To the newbie - First Time Jitters

[Darren Currie 1044920]

man i remember my first flight i was all fired up and then i started thinking what if i make myself look like an idiot and all this stuff

[Juhyun Park 1044978]

Man. It's so embar[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ing to think about it. Or should I say proud?? That FSInn and stuff got me all worked up. Whew!!

[Bryan Gal 1021815]

Heh, my first flight didn't start out so well... technically, it was my first flight in a loong time on FS... going from the gate to the runway, took a little longer than i thought, it was like waiting in traffic on the taxiway... no wait... there was traffic... anyways departure, went as planned... sorta (douchebag connected on the runway) and i was off into the air, standard flight, and then arrival nothing special... and did i mention that talking on the mic makes ya really nervous...

[Jacob Hampton 1047604]

I have yet to crash it on VATSIM but I think I could do A good job when I first get on..If i do bomb it can you Controllers Guys help me out a bit?

[Dave Moreman 1048898]

Have logged on a few times to observe but never flown. The other night, was parked at Newcastle and the controller asked if I wanted to fly - so I requested an IFR circuit in a 737. Had lots of problems with VATSIM disconnecting every couple of minutes but got half way round the circuit before it got so bad I had to apologise and disconnect. I also seemed to be way too low (2500ft) so perhaps I misheard an ATC height instruction (?) as I seemed to be flying through some moorland rather than over it! Lots of fun anyway and thanks to the very kind Newcastle and Manchester CTR controllers. I'll be back!

 

cheers

 

Dave

[Jacob Hampton 1047604]

i have registered but how do i connect?

 

The pilots resource center should help http://www.vatsim.net/prc

[Wade Williams 877539]

I still have problems and reservations getting online. Only tried a big, busy airport once and was turned off it because I felt my lack of knowledge would affect others.

 

What I need is a 'co'-pilot trainer to help through to get the feel. I can read till my head hurts, but I have to learn by doing.

 

Like Ryan, my AIM is my profile, and I'm happy to take questions from new pilots.

 

If you have questions, don't be shy - ask away.

[Greg D'alessandro 1053762]

I'm living the newbie days atm...

 

I've been flying Online since 2003 but never in a place that required VOR Navigation, SIDS and STARS. I still get confused by all of it.

[David Quinlan 1045857]

Well, I took my first flight on VATSIM on saturday. Firstly, I would really like to thank the controller on SYD_TWR that afternoon. Patient doesn't even come close to describing his help!

 

I read absolutely everything I could lay my hands on in the PRC multiple times. I created my own checklists to make sure I wouldn't embar[Mod - Happy Thoughts] myself or get in anyone's way. I did the flight a number of times offline. I thought I was prepared. HA!!! Where did I go wrong, let me count the ways:

 

1) Submitted an incorrect flight plan to the tower. Tower very kindly sorted me out there.

 

2) Forgot to read back my clearance info. Due to brain snap, had to do the readback three times(!) as I missed some stuff the first time though.

 

3) Even though I had all the charts in front of me, AND I had done it offline, I STILL managed to taxi to the wrong runway. Tower once again sorted me out (notice the recurring theme?).

 

4) Pretty sure I didn't make even ONE correct standard ATC call.

 

5) Managed to program the FMS correctly so the SID was taken care of, but wondered why it was so hard to maintain altitude after takeoff. That would be because the flaps and gear were still down. DUH!

 

So, for my next flight I am going to do the following to mend my ways:

 

1) Practice my radio calls offline and understand when a readback is required.

 

2) Read everything in the PRC again.

 

3) Specifically practice taxiing about YSSY so I don't get lost again.

 

It was terrific fun though and I was still buzzing with adrenalin for hours afterward.

 

My thanks to SY_TWR and the community in general for this wonderful virtual world.

 

Dave Q

[Lukas Kusiak 1016006]

If you're having roblems with Phaseology, what I do is I turn off the Pilot voice from the offline ATC menu and I read what is displayed on the screen. I find this gave me a real advantage during my first online flight....

 

edit: My lousy spelling

Edited April 27, 2008 at 11:59 PM by Guest

[Jeremy Castellanos 1007109]

Well, I took my first flight on VATSIM on saturday. Firstly, I would really like to thank the controller on SYD_TWR that afternoon. Patient doesn't even come close to describing his help!

