Before I get too deep in the weeds with this blog posting, let me first start off by saying a BIG THANK YOU to every single VATSIM member. Regardless if you are a pilot, ATC, supervisor, management, technical development team etc. Thank YOU! I say this because I believe the success of VATSIM is down to each and every one of US. Regardless of how many years you’ve been a member, regardless of how many hours you have accumulated on the network and regardless of your position within the VATSIM network….VATSIM is and always will be successful because of each and every one of us.
Secondly, I do want to call out a few individuals. These are folks I personally didn’t know until recently. But in some way over the past 48-72 hours I’ve interacted with via Facebook, Discord or my own blog site and helped me get everything going so I could participate in the Sunday session of the Audio for VATSIM test during FSExpo19. These individuals are: Matthew Ciafarani, Aidan Stevens, Mats Edvin Aaro and Gary Oliver.
Finally, if you missed the previous blog posting which I detailed all the issues/frustrations I experienced in attempting to get started titled “Audio for VATSIM – FSExpo Beta Bust”, then take a few minutes to bring yourself up to speed and also read the comment left by Gary Oliver. The issues which prevented me (and several others) from joining in on the Saturday testing are explained in Gary’s comment and are all certainly understandable. I earn my living in the IT world and yes…”Stuff” happens. I want to once again state for the record that I didn’t write the FSExpo Beta Bust post as a way to “hate” on VATSIM. I believe it was well received by VATSIM management and serves to document my experiences. That’s it!
Audio for VATSIM
By late Saturday evening I had finished up my running around, completed the chores on the “honey do” list (guys you know this has to be a priority) and settled back in the lazy-boy with a movie in the DVD player and the wife happy. With the help of the folks mentioned above had access to both the Audio for VATSIM (AFV) Discord server and the AFV website. I had the updated vPilot client downloaded and pretty much everything set.
The main testing on Sunday was scheduled to begin at 1330z (7:30 AM MT). I woke up around 6:30 and made my first stop the coffee pot. Nothing ever really happens until I receive my first application of java in the morning. With coffee in hand, I proceeded down to the man-cave and powered on the Beast Mark V and the other PC’s I use for flight sim. My flight sim setup is a little more complicated as I run other applications in a networked setup to offload some of the CPU processing where I can. Anyway, I quickly got the AFV vPilot client installed, configured and installed a brand new Southwest 737-800 livery for the event.
New Southwest B738 in the Heart livery. Parked at KMSY.
The Big Easy
I decided to fly the same flight/route which I had signed up for on Saturday. I loaded up Prepar3D v4.5 and the PMDG 737-800 in the Southwest Airlines “Heart Livery” at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana (KMSY). While I didn’t have any ATC at time of departure, I did have company on the ground with an Air Canada Airbus at the nearby gate.
Pushback complete and ready for taxi.
I completely forgot about voice UNICOM, but went ahead and typed my intentions out via text. It wasn’t until I got airborne that I heard another pilot speak on 122.80. I must say, if everyone remains on their best behavior, then voice UNICOM will be awesome.
Southwest Flight 1066 wheels up
Making our left turn to join the departure route. Mississippi river and Lake Pontchartrain in the background.
Once I reached my cruising altitude of FL350 and out over the Gulf of Mexico, I was able to tune into Atlanta Center and could hear through my own headset the new “Audio for VATSIM”. I was blown away.
AFV Benefits
There’s more to the new Audio for VATSIM than what meets the eye EARS. Of course the major benefit has been a long time coming and I’ll discuss more about this in a minute. The two images below represent those who (at the time) were connected to the beta VATSIM server where the FSExpo AFV tests were being conducted. I had just departed from KMSY (climbing through 17,000 for FL350) and you can see my audio range is represented by the red circle around my aircraft position. These circles essentially represent our VHF transceiver range.
Upon reaching my TOC (FL350) my audio range is much greater. With regards to voice UNICOM, I’ll only hear other pilots which fall into my VHF radio range. Likewise, the same applies to picking up ATIS reports. While I initially had my reservations about voice UNICOM, after more thought on the subject I believe it will be a good thing in the long run. Yes, it will get abused…but I also know that VATSIM will hold those who abuse it accountable.
While voice UNICOM does slightly break the immersion for those who fly commercial jets, our level of immersion is also broken anytime we fly today with out constant ATC coverage. Voice UNICOM will certainly be a major benefit to VFR flight, of which I certainly hope to do more of.
ATIS Audio
I’ll let you in on a little secret. For the past several years I’ve actually loathed the ATIS audio. I stopped “listening” to ATIS audio a very long time ago. This doesn’t mean I don’t pickup ATIS info, I just preferred to either receive it via text in vPilot or grab the text info from VATSpy. I know it’s an age thing and I know my ears are paying me back from that Van Halen concert back in the late 1980’s. But wow…what a concert and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world. But I digress….
Yea…my hearing isn’t what it used to be and the ATIS audio of the past was most like listening to the adults speak on Charlie Brown. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, have a listen to this.
But I’m really pleased to say that with the new audio codec, ATIS audio is very pleasing and easy to understand. Here’s the ATIS info from Mickey Mouse International…err, I mean Orlando International Airport.
Let your ears be the judge
I recorded a short segment of my flight once I reached Jacksonville Center airspace. In the span of approx. 7 minutes, 30 seconds you’ll hear several audio transmissions between ATC, myself (Southwest 1066) and several other pilots. These were all flights arriving into Orlando KMCO during the early stages of testing on Sunday morning.
What do you think?
While there was one pilot with much lower audio levels than anyone else, I could still make out what he was saying. I believe once the new Audio for VATSIM becomes the new normal and everyone has a chance to adjust their audio levels, this new system will truly enhance all the wonderful things about flying in a multiplayer ATC environment.
For me, this is the very best thing to happen to VATSIM in its (and my) 18 year history. While I’ve been amazed at what my eyes have witnessed over the years, the lack of a truly powerful and supportive audio system has been been a major let down. The team responsible for developing and bringing the new Audio for VATSIM into reality deserve very accolade we can give them. Audio for VATSIM will propel the VATSIM network well into the future and beyond.
The Million Dollar Question! When?
As we know, the testing which took place this past weekend during FSExpo19 was not the only testing held for the new audio system. However, this weekends event was by far the largest. From both what my ears experienced as well as what I’ve read on their Discord channel…I don’t think we’re very far away from having AFV into full production. However, at this particular time there have been no firm announcements. We can only speculate if we’re just days/weeks away, more than a month or ???? I have a feeling we’re closer than we might think.
Well, that just about brings this posting to a close. I will have a few blog posting updates this week (pending I find the time to write them). I plan to document my thoughts on a few newsworthy items of recent and will be digging through all the info I can find on product news from FSExpo19.
Before I get started, I want to make clear my intentions as to why I’m writing this particular article. While I’m clearly disappointed, I place blame towards no one.
Like many in the flight simulation community, my time can be limited at the best of times. As an IT Manager, I often work 45-50 hour weeks (and I call that an easy week). The time I carve out for my hobbies (and I have several) also has to share space with the time I spend with my family and often I’ll sacrifice sleep to fit in a flight. After all, I’ll have plenty of time to sleep when I’m dead.
Audio for VATSIM FSExpo test
I first learned about the planned large scale Audio for VATSIM beta test which was being held in conjunction with FSExpo a few weeks ago. I even discussed it here. I was excited. As an individual who has been flying on the VATSIM network since the beginning and someone who has accumulated over 2000 hours (and I realize that’s nothing compared to some other folks), I’m curious to see/hear the future of this wonderful multiplayer platform first hand. I was looking forward to writing about it and had even planned to record some snippits of the audio so you all could hear for yourself, just what we have to look forward to.
If I’m not mistaken, I learned of the FSExpo AFV test via a Facebook post on the VATSIM FB page. The announcement was a accompanied by a fancy graphic (see below) and the graphic linked you to a webpage which had been especially created just for the event/testing.
Last weekend (1 June), the organizers of this even opened up the availability for anyone who was interested, paying attention etc. to go out and book slots for this event. Those who were successful at booking a slot would automatically be entered into the beta and could experience the new Audio for VATSIM system. I set aside some time last weekend and promptly when the time arrived, I booked my slot for early Saturday morning (12:20z 6:20 AM MT) from KMSY to KMCO (New Orleans to Orlando).
