Would anyone be as kind to give their thoughts regarding flying on VATSIM. The concept itself looks great but some feedback from people who actually use VATSIM would be invaluable in my decision as to whether I download the programs and try flying online.Thanks in advanceAndrew

started 8 years ago and never fly offline anymore.It's great.There will be a learningcurve but if you stick to it and push on you'll makelifelong friendships and you'll have a lot of fun.start out by pointing your browser to www.vatsim.net/prc and go from there.cheersJP Visser.

started 8 years ago and never fly offline anymore.It's great.There will be a learningcurve but if you stick to it and push on you'll makelifelong friendships and you'll have a lot of fun.start out by pointing your browser to www.vatsim.net/prc and go from there.cheersJP Visser.

Thanks JPAndrew

I will use this topic to ask related question:VATSIM or IVAO?I have used IVAO for a couple of years and had very interesting experiece.Then I got married :( and I installed My Traffic 2010 and I haven't been online for a long time, however recently I am considering to reconnect.I know IVAO inside out but not VATSIM. Since there are many comments about VATSIM could someone who knows both online networks to suggest the better one including the reasons.Thanks a lot

I will use this topic to ask related question:VATSIM or IVAO?I have used IVAO for a couple of years and had very interesting experiece.Then I got married :( and I installed My Traffic 2010 and I haven't been online for a long time, however recently I am considering to reconnect.I know IVAO inside out but not VATSIM. Since there are many comments about VATSIM could someone who knows both online networks to suggest the better one including the reasons.Thanks a lot

Married with children doesn't mean you have to give up flying online! :D It simply means you have to fly in the wee wee hours, so these days I'm mostly online on VATSIM between 2300 - 0400 harassing ATC controllers in the US!As for comparing IVAO <--> VATSIM it's a very delicate subject which usually stirs up a lot of angry comments. I've never flown on IVAO but the impression I get is that on IVAO you have fun because the rules are not so stringent and on VATSIM you have fun because the rules are quite stringent! :D

well this might be a bit off topic, but can someone tell me how to join the vatsim servers? u see i just registered and i have no clue of how to fly with them :(

Lachlan, I believe you need to download and install a small software first and read the manual. The software must be run while in FSX environment.I don't want to raise any discussion transforming into ugly exchange of comments.Actually I am more interested to know which one of the two networks (IVAO and VATSIM) are more populated these days. I remember 2 years ago IVAO was fun mostly around EHAM (Schipol). After I was sick of flying in and out of Amsterdam the rest of the IVAO world was mostly occasional controller checking if I am "sandbagging" or not...

Lachlan, I believe you need to download and install a small software first and read the manual. The software must be run while in FSX environment.

ok thanks thats all i needed to know :(

Lachlan,I STRONGLY advice you to before you do any sorts of flying on Vatsim, first read the so called PRC http://www.vatsim.net/prc/prc-genlession/ a number of times. Also a very good advice is to place yourself at a gate at some busy airport on Vatsim, then log in and just listen to what's going on. Flying on vatsim isn't difficult and it's a learning environment, but it's considered prudent to have some knowledge before actually entering the VATSIM skies. Makes it easier for everyone involved! :D

Agree with everyone else, I couldn't fly unless it was online, it really opens up the usefulness of FMC's because your flying in a much more dynamic environment. I fly Vatisim 100% of time, coverage in Europe in the evenings is very good but you have to factor in time differences, for example by the time the US is getting busy most of Europe is going to sleep. I don't use FS much anymore but if I'm flying Frankfurt to Boston I would plan to leave 8/9pm UK time, that means by the time I hit the east coast of the US I am guaranteed that the airspace will be busy and have full control all the way in. No synthetic software can beat listening to all the different accents as you cruise over the various continents. My first week online was spent parked at the gate in Heathrow tuning ground/tower/approach etc and just getting a feel of everything, after a while it becomes second nature.

I would like to extend the question by Lachlan about the software:Actually in VATSIM there are 2 options - FSInn and Squawkbox Which one would you VATSIM veterans recommend?

First year I used Squawkbox, I would actually recommend it for first time users as it's very easy to setup. FSInn is much better because it scans your aircraft library and matches the models. For example if you have a fast computer you can tick a box so whenever you see a BA747-400 it will use the PMDG 744 model, you could even use the HI-Res Posky models. but obviously you have to already have the repaints on your system. I normally don't care about AI etc because I hated the default ATC but it's nice landing in KMEM and seeing a few other PMDG Fedex MD11's at the ramp.BTW you can add your own aircraft with squawkbox but it's a pain in the a$$, if Squawkbox scanned your aircraft folder like FSinn I would still use it beacuse FSinn has a whole bunch of stuff that you don't really need if you have a good add-on

I use Squawkbox, and a few days ago, I got an error, but I am not sure if it will happen agian. I am not sure what caused it. I like flying on VATSIM, but I haven't flown on IVAO before. I fly for Southwest Virtual, but I like to fly in different aircraft all the time, so I use CS767/757 or PMDG747, and Wilco's 737 classic planes. I really like VATSIM, and I am going to try FSInn and see if it is better than Squawkbox. Hope this helps. :(

Hi guys,im going to edge in for the IVAO team,IVAO is more busy than vatsim at any one time, with more coverage in europe in particular.Vatsim has more active members in North America. However the largest for IVAO is Europe and South America.IVAO uses teamspeak for voice comms [connected through comm1 freq in FS] so clarity and connection is not an issue.so depends where u like flying, europe/n america.also, ivao has a far far superior [even vatsim members would agree] traffic aircraft. What i mean is, when u install ivap, it goes through an installation process of skeletons of every commercial aircraft and liveries for that variant.. users can upload liveries to do the system, so a mtl updater will download those new liveries to everyones system. this is particularly gr8 for Virtual airliners, were everyone can see your livery.. IT means that even if u dont have a B777 for example, if another guy is flying one, then u will see a b777 in the correct livery they are flying.. just awesome.. The negative to that is the inital mtl installer, does take a long time.. but who cares reallySecondly for controllers, i would admit that to control at say heathrow, a new ivao controller will take several months, to go through the extensive training process.. this means for pilots, that the highest quality of ATC coverage is given at the major aerodromes.All the best[p.s download a gr8 software called DLMN. you can see coverage from both networks ]All the best

so depends where u like flying, europe/n america.

Well, it might be that there are more European controllers and pilots online on IVAO than on VATSIM. But first of all, that isn't to say that there are few people online in the European VATSIM skies. There are usually quite a number of airports, especially in Germany, the UK, Austria and the Netherlands that often are well staffed. So there are usually a number of airports to choose from although the one you specifically would like to fly from might not be staffed. Secondly, however this is only based on the picture I got when comparing IVAO and VATSIM a few years ago, IVAO might have had more airports staffed, but they were spread all over Europe and the majority in Spain, France and Italy. The atc stations staffed was usually only approach and/or tower whereas the radar coverage between the airports (centers to speak the US terminology) were pretty sparse.On VATSIM, on the other hand, the staffed airports might have been fewer but the number of atc positions staffed per airport was higher and usually there would be radar coverage all the way from origin to destination.