What to do after i join?

[Matthew Dodds 1036214]

After i join what do i do and where is it i log in and begin flying? And for the recommended downloads do i search them on google and them dowload them or? Any info would be great.

 

thanks

 

Matt (new pilot)

[Norman Blackburn]

Matt,

 

Welcome to VATSIM. The approved software for VATSIM is available here.

 

Additionally you should take a few moments to read the Pilot's Resource Centre - even real life pilots find valuable info here on the few areas where we differ to compensate for the virtual environment.

[Matthew Dodds 1036214]

ok but how do i see the server nearest to me IP's address? And where do i download a non-major city squawk box download since i am a noob i need to "start small"

[Larry James 901346]

ok but how do i see the server nearest to me IP's address? And where do i download a non-major city squawk box download since i am a noob i need to "start small"

 

Just do the steps and post a description of where it fails.

 

-- L. James

 

--

L. D. James

[email protected]

www.apollo3.com/~ljames

[Paul Hobin 939926]

The "steps" Larry is referring to are in the Pilot Resource Centre (PRC) docomeentation, particularly VATSIM 103 - Software Setup. Yeah, it's a bit of reading and a bit of a challenge, but if you go through it step by step you're likely to be successful. And if you do get stuck on a specific issue, there are lots of people on these forums eager to help (if the nature of your question shows that you've read the PRC and followed the instructions........questions that show a user hasn't bothered to read any of the provided docomeents typically generate answers that are just links back to the docomeents, hint, hint!!)

 

KEEP AT IT Matthew! I tried to get online 2 years ago and couldn't make it work because I didn't have the time to read, read, read some more and spend some time with the technology. As I said there's no question it's a little challenging, but when I came back to it this summer all I had to put in was about 10 hours over a month's time and I was online and flying. (I do have the advantage of having flown 500 real-world hours, so I only had to master the technology.) Heck, you could do that in a day if you really wanted to. And the rewards -- if you're really interested in aviation -- are incredible.

 

Final note: I've referenced VATSIM 103 for the software setup, but PLEASE do not fail to read 101 and 102. It's important. VATSIM is a game and we're here for fun because we enjoy this stuff. But it's a very special kind of game, perhaps of a type that you haven't experienced before. A big part of the fun for this community is knowing a lot about real-world aviation, and flying and behaving like real world pilots (and controllers). You will never be disrespected on VATSIM for being new, asking questions and needing some help. But you could get kicked off real fast for thinking that an Air Traffic Control frequency is a good place for a chat about movies, sports or your dog! Real-world aviation is a professional environment and we do our best to simulate that professionalism.

 

Okay, FINAL FINAL note: your question about IP addresses. The software is really well done. I don't know the IPs of any of the servers and never have because the software deals with almost all the technical details for you. Once you're installed (which doesn't require you to know any IPs, at least not for the SquawkBox software I installed) you start a flight simulator session, position your aircraft at an airport (at a GATE, not on a TAXIWAY or RUNWAY....one of the important things you'll learn in VATSIM 101 and 102) and click a button to connect.