It’s all about the details
As a guy who truly understands “details”, I read everything I could on the AFV FSExpo website. The VATSIM team made it clear that “Routing information would be available 6-12 hours before the event”. I also read through the list of FAQ’s. (posted below)
What is this thing? Beta testing of our new Audio For VATSIM solution of course! We’ll be live at FSExpo beta-testing and demonstrating our new solution, book a flight to join us!
Who can book a slot? Any VATSIM member in good standing can book a slot! You DO NOT need to have already participated in a beta test. All who book a slot will be added to the beta.
When is this going down? June 8th and 9th. Check the home page for a fancy little countdown!
Where can I fly? You can book a slot between any of the event airports listed on the bookings page. The live portion will be taking place at FSExpo in Orlando.
Do I need to be at FSExpo to participate? Nope! You can fly at home in your pajamas!
Why are you guys doing this? We want to give you, the membership, an opportunity to experience what we’ve got in store and give us valuable feedback so that we can deliver the best voice solution possible.
Can I have a refund? Nope!
Nothing in the FAQ’s or on the website mentioned anything about how/where to get the software for the beta nor did it state anything about joining a special Discord server.
On Friday evening (the eve before the event), I kept checking the website and even as late as 10:30 PM, hadn’t received any email regarding the routing or anything else. Since I had got up at 4:30 AM that morning, I was pretty exhausted and went to bed just after 10:30 PM. I set my alarm for 5:00 AM Saturday morning and figured and hour and 20 minutes would be enough time to pour some coffee down my throat and get everything setup.
Cockle Doodle Doo
No, I don’t have a rooster. But the alarm went off as planned and I got up and proceeded downstairs to the coffee pot. Like a good coffee pot, it had already warmed up the water and all I needed to do was insert the K cup and pull the handle. Within 60 seconds I’d have a cup of strong, black coffee. Ahhhhhh…OK the day can begin.
I grabbed my laptop and pulled up my email client. I had a total of six emails from VATSIM which had arrived just before midnight. (see below)
The first one (booking confirmation) while only received today, should really have been received last weekend when I booked the flight and the other five emails are just duplicates of each other and instructing me of my route and a link to pre-book the flight.
Dancing in the Dark
I’ll admit, I honestly wasn’t entirely sure how this beta test event would work. While I assumed I would need to download/install something…I also thought that it might be possible that the VATSIM folks in some “behind the scenes” process and based on my VATSIM PID could route my connection to the beta system. Like I said…I didn’t know and I remind you of the FAQ above, nothing there stated anything which could be helpful in better understanding this.
#BLAMEAIDAN
Things really didn’t start to go sideways until I attempted to pre-file my flight plan via one of the above 5 emails and the embedded link they contain. When trying to pre-file, I received a pop-up error stating I wasn’t logged in (even though I was) and the hashtag of #BLAMEAIDAN.
I’m Not Alone
I don’t think I’m alone in my confusion. In the days leading up to this event, I saw many posts on the VATSIM Facebook page asking “how will we be informed” and all replies more of less stated an email will be received 6-12 hours before the event. Nothing was ever mentioned about Discord.
Bottom Line
I’m not upset….no, really! I’m not. Many of the VATSIM folks working on the beta replied to my Facebook post and offered their assistance. However, by this time it was already 15 minutes past my departure time I realized I wouldn’t have time to install the beta client and get my flight all setup again and also fly it (assuming there would be delays etc.) and also meet my Saturday morning commitments.
Instead, my reason for writing this is A. to document my overall experience in exactly what I encountered in the days/hours leading up to the event and I suppose B. to also set my mind (and anyone else) who feels they too were very much in the dark on exactly what to expect and when to expect it. I have a feeling (through no fault of those wanting to participate) that not everything went off exactly as planned on the VATSIM side.
My hope is this Audio for VATSIM test today during FSExpo is 1000% successful and I hope that the timeframe of when AFV will become reality for ALL is very, very short. The old audio codec needs to be put out to pasture and soon.
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful Saturday.
Until next time….
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
P.S. If you are still reading (and I hope you are), don’t forget to come join my new Flight Sim Helpers Facebook community. The goal with Flight Sim Helpers is to …..well….HELP those who might need it. The flight sim hobby has been very good to me and I’m just wanting to give something back. Also, take the time to bookmark the Flight Sim Helpers website where many helpful FAQ’s are being added with more to come.
Welcome to the first series and first edition of “A Pilot’s Life” Storyteller Series. For more context on what this storyteller series is about, please read Return of the Flight Sim Storyteller. This will bring you up to speed and set the stage for this first edition.
Commercial Break
LOL OK….I figure this is as good a place as any to plug my new Flight Sim Project, Flight Sim Helpers. Flight Sim Helpers is my way of giving back to the community which has been so good to me for over 35 years. The concept of Flight Sim Helpers, is to help those who are just starting out in the wonderful hobby of flight simulation. However, regardless if you are brand new or a seasoned veteran, all are welcome. I’m actually hoping to recruit others who are knowledgeable in FSX, P3D and X-Plane to serve as moderators and subject matter experts. If you are interested, please let me know. For now, please visit and join the Flight Sim Helpers Facebook Group and also check out the Flight Sim Helpers website. Thank you and I’ll now proceed with the story.
Present Day
Once again I had an overnight layover in the Bay Area. This time at SFO. I enjoyed a nice steak at the hotel in celebration of my new promotion. Looking at my schedule, I’m due to fly back to Seattle then out to Salt Lake City and then back up to Ketchikan, Alaska. Oh…my favorite. But I need to get through the next few days first.
The crew shuttle picks us up at our hotel at 4:30 AM sharp. It really feels like we only just arrived. But I had the rest required by the FAA and anxious to get back to sunny Seattle (NOT). It’s been raining all up and down the West Coast of the US the past several days. We have a great crew with us today, so we expect no issues. Of course I’m dreaming of my next promotion which will finally have me at the rank of Captain. But I’ve gotta grind it out from 212 XP up to 650 XP for this one. But XP points do come a little quicker with each promotion. As a comparison, at FO I earned just a little over 5.0 XP on KSEA to KOAK. However, with Sr. FO on the flight from KSEA to KSFO, I earned almost 8 XP. As soon as I get paid (end of the month), I’ll purchase a mobile phone which will earn me a 10% XP bonus each flight.
Flight Details
This morning my captain and I will be operating Alaska flight 1737, non-stop service from San Francisco to Seattle. Our flight is scheduled to depart at 6:00 AM from gate 52B. Our planned fuel for this morning is 16,720 lbs and our take-off weight is 148,143 lbs. Our cruising altitude will be FL360 and we have a block time of 2 hours, 9 minutes. We anticipate departing from runway 28L.
Flight Plan: TRUKN2 DEDHD DCT RBL DCT LML HAWKZ7
Walk Around
As Sr. First Officer, it’s my job today to conduct the walk around inspection of our Boeing 737-800. This is the first flight of the day for this aircraft and the bags and cargo haven’t arrived yet.
Almost done, checking all lights and this aircraft is looking good.
Here Comes the Bags
Obviously we can’t go anywhere without our passengers and all their bags.
Time for push-back
With our passengers, bags and a small amount of cargo loaded onto our Boeing 737-800, it’s time to close the doors and push back from the gate. The skies are looking a bit rough this morning, but we expect no departure delays this morning.
After a brief taxi, we have arrived at runway 28L.
ASA 1737 is wheels up and on our way to Sea-Tac.
Making our right turn and headed east towards OAK.
The obligatory wing shot.
Making our way along the SID or Standard Instrument Departure, just a slight chop as we continue our climb. We’ll keep the cabin crew in their seats a bit longer, but reports are smooth skies above FL200.
It’s complete cloud cover as we make our way through northern California and into Oregon.
At FL360, we can relax a few minutes before we need to start planning our descent and arrival into Seattle.
Monitoring a thunderstorm as we cruise above Portland.
As we begin our approach and descent into the Seattle area, a little drag is required to meet the speed restrictions of the STAR or Standard Terminal Arrival Route.
Runway 34C is in sight. No auto-land required today. The Sr. First Officer has control.
I think it’s going to be a beautiful day in Seattle today. This makes a nice change.
