VATSIM users

[ErichB 3,638]

Who of the you are regular users of VATSIM? Is it worth using or is it trolled by kids?  Any general feedback good or bad would be useful.   Im mostly flying the PMDG737 so  it would be good to add a controlled environment to the flying to make things even more fun than they already are.

 

[JJJackson 22]

I have about 1500 hrs on VATSIM and liked it very much, until I met some "kids" as ATC:s thinking they ruled the world and destroyed all my joy of flying online. 

 

Jack

the Swede in Spain

[Nuckingfutz 1]

Hi Erich,

 

Vatsim is great fun. Objective is to perform everything according to real procedures. Mostly serious pilots because anyone who is trolling will draw the attention of a supervisor and will be kicked off. 

To make it a great experience:

• know how to fly your airplane
• go observing some ATC for  a while to get the hang of it (park your plane at a remote apron and dial into the ATC-frequencies)
• study the procedures and lingo of ATC
• have fun. In your first couple of flights, place the remark "Newbie" or something like that. Most controllers will have patience.
• Use valid flight plans (e.g. vat route.net)
• Don't do your first flight during an event

See you in the skies.

 

Alex

[TheHoser11 39]

Just like here, they won't put up with trolls at VATSIM. Sure, you might run into the occasional moron, however a quick .wallop via your pilot client will take care of that.

 

Or, if you don't want to be bothered while flying contact someone at VATSIM after your flight, explain the circumstances and they will quickly deal with any trouble.

 

I've probably only ever had an issue with another pilot while flying once in over 12 years of using VATSIM though.  Your biggest issue could just be dealing with those who have no idea what they are doing or of aviation in general, but got themselves a brand new shiny A380 and want to fly it VFR at FL400 direct.  :ph34r:

[DarkstarF16 72]

[DannyR 35]

I have tried VATSIM and it was ok.  However, I really enjoy Boston Virtual ATC (BVA).  Either will work fine, but, take a look at BVA.

 

Regards,

 

Danny

[JJJackson 22]

There is also IVAO https://ivao.aero/ as an option.

 

 

Jack

the Swede in Spain

[ErichB 3,638]

Thanks all for your responses - great help.

 

Does VATSIM work without any quirks in P3Dv2.4?   And I understand it, vPilot is the new piece of software replacing squawkbox?    Nevermind.  I'll check out the VATSIM website tonight.

 

Cheers all

erich

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

With the closing on the GameSpy servers, online networks including VATSIM had a more or less momentary influx of gamers looking for an alternative and in some cases trying to be disruptive. It was handled quickly and though from time to time we get someone "making silly noises" on an ATC Frequency, Supervisors quickly identify the person and block their IP, with a ban usually following.  It's been sometime since I've heard anything disruptive on frequency.

 

As far as kids messing about as controllers on VATSIM, that's tough (though not impossible) for them to do as one has to complete a  training program that most adults quit because it's more involved than they thought it would be.  I don't doubt that it happened, but it has to be a quirk.  Should this happen, it can be reported immediately using the "wallop" feature, which immediately notifies VATSIM Supervisors (staffed high 90% of the time).

 

Back to VATSIM, I like to tell people it's "Realism Based", and like anything else that's world wide you'll have some areas that are better than others.  I know and have worked with a many VATSIM controllers and VATSIM Senior staff, and I can tell you that most of them really care about the ATC Simulation and Network Realism.

 

Below is a non-inclusive list of airports for which I have a high level of expectation for receiving a high quality experience. The list is in no particular order, and an area not being listed DOES NOT necessarily mean it should be looked at negatively.

 

Europe:

 

All of Great Britain

All of Germany & Austria

EKCH

ESSA

ENGM

ENBR

LKPR

LGAV

LTBA

LTTP

LSZH

 

 

North America

 

KBOS

KJFK

KLGA .

KPHL

KIAD

KDCA

KBWI.

KATL

KMEM

KLAX

KLAS

KSAN

KPHX

KSEA

KMSP

KORD

KMIA

KJAX

KMCO

KTPA

KMSY

KHOU

KIAH

[ErichB 3,638]

Thanks Dave

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

Most welcome Erich. If you have any questions regarding VATSIM or procedures, feel free to stop by our voice server. The guys there are very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.  They fly a LOT, so they'll let know if you've logged in during a particular busy time of a flight and will ask you to wait until things slow down (usually just a few minutes). You can also watch and listen to their flights on VATSIM by clicking on the "Live Flight Stream" section of the website.

 

Hope to see you in the virtual skies!

 

 

Dave

[jbcallender 53]

I have a few thousand hours on VATSIM and SATCO, it's predecessor.  It is professional an well run.  The motto is "as real as it gets".   As in anything, some controllers and fellow pilots are better than others, some are a little more heavy handed than others.  It is much more challenging for me flying in a "real" environment with other live traffic.  Watch for events and special flights in order to get maximum traffic and controller coverage.  Join a virtual airline to ad one more notch of realism to your experience.  I have not flown IVAO.

 

Jeff   

[ErichB 3,638]

 

 

Most welcome Erich. If you have any questions regarding VATSIM or procedures, feel free to stop by our voice server. The guys there are very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.  They fly a LOT, so they'll let know if you've logged in during a particular busy time of a flight and will ask you to wait until things slow down (usually just a few minutes). You can also watch and listen to their flights on VATSIM by clicking on the "Live Flight Stream" section of the website.
 
Hope to see you in the virtual skies!

 

Great, thanks Dave

 

Last night I watched a few VATSIM Youtube tutorials on how to get the model matching set up with VPilot using the IVEO model sets.  Looked pretty easy, so I'll set that all up this eveing,  I also reactivated my membership with VATSIM, so should be ready to go soon enough.

[WebMaximus 372]

Great, thanks Dave

 

Last night I watched a few VATSIM Youtube tutorials on how to get the model matching set up with VPilot using the IVEO model sets.  Looked pretty easy, so I'll set that all up this eveing,  I also reactivated my membership with VATSIM, so should be ready to go soon enough.

 

After flying for years on both IVAO and nowadays VATSIM I wouldn't even bother flying offline anymore.

 

I'm sure you'll like it a lot and will quickly realize how much it adds to the overall immersion having real persons around you instead of stupid AI models.

 

See you online :smile:

[ErichB 3,638]

After flying for years on both IVAO and nowadays VATSIM I wouldn't even bother flying offline anymore.

 

I'm sure you'll like it a lot and will quickly realize how much it adds to the overall immersion having real persons around you instead of stupid AI models.

 

See you online :smile:

 

Thanks!

 

One question.  I have bough and installed MyTraffic v6 which I'm quite impressed with.  The models aren't  as good as WoAI, but they aren't bad and they are very good on fps.  Is there a way to use V6 models for model matching ?  I can't remember if MyTraffic was one of the options in the model match setup.

 

Thanks