As a result of our dart throwing contest you are now suspended

[ajpongress 467]

Glad you got it sorted, but it never should have happened in the first place.

Their methods are archaic.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone...typing errors imminent

[hopskip 253]

I do wonder sometimes how this happens. What's the system checking? just names? IP Addresses? Logins by PC?

 

I had a friend also get "duplicate account" suspended once, nobody else in the family uses Vatsim, or his PC, never had anyone else around log in to vatsim at his house. The fact is many people in the world have the same name as someone else. Even me. I really hope that the Vatsim duplicate account checking system doesn't just use names.

 

That said, I'v been on Vatsim (and SATCO before it) for about 15 years now, flying close enough to weekly except for some short periods of activity. Never been suspended, even though I occasionally fly long haul 7, 9, 14+ hour flights.

 

Not sure if it's luck or what. Certainly this duplicate account business is very random and doesn't seem to be related to 'rule breaking', rather some automated computer process going wrong.

[punder 10]

(Hope this doesn't double-post, it timed out the first time.)

 

Not sure if this is the right place to bring this up, if not, please direct me to other threads or whatever.

 

I am a US sport pilot with about 70 hours, and a casual on-again off-again flight simmer, but I have gotten more serious lately and started working through AoA's AviatorPro to build up IFR/complex a/c skills.  I want to start using vatsim to improve my radio technique, but the website, while full of information, is pretty opaque about what's required, level of experience etc; and I've seen vast numbers of horror stories about rude controllers, zero-tolerance, arbitrary bannings, etc.  It really sounds like they expect you to know it all before you even sign up--which kind of defeats the purpose of a simulation, don't you think?

 

So... what experience do you need before flying on vatsim?  Is it okay to just fly a piston single between airports for fun, or are you expected to drive a 737 for a virtual airline?  How many mistakes are you allowed before you get yelled at or banned?  I know if a real controller treated me the way Dirtybird1980 got treated, I'd be on the phone with the FAA shortly after landing.

 

Any recommendations on training organizations?  I'm having fun and learning a lot with AoA, but also looking for something more specific to vatsim.  Thanks!

[William J.S.S 173]

Its a flawed computer generated program, not the actual vatsim sups that banned.

All it takes is a simple e-mail to get squared away.

 

As for the other issue with the crazy controller. Same situation. Contact one of the other directors or complaint people, give a name, and chat log, just cut and paste, and you will be fine. I have seen people not allowed to control because of stuff like this, so it gets handled.

[Robert McDonald 167]

Nothing against Vatsim- but I too have had the occasional mysterious irate supervisor blast me for not responding during a long flight, come to find out my Squawkbox text window was obscured by my virtual cockpit. Most times the 'supervisor' was not from the specific airspace I was flying in.

I personally prefer to pay a reasonable sum to PilotEdge.net ($15 a month for unlimited ATC 15 hours a day) and have FULL end-to-end ATC throughout my entire flight. They never suddenly 'close up shop' after just giving you clearance for your initial takeoff/taxi.

They love the VFR pilot as much as the IFR heavy jet. They will teach you more in one month than you might pick up in many months with the Vatsim hit-or-miss approach.

If ATC is MUST-have, your call is PilotEdge. If ATC is simply "nice to have" (if it's available), you likely can be happy with sometimes-there, sometimes-not Vatsim or IVAO. I started with Vatsim two years ago. Once I discovered PilotEdge, it is VERY challenging for me to revert to Vatsim. Yes, Vatsim is "free", PIlotEdge is not. Yes, Vatsim "covers the world", but good like flying from KSFO to NARITA Japan and having continuous ATC the entire flight. Even KSFO to KJFK, same issue.

Controllers pop on and offline throughout your flight (if you're lucky), or else you might fly 2, 3 or 4 hours with NO ATC. That's a buzz-killer, I'm just saying.

Even though Pilot Edge has a limited service area (Southern California, Las Vegas and San Francisco), you can do myriad flights just in their airspace and have fun doing it.

They are professional at all times, and will hone your radio skills.

As I said, it really depends on what your goals are. I regard ATC as "must have". So giving up HBO to have it 363 days a year for 15 hours a day was not a difficult decision. I've seen every movie that's on HBO already, and while I do enjoy the HBO series, I can't justify $200 a year just for those.

You may feel differently, and it's nice to have the 'free' option of Vatsim.