Clear 34C, Cross 34R and taxi to the gate. Note the other Alaska B738 which arrived just before us.
Parked at the Alaska terminal Sea-Tac.
I’m due to report to another aircraft and Captain for a rotation down to Salt Lake City and back in the Boeing 737-900. Since I only have default scenery for SLC, I will return with my “A Pilot’s Life” Storyteller Series in a few days for my trip to Ketchikan, Alaska. That’ll be fun.
Until then…
Happy Flying!
Jerry
Credits
If you are interested in experiencing your own “A Pilot’s Life”, I highly recommend the A Pilot’s Life, by SimBitWorld add-on for Prepar3D, FSX and X-Plane. You can learn more about the A Pilot’s Life by visiting the SimBitWorld website and/or purchase APL at SimMarket. Also, please read my full review of A Pilot’s LIfe here.
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1)
Aircraft: PMDG 737-800
Airline: Alaska Airlines (ASA)
ATC: VATSIM
Airport Scenery: KSFO FlightBeam, KSEA Drzewiecki Design
Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector, Orbx openLC North America, Orbx NA Pacific Northwest, NA Northern California
Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force
Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4)
Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
Somewhat off the heels of my recent The Basics of VATSIM tutorial, an updated tutorial on updating Prepar3D to version 4.5 and another little ditty on To Update or Not to Update Prepar3D, I’m going to discuss a few things related to VATSIM that has me slightly concerned. Most likely this will end up being more or less an opinion piece. Just remember, we’re all entitled to our own opinions. Your opinion may differ from mine and while I welcome you to comment…just keep your response civil. Thank you!
FCOM
I was perusing the FSElite site earlier this morning and found an article dated 11 April of this year regarding a new FCOM VATSIM/IVAO Message Forwarding System which has been in testing and is now generally available.
In a nutshell, FCOM is designed to forward messages received through either the VATSIM or IVAO clients to a users Discord via private message. In the FSElite article on the subject of FCOM there is a short demo video which demonstrates the system working.
Anyone reading this posting or even the original at FSElite might be asking themselves, “What’s the Big Deal?” “This is pretty cool” and “this is just what I’ve been needing”. Sigh…
The VATSIM Code of Conduct clearly states, (Section A. 9) “When logging on to the VATSIM.net network, a member is not permitted to leave his or her connection unattended for a period in excess of thirty (30) minutes. If a member is unable to comply with this requirement, then he or she must log off of the VATSIM.net network. A member who is found to be unresponsive for more than thirty (30) minutes is subject to immediate removal from the network. Members who are found to repeatedly leave their connections unattended are subject to the terms of Article VI. of the VATSIM.net Code of Regulations.”
In my 18 years of being a member of VATSIM, belonging to and holding various staff positions in many virtual airlines and also running my very own for a few years, I’ve witnessed first hand and heard many accounts of this rule being broken. I’ve even witnessed this rule blatantly being abused by some prominent YouTube/Twitch Flight Simmers.
Of course, the punishment can be costly for those who repeatedly abuse this policy as mentioned above and documented in the VATSIM Code of Regulations. Specifically Article VI which discusses suspension and expulsion from the network. As I mentioned in the recent “The Basics of VATSIM tutorial”, VATSIM is serious about ensuring their network doesn’t turn into a wasteland of abusers like other multiplayer networks we may know about. Again, I’m looking at TruckersMP.
Here’s my concern with this. First, this is an already existing problem on the network. Many users will fire up a “Cross the Pond”flight just before going to bed and gamble that ATC won’t contact them or that they’ll hear the “ping” when they are sleeping just to get some hours in the system. You can read the sob stories of these same pilots on the VATSIM forums, Facebook groups etc. where they didn’t hear the ping and they promise never to do it again. So now a third party FCOM solution is introduced which will direct any messages a pilot might receive to their Discord via a private message. I can hear/see the sob stories of “I didn’t get a message”…please unsuspend me.
Look, I’m a busy guy. While I’ve been a VATSIM member from the beginning (18 years ago), I’ve racked up a total of 1,950 hours. While I realize this number only averages out to just over 100 hours per year…the vast majority of these hours are what I call “Butt in Seat” hours. Meaning, my rear end was in my chair with my headset on my head and me at the controls of my aircraft. Plus….and this is what I’m most proud of…in 18 years being a VATSIM member and accumulating almost 2000 flight hours on the network…I’ve never been suspended and I’ve never received a warning from a supervisor.
Yes, I do other things when I’m flying long flights. I get up to stretch my legs, I get up to go to the bathroom, I get up to go upstairs to get food or drink (as my wife refuses to be my trolley dolly) and yes I even occasionally will do tasks such as clean my office and even do laundry. What? You mean your Boeing 747 doesn’t have a washer and dryer in the back? But the time away from the virtual flight deck is generally no more than 10-15 minutes at a time.
Bottom line…if you’re going to enjoy the hobby of flight simulation, then be there for all the fun and adventure. Not somewhere else with your eyes/ears glued to your smartphone and Discord.
Voice Unicom
My God I can ‘bang on’ about stuff can’t I? OK…so for those who may not know, VATSIM will soon enable voice Unicom. For those who may not be fully aware of how Unicom works, I’ll tell you. When you are logged onto the VATSIM network and you are flying in uncontrolled airspace, we dial up the Unicom VHF frequency of 122.80. This allows the virtual pilot to type text messages which other pilots will see (within a short range of each other) so we can announce our intentions. This is specifically useful when you are either going to depart or land at an uncontrolled airport. Typically the type of messages I’ll send are as follows:
Departure
“KDFW Traffic, American 1066 push/start from gate C17, taxi to rwy 17R”. Then once I reach the runway, I’ll text “KDFW Traffic, American 1066 departing 17R via the MRSSH2 Departure to the SE”. Finally, “American 1066 clear rwy 17R”
Arrival
“KDEN Traffic, American 1066 is inbound on the HUDAD2 Arrival, Crossing XXX and leaving FL380, expecting rwy 35L” Once I’m closer to the field I’ll message saying “KDEN Traffic, American 1066 is on 11nm final for rwy 35L” Finally, “KDEN Traffic, American 1066 clr 35L, taxi to A50”
While I will agree that texting on Unicom breaks the immersion, so does departing or landing at either DFW or DEN with no ATC.
For the past 18 years, the Unicom frequency of 122.80 has been text only. Even with this frequency being “text only” it does get abused from time to time. The purpose of Unicom (as I described above) is merely to announce your intensions so other pilots are aware and to avoid (if possible) any issues. This often is abused with pilots using Unicom as an instant message/chat platform. However, even when it’s being abused…it’s not as annoying as I can imagine it will be on voice.
From what I understand, once implemented…the voice Unicom frequency will behave very similar to how it does today with text. The range will be slightly higher when in the air and much less when on the ground. But my main concern is when voice Unicom is abused (and it will be) it’s going to be a royal pain in the backside.
While I do enjoy having gate to gate ATC, generally when I’m flying on VATSIM it’s either early in the morning or late at night and I can’t always be guaranteed ATC coverage. I’m a bit strange when it comes to picking my flights as I rarely hop around. I typically resume my flight from the airport I last landed. After all, in the real world our teleport capabilities just aren’t ready for prime time. So having said that, I tend to fly A LOT in uncontrolled airspace. When I’m sitting at the flight deck I might be reading, watching TV or even typing a blog article as I happen to be doing now high above the Gulf of Mexico as I fly my American Airlines PMDG Boeing 737-800 from the Big Easy (KMSY) down to Miami (KMIA) to setup for a trip later down to Princes Juliana International Airport (TNCM) on the beautiful island of St. Maarten. The last thing I want to experience is someone else abusing the frequency with discussions about what they are eating for dinner. If I wanted to hear that, I would fire up my ham radios (which by the way, I do often have them on and listening to a traffic net). Anyway….
My wife tells me I’m turning into a grumpy old man. Well I’ve earned it! LOL Of course, VATSIM has stated that they’ll monitor Unicom and handle any abuse of the frequency with swift action. If it becomes a wasteland of abuse, VATSIM has stated they will switch it off. We’ll see and I’m hopefully optimistic all will function as they hope. After all, yes….I will agree that announcing your intentions or hearing from other pilots is much, much easier than typing. Just don’t wreck my tranquil environment.
