I have always been puzzled about Vatsim, presumably where I can fly will be determined by the Vatsim controllers? Sorry if it's a dumb question but this is new to me, but nevertheless something I'd like to consider when I have a little more experience with ATC. But, I mean, what if I want to take off from Gibraltar and fly up to Madrid? Or anywhere else for that matter. Or do I have to see who is available online within ATC?

You log in and fly as you normally would. If ATC happens to be there, the provide services, otherwise, you're just on your own. You're not required to fly only where ATC is, but a lot of people flock to the ATC.

You log in and fly as you normally would. If ATC happens to be there, the provide services, otherwise, you're just on your own. You're not required to fly only where ATC is, but a lot of people flock to the ATC.

Ah, I see, thanks for clearing that up for me.

Yup indeed, having ATC online is the most fun but you can fly where ever you like. If you're flying somewhere without ATC it's up to the pilots to coordinate amongst themselves via the unicom channel. Nowadays I mainly fly routes picked from my VA's database, if there's ATC on that's a (very big) bonus.As for the busiest times, the best time to catch ATC is in the evening local time for the place you want to fly (since most controllers control near to where they live). So about 18:00-22:00 GMT for Europe and 00:00-04:00 (I guess?) for the US. Pilots are a bit more spread out, but you can also expect more traffic in the evenings local time.

Ah, I see, thanks for clearing that up for me.

You're welcome.

You can also install this and it will show you who is online and where, worldwide...VatSpy:http://www.metacraft.com/VATSpy/index.php#docs

I know that this doesn't makes much sense in real life. It's just the question what are you doing with the ATC while flying such an highly advanced plane like the NGX.

Well, you can even completely disregard ATC (it is just one of the alternatives) in the sim but if you do what you will be doing you will be flying IFR with no radio communication with the ground (you won't be flying VFR). Like Ryan said real world procedures allow for that for example when you have radio failure (highly unlikely in aircraft with multiple radios). However some approaches at some airports do require radar vectoring from the ground so they would be unavailable to you - unless you manage to vector yourself.

Edited January 4, 201214 yr by michal

Well, you can even completely disregard ATC (it is just one of the alternatives) in the sim but if you do what you will be doing you will be flying IFR with no radio communication with the ground (you won't be flying VFR). Like Ryan said real world procedures allow for that for example when you have radio failure (highly unlikely in aircraft with multiple radios). However some approaches at some airports do require radar vectoring from the ground so they would be unavailable to you - unless you manage to vector yourself.

Flying without ATC is a no go for me. I love to hear the other planes and also me communicating with the ATC. I'll definitely give online flying another try. :(

... I'll definitely give online flying another try. :(

I highly recommend it. Make sure that you read up on the basics, it will make your first flight a lot more enjoyable. I remember my first flight online, I was so nervous, I was dripping sweat. It was awesome :) I got hooked in an instant

I was so nervous, I was dripping sweat. It was awesome :) I got hooked in an instant

Me too! My whole keyboard and mouse were wet after the flight! :)

The Vatsim route is also the direction for me I think. Took off from Alicante to Gibraltar yesterday using IFR, set a FL160 just settled into cruise and the ATC vectored my to a different HDG with a FL of 60000' it just happened to be 500' above a mountain range! What tosh!

remember my first flight online, I was so nervous, I was dripping sweat. It was awesome :) I got hooked in an instant

+100I think most people here will echo those sentiments. Don't worry if you mess up in the beginning (or later on...hehehe). You will learn as you go. I would recommend listening to VATSIM at your local airport (or, the airport you are most likely to fly from/to) as an observer. If it doesnt seem like the controller is very busy, you could try sending him a msg with any questions you might have, and he will likely respond (again, if he's not busy). Most controllers welcome questions from "newbies", because if you are asking questions on the ground, you are less likely to do something cringe-worthy in the air.

+100I think most people here will echo those sentiments. Don't worry if you mess up in the beginning (or later on...hehehe). You will learn as you go. I would recommend listening to VATSIM at your local airport (or, the airport you are most likely to fly from/to) as an observer. If it doesnt seem like the controller is very busy, you could try sending him a msg with any questions you might have, and he will likely respond (again, if he's not busy). Most controllers welcome questions from "newbies", because if you are asking questions on the ground, you are less likely to do something cringe-worthy in the air.

As a controller, I'll back up everything Ron says.-If in doubt, ask-We're not the police of the sky-If we correct you, even if it sounds terse, it's because controllers have been taught to be brief, and brief can occasionally sound terse-We really don't get upset unless you don't pay attention, are overly lazy (request a takeoff on 1C, when the wind is 190/34, because it's closer), or worse still, intentionally difficultA few notes:-As mentioned, you may want to log on and listen in to get the feel for it. There's no harm in that. It helps the controllers (but is not required) to file a flight plan with the airport you're sitting at listed as both the departure and arrival field, with the route of Observing. That way, we know not to expect a call from you asking for clearance.-If you have questions about ATC, ask, but be mindful of the controller's work load.-Please don't ask us how a pilot client works. We're there to answer questions about ATC, and some of us have never seen a pilot client. There are manuals for that.Lastly:Aviate, Navigate and then Communicate. In that order. Until you get up to speed on phraseology, chances are your readbacks are going to be slow (that's fine), but if you take extra time to read back and only execute after reading back, you've likely blown right through the localizer (or similar). When a controller issues a command, do it first and then read back (or better yet, once you've gotten the hang of it, execute and read back at the same time). Just remember - always fly the plane.