Observer Mode Question - One user flying, observer running comms

[Jamie Tocher]

Hi,

Wondering is this setup can work in Vpilot using Observer mode.

Im running FS2020 and I am planning on flying the plane. My friend is an actual pilot, and he wants to handle the radio via FSX. He is connecting as my observer - I used callsign EZY73Y and he used callsign EZY73YA, logging in as observer. 

In theory should this work? We attempted Manchester - Edinburgh flight, but he never registered as leaving MAN despite changing his radio comms over when we moved airspace. 

[Ross Carlson]

He would need to fly his plane alongside yours in order for both of your connections to be in the same location and thus within range of the same ATC stations. Is that what you're doing?

[Jamie Tocher]

Thanks Ross, we didn't do this and expected that might be the case. Just a bad assumption on our part on how it works!

[Ross Carlson]

Yeah, if your copilot left his FSX aircraft on the ramp at MAN, then when you depart MAN and switch to the next controller, even if your copilot tunes his FSX plane to the same frequency as you, he likely won't be in range of the controller that you're talking to.

The observer mode is really meant to work with aircraft that are linked together using actual shared cockpit functionality where the two planes stay in sync in terms of their location, altitude, as well as cockpit controls and settings like gear, flaps, lights, etc. I don't know of any way to sync aircraft between FSX and MSFS.

[Robert Shearman Jr]

Yeah, exactly -- the observer option in vPilot *supports* the use of Shared Cockpit functionality, but, does not actually *provide* said interface.  Your add-on plane would have to have that interaction built in or via some sort of separate app.