Some advice please! I am not yet ready for VATSIM but would like to get some experience with ATC other than that which comes with FS2004. Preferably it would have a range of voices, compatible with the Queen, interactive and usable in Australia where I live. Any ideas?Gerry

Some advice please! I am not yet ready for VATSIM but would like to get some experience with ATC other than that which comes with FS2004. Preferably it would have a range of voices, compatible with the Queen, interactive and usable in Australia where I live. Any ideas?Gerry

I'd recommend Radar Contact v4.3. It works well, and is a lot better than default MSFS. Version 5 is upcoming, but probably not for a year or so.-stefan

I'd recommend Radar Contact v4.3. It works well, and is a lot better than default MSFS. Version 5 is upcoming, but probably not for a year or so.-stefan

Thanks Stefan - Can I export flight plans straight from FS2004 into Radar Contact or do I need FSBuild as well?Gerry

Thanks Stefan - Can I export flight plans straight from FS2004 into Radar Contact or do I need FSBuild as well?Gerry

It'll read MSFS flight plans just fine, in fact that's the only kind it can read, really. I still recommend FSBuild as it's nice, but it'll work fine with MSFS plans.-stefan

I'd recommend RC4.3 too. It works perfectly all around the world. I fly often across Africa and you're handled as in real life.

Gerry, sorry to be a pain in your back but I would recommend VATSIM anyway.The sooner you start the better for your skills and aviation knowledge (communication is a huge part of it).There's nothing to worry about! I recommend Germany for the beginning: very friendly staff, clear English and very frequent ATC presence.All the above addons may be nice (and definitely are better than the default 'ATC') but a living human control is such a great experience!Best regards,Rafal

Gerry, sorry to be a pain in your back but I would recommend VATSIM anyway.The sooner you start the better for your skills and aviation knowledge (communication is a huge part of it).There's nothing to worry about! I recommend Germany for the beginning: very friendly staff, clear English and very frequent ATC presence.All the above addons may be nice (and definitely are better than the default 'ATC') but a living human control is such a great experience!Best regards,Rafal

That's true, absolutely, but it depends on the time you have. On line flying is much more realistic and the preparation is longer and sometimes you spend more time on the ground rather than in the sky. RC is good even if you have few minutes for flying (that is my case).

Rafal and Lorenzo,Thank you both very much for the advice and I think that you are right - I do need to get onto VATSIM. I have registered and I am now going through the PRCs. It all looks a little intimidating but I will persevere. I will just sit and listen for a while first because even though I am an ex private pilot I always seemed to worry about my radio work and often left that to a fellow pilot to handle. It has been some time now since I took a Piper up but this might give me that little bit of extra realism that I need. It does get awfully quiet and somewhat boring flying the 744 for a 4 hour flight and not talking to anyone. Now I just have to buy a good headset.ps - I like the signature Lorenzo.ThanksGerry

I may be a little biased, but I highly recommend Radar Contact :-)Scott

Some advice please! I am not yet ready for VATSIM but would like to get some experience with ATC other than that which comes with FS2004. Preferably it would have a range of voices, compatible with the Queen, interactive and usable in Australia where I live. Any ideas?Gerry

ps - I like the signature Lorenzo.

:( I like it too :oAnyway you've done fine. There is nothing better than VATSIM for real entertainement, and also you don't have to worry about radio communications..nobody will hurt if you don't know the correct phraseology :( :( RC is very good, but it suffers of all the computer generated programs, once you're accustomed to it, you already know what to do. I think version 5 will be still more realistic especially during approach.Regards.

Hi,I use PFE (Proflight Emulator) and I think its the best ATC out there. I think it beats RC by far. http://www.aerosoft.com/cgi-local/us/ibosh...i?showd,,D10535Fabrice

VATSIM is not perfect: darn near every time I go in there, nomatter the airport, say JFK, it's deserted.

VATSIM is not perfect

Of course, nothing is! :(

near every time I go in there, nomatter the airport, it's deserted.

Well, you should use more planning or start flying in Europe too. There are many websites and addons helping you know when ATC positions are going to be occupied.First you can preplan you flying with the VATSIM callendar:http://www.calsplus.net/vatsimThen you can always start with checking traffic via Servinfo. For example European airports are usually heavily occupied somewhere between 1900 and 2200 Zulu Time. On weekends it's even longer (starts earlier and ends later). Plus you can usually check booked positions at individual FIR's websites.Thanks to all that I'm actually never out of control (yes, it happens, but rarely).A well preplanned VATSIM flight can give you a full ATC coverage like:DEPARTURE / GROUND / TOWER / APPROACH / CTR / APPROACH / TOWER / GROUND - and each with a different living human voice... :( Best regards,Rafal

VATSIM is not perfect: darn near every time I go in there, nomatter the airport, say JFK, it's deserted.

But even if they are deserted you can practice a bit your skills and landing only by looking at tables just like any small airfield :(,. It's always a good exercise.

VATSIM is not perfect: darn near every time I go in there, nomatter the airport, say JFK, it's deserted.

Look for the fly-ins at Vatsim. Yesterday KLGA had a Fly-in and there was plenty of traffic and lots of controllers online. I suspect most logged off though when I managed to get a fire in my left engine at take off and started harassing the controllers... It should be noted that beginners should steer clear of the fly-ins in the beginning - you really need to know your stuff - at least to some degree.Everyday there is always at least a few airports on Vatsim with lots of controllers, Germany being a very active area but time zones is of course a factor, so it's not a problem finding controllers. But if you absolutely need to fly between two specific airports you might be out of luck. Nothing beats VATSIM, although I do sometimes miss the wonderful mix of AI traffic I enjoy with RC.