Custom Callsigns

[David Escott 1378789]

I'm tring out vatsim, i've done a ton or reading and I want to set up my own callsign?

 

Is it really as easy to set up your own custom callsign by just typing in what you want and then when you file your flightplan just put callsign = {and then the name of your airline?}

 

So for the sake of arguement, providing there isn't a real airline with this code i could do:

 

LAT800 as my call sign and then put in my flight planner, Callsign = Late Air

 

then people would be like "Late Air 800, cleared for landing blah blah"

 

Is that it? Is it that easy?

[Trent Hopkinson]

You can indeed set your callsign as LAT800

You can call up ATC and say "Late Air 800 requesting clearance"

All ATC on Vatsim are humans. Many of them will look at LAT800 and call you anything from Lima Alpha Tango 800, to Latam or Lavtian or something

 

but in principle, yes.

 

Also anyone else can log in as LAT800, the callsign isn't "yours". If they log in first, they have it.

If you log in with it, then suffer an internet outage that lasts for 20 seconds - if someone logs in with LAT800 in those 20 seconds, you now need a new callsign to get logged in. even mid-flight.

[David Escott 1378789]

Ah amazing, thanks for your quick reply. I'm just trying to think over in my head of an easy to identify call sign, I wouldn't mind just using the phonetic alphabet for my callsign but that sounds really unprofessional. I've been listening into boston tower for the last 30 mins and no-one uses that three letter system it seems. This damn callsign is going to bother me aha

[Wygene Chong 1089621]

You may wish to put in your flight plan remarks "LAT=Late Air" or something like that. I often check the remarks if I'm unsure what the callsign is.

 

By the way, just to be absolutely clear, you are welcome to use real airline callsigns as well, instead of making your own up.

[Don Desfosse]

All excellent advice. I just looked it up, LAT is Lebanese Air RW. Putting what you'd like to be called in your flight plan comments is a great idea, though even then, controllers are not required to read comments, so you could be called Lima Alpha Tango, Lebanese, Latvian, Late for Dinner, just about anything, so just be patient if you're called something strange when you using your own custom call sign. Or, as has been pointed out, use a more common call sign, just like most everyone else.

[Don Desfosse]

Also, one other thing to keep in mind, if you were using a custom call sign, other members won't be able to see you in a "normal"livery. In your example, others would see you as a Lebanese Air Aircraft, if they have AI for Lebanese Air and the airframe type you are using, or they may see you as a white Airbus A321, or a paper airplane or some other weird thing depending on their configurations. Although that won't change your experience at all, it does reduce realism for everyone else on the network. Just something to think about.

[Ernesto Alvarez 818262]

most clients are setup to search for similar aircraft type if it cant match the airline. not much "realism" should be reduced. thats the case anyway with FSINN and vPilot, Squawkbox i dont remember what attempts it makes

 

i use custom callsigns myself. sometimes they are US Registrations, or I may create one myself after reviewing the real world codes (virtual companies are a little harder to find, but using vataware or something might help avoid using another VA's code unintentionally and avoid confusion)