Welcome to the world of Vatsim - Online Flying network. If you want to add total realism to your flying experience, you can't get more realism than Vatsim. Vatsim is an online flying network that is designed for pilots all over the world to connect to an online network and be able to see each other's aircraft on FSX. What makes flying on Vatsim so realistic, is the fact that you can talk to real life Air Traffic Controllers and you will get all your IFR clearances from a real person. The Air Traffic Controllers on Vatsim are made up of people like you and I who have a passion for aviation and also real world Air Traffic Controllers who like to provide real life ATC to pilots who fly on the Vatsim network. All of the Controllers on Vatsim are very highly trained in real world ATC regulations and proceedures and know all aspects of the airspace and the airports that they are controlling in and are not just any Joe Blow giving pilots clearances. You can know with absolute certainty that all Air Traffic Controllers on Vatsim know all real world proceedures and give accurate real life clearances and follow all real world IFR charts and routes.
So you would like to get involved with this online flying network but don't know where to begin. Well it is very easy to get involved with Vatsim and be able to use the software to connect to the Vatsim network. The first thing you need to do is register with Vatsim so that you can obtain a pilot ID and Password to be able to connect to the Vatsim network. This registration is 100% free of charge and there is no cost to download and use any of the software and flying on the Vatsim network is also totally free of charge, you will never be asked to give any payment or any credit card details when downloading or installing any of the software.
I would firstly recommend downloading all relevant software before you register with Vatsim, that way once you have your Pilot ID and Password, you will be ready to start flying. Also, it is a good idea to downlaod and install the software so you can have a look at it and get familiar with it first.
There are 2 programs that we use when flying on the Vatsim network. The first program is called Squawkbox and this is the main program that we use to connect to the Vatsim network. Squawkbox is very easy to use and there is no need to use the multiplayer setup in FSX as Squawkbox does it all for you. You can download the Squawkbox program by clicking on the Squawkbox image:
So you would like to get involved with this online flying network but don't know where to begin. Well it is very easy to get involved with Vatsim and be able to use the software to connect to the Vatsim network. The first thing you need to do is register with Vatsim so that you can obtain a pilot ID and Password to be able to connect to the Vatsim network. This registration is 100% free of charge and there is no cost to download and use any of the software and flying on the Vatsim network is also totally free of charge, you will never be asked to give any payment or any credit card details when downloading or installing any of the software.
I would firstly recommend downloading all relevant software before you register with Vatsim, that way once you have your Pilot ID and Password, you will be ready to start flying. Also, it is a good idea to downlaod and install the software so you can have a look at it and get familiar with it first.
There are 2 programs that we use when flying on the Vatsim network. The first program is called Squawkbox and this is the main program that we use to connect to the Vatsim network. Squawkbox is very easy to use and there is no need to use the multiplayer setup in FSX as Squawkbox does it all for you. You can download the Squawkbox program by clicking on the Squawkbox image:
Once you have downloaded Squawkbox setup to your computer, you can download the second program that we use. This is called VatSpy and is used to veiw the world map of the Vatsim network and it shows you all the active pilots and Controllers around the world. You can run VatSpy at any time as a stand alone program and you don't need to connect to the Vatsim network before you can use it. VatSpy is very useful to see what contollers are active in your area before you setup a flight so you will know where the contollers are operating. You can download VatSpy by clicking on the VatSpy image:
Once you have downloaded VatSpy to your computer, feel free to run it and have a look at the features. It is very easy to use and you will be able to see all the active pilots and ATC around the world. You can zoom in and out on the map by scrolling your mouse wheel and you can move the map left, right, up and down by holding the right mouse button down and dragging the mouse in the direction that you want to move the map.
You are now ready to register with Vatsim and obtain your Pilot ID and Password so you can connect to the Vatsim network. This is the final stage before you can connect to the online flying network and this is where you will start to get a little bit excited. To register with Vatsim, click on the Vatsim image to go to the Vatsim website and you can browse the website and see all the available rescources for both pilots and controllers:
You are now ready to register with Vatsim and obtain your Pilot ID and Password so you can connect to the Vatsim network. This is the final stage before you can connect to the online flying network and this is where you will start to get a little bit excited. To register with Vatsim, click on the Vatsim image to go to the Vatsim website and you can browse the website and see all the available rescources for both pilots and controllers:
You are now well on your way to flying on the Vatsin network. Once you have registered your details, you can then use the Pilot ID and Password to connect to the online network using Squawkbox. We have put together a rather detailed tutorial on using Squawkbox and you can download the tutorial:
squawkbox_tutorial.pdf | |
File Size: | 2287 kb |
File Type: |
This is about all you need to know in order to start your flying experience on the Vatsim network. Remember that the contollers are there to help and if you are not sure of something you just have to ask them and you can let them know that you are new to Vatsim and they will help you. Also, we at Australian Oceanic Virtual Airline are here to help and if you need any help with anything from installing and using the software through to learning the radio proceedures, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]
We hope you will enjoy flying on the Vatsim network as much as we do and we will try to do a lot of our flights on Vatsim so that you will be able to see when we are flying and you can then jump on and have a chat to us.
Regards,
Australian Oceanic Virtual Airline.
We hope you will enjoy flying on the Vatsim network as much as we do and we will try to do a lot of our flights on Vatsim so that you will be able to see when we are flying and you can then jump on and have a chat to us.
Regards,
Australian Oceanic Virtual Airline.