I want to take my IFR flying to the next level and fly on VATSIM, but I'm kind of a shy person and scared that I might upset the controllers, especially at really busy airports. Plus I don't have the best memory either. I'm afraid that I won't be able to read back what the controller tells me. Can I type in the vPilot client instead of talking and use the CPDLC on the Fenix A320 to avoid using voice altogether?

5 minutes ago, captain420 said:

I want to take my IFR flying to the next level and fly on VATSIM, but I'm kind of a shy person and scared that I might upset the controllers, especially at really busy airports. Plus I don't have the best memory either. I'm afraid that I won't be able to read back what the controller tells me. Can I type in the vPilot client instead of talking and use the CPDLC on the Fenix A320 to avoid using voice altogether?

Two things: One, speaking "pilotease" is definitely a skill and one that requires perseverance. It really is another language but unfortunately, it's a required lingo, as important a skill as shooting an ILS.

Second, you can make your job much easier by anticipating what the controller is going to say. For instance, you call up for your IFR clearance and are waiting with your pen in hand  to write down what they blurt you at like a machine gun...

Make your job easier by writing out as much as you think you will get (I underline what I have correct and cross out anything I didn't anticipate correctly). This way, you are way ahead of the game.

I hate it when Mr. Vatsim starts humming, while waiting for my reply. 🥵

Log on as observer, shadow a flight. They cant see you or hear you. Just follow all instructions for the flight you are following.

Pick a quiet area for first flight.

Have a flight plan printed, mark down suspected taxi route. Look at way points for possible direct too instructions. Listen to flights ahead for a heads up of what might be instructed to you. Have fun.

Once you go VATSIM, you wont go back. Confidence will build.

Paul

Also, after you’ve shadowed a few flights (great advice above!) and are ready for your first live flight, my advice is to start slow. And by that I mean, choose a Cessna. The slower your plane, the more time you have to react to things the controller tells you to do, as they happen really fast in a jet.

I started on Vatsim a year ago and did some simple VFR with flight following before moving up to low-and-slow IFR. Once I had a few flights like that under my belt, I felt ready for the bigger, faster tube liners.

Finally, PilotEdge exists to literally teach you how to do ATC right. They’ve got a whole set of training flights (each with an associated YouTube tutorial) which are invaluable, and available for free. I learned a ton as a PilotEdge member, going from zero to just-about-comfortable with Vatsim IFR  

 

Edited May 28, 20224 yr by Redge

Funny that no one has actually replied to the question.

Yes you can communicate via text only in vPilot and CPDLC if available. Don't forget to add that as a remark in the flightplan (also prudent to mention you are new to Vatsim).

Always remember the ATC wants to know few things only.

Who you are, where you are, what do you request. 

Controllers at Vatsim are great towards new pilots! But they also expect a baseline of aircraft knowledge of operation and airmanship in general. It is a necessary requirement to elevate the user experience for everyone. 

Text / no voice is perfectly fine. Perhaps start with this until you get the confidence you need to use voice.

Remember, hearing impaired or deaf folks may not have any option, other than to use text either 🙂.

Edited May 28, 20224 yr by flightskyc

2 hours ago, garlicbread11 said:

Log on as observer, shadow a flight. They cant see you or hear you. Just follow all instructions for the flight you are following.

Pick a quiet area for first flight.

Have a flight plan printed, mark down suspected taxi route. Look at way points for possible direct too instructions. Listen to flights ahead for a heads up of what might be instructed to you. Have fun.

Once you go VATSIM, you wont go back. Confidence will build.

Paul

A post on Avsim, giving good advice. Hey, it happens!

3 hours ago, captain420 said:

I want to take my IFR flying to the next level and fly on VATSIM, but I'm kind of a shy person and scared that I might upset the controllers, especially at really busy airports. Plus I don't have the best memory either. I'm afraid that I won't be able to read back what the controller tells me. Can I type in the vPilot client instead of talking and use the CPDLC on the Fenix A320 to avoid using voice altogether?

If you are unable to read back instructions easily, it's probably because they haven't been given to you clearly and you are not in the advantageous position of those you have heard doing that on ATC.

Whilst it is true that one should strive for brevity in radio communications, that should never be at the expense of clarity, and that means people communicating via radio taking into account whom they are speaking to and moderating their own communications to suit the level of understanding and ability of the person the message is intended for. Hopefully most VATSIM controllers will be aware of that and take into account that there may be new users who are a bit 'mike shy' and not used to having controllers rattle off a massive list of taxiways to follow to get to the runway hold point or whatever. Don't think we don't have to occasionally moderate our language and speak slowly to real airline pilots either; lots of them don't have good English skills even though - theoretically at least - this is a requirement for the job.

