "do's and dont's" here http://ftp.avsim.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboa...viewmode=all#21The primary skills you need are the ability to command your aircraft, fly a heading, maintain an assigned altitude, find and fly to a navigation aid or an intersection, fly an ILS approach, and be respectfull of others. Everything else is a bonus, understanding and flying SIDs, STARs, and reading charts, are importaint however you can fly successfully on VATSIM with only a casual understanding of those things. If you get a clearance with an assigned SID or STAR and do not have the SID or STAR, tell the controller you "do not have the chart" and request vectors. Never accept a clearance you can't fly it. As to calling for clearance. You may want to use Servinfo to help understand what controllers are covering your airspace. Always start with the lowest level ATC that is on-line in this order CLR_DEL, GND, TWR, APP, CTR. If you are in New York, Boston would not be in your center area and may not be interested in dealing with your clearance, even if no ATC was on line in New York Center's airspace. It would not hurt to try but I would not recommend starting out that way. If I were in that situation, I would file the flight plan and depart squawking 1200. As I near the Center control boundry that was on line (Boston in that case) I would simply contact that center and advise, "AAL327 with you 60 south of Providence, Flight Level two four zero" or whatever position and altitude is correct.Now for your first flight on line, I would recommend you try a short flight within a single center's airspace that has "CTR" (Center) on line, and one that is NOT real BUSY. Let the Center controller know you are new with the network and ask for his patience, 99% of the time you will get lots of help from them.For example, use Servinfo and find KC_V_CTR is on line and you see they only have a few aircraft or so flying in/out. Set yourself up in St. Louis (my home field) and file to Kansas City or Tulsa. (Email me and I will supply you with a good flight plan.) Connect to the VATSIM server through Squawkbox and Roger Wilco. File your flight plan. Contact the lowest level controller on line (that changes often so you have to check back when you are ready to call for clearance.) "United 123 (or whatever - use a valid callsign) on the ground in St Louis (have to let them know where to look for you if you are asking for clearance from a center controller, if GND, TWR, or APP, they are already looking for you) request IFR clearance to Kansas City, I am a newbee and will need extra help." With that it begins, countless hours staying up too late and getting family hacked off because you don't get anything done at home you are supposed to do.DO NOT HESITATE to hail one of us for some help if you need it. If you see us online, use text to send a private message (instructions on the thread linked above.) Read those do's and dont's on the linked thread, those are really the big hitters.Good luck and welcome aboard.

Craig,My recommendation, as a new and unexperienced Vatsimer, is: follow the recommendations from Mike, Vulcan, Steve... as closely as possible.I started from scratch with their help back in late January (I was not even at the point you seem to be when having already a good understanding of RW, servinfo Squawkbox, etc...). I flew twice (only, not enough time): the first time, from LFPO to LFLL a very quiet evening and the 2nd time yesterday (see my yesterday frustrated post!!) from LCPH to LGAV then LFPG (that I could not reach). In both cases, it was pure fun, pure thrill that you don't get when flying "non connected". In my case, sometimes thrill becomes stress because of some english slow understanding. Even though, I don't think I created too much of a mess during the yesterday event that turned to be kind of "busy" for every one.Definetely, I try as soon and as long as possible to fly my PIC767 playing with the FMC and the MCP: at least, I know the airplane would not go into any uncontrolled attitude while I am checking my charts, trying to understand the controllers, getting FS2002 out of the "pause mode" (any chatbox text communication would make yesterday FS2002 enter into the "Pause Mode", btw Mike, do you know why?), etc...I am not in expert in anything here, so I try to make up by preparing my flight as much as possible: SID and Stars updated in the FMC, charts for the forcasted flight, some time spent to read those charts and (some kind of rehearsal) flying off-line the flights to be performed on line.Go, there is no risk here except addiction. I am now addicted.In addition, you will enter a wonderfull and fully dedicated community...Bien amicalementMichelKSEA-AFR011

Hey Michel,The only thing I can think of about your pausing problem is to make sure the "Pause on task switch" is NOT checked, like in the example below.http://ftp.avsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e5ab96870de2b3c.jpgBTW, that 767 in the background is one I'm updatng for Mike. :)Regards,Steve Dra

Steve,You must be right: "Pause on task switch" WAS checked in my congig.I uncheked it and I will give it a try next time.Everyday, I am learning!Tanks a lot!BTW, could I be next in your updating activities, with an Air France livery ? Just kidding...Bien amicalementMichelKSEA-AFR011

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Some very useful information. Think I'll start off with a quiet center and go from there.Thanks again.Craig

I just glanced through my own post and before one of you guys nail me, I would never fly from New York to Boston and call "American three two seven with you flight level two four zero." That is an invalid east bound altitude. It scares me that I typed that in the first place. It's worse that having to be ask to squawk normal, like the call Ian got after departing Vienna Sunday. LOL "I was squawking normal, honest I was." I believe him, but it was good for a chuckle after he had observed me squawing standby (and I was) twice in the two previous days. Flying an invalid altitude is also more imbarrasing (sp?) than missing or skipping the first waypoint on a SID like Rob witnessed me doing out of KLAS on Saturday night. With Mike Evans (one of the best) on the scope, "three two seven, say intentions" (your skin crawls when you hear that one) my reply "center, we are following the wrong nav data, sorting it out now" (I scramble for the chart and see I am following waypoints off the wrong SID, IDALE ONE off of 25L instead of flying to the first waypoint on the IDALE ONE off of 19L which is about 4 miles out on runway heading and I just turned 90 degrees to the right climbing through 1000 feet - oh #####) controller back to me "three two seven, left turn heading two one zero(or something close to that)" and I reply "left two one zero, three twenty seven" By now I have it figured out and get the correct SID plugged in. Control has me on a perfect heading to cross the second waypoint of my SID which is IDALE, 7 miles straight ahead of me. At least the center controller was on the ball if I wasn't I come back "three twenty seven has it sorted out now sir, were direct IDALE" and center comes back in a forgiving voice "three two seven,,,not a problem" You would think it over at that point but then there is ACA856, 15 miles ahead and texting me with a couple lines of some insulting crap. When you do that kind of thing when flying on line, you often get called on it. When you do, you may as well laugh at yourself because everyone else is. This is the beauty of flying on-line. The pressure is on to do it right and sometimes, there are a lot of your best friends watching with scorecards in hand. Like having Rob, Gregg, Murf, and Steve on the ground and Brian (King) Hoyle on the scope when you do the Expressway Visual to 31 at KLGA in a 767 in the dark with a gusty crosswind. No pressure - Right! But I would not have it any other way.All of this gives me that much more appreciation for the people that do this in the real world, with your career at stake every day and a couple hundred people's lives in your hands. For all those that do or have done it in real life, I salute you. You don't get paid enough.Here's to on-line flying :-beerchug