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PMDG and VATSIM

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I have been simming since 2002 but are just now getting into VATSIM. How many of you fly the NGX on VATSIM? Of course it will not be the first AC I fly bit I have seen on some forums that there are some issues with the detailed add-ons such as PMDG produces flying with VATSIM. Any help would be appreciated.

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There are no issues with flying PMDG on Vatsim whatsoever. In fact, whenever PMDG releases a new plane, half of the planes flying on the network the next day will be that model :)

 

My only word of caution is: PMDG planes are complex. Because interacting with a real person providing ATC on Vatsim can at first be a bit demanding, it is important to first pick a plane that you know very well. If that's the NGX, great choice. If not, pick another plane. Imagine ATC asks you to fly direct to another waypoint on your flight plan and then proceed on course; or to change your approach from visual Rwy 20 to ILS Rwy 24. If you can do that with the NGX on the spot, then you should be fine.

 

If you can't do it and still pick the NGX, not a problem. ATC controllers on Vatsim are really nice and will always adapt to your abilities. It just will increase your stress level if they ask you something and you have no idea how to do that ;)

 

Cheers,

Peter

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No issues, just make sure you have the latest AIRAC or a fairly recent one if you cannot obtain the latest. Charts for the procedures in and out of the airports is also a good idea to have for your filed flight plan. Vpilot is the successor to squawkbox for the ATC client, once you have that configured with your Push-to-Talk and headset dialed in you are good to go. 

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How many of you fly the NGX on VATSIM?

 

Hi Ron,

Thousands of us are regularly flying on VATSIM. I fact, many of us only do online flights. I don't know exactly what you're asking for. The first VATSIM experience could be a bit overwhelming but you'll love it right away. Once you learn the routine of a VATSIM/IVAO flight, you won't get back to offline flights. Visit the VATSIM site (www.vatsim.net). There you will find all you need to start to fly online. The new interface to connect (vPilot) is pretty easy to use and seems as rock stable. Welcome and enjoy the online flying! ;)


Ivan Lewis

PMDG B737NGX, B777 and B747v3 QOTS II

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The Jetstream doesn't have transponder integration so make sure to squawk Mode C with your Vatsim client before take-off. I'm not sure about the other PMDG planes since I haven't used them yet on Vatsim.

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The Jetstream doesn't have transponder integration so make sure to squawk Mode C with your Vatsim client before take-off. I'm not sure about the other PMDG planes since I haven't used them yet on Vatsim.

 

The NGX transponder and vPilot work seamlessly together. Even if they didn't, there's an option on vPilot to force the transponder from standby to Mode-C once you leave the ground (just in case).

 

I'm pretty hyper-aware of transponders, too, given where I fly real world (and the fact that a failed transponder back in 2004 ended up getting me a phone number to call when I opted to immediately turn back and land - luckily nothing came of it).

 

 

I have been simming since 2002 but are just now getting into VATSIM. How many of you fly the NGX on VATSIM? Of course it will not be the first AC I fly bit I have seen on some forums that there are some issues with the detailed add-ons such as PMDG produces flying with VATSIM. Any help would be appreciated.

 

No issues at all. I'd suggest using vPilot as it's the easiest client out there so far, and it's actually rather nice. As others have mentioned, VATSIM can require a lot of a pilot at times. Luckily, controllers are usually pretty patient with you provided you seem to be trying. In my case, I'll bend over backwards to help if I think you'd do the same for me.

 

These are not required, but the lessons can help get you up to speed on the various operations:

http://pilotcerts.laartcc.org/page/ratings.html

 

...I'd been flying for a decade and I learned something from them, particularly the stuff about departure instructions (where no SID exists).

 

 

 

Hints:

-Never put RW Pilot in your remarks, assuming that you'll get more trust. In my experience, most people who do that are PPLs or students, with no concept of IFR operations, so I watch them even more closely. We can usually pick up the real pilots simply in the quickness of control responses and the quality (and occasional laziness) of readbacks.

-Never say "as filed" in your clearance request. I know the default MS ATC says that when you call, but it's redundant, and kinda dumb (you wouldn't have filed it like that if you didn't want to request it later as a clearance).

-Use FlightAware for real flight plans for that day.

-Use ICAO callsigns, as the real flights do (ex: SWA for Southwest, and not WN, which is the IATA).


Kyle Rodgers

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I would say understanding the modes and the relationship between them on the MCP panel is key. Also, don't be afraid the reduce the level of automation if ATC asks you to change something. In many cases, it's much easier to take the automation down a level then trying to punch quick changes into the FMC. Kyle ( Scandinavian13) has some great videos on YouTube that explain the basics and fine points of the NGX. Worth checking out.

 

Cheers,

Brian

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Yeah Kyle, I figured the NGX and 777 worked well. I usually limit Vatsim to short flights since its hard to commit the time to sitting at the computer monitoring the radio for long flights. I know the LeonardoSH MD-80 integrates with vPilot but the Jetstream never does so I guess that was a feature PMDG left out. It's be nice if they would add that along with a functional weather radar now that ASN is out - but I doubt it's viable for them to commit the resources to such an update.

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Kyle ( Scandinavian13) has some great videos on YouTube that explain the basics and fine points of the NGX. Worth checking out.

 

Thanks for the mention!