 

I read absolutely everything I could lay my hands on in the PRC multiple times. I created my own checklists to make sure I wouldn't embar[Mod - Happy Thoughts] myself or get in anyone's way. I did the flight a number of times offline. I thought I was prepared. HA!!! Where did I go wrong, let me count the ways:

 

1) Submitted an incorrect flight plan to the tower. Tower very kindly sorted me out there.

 

2) Forgot to read back my clearance info. Due to brain snap, had to do the readback three times(!) as I missed some stuff the first time though.

 

3) Even though I had all the charts in front of me, AND I had done it offline, I STILL managed to taxi to the wrong runway. Tower once again sorted me out (notice the recurring theme?).

 

4) Pretty sure I didn't make even ONE correct standard ATC call.

 

5) Managed to program the FMS correctly so the SID was taken care of, but wondered why it was so hard to maintain altitude after takeoff. That would be because the flaps and gear were still down. DUH!

 

So, for my next flight I am going to do the following to mend my ways:

 

1) Practice my radio calls offline and understand when a readback is required.

 

2) Read everything in the PRC again.

 

3) Specifically practice taxiing about YSSY so I don't get lost again.

 

It was terrific fun though and I was still buzzing with adrenalin for hours afterward.

 

My thanks to SY_TWR and the community in general for this wonderful virtual world.

 

Dave Q

 

Still needing to go on Vatsim and fly already. I know I will be the same way as you. I practice all kinds of SID's and STAR's for Florida, Georgia, and Alabama alot and I am sure I will muck it up when I am actually on a scheduled time. I sometimes still get forgetful to bring my flaps up at the right time which is a no no. Well considering that most Airliners have a copilot to help out I don't feel so bad. GA airplanes I have no issues with since it's less switches to worry about. Sometime soon I hope to make my first flight on Vatsim, when free time permits.

[Clement Lumanyika 1054845]

i just got off a freightening first experience on vatsim . i'd like to thank both the controllers at KMEM who were more patient than i could ever be. i was so anxious/nervous that I even said "TEN-FOUR" as an affirmative......lol i wasn't pullin any newbie punches until my computer froze on me (could be a new aircraft add-on i'd just installed) !!

 

 

thanks for the progressive taxi Alan and /or Wade!!

[Jack Deeth 867547]

I joined VATSIM in 2004, when I'd just started uni, and had a great PC and broadband Internet for the first time. However I also had Il-2 Sturmovik and that quickly took all my time online. And a compulsion to download and install the entire AVSIM file library until you can time the framerate with a stopwatch! I flew on VATSIM once, text only, and did a few circuits at an airfield somewhere, then went back to Il-2. Over the years I kept uninstalling and reinstalling FS9, always with a view to nice photographic scenery and lots of AI traffic, but then getting fed up with the continual systems administration and migrating back to Il-2.

 

Meanwhile I was busily taking advantage of uni-subsidised gliding club membership and learning to fly gliders. I was mainly playing Il-2 and had uninstalled FS9 for the hard disk space. I crewed at a couple of gliding competitions, got inspired to learn to fly gliders cross-country, and got a cheap old PDA off eBay - it's what a lot of glider pilots use as a GPS display. I reinstalled FS9 on a new hard disk drive purely to act as a surrogate GPS to drive the PDA's glider nav software - something I've only actually done once. It turns out a Cessna isn't a good substitute for a glider and learning PDA software without the 'carrot' of actual cross-country flight is a pain in the backside!

 

Then a few months back, my graphics card died. I had absolutely no money and couldn't replace it, but a friend has loaned me his old graphics card. Not seeing much point in flying FS9 without the UK photographic scenery, I decided to reformat the FS9 partition and install Linux on it. (Major misconception no.552: It's Fun To Learn New Operating Systems!) But a moment of nostalgia (or perhaps procrastination!) made me load FS9 again - I'd really enjoyed the FS2002/4 flight school, learning about holding patterns and NDB approaches - perhaps if I move all the sliders left and uninstall all the fancy scenery and fly in thick fog I can get decent framerate? Downloaded approach plates for Manchester, flew a few blind approaches in the Cessna, and was hooked on FS9 again!

 

I'm not sure what happened next - a clue is a series of screenshots all named 'WTF', showing FS9 AI traffic far too close for comfort while on an ATC-controlled flight across Europe in the Dreamfleet 727. The creation date shows they were taken after 4am! I think it was that same evening that I reinstalled all the VATSIM software and started trawling the PRC...

