I admit it...I'm lost. :-)

[Rob Carr 1174186]

Hey guys first post here. Just signed up last night at VATSIM. I have a few questions, and honestly I'm not even sure I'm in the right place. Let me throw out my scenario, and hopefully some kind person can point this clueless soul in the right direction.

 

I bought FSX a couple days ago. It hasn't arrived yet. I've done quite a bit of Falcon 4, so I am not totally unaware of the task I am about to undertake. I've got a friend in Australia (I'm in the USA) and our plan is to learn FSX together using the shared cockpit feature. No idea what plane yet, but the Learjet 45 might be our first option. So what does this have to do with VATSIM? Once we figure out the LJ45 we want to learn to fly the right way, using VATSIM. It just adds to the realism, and we are both sim junkies. But this presents a few issues.

 

1. What software do we need so we both can communicate with ATC? We'd be working together in pilot/co-pilot mode, so shared communication is crucial.

 

2. Since we are geographically separate, do we both need to sign up in the same region/district? I think we'll be doing most of our early flights in Australia. I guess my question is, does it matter? I know this isn't a software question, but it seems basic enough.

 

Thanks for the help.

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

firstly, welcome

 

all the info you need is available at

http://www.vatsim.net/pilots/quickstart/

 

and

www.vatsim.net/prc

 

youll need one of the pilot clients for FS (Squawkbox or FSINN) and a copy of flight simulator. thats about all you need to get on the network. dont need teamspeak or anything like that.

 

i recommend downloading both clients. try them out and see which one you like better. for FSINN, make sure to check out the FSINN help section of the forum. there is a tutorial on how to install it correctly

 

im not familiar with the shared cockpits feature of FSX so ill let someone who is cover that one. im pretty sure theres a tutorial on that somewhere around here

 

region doesnt matter for pilots. its just geographical stats for pilots. for ATC its more important on their end as it relates to what areas they control.

 

all the servers are linked together on the network, so doesnt matter what server you connect to either, everyone will see you.

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

also you mentioned wanting to learn more about this stuff. i also recommend going through the ZLA pilot training program. itll help you tons, least when flying in the US. im not sure if the Aussies have a similar program

 

http://pilotcerts.laartcc.org/page/Home

[Rob Carr 1174186]

Thanks for the help Ernesto. I will look at the links you've provided. So one basic question. By logging in to VATSIM will I be able to see and hear pilots from other flight sims? Does this basically override the multiplayer features of FSX? Still trying to get my head around this thing!

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

yep you will fly along with people who are using Xplane and also the flightgear simulator. those are the 2 other supported simulators, along with the previous MSFS versions.

 

you wont be using the FSX multiplayer for VATSIM. the clients draw the traffic right into your sim. simply start your sim parked on the ramp somewhere, then start the client and connect through the client, not through the FSX multiplayer

[Rob Carr 1174186]

yep you will fly along with people who are using Xplane and also the flightgear simulator. those are the 2 other supported simulators, along with the previous MSFS versions.

 

you wont be using the FSX multiplayer for VATSIM. the clients draw the traffic right into your sim. simply start your sim parked on the ramp somewhere, then start the client and connect through the client, not through the FSX multiplayer

 

Good stuff Ernesto. So really the main issue to work out is how we share the same plane cockpit, and how communication is handled. I hope someone else can add some clarity to this situation.

 

Thanks again Ernesto. Appreciate your help.

[David Reeves 1037738]

Hello Rob,

 

It's great to have yet another traffic maker on our awesome network. Just wanted to point out that once you're able to connect you can always sit at an airport and listen/observe what's going on, and if you go to an airport with ATC service provided and with light traffic load, you can always chat up the ATC and they can answer any questions you may have (and you will have some), I know I would.

 

Hope it all works out! I'll see ya online!

[Rob Carr 1174186]

Hello Rob,

 

It's great to have yet another traffic maker on our awesome network. Just wanted to point out that once you're able to connect you can always sit at an airport and listen/observe what's going on, and if you go to an airport with ATC service provided and with light traffic load, you can always chat up the ATC and they can answer any questions you may have (and you will have some), I know I would.

 

Hope it all works out! I'll see ya online!

 

Thanks David. I will definitely be sitting and listening. Great advice. BTW, how can I tell if an airport has ATC service? Is there anything on this site providing those stats?

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

yep. theres a few online map displays. VATSPY, Servinfo, VATTASTIC, Dolomynium, and even an API for Google Earth

 

http://www.metacraft.com/VATSpy/

 

http://www.avsim.com/hangar/utils/servinfo/

(download the update from the servinfo section on our forums)

 

http://www.vattastic.com

[Charan Kumar]

Hi Rob, let me join others in welcoming you to VATSIM. In addition to the great info provided above, let me add a link and tip here.