OK…I’ve gotta go now. I’m less than 50nm from Miami and I need to pay attention to what I’m doing here. Plus I need to announce my intentions on Unicom since there’s no ATC and many other aircraft in the vicinity.
I would like to dedicate this blog post to the memory of my dear mother who passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. As a young person, she always encouraged me to write and while she really had no clue what I blogged about here (most of the time), she still read my work. I began this article back in March and after returning back from Texas have been somewhat motivated to get it finished. Here you go Mom…this one is for you.
The subject of this tutorial has been on my to-do list for many years. I began blogging about the hobby of flight simulation in September 2010 and at that time I created an Excel spreadsheet and noted a few topics I wanted to cover in tutorial style. The Basics of VATSIM was added to the growing list but unfortunately just kept getting bumped down the list. Or I would start the article only to delete it later because I just simply couldn’t convey my thoughts on the subject in a way that met my approval. I’m just funny like this…I guess I could say I’m a perfectionist and everything I’ve ever featured on my blog site has been as accurate and as detailed as I could make it given my experience and knowledge on what ever subject I’m writing about.
I was first introduced to the online world of virtual air traffic simulation even before VATSIM was born. Sometime in either 1999 or very early 2000, I signed up for and became a member of SATCO (Simulated Air Traffic Controllers Organization). However, I really didn’t do much online flying. At this particular time in my life I was busy traveling and also I must admit that I was absolutely terrified of the thought of flying online. SATCO eventually collapsed and was succeeded by VATSIM which I signed up for almost immediately. Things were beginning to slow down on the real world travel schedule and I met a few new online friends who helped me get over my fears (mainly mic fright) and BOOM…I was hooked.
The Basics of this Tutorial
As with most of my tutorial style writings, this is not meant to be the “Be All, End All” or even a absolute complete guide to the subject of VATSIM. I’m going to first encourage you to do some of your own research and reading which I’ll point out in the very next paragraph. Then I’ll share some of my own tips, tricks and perhaps some of my very own experiences. But you really need to read a few things on your own before you decide to login to the VATSIM network for the very first time. Unfortunately, unless you are a real world pilot, VATSIM is not the place to fake your way through. While VATSIM can be a very friendly and helpful environment, it’s also an extremely serious online community. More about this later.
Rules of Life
There are many rules I follow in life and the one that has worked for me, has helped me become successful in many different ways is as follows: “What you put into life is what you get out of it”. Of course, I’ll also admit (and my wife will vouch for me), I’m stubborn. Yes, a square peg will go into a round hole if you have a big enough hammer and I almost never stop to ask for directions. But I digress…
If you are a flight sim enthusiast and you are absolutely new to VATSIM, I would first recommend (almost insist) that you first do a bit of reading before you key up the mic and ask for ATC clearance at your favorite airport. As previously mentioned, VATSIM (for the most part) is an extremely friendly and helpful environment. However, it’s not the place for “on the job training”. Meaning, you should spend some time bringing yourself up to speed on the ways of VATSIM and I’m going to help you do just that.
Flight Simulation Experience
When I began the outline of this tutorial, I must admit I began writing it with the more experienced flight simulation aviator in mind. Perhaps someone similar to myself who has been flying computer based sims for many years and who truly is capable of controlling his/her aircraft both while on the ground and in the air. It’s difficult for me to explain to you just exactly how much experience you need…but will just say that if you’re not capable of operating your aircraft, familiar with basic flight navigation, don’t understand how to read SIDS/STARS charts, refuse to follow instructions/directions….then YOU are not ready for VATSIM. In other words, if you are absolutely brand new to the hobby of flight simulation and don’t recognize that a computer based flight simulation program such as FSX, Prepar3D and XPlane is MORE than a video game…then YOU are not ready for VATSIM.
However, if you have spent a few hundred hours enjoying your favorite flight simulation program, have a good understanding of flight navigation, understand how to operate your favorite aircraft, can listen and follow instruction and want to take your flight simulation hobby to the next level, then please continue reading.
Getting Started with VATSIM
Your first step should be to visit the “Getting Started” section on the VATSIM website. You’ll find a step-by-step outline for getting started with VATSIM. This one page will point you in the right direction for all things VATSIM including directing you to the Pilot Resource Center and a “must read” on Expectations and Requirements for Pilots. Again, I really can’t stress enough that the very first experience on VATSIM will be equal to exactly what you put into it in the form of self-study/research/preparation.
One of the reasons I’m encouraging you to really prepare yourself for the wonderful fun that awaits you on VATSIM, is simply…VATSIM is a really serious place. Unlike other online multiplayer communities where users seem to disobey the rules (I’m looking at you TruckersMP), the world of VATSIM is really for serious individuals who truly want to simulate the world of aviation. While I won’t lie to you and tell you that you’ll never encounter fools doing some really crazy stuff on VATSIM, they will be dealt with quickly and sharply. In my almost 20 years of enjoying VATSIM and accumulating almost 2000 hours on the network, I’ve only encountered a small handful of idiots and as I stated before, they were dealt with quickly.
Additional Tips, Tricks and Advice
Please don’t let some of what I said discourage you from giving VATSIM a try. It really is an “As Real As It Gets” experience. As you gain in experience, some of the large events which VATSIM hosts on the network will have you seeing and experiencing the crowded airspace and airports all over the world. I’m going to wrap things up here in just a few minutes, but before I do…allow me to share some additional information which might come in handy.
YouTube
Yea…if you need to know how to do something, and you can’t find it on YouTube…then you know you shouldn’t be doing it. But on YouTube you’ll find all sorts of flight simulation help (including VATSIM information).
Facebook
Yes, Facebook is more than just sharing pictures of cats. There’s actually a very active Flight Sim following across Facebook with various groups setup to help on all aspects of the hobby. There is a VATSIM For Beginners Facebook Group which is also a very good resource. But once again, I encourage you to educate yourself by reading as much as you can from the VATSIM links I provided above.
Login, Listen and Observe
One of the things I did when I first started out was to park my aircraft at a gate (never spawn directly onto a runway or taxiway) and then connect to the VATSIM network. I would locate an airport which had at least one controller and a few active aircraft and listen. This allowed me to listen to how other pilots requested clearance. There are several online resources which allow you to visually see what airports are staffed with ATC and which have active aircraft. But generally most of the larger airports will have activity throughout the day. One such site which I sometimes use is called VATTASTIC. Although my favorite is an application called VAT-Spy. It’s an application I have installed on one of my gaming machines so I can keep an eye on where ATC is staffed. Check it out!
VATSIM CRAFT Procedure
Don’t you just love acronyms? Especially when they can really help you. When requesting your departure clearance, keep the word CRAFT in your mind. Or better yet, write it down on a piece of paper. By the way…always keep a notepad and pen/pencil handy when flying online. You’ll thank me later!. The acronym CRAFT will help you in writing down all the jibberish the controller is going to tell you (which by the way you’ll need to read back). CRAFT stands for Clearance, Route, Altitude, Frequency and Transponder.
Typically when I am flying IFR (jetliner type aircraft), I’ll call up and request clearance like this. “Denver Clearance Delivery, this is American 1066 requesting IFR clearance to Dallas/Ft. Worth as filed. I have information Bravo”.
The readback I receive from ATC will fall into the CRAFT format and may sound something like this:
American 1066, you are cleared to the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport (Clearance) via the STAKR4 Departure PYPER Transition (Route), Climb and Maintain 10 Thousand…expect Flight Level 350 10 minutes after departure (Altitude). Departure Frequency 128.45 (Frequency) , Squawk 2145 (Transponder).
Aviate, Navigate and Communicate
Things can get pretty hectic when flying online. Remember, in the real world…airliners are flown by TWO pilots who share the work load. On VATSIM, all the same amount of work is handled by just ONE pilot, YOU! Regardless of how busy and hectic things become (and it does get easier with practice) always remember this tip. Aviate, Navigate and finally Communicate.
Aviate – Always maintain control of your aircraft. This is first and foremost.
Navigate – Know where you are, understand the terrain and obstacles around and below you.
Communicate – Finally…communicate. As you gain more and more experience, you’ll be able to multitask like a pro. But until that time comes, always make sure you begin executing all ATC instructions before you communicate with ATC.
