Is it really that nerve wracking talking online for the first time?

Not just first time... It's kinda funny that the problem is shared by real pilots as well as sim pilots! I have pilot friends who still utterly hate the mic, even so much that some always fly in uncontrolled airspace. There's this expression that when the finger presses the PTT, your brain goes blank...

Is it really that nerve wracking talking online for the first time? I mean i play xbox online and talk to strangers on there, i've used military radio before etc.

It could be for someone I guess, I was a little bit nervous. It can be frustrating too when you cannot transmit because frequency is cluttered, as you need to be patient and quick.

Not so cool bits:

"Artificial" ATC like ProATC/X is way better than sitting on Unicom for 2 hours when there's no coverage.

Potential domestic strife - you can't pause the flight if need be or if summoned by better half (sorry honey I can't help with lunch, I'm online...)

Well, the whole world certainly isn't always covered but what I do is check where there actually is coverage and then pick a couple of airports in that area, preferably that I have add-on airports for. Also, I always try to do a real world flight with the right equpment, callsign, FL an route so here is where flightaware comes in handy! The wife factor however is trickier indeed! I solve it by flying late at night!

 

I also play FS9 more often than FSX!! Please, if it's simple share here how you do it!

Albert, I always run SB4 from within FS9 and simply put it on the second screen. No more secrets than that!

So I have another question about the weather.  If I can fly at any time of day, day or night, locally on my pc and, if I can use whatever weather program I want, how does the weather get handled if I'm using historic weather in Opus for a real world flight that actually occurred 12 hours ago?  So, for instance, weather for me as reported 12 hours ago favors 19L/R at ENGM.  But currently, in real time, the winds favor 01L/R.  How does ATC decide which to use?  Or, do we all have to use current, real time weather?

You can have whatever weather you like but the controllers will want to have a consistent set of active runways / approaches in use, based on the current real world weather. You can always ask for another runway, though.

So I have another question about the weather.  If I can fly at any time of day, day or night, locally on my pc and, if I can use whatever weather program I want, how does the weather get handled if I'm using historic weather in Opus for a real world flight that actually occurred 12 hours ago?  So, for instance, weather for me as reported 12 hours ago favors 19L/R at ENGM.  But currently, in real time, the winds favor 01L/R.  How does ATC decide which to use?  Or, do we all have to use current, real time weather?

 

You should normally use the weather on the Vatsim server, Opus has an option for this (you should disable the FSInn weather).

You could use other weather services including historic but that would not be in sync with the atmospheric pressure and ATIS as reported on Vatsim.

 

 

You can have whatever weather you like but the controllers will want to have a consistent set of active runways / approaches in use, based on the current real world weather. You can always ask for another runway, though.

 

Thanks.  I'd rather fly with what is being used by ATC.  So, if they are using current, real world weather, then I will switch to using current vs historic weather so I'm in sync with everyone else.

Thanks.  I'd rather fly with what is being used by ATC.  So, if they are using current, real world weather, then I will switch to using current vs historic weather so I'm in sync with everyone else.

 

makes sense.

 

 

You should normally use the weather on the Vatsim server, Opus has an option for this (you should disable the FSInn weather).

You could use other weather services including historic but that would not be in sync with the atmospheric pressure and ATIS as reported on Vatsim.

 

That's right!!!  I completely forgot about that.  Thank you!  I will do that.

Ok, next question I just thought of...what happens if two pilots log on at the same time and want to fly the same real world airline flight number?  Can there be two NAX341 flights?  Or, will the second pilot have to choose another callsign/flight number?

This won't work, because you are called by your callsign on the radio. And I guess it will be prevented by the system too. You will have to pick another callsign. But chances are very slim that your desired callsign is already taken.

You cannot connect with callsign already in use, you ll just get error message, so yea, it's system protected

 

 

You cannot connect with callsign already in use, you ll just get error message, so yea, it's system protected

 

Ok, thanks.  That's a good thing as it would be way too difficult if it was allowed.  So, again, true to the "As real as it gets".  Glad to hear.

Not just first time... It's kinda funny that the problem is shared by real pilots as well as sim pilots! I have pilot friends who still utterly hate the mic, even so much that some always fly in uncontrolled airspace. There's this expression that when the finger presses the PTT, your brain goes blank...

I guess it depends on the person. I don't even remember my first flight using voice--this was back in the SATCO days! Lol. I do know that flying online made the transition to real aviation radiotelephony extremely easy for me.

 

One of the really neat things about vatsim here in europe is when you fly in say Greek airspace then the controller nearly always is Greek with a (sometimes difficult)  accent , likewise if you fly in Germany etc and this all adds to the realism, I have had many a laugh when flying in reality listening to a pilot trying to comprehend a clearance that he has been issued with, so there is no need to be shy just sign on and have a go. I would of course suggest you start with a quiet airport and also get up to speed with the correct parlance but no-one is really going to cut you off or make a fool out of you, just do it one stage at a time.

 

Haha, when I fly in Europe I still usually have to ask the controller to repeat my Sid. In the States it's easy because for the most part, sids and stars aren't runway specific, so you're typically just cleared for whatever you file.

Of all the things that could be said about the differences between PilotEdge and VATSIM, I'm not sure that I've heard anyone compare the willingness of the controllers to handle newbies as a significant factor.

 

Both networks represent a big leap forward in the realism of the simulation, but they go about it in very different fashion. VATSIM is global, free, and volunteer-based (reference the point someone made about end up on 122.80 on 90% of their flights), which means that you might get ATC anywhere in the world, but not necessarily where you're flying right now. It's hit & miss in terms of coverage and the quality of ATC. If you're flying heavy metal IFR, then you're in the sweet spot for VATSIM and most controllers are well-trained to handle visual and ILS approaches out of the major airports in their areas. Outside of that, you will see more frequent gaps in the expertise and familiarity of the controllers.

 

PilotEdge takes a different approach and is geared primarily to student/instrument/private pilots who are working on their skills and looking to stay sharp. To that end, the coverage area is a lot smaller, but provides guaranteed ATC presence during the published coverage area (currently the Los Angeles ARTCC) and during the coverage hours (currently 8am-11pm PT). The controllers are trained on all areas of operation that would be required to service the requests of the target market, which goes well beyond limited approaches at large airports. This also appeals to a relatively small number of sim enthusiasts for whom guaranteed ATC is a must have, not a nice to have, and they're willing to give up the wide coverage area and pay a small fee for that level of service. The bulk of the revenue in the medium and long term will actually be from commercial operators, not individual users (to provide a bit more clarity as to how the business is likely to thrive).

 

Another significant difference is the radio system. On VATSIM, you tune to the frequencies of the online controllers, period. If there's one controller online, you'll be on that frequency for your entire flight. On PilotEdge, the controller staffing configuration is not directly exposed to the pilot. Instead, you dial the frequency for the facility you wish to contact and the system takes care of the rest. You'll also receive significantly more frequency changes (bringing it closer to a real world experience and level of workload) enroute as a result of this mode of operation.

 

One of the places that becomes significant is during your approach briefing. In the real world, it's standard to set up the tower frequency in standby so it can be easily selected when the handoff is made from the approach controller.  We constantly see people who come from other online networks who are not expecting to be handed off to tower and don't have the frequency ready to go. Their workload becomes a little bit higher as a result.

 

The two networks can't really be directly compared. It really comes down to your requirements, at which point the choice becomes a lot simpler (either way).

 

I do believe, though, that whichever network you choose, flying online is simply a lot more interesting than flying offline.