So this is the thing:

 

I would like to fly online, but I prefer to use the default FS airport sceneries. One of the reasons for this is I don't want the AI traffic to be taxiing on grass when I fly offline (since the default airport taxiway arrangements usually don't match with the add-ons), plus some sceneries are not very fps-friendly. Also, I don't wish to be downloading and installing new airports whenever I want to fly.

 

Last time I flew on VATSIM was a few years ago. I started off in Belgrade and I had no add-on scenery (although they had made a pretty good one for LYBE); and when I asked for clearance the controller said I wasn't parked at the gate I said I was and asked me to park at the right one. I know VATSIM is all about realism, but it would be so much easier if I could just leave the default sceneries. So would this be a problem?

 

Thanks in advance.

One of the reasons for this is I don't want the AI traffic to be taxiing on grass when I fly offline (since the default airport taxiway arrangements usually don't match with the add-ons),

I have plenty of add-on airports, and this has never happened to me. Usually a scenery designer will make an appropriate AFCAD file for the airport, so the AI aircraft shouldn't be taxiing on the grass (I own FSX, so this might be a problem in FS9 and I'm not aware of it).

 

Regarding your question, perhaps it would help if you inform the controller that you are using the default scenery and maybe they would be able to kind of work around you?

default FS airport sceneries

 

Use what ever scenery you want. It would be nice if everybody was on the same scenery, but that can not happen.

 

Regards;

 

Fritz

Use AFCAD files instead would be a good option. It generally does not affect framerates. I usually search AFCAD in Avsim library to find some updates to default files. Default FS database is outdated so some new runways/navaids may not be in the database. This can cause serious problem if controller asks you to land on some rwy but you can't find it in your FS.

I'd say if you're going to use the default scenery, you might want to have the airport map right by you for taxi instructions. On a flight from Boston to LaGuardia, this guy was following the taxi instructions based on the signs he saw at the default scenery and ended up missing the turn as a result. The irony is that he was taxiing to the runway for take-off, I was taxiing to the runway for take-off, we were both taxiing to the same runway, and I was right in front of him, so if he was listening to the frequency (and I don't know if he did), it would have been easier on him to just follow me.