Help is Here VATSIM First Wings Event
I realize a few paragraphs ago I said VATSIM isn’t the place for “on the job” training and I encouraged you to read all you can and familiarize yourself as best you can before you show up and try to muddle your way through the procedures. While I absolutely encourage you to follow this sound advice, VATSIM does conduct various events around the world to help brand new virtual pilots. These events are called “VATSIM First Wings” and they are absolutely geared to help the beginner online pilot. While I would still encourage you to read everything you can and also be fully capable of flying your aircraft (this event isn’t geared to teach you how to fly). Then show up at the appropriate time, location and be ready to learn.
The next VATSIM First Wings Event is quickly approaching and will take place on 27 April 2300 – 0200z at these featured airports KRST (Rochester), KRFD (Rockford), KCID (Eastern Iowa) and KDLH (Duluth Intl). You can learn more about this upcoming VATSIM First Wings event here.
If you’ve reached this point and you’re thinking to yourself, “VATSIM sounds like the last place I want to be” that was not the intention. However, I can’t stress enough that VATSIM is a serious online community of likeminded individuals who all share a passion for aviation and we’re all after one thing….”An As Real As It Gets” Experience of interacting with Air Traffic Control and other Aviators. It’s really that simple.
There’s a WHOLE lot more information that I would love to share and will do so in the future. Flying on VATSIM is not something I do each and every time I fly. However, I do very much enjoy the enhanced immersion it provides. For me, I’m really not interested in the HUGE events such as Cross the Pond. I tend to favor smaller events where the balance between ATC and pilots better mirror real world operations. Regardless whether you enjoy flying small GA aircraft, small to medium sized tubeliners or the giants of the sky hauling passengers or freight from one side of the world to the other, VATSIM really does something for everyone. I hope you’ll check it out and I hope this tutorial has helped motivate you to do so.
We seem to be experiencing a growth spurt within our flight simulation community as I’m seeing more and more questions pop up within social media circles regarding multiplayer options for flight simulation. I wrote about this very subject many years ago, but like many things in life….things change and in our case, the change has been for the good of the hobby. Allow me take a short walk down memory lane and then I’ll explain all the online multiplayer options for flight simulation.
As some of my readers will know, I’ve been a part of the flight simulation community for a long, long time. A little over 34 years to be exact and my first experience with multiplayer dates back almost as long. Well….sort of. See, my friend and I both had Commodore 64 computers and we both enjoyed the subLogic Flight Simulator (which eventually became Microsoft Flight Simulator). Anyway, long before the internet and long before the online multiplayer networks we have today were even thought of, my friend and I would get together at either his house or my house and we would setup both of our C-64’s and we would fly together. Of course, the only way I could see his plane was to look at his TV set and the only way he could see mine was to glance over at mine. But we set them nearly side-by-side and we had hours and hours of fun.
Of course sometimes one of us would pretend to be a crude version of ATC and we would provide clearance instructions to each other. I’ll admit, neither one of us knew what we were doing and pretty much everything we based our experience on was what we had seen in the old Airport disaster movies (Airport, Airport 75, Airport 77 and Airport 79) with perhaps a mix of comedic fun from watching Airplane. No, I’ll neither confirm or deny I ever sniffed glue. LOL Anyway….neither of us could imagine that someday we could enjoy the hobby in a true networked multiplayer environment with real-live humans performing the knowledgeable and experienced role of ATC and we could fly our favorite aircraft all over the world. Enough of my old history, let’s get back on subject.
Setting the Stage
As the title suggests, the purpose of this writing is simply to share with those who care to read…the available online multiplayer options which are available for flight simulation. This includes the older FSX (boxed), FSX Steam Edition, all versions of Prepar3D and X-Plane flight simulation platforms. It has long been a desire of mine to write a definitive guide to multiplayer (specifically VATSIM) and one of these days I might just get around to it. But for now, I’ll share with you the options available and provide links where you can conduct your own research to determine how you can get started.
Finally, of the options I’m going to discuss in this writing…I feel I need to break them down into three different categories. The first being “free/no-cost full ATC simulation”, “paid full ATC simulation” and “No ATC simulation”. We’ll start with the later and work our way from there.
No ATC Multiplayer Environment
There really is only one in this category which I will discuss in this posting. If all you are really looking for is a solution where you and your friends can fly around, perform pattern work and essentially not have the need to worry about Air Traffic Control services, then FSCloud might be of interest to you. FSCloud works with FSX, P3D and XPlane 10/11. The cost is absolutely free and the process for registering an account, downloading and setting up the software and getting online is easy. The focus on realism isn’t as strong as you’ll find on VATSIM, IVAO or Pilot Edge. However, common courtesy of others should still be considered when using FSCloud. In other words, follow their rules and guidelines and you should be OK. I’ve often used FSCloud (and still do from time to time). Visit the FSCloud website for complete information on registering for an account, downloading the client software and please familiarize yourself with their rules and guidelines.
Paid Full ATC Simulation
As was the case with the previous category, currently there’s only one option available in the paid category of full ATC simulation and that is the PilotEdge Network. PilotEdge works with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, Flight Simulator X (including FSX Steam Edition), all versions of Prepar3D and X-Plane 10/11. One of the main advantages of PilotEdge (as compared to VATSIM/IVAO) is they provide Air Traffic Control on a guaranteed basis during specific hours, in a specific area. Their staffing hours are 8 AM – 11 PM Pacific, 7 days a week. At the time of this writing, PilotEdge offers ATC within the Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles, Denver, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque ARTCC’s. This coverage is split into two different subscription options including ZLA (Los Angeles) and Western US. Subscription plans start at $19.95 per month for just the ZLA area. An additional $19.95 per month would be required for access into the Western expansion area. A two week free trial is available.
For full disclosure, I personally do not have any first hand experience with the PilotEdge network. I’ve been wanting to take advantage of their two week free trial, but for me personally…I really don’t think I would be interested in PilotEdge beyond the two week trial. My reason for this is I enjoy flying all over the world and the majority of my flying is jetliner routes of anywhere from 300 – 1000+ miles. While the vast majority of my flights originate out of Denver (within their coverage area), I don’t always fly west. Additionally, I’m a fan and supporter of the VATSIM network. I’ve been on the VATSIM network since it first began back in 2001 and I suppose it boils down to what one is used to. While the PilotEdge audio is wonderful (from what I’ve heard on YouTube and Twitch), I personally believe their pricing structure is just too expensive for the casual simmer. Don’t get me wrong…for real world pilots and students, PilotEdge is fantastic. But for a busy guy like me, I just can’t justify the expense at this time. Visit the PilotEdge website to learn more about their network, their coverage hours/area and sign up for the free two-week trial.
Free/No-Cost Full ATC Simulation
This category currently has two main contenders with a third to be launched sometime in the future. These are VATSIM, IVAO and the yet to be released network is POSCON. We’re really only just now beginning to understand all that POSCON will offer the flight sim community. However, I did write an extensive article about POSCON a few weeks ago. This article covers many of the planned features and let me just say, that I’m really excited about what I believe POSCON will bring to the flight sim community. You can read that article here.
Both VATSIM and IVAO offer a similar online experience. Both networks provide the software necessary to connect and experience the world of multiplayer flight operations.
VATSIM
Before I dive into the world of VATSIM, I would like to just briefly mention SATCO. Now SATCO has been history for a very long time. But all that we enjoy today with both VATSIM, IVAO and anything that may or may not come down the road, have roots back to SATCO. The first version of an online client was developed back in the late 90’s and as both the evolution of the internet and flight sims came along, this launched the ability for users to fly together in a multiplayer environment and so SATCO or the Simulated Air Traffic Controllers Organization was born. In July of 2001, it was announced that VATSIM would succeed SATCO and as a result a brand new organization was created and launched.
VATSIM or Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network is considered to be the largest online flight simulation network in the world with over 209,000 registered members and recently exceeded 80,000 active members for the first time. An active member is defined as any member of the VATSIM network who has connected to VATSIM at least once within the last six months. I’ve been a member of the VATSIM Network since it began back in July, 2001 and yes before VATSIM, I held a membership with SATCO.
