G'day allI think I am entering the stage of my Fsim development where I should be starting to look at VATSIM. So , I have been to the relevant Australian area website, downloaded the Squawkbox programme (not installed it yet) , had a quick look at some of the instructional material on the website -- and my first instinct is -- TOO HARD FOR ME!!! :(Are there any organisations/websites that take newbies COMPLETELY in hand? Can you somehow participate with VATSIM as an observer pilot only?Once again - all advice gratefully accepted Barry

Barry,Visit www.vatsim.net and look around there, you should find some information. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] and I'll see what I can do to help ya out.Ryan-Flightpro08 :-coolVATSIM Pilot/ControllerZLA ARTCC Controller 1 (C-1)SAN TRACON Lead [link:www.taxiwaysigns.com]Taxiwaysigns.com Scenery Designer-----------------------------My "Home Made" System Specs:Intel Pentium 4 2.2GHz ProcessorTurbo Gamer ATX Mid-Tower with 420W Power SupplyEPoX 4G4A Motherboard with Intel 845G ChipsetVisiontek XTASY GeForce4 128MB Ti4600 (Det 29.42 WHQL Drivers)512MB PC2100 DDR RAM40GB Matrox 7200RPM Hard DriveWindows XP Home Edition SP1*No CPU or GPU Overclocking*3dMark2001SE Score: 11298

Same here Barry,I looked at it and said uh-uh no way not for me, then I went ahead and did it anyway. I LOVE IT. It's not as complicated as you may think.I enjoy VATSIM completely, when I have time to go on. As Ryan said above it ain't to bad. Visit www.vatsim.net, go to getting started, in fact here is the link to an article by Daniel Hill, byt the way THANK YOU Daniel!! http://www.vatsim.net/gettingstarted_2002.htmlThe programs he lists are in my main stable of programs I use ALL the time. I am hooked now. Still learning but hooked!!If you need any help ask us and we'll help!! Be glad to!!http://www.forefrontgrp.com/jayssig.jpg"There is an art . . . to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss!"

Hi Barry,It is a steeeeep learning curve but well worth it. Suggest you try the Pacific division of VATSIM. The web site is:www.vatpac.orgThere is plenty of help in there and it all relates to Australian airspace. Events are held weekly and newbies are welcomed and treated very well. Suggest you sign up for the forum and search for "pilot tips".See ya online!Andy (YSCB)edit: corrected the link

>>Are there any organisations/websites that take newbies >COMPLETELY in hand? Can you somehow participate with VATSIM >as an observer pilot only? >Bazza - if you've ever had any interest in a virtual airline, you might want to consider looking at AmericanAirlines Virtual (aavirtual.com). They have a guy who's job is to help pilots who are new to VATSIM learn the ropes. He's extremely helpful (as are the rest of the team over there) and they can even set up a session where he will fly with you on your first flight. Whatever path you choose, VATSIM is a wonderful experience that seems daunting at first but is not so complicated once you get into it a few times. Everybody online is very helpful too.Good luck,Philip.

i like Vatsim but sometimes i have bad experiences like the time i waited 40 mins to get clearance from LAX TWR on a trip to SFO!:-(

Hi,If oyu are in Aussie (from Brissie) we have a newbie night on Thursday's in New Zealand starting at 7:30 pm NZ time. When you log in say you are a newbie and someone will help.I'm not sure, but there may be a similar night in Australia.Chech the South Pacific VATSIM site. www.vatpac.orgRegardsRussell Jourdain (NZL007 / ZK-RHJ)