 

My first flight on VATSIM was a hop from Edinburgh to Glasgow in the default C182 - I think the nearest ATC was two hundred miles away! I just wanted to test the software without the complication of ATC or traffic.

 

I can't remember where I made my first flight under ATC - it was Manchester to Gatwick. And yes I was sweating and thick-tongued on the radio! The traffic was fairly light and I vaguely remember that I lacked finesse on that flight! I was flying Rick Piper's HS748, a brilliant aircraft for learning IFR with - it's slow, very slow, a maximum of about 240kts; it's a turboprop so it can practically drop vertically onto the destination airport; it's got just enough complexity to stop the flight being boring without making the pre-flight preparation tedious. And easily controllable for flying SIDs and STARs.

 

Second flight was a streaming success - Gatwick to Birmingham I think. I was getting the hang of flying airways by VOR and the pile of printed charts was growing. Birmingham tower asked if I was continuing; I thought about it and decided to press on to Liverpool. Perhaps a mistake, it was getting late.

 

Third flight, into Liverpool, things went a little wrong. I thought I was landing on the opposite runway; then I mis-set the heading bug and thought the runway was 30° off its real heading. By the time I was on the localiser I was very high and (almost impossibly in the HS748!) too fast. Being a glider pilot I didn't think about the possibility of a go-around until I realised I was going to touch down right on the threshold - at the far end of the runway! I remember slamming the throttles open, calling '... going around!' to Liverpool Tower, being told to turn 90° to the left and climb to 1500ft. I pulled in all the wheels and flaps. But for some reason the aircraft acted like it had no power. It gradually lost speed and height while I frantically checked all the fuel pumps, fuel heaters, water/methanol injection... I'm sure I've followed the landing checklist! Liverpool reminds me to climb; I say nothing - the first priority is to make the engines work. But before I even call again to Liverpool, I gently waffle into the ground, half-stalled by now, somewhere south of Liverpool. I still don't know why that happened...

 

I haven't been able to fly much recently: a hardware failure kept my Windows PC inop for a week, and then I started delivering pizza in every free evening. But there's all of summer to fly with, after the uni exams...

[Clement Lumanyika 1054845]

haha... yeah summer should also give me some added free time. hope you get your PC in order.

[Jack Deeth 867547]

haha... yeah summer should also give me some added free time. hope you get your PC in order.

Cheers, the PC's running fine now I've removed a slightly dodgy PCI usb hub. The second PC, which I got for free from Freecycle, a dinosaur from the '90s, a 380MHz K6 currently running D(istinctly) Small Linux, is the one causing the aggro now - turns out it can't a) open every .pdf b) use Flash-enabled websites. Given that the sole reason I got it was to download and display charts, this is a bit of a problem...

[Wade Williams 877539]

thanks for the progressive taxi Alan and /or Wade!!

 

That was me. Glad you enjoyed it Clement. Come back and see us again soon.

[Dave Rogers 1034623]

This is a great thread!

 

I made my first on-line flight about a year ago but I just had a 6 month break from flight sim, so I still cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] myself as a newbie. (Have around 100 hours).

 

This is my advice, for those about to 'take the plunge' and fly on VATSIM for the first time.

 

- Even if you love the heavies and will eventually be flying them on VATSIM; Don't fly a complex airliner like the LDS 767 or PMDG 73/747 on your first flight.

 

- I'd recommend something like the Flight 1 C172, Caranedo Cessnas or Pipers, etc.

 

- Common sense but don't use a plane with no autopilot - you'll want to get the AP in quite soon after take-off, so you can concentrate on ATC and your IFR instructions, while the AP takes care of the flying.

 

- File a straightforward IFR flight plan (something with an origin airport , at least 2 en-route waypoints, and a destination airport). Airport to Airport isn't realistic for IFR flight unless they are very close, also having some en-route waypoints will mean you may be able to experience getting a 'short cut' clearance from ATC. How will you manage your navigation if your GPS is routing to a VOR and ATC clear you to proceed direct to your destianation airport ? Think about this in advance and use an aircraft with a decent GPS that can manage changes to the flight plan (default FS GPS is hopeless in this regard!).