IVAO
The IVAO or International Virtual Aviation Organization was formed in 1998 and currently has more than 170,000 registered members. The creation of IVAO occurred when a group of people left SATCO to form a new network after management conflicts developed. Like VATSIM, the purpose of IVAO is to provide an environment for a realistic flight and air traffic control simulation via the internet. Again, like VATSIM…IVAO provides the tools needed to connect to their network and offers training to both pilots and ATC based on real-world aviation regulations and procedures.
In Summary
Both IVAO and VATSIM networks came about as a result of management conflicts with the original SATCO network. Both VATSIM and IVAO are 100% free and provide all the necessary tools and training. Both VATSIM and IVAO host regularly scheduled events all around the world. As for which organization is the best? I recommend joining both experiencing what each network has to offer and making your own conclusion. As more information becomes available on the new and exciting POSCON network, I’ll certainly share it with everyone. At the time of this writing, POSCON is expected to go into an early beta stage sometime after the first of the year. Like VATSIM and IVAO, POSCON will be a 100% free service and available and open to all.
Until next time…
Enjoy the multiplayer experience! It’s As Real As It Gets!
When I was a child (keep in mind I grew up in the 70’s, early 80’s and sneaking up on year 52) my mother and grandmother absolutely loved their soap operas. I always found it interesting that while I didn’t watch them regularly (no, really…I promise) I could either be home sick from school, on summer or holiday break and catch 5-10 minutes in passing and then repeat in a few weeks/months time and feel as if I really hadn’t missed anything. Yes, those WERE the Days of Our Lives!
About a week ago I wrote a detailed piece regarding POSCON (Positive Control Network). Now let me just state for the record that I am not involved in any capacity with the POSCON team. I know a few of the folks behind POSCON, but I’m personally not involved. Said another way, I’m merely an individual who is interested and highly excited about the possibilities POSCON is planning to bring to the flight sim community. Period!
Drama, Drama, Drama
Since the time I published the article last week, a whole lot of drama has bubbled up regarding POSCON’s plan to purchase one of the existing online multiplayer networks. If you are new to the hobby, we only have three online multiplayer ATC networks and they are VATSIM, IVAO and PilotEdge. It became clear who the target was fairly soon after news broke about the plan and the VATSIM network found itself in the crosshairs. The dollar amount offered for the VATSIM network was $50,000 USD.
I’ll be honest and once again state for the record that I really don’t understand exactly how an organization such as VATSIM could simply be acquired. If someone offered to purchase my blog site which is solely owned/operated by yours truly, then yes…I understand how that financial transaction would take place. But VATSIM is simply a non-profit, unincorporated entity which is made up of a Board of Governors and the general membership. I’ve been a member of VATSIM for 17 years, I have never been charged a dime to use the service, I pay no dues and to my knowledge there has never been any method to contribute/donate/gift funds to cover the operational costs for the network. So in this sort of setup, exactly who would one write a check to? Who would benefit from the $50K?
Nothing in life is free
That’s right! Absolutely NOTHING in life is free. Someone, somewhere is paying. While I charge nothing for folks to read my articles, view my mods and add-on spreadsheet or review my hardware/software configurations….it costs money (my money) to have this website and no I’m not about to start charging. But my point is this. People (and it all started with the original VATSIM Founders) have been footing the bill to run the VATSIM network for the past 17 years. While I would assume much of the development of the software/database etc. has been done by fellow VATSIM members, there are still hardware costs associated to keeping the network operational 24×7. My guess is $50K wouldn’t even come close to covering all the costs which have been incurred over the past 17 years. But the point I’m making here (or trying to make) isn’t about the $50,000. Please keep reading!
Hate runneth over
As much as I love the Internet age we all find ourselves living in, I for one could certainly do without all the hate and negativity which goes along with it. Seems like every rock you turn over, you’ll find a troll lurking under it….just waiting to pounce and then retreat back under the rock. This is one of the reasons I have given myself a break from YouTube and Twitch. But that’s another story, for another blog post…
When the news broke about the $50,000 offer from POSCON to acquire VATSIM, speculation run amuck over what POSCON’s true intentions were. Folks began piling on their bandwagon of choice and filling the interwebz with hate and speculation over how POSCON (and certain individuals associated with POSCON) were going to destroy our hobby. The general consensus was just because POSCON was offering money to acquire VATSIM, that at some point in time there must be an equal or greater return on that initial investment.
The Park Across the Street
True story as we take a brief break from the POSCON v. VATSIM story. I live and work in what is called the Denver Tech Center. It’s a wonderful and beautiful part of Denver and my commute from home to office is generally less than 5 minutes. If you know anything about Denver traffic, then you know this is a HUGE benefit. After all, every minute not stuck in traffic is a minute I can spend doing something else. But I digress….
Across the street from my neighborhood is a fairly large park. The land was donated/gifted many years ago with the intention that it would always be used as a park for people to enjoy. The park is very well maintained. It is mowed weekly, there are numerous trash cans which are emptied on a regular basis. And each year around Christmas, lights are placed in the trees in beautiful fashion. On any given day, you’ll find both young and old enjoying the benefits in which this park gives to everyone. Yet….there is no admission fee to enter. There is no “pay for play” entry fee to enjoy this little park across the street.
Of course, YES….our tax dollars are used to cover the costs of maintaining the park. But this just further proves my point from earlier that nothing in life is free. But the bigger picture here is that someone with very generous pockets gifted this land for the purpose and benefit of others.
Back on Point
Just because someone, somewhere steps up and makes the decision to financially back something or even create something new and different, doesn’t automatically mean at some point in time it will turn into a “pay for play” subscription offering. Likewise, just because someone else appears to have a lot of different projects in various stages of development doesn’t indicate dubious intentions. Individuals do often care enough to give for the betterment of all.
My Final Thoughts
As I’ve said before, it’s never been my intentions to write about breaking news content. I chose to write the POSCON article last week simply because I found it exciting and wanted to share that exciting news with my readership. As I sit here writing this follow-up, that level of excitement for what I believe POSCON will bring to this hobby HAS NOT WAVERED. I’m just as excited and I’m just as confident in the people behind POSCON and their ability to deliver the next generation flight simulation network.
My advice to the POSCON team (should they care to read it) is to just simply move forward with their plans. Draw a line in the sand and say everything which has transpired up to this point is on that side of the line and everything we have to look forward to is on this other side. Then continue marching forward.
As for VATSIM, there’s a reason why I’ve been a member of this online community for 17 years. However, VATSIM hasn’t done a good enough job in keeping up with the times and the VATSIM leadership appears to have acknowledged this oversight and only time will tell just how serious they are in correcting it.
My advice for anyone still reading this. Try VATSIM, try IVAO, try PilotEdge and perhaps sometime after the first of the year…give POSCON a try. Then make a decision. But understand that you absolutely do not have to limit yourself to just one online network. As I pointed out in the article last week, POSCON may not be for everyone and that’s absolutely OK. But please….let’s stop the hate. Let’s not turn this into another measuring contest where we divide and single folks out simply because of how they define their enjoyment of the hobby. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and all my writings. This will most likely be the last mention of POSCON until such time as I have the ability to experience it first hand.
Until next time….
Be Happy!!!
JT
P.S. No, my blog site is not for sale. LOL Second, I hope to share some really exciting news with everyone very, very soon regarding an opportunity which I’ve been offered (which has nothing to do with the content of this article) and something I’m really looking forward to. As a teaser, yes it does have to do with writing and it has to do with the flight simulation hobby. But beyond that, you’ll just need to wait a few weeks to hear the rest of the story….
POSCON – Positive Control Network Will Be Awesome! Yep, you heard it here first….
But let me be brutally honest. When I first learned of a planned new online flight sim multiplayer network I sort of rolled my eyes and pondered WHY? Unless you’re new to my blog postings, then you know I’ve been flying computer based sims since the 1980’s and have been a part of the flight sim community since the dawn of the Internet age and have been blogging about this hobby for well over 10 years. I’ve also been an active member of the VATSIM network since the day it was founded back in 2001. Yea…I’m nearly old as dirt, I have opinions…but I absolutely love this hobby. Much of the reason I asked “WHY” was down to the fact that I figured a third online multiplayer network would just further dilute IVAO/VATSIM, which in turn would just make all three mostly a wasteland of virtual air space. After all, contrary to popular belief, the flight sim community is rather small in comparison to other gaming communities.
