I've been flying on VATSIM intermittently since last summer. There was a long hiatus this fall, but since SB3 came out a few weeks ago I've been on almost every night. Most of the traffic there is generated by VAs of one kind or another. But there seems to be a growing number of GA pilots too. If you're one, and you're looking for somewhere to fly, give Santa Monica, California a try. The airport there (KSMO) is just over five miles from KLAX, and it's staffed for a couple of hours most nights by someone named Don Fiveash. My impression is from, say, around 4:30 to 6:30 Pacific Standard Time. He's friendly, consistent, and specifically invites light aircraft for VFR. He's also knowledgeable. We're not related in anyway, and if he happens to read this I hope he won't be embarrassed. BUT if you like the idea of hanging around with other GA pilots at a friendly and scenic class-D airport, watch Servinfo to see when it's open and give KSMO a try.

I hadn't been on VATSIM in nearly 3 years. Like many, I was really anxious to see if SquawkBox3 would be the new beginning. I had been trying to set some time aside to give it a try after such a long break. So finally, last night I visited Santa Monico (because of this post) in a GA aircraft and got back into the swing of things. I was astonished how good SB3 worked, and how simple it was to get back on track after such a long period of time. Thanks for the tip on KSMO (well worth the visit) and I just wanted to say that if like myself, anyone has been away from VATSIM for a while because of the software woes, it might be time to take another look.Thanks again.Jordan Moore