Don't be afraid to ask someone to repeat something, and if they again don't make it clear when they repeat it, ask them to repeat it again and tell them to slow down and speak with more clarity, which they should do. But if they don't that and they complain about you not knowing stuff or whatever, just say: 'request QFF for my position'. That will have them scrambling for their Q-code list to try to recall what that one means. 🤣

More seriously in terms of suggestions - and this is useful for all flying really - have a little notepad to hand with a pencil or pen and just jot things down, so if a controller tells you 'taxi for 23R via Juliet Echo, Bravo, Golf, hold at Golf 6', scribble down '23R J E B G6' and it will be enough to remind you for the readback.

When you hear pilots rattling off that stuff and think they must have super-cool memories, bear in mind that: A) there are at least two of them in that cockpit doing a job which you are doing on your own, B) one of them is handling comms only, whilst the other is setting other things up, whereas you are doing it all C) more often than not, with modern airliners these days, the crew get a text version of their ATC instructions sent via their ACARS (or similar) systems, so they genuinely are READING it back, off a little screen in the cockpit, rather than remembering it courtesy of some brilliant ability to recall stuff! D) as a skill, it comes with a bit of practice.

With regard to being 'mike shy', almost everyone is a little bit like that initially, but pretty soon that goes when you realise that you are just 'chatting to people'. Sure, you want to be professional, but it's nowhere near as intimidating as you are probably thinking it will be, and having a go at it will prove that to you.

IRL pilot here, a bit scared to touch VATSIM, more from the technical side, having a technical fault, a disconnect, and accidentally spawning somewhere I shouldn't.  Plus the idea of it only really being pointful where there are people controlling, and then they log off, puts me off a bit.

Pro tip, already mentioned here.  When I fly IRL I always have a kneeboard and I write all my clearances down, even when I think I know what they're going to say. Maybe a kneeboard is a cheap and worthy investment for PC flying too, if you have a cluttered desk at home.

Why fly on an ATC network and not talk ? Text only is terrible for everyone involved. I fly for example in VR and read no texts for obvious reasons. 
we have all been shy and afraid for the first time. Jump into the cold water and get over it. Nobody will bite you

there are many noob and beginner events every week also

I guarantee you will hear at least 2 people on every flight that do significantly worse than you, so no worries 😄

Now seriously what REALLY matters is: Know how to fly the airplane. If the controller tells you a heading to fly or a direct-to, and you have no idea how to do that, it's not gonna work out. However if you know how to fly your airplane even in stressful situations, the worst thing that can happen is that you do not understand what the controller said - and that's solved by a simple "say again CALLSIGN". What controllers don't like is people who a) understood the instruction, but have no idea how to do that in the aircraft or b) did not understand but instead do what they THINK they understood (that's the worst).
No one has ever been yelled at for repeatedly asking "say again, sorry CALLSIGN"; also the controller can always write down the instructions as text for you, just to be sure ("say again via text message CALLSIGN").

Also, you could start flying as a "observer" intitially - just to listen to the instructions and get used to it.

25 minutes ago, DaWu said:

Why fly on an ATC network and not talk ? Text only is terrible for everyone involved. I fly for example in VR and read no texts for obvious reasons

VATSIM allows it. You don't like it, take it up with them. I don't fly in VR and have no problems with fellow text-only players.

Fly on pilots edge if you want to avoid text-players. 

Edited May 28, 20224 yr by SAS443

1 hour ago, Langeveldt said:

IRL pilot here, a bit scared to touch VATSIM, more from the technical side, having a technical fault, a disconnect, and accidentally spawning somewhere I shouldn't.  Plus the idea of it only really being pointful where there are people controlling, and then they log off, puts me off a bit.

Pro tip, already mentioned here.  When I fly IRL I always have a kneeboard and I write all my clearances down, even when I think I know what they're going to say. Maybe a kneeboard is a cheap and worthy investment for PC flying too, if you have a cluttered desk at home.

I used Vatsim years ago and quit after a few years. The main reasons I quit were:

1. No controllers where and when I wanted to fly. Sometimes I couldn't see an active controller for over 1,000 miles from where I wanted to fly ( useless).

2. Controllers signing off as I was setting up my flight, at an airport in his or her's area. 

3. Controllers signing off, when I was around 50 miles or less from landing, because a _ _ _ _ _   was on TV. 

4. Controllers leaving me at thousands of feet, as I was about to cross FAF.

I started using ATC programs like Radar Control, then Pro ATC, and for the last 8 or 9 years, PF3. Now I have ATC any time, any where, from Clearance, to ground control at arrival airport. 

I have been simming since about 2005-2006 (yeah, I am new to this compared to many of you out there.. 😉 ) and I have always thought that "some day, I'll try Vatsim". 

Seems I never find the courage to it, though... 😃