1. New Pilots Start Here 

Welcome to VATSIM and to a new and exciting way to enjoy your Flight Simulator. Our aim is to make the learning curve easier and less daunting for new members.

What can you expect to find here?

Well, we will be covering a few basis steps on this site, such as how to get connected. We will also explain how to decipher a METAR, how to interact with ATC, who to call and how to communicate effectively.

We will not be teaching you how to fly your aircraft or how to navigate. These subjects need to be learned elsewhere if not already mastered. What we will do is to point out the links to various other sites, notably the VATSIM Pilot Resource Center which has a wealth of information for all pilots.

Further we will be covering in brief a number of specific flight operations, and finally have compiled a list of reference material for pilots.

In this section we will cover the following subjects:

Connecting to the Network

Flight Planning and Clearances

Airfield Movement

Use of Voice on the Network

Use of Unicom

Further Hints

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Connecting to the Network

When starting up Flight Simulator at your chosen airport, please choose any start position you wish except for “active runway” or for that matter any runway selection at all.

Never connect SB or FSInn to the VATSIM network if you are on a runway as this could cause conflict with other traffic and cause havoc with controllers.

You need to bear in mind that the entire VATSIM experience means that the second you connect to the network a “tag” (more on that later) shows up on the radar screen (PC Monitor) of the on-line controller covering the area you are appearing at.

So, the very 1^st rule to remember at all time is:

Do not log on to VATSIM at any position except at gates, or stand or apron.

Since the Controller will see you from the moment you log on

Once you have connected at a gate please do not slew about the airport to move to another stand. If you wish to swap positions then please disconnect, move, and then re-connect. If you slew about an airport you could crash into another pilot aircraft and cause their Flight Simulator to restart the flight if they have crash detection on.

• Once you have landed at an airport please disconnect if you want to see a replay of your landing. SquawkBox actually updates your aircraft position during the replay so your "blip" on the radar screen will suddenly move back to the approach again. One sure way to scare the approach controller!
• Make sure you have read the manuals for SB3 and/or FSInn before you try to connect. You need to know how to change frequencies, look at and understand controllers ATIS, start and reply to private messages and understand the difference between the different transponder modes and how to swap between them.

When selecting a call-sign you might want to use one from a real airline rather than making one up. You can find a list of European airlines under the Pilot Reference section.

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Flight Planning and Requesting Clearance

• VATSIM pilots are kindly asked not to file or fly a GPS route. Rather you are requested to fly via the numerous Airways that exist worldwide.  Airways are the motorways of the skies and like roads have names such as N57, UL607, UN864, L9 etc. This is an easy way of describing a route as you don't need to list all the waypoints you are flying between, only the ones where you change between airways. There are several places where flight plans can be found within the community:
• Most of the major airports utilize Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) and Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs). These are specific routes that pilots fly from the airport to reach the airways systems (SIDs) and from the airways to the airport (STARs). Charts for airports can be found free of charge at many different sites on the internet.
• If you are not sure what kinds of departure or arrival to use then please tell the controller in a private message or enter NO SID/STAR in the comment field of your flight plan. The controllers will then vector you to or from the airway system.
• When you have successfully entered your route into your FMC or navigation system, you can call the controller to request your clearance. Please make sure that you read back the clearance fully to the controller so that he knows that you have heard him correctly. Also make sure that you select the initial altitude in your autopilot so that you do not climb above this and cause conflicts with other aircraft.

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Airfield Movements

• When you are ready to start engines and pushback from the stand (if required) please request it from the controller.
• As well as SID/STAR charts a pilot should also have the relevant Ground charts. As you will be able to follow the taxi instructions issued by the ground controller looking at the charts for the correct taxiways.
• Do not taxi or slew about the airfield without permission as you may crash into other aircraft.
• Never Cross or Enter a Runway (active or closed) at any time without clearance to do so from the Controller.
• If you think you are taxing the wrong way don't be afraid to ask the controller, he will be able to see you on his radar display and advise accordingly

Use of Voice on the Network

• On VATSIM the primary form of communication is voice but this does not exclude the use of text. Text remains an important part of communication. Particularly for those who cannot use voice for personal reasons or simply hardware reasons.
• Make sure if you are using SB3 that you select "voice transmit and receive", "voice receive only" or "text only" in the flight plan form. Or if you are using FSInn make sure that you type in the remarks box /v for voice receive only, /r for voice receive only and /t for text only. This is very important as it adds a symbol to your "blip" on the radar screen, allowing the controller tell what your voice capabilities are.
• When using voice please listen out on the frequency before you transmit. When a controller gives an instruction to a pilot he needs to hear the pilot read it back to him/her to make sure the pilot has understood what has been said. Please do NOT interrupt as this just creates further delays for everyone.
• Remember if you are using voice, text can still be used if a frequency is very busy and you are unable to get your call out over the radio or if you are having problems understanding a controller.

Use of Unicom

• If there is no ATC in your area than you should broadcast your intentions on the unicom frequency 122.80MHz and continue on your own navigation keeping a good look out for other aircraft on your TCAS and visually
• Unicom is text only; you can not use voice so that is why you will hear a buzzing noise with SB3 when you press your PTT button.
• Please avoid using unicom as a chat channel. If you want to talk to your friends whilst your are flying along you can use a private message box or use the private voice function on SB3

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Further Hints

• When you are setting up Flight Simulator check your graphic settings are not set too high or else you may experience bad frame rates. Try a low setting to begin with and then experiment after.
• With SB3 if you are experiencing bad frame rates, try lowering the multiplayer range and the aircraft frequency updates. With FSinn you can try lowering the multiplayer range.
• If you don't understand what someone is telling you then ask. It is better to be safe than sorry. Ask by private message if you wish so that it doesn't appear on the channel
• If you are very new to FlightSim then it might be worth consulting the FlightSim tutorials and practicing offline before you try your first online flight. If you unable to control your aircraft correctly you could cause problems for other pilots and controllers in your vicinity
• If you are on text and are requesting a clearance and the controller does not respond immediately then please be patient. Just because you can not see any other messages on text does not mean that it is quiet, the controller may be very busy on voice. If you don't receive a reply after a couple of minutes, then try sending it again
• Have a look at the main VATSIM Pilot Resource Centre which has some basics of online flying skills
• On your first few flights do put "newbie" in your remarks column of the flightplan, this will allow the controller see that you are new and give instructions or advise and hint accordingly
• When setting up FlightSim, make sure that you have "pause on task switch" turned OFF. This is very important as if you go into a menu whilst in flight fligthsim will normally pause, which is obviously not acceptable in an online environment.
• Similarly on line pilots should never Pauze or Freeze Flight Simulator or use the Accelerated Time Feature without prior approval from Air Traffic Controller
• If you have a problem or any query which the controller is not able to help you with, or he may well be too busy with other traffic to give you his full attention, speak to a Supervisor. They can be found connected to the network using a callsign ending with "_SUP"

And finally, do take 5 to 10 minutes to read the VATSIM Rules and Regulations and the Code of Conduct as these are important to be familiar with.

Happy Flying, Blue Skies and remember this is a hobby and the aim is to have fun!

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