 

- Start your flight from an Airport that you know well, that has a simple network of taxiways. Before you go on line, visit the airport (in FS!) off-line and note down the letters/numbers of the taxiways (even draw your own little chart on a s[Mod - lovely stuff] of paper, if you can't get a real ground chart for the airport. So when the VATSIM ground controller says, "taxi to Runway 25 via Delta", you know what he means by this!

 

Some people recommend a VFR flight for firs time flyers on VATSIM but I personally don't because you need to jump in and experience adhering to IFR instructions from the outset. Also, if you're flying VFR on VATSIM you need to put some real effort into planning your flight and route, on order to comply with airspace restrictions for VFR. If you fly IFR, you can file, fly, and forget! ...... (PS. I love flying VFR on VATSIM, I just don't recommend it for first flights ).

 

Things most people forget on their first flight :-

 

1. Forget to file flight plan. (Do this as soon as you have connected to VATSIM, at your gate / parking).

2. Forget to set Transponder to Standby while at gate, or forget to set it ON, while approaching the runway for t/off.

 

Don't worry though, most Controllers are great and will simply remind you to file your plan, if you attempt to get clearance but have not yet sent your plan through. Similarly, if your Transponder is set incorrectly, they will ask you to change it if required.

 

The most important thing is HAVE FUN !

 

Once you have mastered 2 or 3 flights on VATSIM, you will be confident to complete a flight in your Level D 767 or PMDG 747 !

[Jack Deeth 867547]

My most recent flight on VATSIM, a couple of weeks ago (I've been busy since then!) Approaching 01R at ENGM Oslo Gardermoen. Words can't describe how lovely that runway looked at that moment, but they can describe what a counter-ergonomic [thing] the Comet is (and Dave Maltby's modelled it superbly!).

 

 

I learned a lot on that flight:

1) when the PRC says 'VATSIM is not the place to try out that hot new aircraft', it's true!

2) the HSI is reversed - the base indicates course and the aircraft icon indicates heading.

3) the Comet can climb very quickly after takeoff

4) there's no autopilot annunciators so the only way to know that the autopilot's actually steering is to, er... well I don't know, to be honest.

5) WYSIWYG fuel panels on modern aircraft, like the 727, have spoiled me

6) If you're going to declare an emergency when two of your engines flame out due to fuel starvation, you need to know how many souls are on board in advance.

7) D(efinitively) Small Linux can't display Norwegian aviation authority .pdf files. This is a bad feature for a PC you got purely to display chart .pdf files

8) Charts are required to know when to start the descent, to avoid, for example, dropping to 11,000ft about 150 miles from the destination.

9) The Comet autopilot needs about five seconds to warm up after power is applied before it can be engaged.

10) the zero-reader is not an ILS until you tell it to be via the zero-reader selector switch

[Robert Vanderkam]

Dave Rogers, that list is what I've been meaning to write myself for the last year. Excellent! I hope everyone reads it.

[Robert Vanderkam]

If're having roblems with Phaseolofy, what I do is I turn off the Pilot voice from the offline ATC menu and I read what is displayed on the screen. I find this gave me a real advantage during my first online flight....

 

Great advice, Lukas. I did that myself many times before going online. My wife thought I was crazy.

[Garry Morris 920567]

Dave, the FS GPS does just fine at short circuiting your route (or turning back to a previous waypoint).

 

FS9:

Click FP on the GPS

Click the center of the knob in the lower right - you'll see a selector highlight pop up on your waypoints.

Use the edges of the knob to get the selector onto the waypoint you've just been ordered to fly to.

Press the "Menu" button, then the Enter button.

Voila - your GPS is now set to the selected waypoint.

 

WARNING - you WILL NOT fly directly to that waypoint. The GPS will fly to try and join a line between the [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned waypoint and the waypointjust above it on the list. Instead, use the HDG value in the upper left side of the map display and manually fly that heading with the autopilot until you're over your [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned waypoint, then re-engage the autopilot on GPS mode.

 

While you're playing with the FS GPS, note also the PROC button. This can be very handy to have it show approaches for the airport you are destined for. You can even activate them so that they display and the aircraft will fly them (at least laterally, it's still up to you to handle the vertical profile). NOTE: Available procedures are circa 2004. The approach you want may not be on the list, and the one that is there may not be 100% accurate. Use with caution.

[Clement Lumanyika 1054845]

thanks for the progressive taxi Alan and /or Wade!!

 

That was me. Glad you enjoyed it Clement. Come back and see us again soon.