What is POSCON?
POSCON or Positive Control Network is the next generation flight simulation network. The team behind POSCON are a mix of aviation professionals, hobbyists and enthusiasts who have experienced the need for an improved, modern flight sim network that supports the latest and greatest technologies.
But Why Something New?
As I previously mentioned, I too asked myself why. After all, not all change is good. Yes, I’m fully aware that both IVAO and VATSIM have their issues. While I’ve flown on both networks in the past, VATSIM is my primary network of choice and while much of their infrastructure is seriously outdated (especially their voice codec) my initial thoughts were let’s focus on fixing what we already have, before we head down the path of something new. After all, both IVAO and VATSIM were born as a result of management differences with the old SATCO network which was developed in the late 1990’s.
POSCON Is Not Just Something New
That’s right! From the outside, yea….sure….POSCON will be a new online flight sim multiplayer network. But, once you begin to peel back the layers, you’ll soon learn that POSCON is not just something new. Instead, POSCON is something DIFFERENT! Very, very, very different from what we have now.
POSCON Will Be Immersive
A total immersive experience is the absolute goal behind POSCON. The immersion factor begins well before you get into the flight deck and will end well after you’ve landed and parked at your gate/stand.
POSCON will not be just a casual flying network. Today in the VATSIM/IVAO environment, the immersion ends immediately after the flight. POSCON will include additional features to reward virtual pilots who want to achieve full immersion before, during and after each flight. POSCON will include a system behind every thing that is done on the network. The additional immersion features will ensure there’s more to your flight than just landing after diverting to another airport and logging off the network. Pilots will be rewarded for making the extra effort to submit a logbook entry just as it’s done in the real world.
POSCON Events
POSCON events will be different from what we have experienced with VATSIM/IVAO. Events will no longer be just a point A to point B only experience. Air traffic during events will depart from multiple airports within a region to other multiple airports in another regions. The overall experience during events will better simulate real world air traffic with flights arriving into large international airports, smaller regional airports and overhead cross traffic. In other words, the experience is not just about trying to land 500 planes into one airport.
AI Traffic
Don’t always have time to fly during events or when most users are logged in? Neither do I and sometimes it does get a bit lonely being the only aircraft landing/departing from our favorite airports. If flying offline, most AI Traffic packages don’t always simulate real-world operations. It bugs me to no end when I see AI aircraft landing on runways which I know are not used in the real world.
POSCON will fill the virtual skies with interactive AI. Quoted directly from the POSCON website “Imagine for a minute a network without any traffic dead zones. For pilots, this means a flight that never gets boring. For ATC, this means you can sign on at 9 AM and still work a busy sector. Our algorithms will generate traffic based on real world airline flight schedules and inject them into the live network. Controllers have the option of tracking these targets and, when they do, the AI drones will come onto the frequency and be controllable through voice. As live traffic on the network increases, the untracked AI traffic will begin to drop offline to allow for a manageable level of traffic for controllers.” Pretty cool, huh? I thought so too!
Real World Scenarios
Yea…I’m guilty of seeking out the worst weather imaginable. Whether it be a massive snow storm or hurricane force winds/rain I’m often loading up my sim, logging onto VATSIM and thinking YOLO (You Only Live Once) and flying my PMDG 737. But in the real world, airlines and pilots would never do this. POSCON may close airports in these types of scenarios and offer pilots one of two choices. Option one…divert! Option two…hold! I think that’s cool and that my friends is total immersion!
Air Traffic Controllers will also have access to real world weather conditions right in their POSCON controller client and will be able to vector traffic around strong storm cells just like real world operations.
POSCON Data Link
POSCON data link features for enhanced commercial flying will be a feature. Example, You’re flying an American Airlines 738 into Denver. You’ll receive a message via the POSCON Data Link providing you the gate assignment on arrival. The ATC controller client will also receive this same information. In the event someone spawns in and occupies that same gate, then POSCON will attempt to provide a gate change assignment. However, as is the case in the real world (flown into Heathrow lately?), pilots may experience a ground hold until gate assignment becomes available. POSCON will reward pilots for their patience and/or effort in helping to keep the immersion to a high standard. These rewards will be part of the POSCON pilot record.
In addition, communications for large events like Cross the Pond would be handled most via data link messages just as they are in the real world. At any given point in time, hundreds of aircraft are flying across the Atlantic…but very little verbal audio communications take place. It’s all done via data link messages.
POSCON Audio Quality & Communications
POSCON audio is custom and will be as clear as real world communications and at times may be as distorted as real world communications can be. Modulation simulation, HF/VHF simulation will all be simulated into the system. POSCON will also offer a voice Unicom and will be managed via the AI system and will monitor pilot behavior. The system will have the ability to take a snapshot of the pilot behavior for review by supervisors.
POSCON will not have the ability for free form text messages, but instead will include predefined messages that can be sent to the controller. While ATC in the real world is English only, POSCON will have the ability for non English language support. All predefined messages will be translated into multiple languages. A Chinese virtual pilot could send a message that he/she would view in Chinese, but other pilots/controllers would see that message in their native language or English.
What About Model Matching
One of the major bugbears with VATSIM and IVAO is model matching. Simply put, model matching means if I’m flying online and another aircraft is nearby, I want to see that other aircraft depicted in the exact type of aircraft AND livery as it should be. POSCON plans a very unique method of handling model matching where multiplayer traffic will be stored on the cloud and dynamically downloaded and injected as the user navigates online. Only the models which are needed will be downloaded, displayed and deleted as necessary. Very Cool!
What Else Can I Tell You?
POSCON is expected to be released sometime mid 2019 with early access beta possible in very early 2019. The plan is for an open beta as the POSCON Dev Team wants 100% transparency. So any and all who would like to participate will be able to participate.
You might be asking yourself, gosh Jerry this all sounds absolutely amazing…but how much will all this cost me? Great question and the answer to that question is NOTHING! POSCON will be 100% and absolutely FREE!
Final Thoughts
I doubt these will truly be my final thoughts on this subject. But for this posting and at this time, I’ve just got to say that if POSCON becomes reality…then this will truly be a thing of beauty. Of course, many are saying that POSCON will kill VATSIM and IVAO. I don’t think so. I think POSCON may prove not to be for everyone and in this case, those virtual pilots will continue to enjoy VATSIM/IVAO just as they do today.
But as I’ve said many times before, the changes I’ve seen in the flight sim hobby over the past 35+ years have truly been amazing. Whether it be the features of ground handling services of GSX (when working properly), the injection of real world weather from ActiveSky, the icing effects and bug splatter on the FSLabs A319 and hopefully all the goodness I’ve just been blabbering about from POSCON. When I think back to what things were like in the early 1980’s on my Commodore 64 to what they are now…God it’s truly a great time to be alive.
Want to learn more? Yes, I’ve covered a lot and I think I’ve just about covered everything publically available today with regards to POSCON, but should you want to know more or just want to check out the POSCON website, then please do so. I’ll certainly provide more details as it becomes available and I truly look forward to the open beta and the general release of what is shaping up to be a very cool addition to our already amazing hobby.
Last night a bit of history was made and I was fortunate enough to have been a part of it. As I’ve mentioned a few times, I’ve been flying on the VATSIM network from its inception, and even briefly before when it was known as SATCO. I’ve participated in many events around the world and just about each and every one of those events left a lasting impression on me. I remember my first CTP or Cross the Pond and the 9/11 remembrance events are always very special. But Friday night I experienced something which out of my 18 year history with VATSIM was an absolute first and honestly I almost missed out on it.
Earlier in the week I had been researching some of the scheduled events taking place at FSExpo18. I recently blogged about this event which is taking place this weekend. I somewhat stumbled onto the VATSIM FNO event (Friday Night Operations) and when I read about it, I knew I had to make every effort to participate. However, the timing couldn’t have been worse. I’ve been extremely busy at work the past few weeks, I’m leaving today (writing this on the plane) for SFO for work, my parents arrive on Thursday and I’m once again traveling the week of the 25th. So much going on, but I so wanted to participate. While I don’t need to ask permission from my wife to really do anything, I explained to her about the event and said I’ll get everything done I needed to do, work right up to the time I need to leave for the airport on Sunday. She agreed that this event would be special. WOW…I have a fantastic wife.
