Hello all. I recently began using VATSIM and I must say that I really enjoy it. Have mostly been doing short VFR hops on busy servers to get a feel for things. Have not worked up the courage to try an IFR flight as I do not want to disrupt the flow or make anyone mad. Just thought of a question. Are there any servers that cater to newbies such as myself? Ok, getting to my main question. For the past 24hrs I have been unable to open the VATSIM.net website. Everytime it begins to transfer the info, it closes my browser windows. Not just VATSIM, but ALL browser windows I have open. I normally use Firefox as my browser, but I tried to open it with IE and it has the same effect. Any ideas as to what is going on? Last night I fired up FS and SB3 and joined various servers but no one was in any server. Kinda made me think that maybe this was not just an issue with me. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Never mind. Figured it out. Turns out that the autoupdate with Java 5 does not agree with the current version of Firefox. If anyone else has this problem, here is a link to the info that I used to correct this info. Thanks.http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=268589

Also, to confirm your question about servers, all servers are linked so you should connect to the one physically closest to yourself. Based on your username I will suggest one of the USA servers.This will allow you to interact with others no matter where they are or where you decide to fly.If you put something like newbie in your remarks a controller will always try to accommodate your needs.

Welcome to Vatsim. Norman has already answered about the servers. The other tip I would give is to pick a non-major airport for your first few trips. JFK and Heathrow for example are not the places to start out, because it's usually far too hectic.There's a very nice program called ServInfo, which will allow you to see which airprots have controllers online. You can find it at http://www.avsim.com/hangar/utils/servinfo/home.htmenjoy - and if ever you come to the UK I can recommend Stansted (EGSS)Ruth McTigheEssex RadarDeputy Director, VATSIM-UK

>Also, to confirm your question about servers, all servers are>linked so you should connect to the one physically closest to>yourself. Based on your username I will suggest one of the>USA servers.>Actually, physical proximity isn't really the best choice. Closest via number of internet hops is a better choice. I know that's sometimes hard to determine but feel free to experiment around with servers. Just about all of them in the world will give you an adequate experience so you can find what works best for you via experimentation.