 

 

Yeah Kyle, I figured the NGX and 777 worked well. I usually limit Vatsim to short flights since its hard to commit the time to sitting at the computer monitoring the radio for long flights. I know the LeonardoSH MD-80 integrates with vPilot but the Jetstream never does so I guess that was a feature PMDG left out. It's be nice if they would add that along with a functional weather radar now that ASN is out - but I doubt it's viable for them to commit the resources to such an update.

 

For what it's worth, vPilot can be used over the network.

 

While I keep all of my computing power in my room, I don't have a TV or much else interesting down there. Apart from doing laundry, I usually take my computer running vPilot upstairs to monitor for any contact messages as I watch TV, or otherwise get outside of the one room the sim is in. If it's nice out, the wireless is good enough to let me sit outside and work on other projects.

 

Neat for if you have a Win laptop handy and want to fly longer flights. On long Pacific crossings, I only need to go down to the sim to check in around steps. Not entirely realistic, crews switch out on long flights anyway, so not entirely unrealistic either.


Kyle Rodgers

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Ron,

 

I'd like to take the opportunity to welcome you to Online Flight Simulation!  IMHO, you selected the finest network to start flying on.

 

This month I celebrate my 30th year in flight simulation, and looking back over that time I can say without hesitation that online flying was the single greatest addition to my enjoyment of this wonderful hobby, followed by some incredible leaps forward in high-end aircraft modelling and flying shared cockpit aboard airliners.

 

Please, if there is anything I can do to help you get started, feel free to send me a PM, contact me directly via the OVPA website, or come speak with me on our group's voice server (setup info available on our website). 

 

Anyway, welcome to a GREAT realism based network, and taking your flight simulation experience to the next level!


Dave Hodges

 

System Specs:  I9-13900KF, NVIDIA 4070TI, Quest 3, Multiple Displays, Lots of TERRIFIC friends, 3 cats, and a wonderfully stubborn wife.

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It's be nice if they would add that along with a functional weather radar now that ASN is out - but I doubt it's viable for them to commit the resources to such an update.

 

Pretty sure you can create an ASN weather gauge in just about any aircraft.  ASN supplies the gauge and instructions.  It won't be integrated into the ND as in the 777, and would be a pop-up gauge (although you should be able to paste it onto a 2-D panel if you can find an open space).

 

Mike


 

                    bUmq4nJ.jpg?2

 

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For what it's worth, vPilot can be used over the network.
 
While I keep all of my computing power in my room, I don't have a TV or much else interesting down there. Apart from doing laundry, I usually take my computer running vPilot upstairs to monitor for any contact messages as I watch TV, or otherwise get outside of the one room the sim is in. If it's nice out, the wireless is good enough to let me sit outside and work on other projects.
 
Neat for if you have a Win laptop handy and want to fly longer flights. On long Pacific crossings, I only need to go down to the sim to check in around steps. Not entirely realistic, crews switch out on long flights anyway, so not entirely unrealistic either.

 

I use it over my network already, but on another desktop (right next to my FSX  PC) that runs ASN, Aivlasoft EFB, Delta ACARS, etc... My laptop is a Mac so maybe one day when  I finally get around to putting a Windows partition on it I can do what you just suggested. It's a good idea. 

 

 

 


Pretty sure you can create an ASN weather gauge in just about any aircraft.  ASN supplies the gauge and instructions.  It won't be integrated into the ND as in the 777, and would be a pop-up gauge (although you should be able to paste it onto a 2-D panel if you can find an open space).

 

Yes, but the Jetstream already has a panel mounted weather radar that is currently only good for opening and closing the FS2Crew configurator. It'd be nice for it to come alive in the VC. 

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Yes, but the Jetstream already has a panel mounted weather radar that is currently only good for opening and closing the FS2Crew configurator. It'd be nice for it to come alive in the VC.

 

Hi, Ian,

 

I'm not familiar with either the Jetstream or FS2Crew.  So this may not be of help.  But if all that the "weather radar" is doing is opening the FS2Crew configurator, would it it be possible to remove that gauge and either paste it somewhere else or use a different way to open the configurator?  Then you could paste the ASN gauge where  the other gauge used to be -- just look at the coordinates in the panel.cfg file for the FS2Crew configurator/wx gauge and use them for the ASN gauge.

 

Mike


 

                    bUmq4nJ.jpg?2

 

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Hi, Ian,

 

I'm not familiar with either the Jetstream or FS2Crew.  So this may not be of help.  But if all that the "weather radar" is doing is opening the FS2Crew configurator, would it it be possible to remove that gauge and either paste it somewhere else or use a different way to open the configurator?  Then you could paste the ASN gauge where  the other gauge used to be -- just look at the coordinates in the panel.cfg file for the FS2Crew configurator/wx gauge and use them for the ASN gauge.

 

Mike

 

I'm not saying that you couldn't do that because it certainly is a viable option. I'm just saying that since PMDG already modeled the weather radar in the VC, it'd be nice for it to work and look like the real thing. It's not integrated into the ND like in the 777. It's a separate unit, so you could replace it with the ASN gauge - it just wouldn't look as good. Since it's INOP in the VC, FS2Crew used it as a click-spot for pulling up the configuration gauge. Replacing it with the ASN gauge would probably cause issues with FS2Crew.

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