 

In FSX, from your settings->display->traffic, remember to turn your aviation traffic to 0 otherwise it will draw both VATSIM traffic and your game AI traffic, which will confuse you, the others won't see it

 

For shared skies (if you use FSInn, squawkbox being the other) use the following link:

http://mbev.net/wikka/ConnectingAsCopilot

 

Blue Skies!!

[David Reeves 1037738]

yep. theres a few online map displays. VATSPY, Servinfo, VATTASTIC, Dolomynium, and even an API for Google Earth

 

What he said =p.

 

There's also http://stats.vatsim.net/who.html for quick access.

 

That also makes me bring up http://stats.vatsim.net where you can log into your account and view your connection statistics (by callsign/total) as well as others' statistics.

 

Also, on http://www.vataware.com, an interesting tool worth having a look at that offers a more visual representation of connection history/data for airports, airlines, aircraft types, specific flights and even members' air time. I enjoy tracking my own flights on there .

 

Depending on your knowledge of real world ops, you might need some flight planning tools, but we'll address that when questions arise and it is more needed.

[Rob Carr 1174186]

Thanks guys. Just looking at the VATSpy and it is awesome. Amazing stuff.

[Larry James 901346]

Thanks guys. Just looking at the VATSpy and it is awesome. Amazing stuff.

 

Welcome to VATSIM!

 

If you have a problem with your shared cockpit, yell, I'll be glad to help. It's important to have the same Service Pack version (No service pack, SP1, or SP2) to be able to connect with your copilot.

 

Shared cockpit flying provides for a great experience. It's more icing on the cake in conjunction with the VATSIM experience.

 

-- L. James

 

--

L. D. James

[email protected]

www.apollo3.com/~ljames

[Rob Carr 1174186]

Thanks James! If we get stuck I'll be sure to give you a shout!

[Stephen Richey 985064]

No idea what plane yet, but the Learjet 45 might be our first option.

 

Try learning to fly the way people do in real life, using small single engine prop aircraft (example: Cessna 172). It's much less frustrating and you will be a better pilot in the long run because you won't find yourself unable to operate the aircraft without the use of the autopilot like a lot of people on VATSIM do. There are a lot of people on this forum who disagree with this sentiment (mostly those who think that aviation begins and ends with airliners or military aircraft and anything else is rubbish) but there is a reason why even people who are training to become US military fighter pilots start out in small single engine aircraft. The slower you are going, the less complex the systems and the wider the margin of error when learning to fly the better.

 

Also, I would strongly recommend against learning to fly on the network until you have at least the basic skills down. Run through the training built into FSX to learn how to fly and THEN try to partner with your friend to learn to fly with a shared cockpit. The less steps you are throwing at yourself while trying to learn a complex skill like flying (real or simulated) the more likely you are to succeed and not to get frustrated with the whole experience.

 

Just my two cents, I could be wrong and I'm willing to bet I'm going to get flamed for saying even this much.

[Opher Ben Peretz 882232]

Didn't the OP mention he has Falcon 4 experience?

[Rob Carr 1174186]

Good advice Stephen. Thanks for chiming in.

[Darrol Larrok 1140797]

I would recommend obtaining an FMS equipped aircraft or using a freeware FMS, vasFMC or using an add-on GPS and updating your AIRAC(navigation information) if you intend to fly using GPS. The default GPS can be a bit problematic in that it can't easily be reprogrammed(or programmed at all).

 

Of course, if you fly by VORs/DME/NDB, then it's not an issue at all.

[Rob Carr 1174186]

I would recommend obtaining an FMS equipped aircraft or using a freeware FMS, vasFMC or using an add-on GPS and updating your AIRAC(navigation information) if you intend to fly using GPS. The default GPS can be a bit problematic in that it can't easily be reprogrammed(or programmed at all).

 

Of course, if you fly by VORs/DME/NDB, then it's not an issue at all.

 

Hi Darrol. Can you recommend an FMS equipped aircraft? Is there anything in FSX I can use?

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

not many/any freeware aircraft include an FMC. youll have to go payware for that.

 

however, there is a freeware FMC that you can use on any freeware addon aircraft you have, its called VasFMC.

 

however for FSX, it runs externally, not from within FSX. they are still working on a gauge version for FSX.

 

http://www.vas-project.org

 

you can also update the navigation data via

http://www.navigraph.com

 

im not sure tho how VasFMC would work on a shared cockpit, you may want to check with them on their forum

[Rob Carr 1174186]

Thanks for the help guys. I have enough information to be dangerous at this stage!