Like the title suggests, the new shared cockpit and voice chat addition to multiplayer is AWESOME! All it takes is a simple {shift-T} to send and receive flying command of an airplane to the other person "flying" with you. While only one person has PIC control of the aircraft, both people can click on the panel's buttons and switches like two people flying a real aircraft. Also there are a lot more set view points so switching to left and right seats in the VC is a snap! As for the voice chat, it is totally seemless and as long as the host has it turned on in mulitplayer, users just need to have a mic hooked up on their end. It can be set so that two users can talk to each other without everyone else hearing but can still hear everyone else. If you want to chat "outside" your cockpit, just hold down a button to chat to everyone else on that frequence (as a real push to talk switch {PTT} does) There are no settings to adjust in FSX what so ever and the audio quality is very good. Those 2 combined provide for a seemless real time flight crew or just plain fun to chat with other pilots if flying in seperate aircraft.I have flown almost all my fsx time in multiplayer with a friend known as "Id Rather Be Flying" here in the forum. We have flown around the Florida Keys in Bell 206s, given each other tours of our hometowns and as of last night..completed a non-stop live flight from Hartford, CT to Milwaukee, WI in the default 737-800. With in sitting right seat while I was in the left seat actting as PIC while he tuned the radios, autopilot and did the landing (I switched control to him). And the whole time we were chatting live. We also had another pilot, from england, who flew the Lear 45 along our path to Milwaukee and we kept in contact with him also.

I'm really looking forward to seeing if this can also be incorporated with the online networks also, so you can have a real "crew" going. :-)

>Like the title suggests, the new shared cockpit and voice>chat addition to multiplayer is AWESOME! All it takes is a>simple {shift-T} to send and receive flying command of an>airplane to the other person "flying" with you. While only one>person has PIC control of the aircraft, both people can click>on the panel's buttons and switches like two people flying a>real aircraft. Also there are a lot more set view points so>switching to left and right seats in the VC is a snap! As for>the voice chat, it is totally seemless and as long as the host>has it turned on in mulitplayer, users just need to have a mic>hooked up on their end. It can be set so that two users can>talk to each other without everyone else hearing but can still>hear everyone else. If you want to chat "outside" your>cockpit, just hold down a button to chat to everyone else on>that frequence (as a real push to talk switch {PTT} does)>There are no settings to adjust in FSX what so ever and the>audio quality is very good. Those 2 combined provide for a>seemless real time flight crew or just plain fun to chat with>other pilots if flying in seperate aircraft.>>I have flown almost all my fsx time in multiplayer with a>friend known as "Id Rather Be Flying" here in the forum. We>have flown around the Florida Keys in Bell 206s, given each>other tours of our hometowns and as of last night..completed a>non-stop live flight from Hartford, CT to Milwaukee, WI in the>default 737-800. With in sitting right seat while I was in the>left seat actting as PIC while he tuned the radios, autopilot>and did the landing (I switched control to him). And the whole>time we were chatting live. We also had another pilot, from>england, who flew the Lear 45 along our path to Milwaukee and>we kept in contact with him also.It's a shame we weren't on the same server. My best friend and I did a multiplayer flight in a 737 from KMKE to KIAD last night. It was great.

There's lots of possibilities for VA's too, now they can have their First Officer's actually fly as co-pilots with a seasoned Captain.

>There's lots of possibilities for VA's too, now they can have>their First Officer's actually fly as co-pilots with a>seasoned Captain.Geezz..I can't believe that didn't hit my mind first..hehe. You're right, VAs can now provide actual crewing of airplanes, but since you can only fly shared cockpit in multiplayer, there is no ATC default ATC which kind of blows but now with FSX you can actually be the controller. Depending on how many people are on the servers as ATC you can have routing for the entire trip. But don't worry, if there is only one controller, the controller's scope follows the multiplayer aircraft so they are always under radar coverage.

looking forward to it...

Will this be a feature that can be used on VATSIM or with RC?Mike

>We also had another pilot, from>england, who flew the Lear 45 along our path to Milwaukee and>we kept in contact with him also.Hi. That was me in the Lear jet. It was great fun indeed! :)Btw I'm from sunny Sydney Australia (not England) :)I agree FSX multiplayer is fantastic with smooth plane updates, clear voice comms and shared cockpit too. :-jumpyWhen FSX gets released I imagine FSX multiplayer will be packed with dozens of sessions and hundreds of flyers. I'm really looking forward to some busy skies.I'll see you and your copilot (Carmine aka "I'd rather be flying") online again sometime!

Think of the potential for scenery development, being able to tap into the knowledge of locals so you can point out what goes where for a group development projects like FS-Freeflow and the like.Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)

I guess I should break down and get broadband!!This sounds awesome!RhettAMD 3700+, eVGA 7800GT 256, ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8, etc. etc.

>...but since you can only fly shared cockpit in multiplayer,>there is no ATC default ATC which kind of blows...Don't forget about VATSIM, I'm hoping the shared cockpits will work just as well there.