First Flight - Route Recommendations for TBM930?

[Jakob Hansen]

Hello,

I'm hoping to get started with VATSIM.  I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a route that I could fly that's approximately 1 hour flight in the TBM that's typically staffed?  Was hoping for some quieter airports as to not get in the way of the bigger faster planes! 

[Robert Shearman Jr]

Recommend you check on VAT-Spy, VATtastic, SimAware, or the like before you load in.  There's not really any such thing as "typically staffed" as ATC staffing isn't usually that predictable.  You're more likely to find staffing in the evenings, local time, to wherever you're flying.  You can look on VATSIM and VATUSA Event Calendars to see when staffing is guaranteed but then plan to fly in an *adjoining* sector which will often also be staffed but usually less busy than the event host. 

[Tobias Dammers]

Yeah, best bet is to look at something like vatspy or simaware to see where there is ATC, and make your pick.

Your best bet is probably a local hop between minor airports when CTR is staffed: you'll get top-down coverage for the entire route, and by avoiding the major hub airports, you avoid things getting overly busy on the ground and through the approach.

And don't worry about getting in the way: that's for ATC to figure out, and AFAIK most controllers actually enjoy a bit of a change of pace between all the tubeliners.

[Andrea Mazzoni]

On 11/23/2020 at 4:22 AM, Jakob Hansen said:

Hello,

I'm hoping to get started with VATSIM.  I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a route that I could fly that's approximately 1 hour flight in the TBM that's typically staffed?  Was hoping for some quieter airports as to not get in the way of the bigger faster planes! 

Hello Jakob,

these are my personal suggestion for your first VATSIM flights:

1-A route appropriate for your English skills: phraseology is important for communications, if you're unfamiliar with English (but I don't think), better fly inside your country. Also if you speak well English, for the first flights is always better your country as location for your first flights.

2-VFR or IFR? The 2 type of flights are totally different. If you make IFR, the flight planning is more simple about the basic elements: check departure and arrival airport charts, for the departure airport select a waypoint which is the last waypoint of a Standard Instrument Departure (SID), from this waypoint follow an airway to another fix or radio station, than follow another airway  to another fix/station and so on until last point, which must be the first fix or radio station published for a Standard Terminal Arrival Route (STAR) of your arrival airport. You need to know also how to read runway approach charts and taxiways charts (but is simple). In some countries, under specific conditions, is possible insert a direct between two fixes on your route, but only under specific conditions. VFR is more easier, in theory: you need to file a flight plan which have a point which will be reported to ATC (if online) every 30 minutes, as recommended from ICAO, and which is planned as requested from local procedures applied inside a specific country. VFR procedures are different for any country, to make you an example, in Italy you can use a route VFR which is a VOR to VOR route, isn't a problem use also radio assistance or instruments for a VFR, but if you're leaving or you're inbound a controlled Aerodrome Traffic Zone in Italy, you MUST leave or join that airspace from some specific Visual Report Points (VRP), which are published inside Aerodrome charts for any airports. Some countries use the same fixes which are applied also for IFR for VFR, other countries doesn't use VRP for their controlled airports, for this reason you need to check carefully the local Aeronautical Information Publications (AIP). In case you would plan a route, is better try to ask to the local vACC-vARTCC or if you're lucky, you can contact a local ATC before your flight if you find someone online in a country which you would visit. In any case, I suggest you to try both type of flight rules.

3-Know your aircraft: A good pilot should know ALWAYS the basic details about the aircraft selected for a flight and which instruments are available inside. 

4-Major airports: some airport are always crowded. Better avoid New York, London, Amsterdam or Frankfurt if not sure about which procedure must be applied.

5-Where to fly?: Well, usually I cover Milano Radar CTR (entire North Italy) 2-3 day for week, if you would make a flight here, we have a lot of airports which aren't crowded, you can send me a private message and send me the details about when you would fly here and which route: I can verify if everything is fine for you and if I will available. The online day in Italy is every Wednesday.

[Jim Rish]

On 11/22/2020 at 9:22 PM, Jakob Hansen said:

Hello,

I'm hoping to get started with VATSIM.  I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a route that I could fly that's approximately 1 hour flight in the TBM that's typically staffed?  Was hoping for some quieter airports as to not get in the way of the bigger faster planes! 

How do you "get in the way" of the bigger and faster planes? Taxiing to the runway? Flying around over the water in front of KSFO's  rwys. 28?  I'm more concerned about a cessna sneaking up around me. Kinda like the piper cub that decides to get right behind a DC3 in Wisconsin.  By the way, that plane of yours is pretty nice, huh? A whole lot different than something like an SR-22. Kinda like Pilatus?  I got a smaller airport for ya. It's called Chicago's Lake Front. I'd rather fly an ultralight out of Midway than that place. No wonder they closed it down. Good-bye and good riddance.  Chicago's lakefront should have never been anything more than a helicopter pad. Anyways, here's my favorite: ULTI1K ULTIB T420 TNT N57 POL N601 INPIP.  Please let me know how it goes.

[Jim Rish]

On 11/22/2020 at 9:22 PM, Jakob Hansen said:

Hello,

I'm hoping to get started with VATSIM.  I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a route that I could fly that's approximately 1 hour flight in the TBM that's typically staffed? 

You could wait for JAX Centre to get on and do this. This looks like so much fun I might even do it. 🤔      CHS CULAP ESENT LUNNI1

[Jim Rish]

8 minutes ago, Jim Rish said:

CHS CULAP ESENT LUNNI1

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N555NE/history/20200512/2115Z/KMYR/KJAX

[Jim Rish]

On 11/22/2020 at 9:22 PM, Jakob Hansen said:

Hello,

 I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a route that I could fly that's approximately 1 hour flight in the TBM that's typically staffed?

.. and from KJAX:   CROSB2 WISPR KONEY Q409 JROSS Q135 ELMSZ