 

roger that wade. that was my first flight at KMEM and i have to say that i really like the airport layout (probably more work for ATC... )...see you soon.

[Damon Meyer 1058751]

I did my first two VATSIM flights today...wow, am I rusty! Thought I was good to go with a Mooney at Santa Barbara, only saw a couple other planes there, friendly sounding controller. OK - he offered me an intersection takeoff to get up and into my pattern work - I took it. Forgot to advance the prop lever, had it set in cruise pitch, couldn't understand why I wasn;t getting flying speed! Aborted, stood on brakes, *almost* didn't slide off the end of the runway. Sheepishly requested a taxi back to the ramp where I figured out the power issue. Once again requested taxi to the active, full length please this time . Took off, flew a horrid crooked pattern, final approach course was maybe 30 degrees off runway heading, went around at 200 feet. Second approach actually got lined up OK, landed smooth, decided to quit while I was ahead. Taxied back to ramp.

 

2nd flight was supposed to be IFR from Providence to Boston; filed a nice flight plan, no controller at PVD, didn't know how to pick up my clearance so I launched VFR (it was a little marginal) figuring I would pick up my clearance from BOS APP when I got within 30 mi. Several problems - one, I had filed the wrong N-number on my flight plan (didn;t match what FSInn was sending), so when I popped up on their scope there was some confusion. Second, I don't think they therfore knew I was on an IFR plan and I was too flustered to ask them to look it up (under the wrong N number!). THe TWR controller was a nice enough guy - seemed skeptical I could see the airport, but I actually could, so I completed the whole flight VFR. Landed, got welcomed to Logan, promptly got mystified in the dark as to how to get to the GA north ramp. TWR guy pointed out a helicopter taxiing out from the FBO (he even knew it was Signature) so I could see where to go, that was pretty cool. Accidentally strayed into taxiway A (the terminals), almost taxied under a jet that was either at a gate or pushing back, finally got back out to taxiway K and made it to parking. Sat on freq for a few more minutes marveling at how smooth the whole operation was going around me, and hoping I did not mess up anyone else's virtual evening!

 

The tower controller was indistinguishable from a real controller, for all I know he is. Some Comair guy driving a CRJ landed while I was spectating, missed his turnoff, requested progressive taxi directions. TWR responded with "Yeah, I can see you need them since you just turned onto a runway..." which is pretty much exactly what they'd say (followed by "I have a number I need you to copy and call when you shut down" =8-O

 

Very cool. My mic fright is terrible though, for a guy that used to fly a real airplane through the NE corridor on IFR flight plans several times a month :-\

[Sunil Goswami 1058795]

I love this thread and keep checking back but nobody's posting any new "first" stories

[Daniel Forslund 858328]

Interesting thread, so I'll add my own first flight to the records.

 

I've been an aviation fan for my entire life, and flew my first virtual plane in the early 80s on a Sinclair ZX-81. Wonderful flight model simulation and very exciting graphics during those days... I've been in and out of flight simulation since then, and registered with VATSIM in 2002. Due to lack of software (Mac user) and too little time, it took until yesterday before I flew my first flight.

 

I decided on Gothenburg (ESGG) to Copenhagen (EKCH), a nice short flight in a pretty calm airspace. I had done much reading, and am quite used to online gaming with voice. I was still extremely nervous before my first call to ground. A short recap of the flight:

 

- managed to tune to the wrong squawk, and corrected it during taxi causing me to zig-zag all over the taxiway and adjacent gr[Mod - Happy Thoughts]

- had to ask for altimeter setting numerous times (not sure if I even got it right in the end)

- used a relatively new plane, which caused problems during climbout due to the slightly different workings of the autopilot.

- the autopilot troubles stayed with me for the entire flight, so I flew by hand. That was fine, and I actually held heading and alt after I stopped fighting the autopilot.

- actually managed to behave myself inflight, and responded well to handoffs and instructions...i hope.

- landing went fine, but was a close call (I was too low).

- when on the ground, I recieved taxi instructions only to realize that the aerodrome chart I had actually didn't list taxiway names and holding points. I requested progressive taxi, and thankfully recieved it.

 

All in all, it went better than expected, although I'm quite sure the controllers must have shaken their heads at numerous times during my flight.

 

My sincere thanks to the controllers handling my flight yesterday evening. Also, thanks to the VATSIM founders, staff and community - this really is awesome stuff!