The Event
VATSIM has held, what they’ve historically called “Light up America” events in the past. The goal is to attempt to staff as many air traffic control positions as possible. Keep in mind this is all volunteer effort. While most everyone enjoys the online flying part, we need folks who equally enjoy serving as ATC or Air Traffic Controllers to make it “As Real As It Gets”. This event had the exact same goals and VATSIM was taking it up a notch by hosting it Live from the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas during FSExpo18.
Again, I’ve been flying off and on on the VATSIM network since it was born over 18 years ago. I recall participating in other “Light up America” events, but I don’t recall it being as successful as Friday nights event actually was. This is not to say it never has been, I just don’t recall it and never had the opportunity to participate in any such event.
Return to Twitch
OK…I need to just say one thing. In a few days you’re going to see a blog posting which is a response to an email I received a few days ago from a long-time (somewhat long lost) flight sim friend. He wrote me after seeing newly published content on my blog site about flight sim. In a nutshell, he’s asking me if I had any plans to livestream my flights on Twitch as I once did before I started up my YouTube channel. I replied to me privately, and asked him if he would mind me turning his email, my response and other thoughts into a blog posting for future release. He thought that was a great idea and I had been working on writing that up for release in a few weeks. However, as I began to plan my flight for the VATSIM event, I thought to myself it might be a good event for me to stream on Twitch. So I did and here we are…
Rusty, Rusty, Rusty
It’s been over three years since I had broadcast my flying on Twitch. Back then, I would make every effort to fly to/from airports with ATC coverage…but what I really enjoy most about livestreaming is interacting with my viewers. Unfortunately in an event of this scale, there is so much ATC chatter that it really makes it hard….plus I’m a bit rusty with some of my VATSIM procedures (especially when flying in a controlled airspace) that juggling a three ring circus (ring one my aircraft, ring two VATSIM ATC and ring three my Twitch viewers) could easily become overwhelming. But surprisingly I think I did OK and really only got my wrist slapped by ATC one time and that was my failure to STOP my taxi at SFO after I had vacated 28R, was given permission to cross 28L by SFO Tower, but I was handed off to SFO Ground a bit late (i think) and I unfortunately was changing frequencies and still moving. But all is OK…and I’ve learned a lesson which I won’t forget.
Thank you VATSIM
As you can see from the screenshot I captured from VAT-Spy during the event, America was certainly lit up with ATC. It’s not every day a pilot can depart on the east coast of the US and fly all the way across the country and be within ATC control the entire time. For my flight, I opted to recreate the flight I’m currently on (Denver to San Francisco) with Southwest Airlines.
I must also say, that while I enjoy VATSIM events. Most are situated around a single airport or a single ARTCC region. This places a lot of traffic all attempting to land/takeoff within a small airspace. I would love to see VATSIM organize more events similar to Light up the USA. But I’m also aware it’s all volunteer effort and I really have no idea the amount of work it took to pull off this type of an event. A possible solution might be to divide the US half (along the Mississippi River) and have eastern and western focused events alternate in similar fashion to the Light up the USA event.
Thank you Viewers
As PBS says, “It’s Viewers Like You” and it really is. I appreciate those who turned out to watch my flight. I realize most of my YouTube subscribers are mainly Farm Sim fans, but I do have a mix of fans who enjoy all things simulation and hopefully everyone enjoyed themselves. I know I certainly did and I’m really glad I had the opportunity to experience this event, glad I had the opportunity to share it with others and very much look forward to more, more, more.
I need to close for now and I’m going to see if I can upload this via my onboard wi-fi connection. Look for another installment of the GBS WorldFlight Tour later this week and perhaps another edition on Saturday. Sometime I’ll also schedule and release the letter I mentioned earlier which again I wrote not really knowing I would be streaming the flight.
Just for clarification, my blog articles are geared towards the new flight sim enthusiast. 2017 is “The Year of Flight Simulation”. With new and updated flight sim platforms from Lockheed Martin (Prepar3d v4), Laminar Research (X-Plane 11) and the new kid on the block Dovetail Games (Flight Sim World)…a lot of hype (very good hype) has been focused on our wonderful hobby. If you build it, they will come…is just as fitting on the flight sim scene today as it was years ago in that Iowa cornfield.
Today’s “How To” article is designed to help the new virtual pilot understand the differences of VFR and IFR flight rules as they relate to the flight simulation hobby. But before we get started and to satisfy the attorneys….allow me to post the fine print.
Fine Print: Unfortunately I feel the need to state for the record that my “How To” articles and tips are for flight simulation purposes only and should not be used for real world aviation.
Now that we have the legal stuff out of the way…let’s get started!
The Flight Rules
There are two sets of rules for flying and operating aircraft. VFR and IFR. The choice between these two sets of rules is generally determined based on weather conditions. However, other factors may come into play such as flight operations, type of aircraft and terrain/border considerations. But before we dive into these specific sets of circumstances, let’s clear the air on exactly what VFR and IFR means. Let’s start with IFR first.
IFR
IFR stands for Instrument Flight Rules and is a set of rules that govern aircraft which fly in what is considered Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). IMC, in general terms, just means flying in the clouds. More to the point, IMC weather conditions are defined as weather that is below the prescribed minimums for VFR flights.
Essentially, under IFR flight or IFR flight conditions, the pilot or pilots will operate and fly the aircraft by instruments without any outside visual guidance. In the real world, pilots who wish to fly IFR are required to possess an instrument rating and required to undergo additional training.
VFR
VFR stands for Visual Flight Rules. Just as the name implies, VFR flight rules require the aircraft must, at all times be clear of any weather situations which would prevent the pilot from maintaining visual separation with other aircraft, terrain, obstacles etc. While some VFR flights may be under radar coverage by ATC, under VFR the responsibility for traffic separation lies solely with the pilot in command.
Other Considerations
While weather certainly plays a crucial part in determining whether one flies VFR or IFR, also the type of aircraft, the type of flight operations being conducted and also general terrain and border considerations must be factored in. Of course, the other really important factor is pilot rating/certifications. However, pilot rating/certifications are not applicable in the virtual flying environment.
Simply put, unless the pilot holds an instrument rating…if weather conditions are not VFR (meaning they are classified as IMC as discussed above) then the aircraft and the pilot will remain firmly in place on the ground.
The type of aircraft also carries an important factor in the decision. Something like a J-3 Cub with no lights and no radios will remain grounded under non-VFR conditions. At a minimum, (along with pilot certification) any aircraft filing for IFR flight must have two-way radio communication capabilities, a transponder and navigation equipment.
Any sort of scheduled passenger flight operations will require an IFR flight plan to be filed and the pilot/aircraft must fly under IFR flight rules at all times. The exception to this rule might include certain charter operators, but for insurance purposes even these may be required to always operate IFR. Obviously all large jet aircraft will generally file and operate IFR.
Finally, depending on terrain and altitude restrictions, these type of flights might be IFR type. Also, crossing of international borders will also most likely require an IFR flight plan.
Fine Print: Unfortunately I feel the need to state for the record that my “How To” articles and tips are for flight simulation purposes only and should not be used for real world aviation.
Again, while much of what I’ve discussed above comes directly from real-world aviation rules/guidelines, I just want to remind readers this information is not geared towards real world aviation.
Virtual Flying – IFR or VFR? What is most common?
In the virtual world, and specifically speaking about the virtual multi-player networks of VATSIM and IVAO, the most common type of flight operations are IFR. While both networks welcome and encourage VFR flying, the most common will be IFR.
Even yours truly, got started on VATSIM flying IFR and of the almost 2000 hours I’ve logged flying on the VATSIM network, I’d guess that 95% of those hours will be under IFR. As someone with over 17 years of VATSIM experience, if there is any regret I have today, it’s that I didn’t do more VFR General Aviation type of flying on the network to gain a better understanding of the key functional differences between the two.
What’s Next?
This really is only scratching the surface and this article is really only providing the explanation and differences between IFR and VFR flight. In a future set of articles I’ll provide more clarification specific to IFR and VFR flying as it relates to virtual flying on the various online, multiplayer networks.
Until next time…happy flying!
Jerry
Fine Print: Unfortunately I feel the need to state for the record that my “How To” articles and tips are for flight simulation purposes only and should not be used for real world aviation.
