Robert Brewer 948424 Posted March 31, 2006 at 05:32 PM Posted March 31, 2006 at 05:32 PM Very interesting reading in both threads. I started a new one because I seem to approach Vatsim from a different perspective. I am a real world student pilot that trains in a non towered airport. Even in the real workd, I will only be a hobby pilot. I have no designs on making my living as a pilot. I am tongue tied on the radio and I came to Vatsim in part to get over it. At the moment, my training is on hold and Vatsim also serves to keep my head in the game so-to-speak. On Vatsim, I fly mostly VFR and GA aircraft and I have been impressed and appreciative of the controllers I have spoken with. I always file a flight plan and try to fly from and to destinations that have a working tower online. And I always try to thank the controllers for their patience with a noob. The few times I have tried to fly IFR have been very confusing because I do not yet read IFR charts. I also have trouble writing down all the clearances correctly the first time through and just like in the real world, controllers don't always have much patience for that. But in the real world there is a phrase that can call a time out to the "I can talk faster than the next guy" game. "I am a student pilot.... and ready to copy clearance". I am going to try this over the weekend and see if it helps both me and the controller. To the credit of the vatsim system and the excellent controllers I have encountered, I am becoming less nervous and more adept on the radio. Pattern and habit are taking over and I feel more comfortable and I suspect the same will be true the more often I attempt IFR flight. But would it be possible to open a CTAF voice channel for position announcements? Thanks sincerely for all your help, Bob Robert Brewer Altitude, Airspeed and Brains. At least two are needed to complete the flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris McGee Posted March 31, 2006 at 05:52 PM Posted March 31, 2006 at 05:52 PM Bob, Its good to hear you enjoy VATSIM! I agree with you 100%, I am currently attending the University Of North Dakota to get my Air Traffic Control Degree. I have learned ALOT from the network and feel its not only a fun way to spend a Monday night but its also a great tool. With regards to the CTAF voice idea, I don't know what that would entail but I will let someone who knows answer that one. Hope to see you online and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Keeler 892070 Posted March 31, 2006 at 07:19 PM Posted March 31, 2006 at 07:19 PM Yah it's time to bring back the CTAF. It is so boring to sit there for hours and not talk/hear a thing. I don't see the problem with it in the first place? Who cares if someone is 1000 miles from you and you are hearing their callouts, it's done it the real world all the time; not 1,000 miles, but there are frequencies that serve multiple airports in terms of CTAF. Not only does it give you position reports of other pilots, but you get practice making callouts...."Dalton Traffic, Cessna 7PL, left downwind runway 36, Dalton." As for the reason..."well some pilot's can only use text," oh well... let's not forget about the pilot's out in the real world that are can't use a radio because A.) Medically B.) NORAD or C.) They just don't feel like it. Let's not forget that it is not illegal to not use the radio. A pilot can go a whole flight without making a callout; is it foolish, yes, can it be done? yes. If someone doesn't want to hear someone 1000 miles away, then they don't have to tune into the freq., it's their choice. On another note... I believe VATSIM should used to it's full potential and be as real as it can be. We are all on here for fun, it's not a job, and we do it because we love to fly but we also want to learn. Take the payware aircraft for example, look how many people will spend $50 to make their experiences as real as possible. For the pilots that just want to "goof off," they can use MS Zone or the AI ATC. I understand we were all once "newbies," but it get's frustrating when I'm sitting in my PMDG, put an hour or more into the flight planning, to get on VATSIM and have a new controller not know how to issue an ATC clearance but he's sitting on tower. We seem to think that either we fly on VATSIM or we don't fly at all. Sometimes I will just load up FS9 and shoot some approaches in a small Cessna to brush up on skills for real world training. Point is.... VATSIM should be real as possible; fun, but real. For those pilots and controllers that just like to goof off on a Sunday afternoon, they can join MS Zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Morris 920567 Posted March 31, 2006 at 09:09 PM Posted March 31, 2006 at 09:09 PM Jo - respectfully - in the real world, LAX ATC doesn't go offline. Places where you don't need a radio (and really, you're asking for trouble if you are flying into and out of patterns without one), are usually sleepy little GA airports, or smaller airports where during late hours there is almost no traffic. Anyone not announcing their intentions on UNICOM IN TEXT at a busy Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] Bravo primary in VATSIM is going to cause a ton of problems for everyone else in the area that may be hearing impaired. I for one can not imagine the difficulty of getting down in one piece at a busy airport as someone who is hearing impaired if all the other aircraft are using voice. As it is very very difficult for hearing impaired folks to get a PPL in real life (or just out of reach economically, which most of us suffer from regardless of our ability to hear), are we to bar those folks from being able to participate effectively in this arena as well?? Until a technology is developed and implemented that will reliably convert text to speech and vice versa for our hearing impaired friends, and do so without stepping all over voice enabled pilots on the radio, UNICOM must remain text only. http://www.execjetva.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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