Want more Realism in your VA flight? Try Online ATC!
Mario Romilio
Ok. You've just gotten your pilot number from the Human Resources Manager
of your VA. You download the timetable, and start diligently planning your
flights. Oooh, here's a good flight... Dallas Ft. Worth to the VA's hub at
Chicago O'Hare. Flight number VA101, departs 10:30am, arrives 12:22pm,
you've set your waypoints, set the weather, downloaded your aircraft, and
you're rolling at 10:31am.
Wait! I wasn't cleared for takeoff. Oh, well, it's just a game right? As a
VA pilot myself, I love the whole idea of flying with a purpose. The
realism that a VA offers is great in the sense of making a flight
meaningful, conserving fuel, keeping a schedule. But, it's so darn quiet
up here! Ok, I passed 5000 ft. Shouldn't I be contacting departure right
about now? Up over flight level 250, heavy clouds and turbulence pretty
strong; gotta call Center and get clearance to climb, right? Oops, no
Center here… How can we make flights jump to life with live Air Traffic
Control?
Well, a site like www.fstower.com is the answer. Online ATC services for
Flight Sim 98 and 2000 are available here. Fully controlled flights from
startup to shutdown. VAs can register, and sponsor flights on their
timetable with FSTOWER.COM. For example, XYX Virtual has scheduled flights
from KDFW to KORD. Both of these facilities are available on fstower.com.
A schedule can be worked out that pilots will be able to fly this fully
controlled flight on Wednesdays at 0100zulu. This is a GREAT way to
generate interest and realism for your VA!
Ok, starting my descent into one of the worlds busiest airports, KORD.
Flipping through the com1 radio, don't hear a single word from anyone.
KORD airspace is a ghost town. Was that a tumbleweed I just saw getting
sucked into the left engine? Oh, well. Positioning myself for final
approach. Looking and listening for traffic. None. Am I cleared to land?
Sure, there's no one here! Land anywhere you want! Doesn't matter. There
is no active runway, because there is no activity! Oh well, it's just a
game, right? Wrong. We join VA's for added realism, right? Wouldn't you
like to fly for a VA that offers this type of benefit to their pilots? I
would. VA's can offer weekly scheduled Fly-Ins to their hub airport. It
would be great to know that on Thursday night, I could fly my weekly
scheduled flight into my hub with full ATC control. Use that VA call sign
they gave me a little more realistically.
"Dallas Center, XYZ Virtual 234 100nm inbound to KDFW at FL180, heading
230." "XYZ 234, radar contact. Squawk 2-0-3-0, descend and maintain one
zero thousand, turn right heading 2-6-0, expect ILS approach Runway 1-8
Left, do you have the numbers?"
"2-0-3-0 in the box, descend maintain one zero thousand, right to 2-6-0,
expect 1-8 Left, have the numbers, XYZ 234"
Ahh, music to the VA pilots ears, right? I think so.
Online ATC services make it more fun, more realistic, and are very
educational. They also open up a new world to the flight simmer. Do you
like the way the ATC sounds on Roger Wilco? You say, "I can do that, too."
Well, chances are you can. These type of dedicated online ATC sites offer
controller training for positions with their site. Imagine, you fly a few
times a week, and you control a few times a week. Adds a lot to your
hobby, doesn't it?
"XYZ 234, Dallas Approach, turn heading 3-2-0 for traffic, one o'clock at
5000 ft."
"Right turn to 3-2-0, have the traffic, XYZ 234."
Do yourself a favor, VA pilots AND VA management. Check out this added
service that you can utilize. This can be the one thing your VA offers
that others don't. You don't have to do anything to use these services,
like get passwords, and read extensive training documentation. This is
easy. Roger wilco, and CH client is all you need. Join a session whenever
you want, without doing an hour of preparation. File your flight plan, and
take off. Just make sure you get your clearance!
"Dallas Tower, XYZ 234 is at the outer marker for 1-8-Left" "XYZ 234,
Winds are 180 at 5 knots, Altimeter is 30.40. Check 3 green and flaps,
cleared to land, Runway 1-8-Left. Contact ground upon arrival. Good day!"
"Cleared to land, 1-8-Left, will give ground a call upon arrival, XYZ 234,
good day!"
Ahh, another successful VA flight. This time, however, it was a little
more real.
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Simon Kelsey
www.satco.org :-)
I'll have a look at the FSTOWER thing...
Regards,
Simon Kelsey
UFC Pilot Training Director
www.onlineflyingclub.org.uk
simon...@lineone.net
"Mario Romilio" <kd...@fstower.com> wrote in message
news:3b02d6cf$1...@news.simflight.com...
> Want More Realism in your VA flights? Try Online ATC!
>
> Ok. You've just gotten your pilot number from the Human Resources Manager
> of your VA. You download the timetable, and start diligently planning your
> flights. Oooh, here's a good flight... Dallas Ft. Worth to the VA's hub at
> Chicago O'Hare. Flight number VA101, departs 10:30am, arrives 12:22pm,
> you've set your waypoints, set the weather, downloaded your aircraft, and
> you're rolling at 10:31am.
>
> Wait! I wasn't cleared for takeoff. Oh, well, it's just a game right? As a
> VA pilot myself, I love the whole idea of flying with a purpose. The
> realism that a VA offers is great in the sense of making a flight
> meaningful, conserving fuel, keeping a schedule. But, it's so darn quiet
> up here! Ok, I passed 5000 ft. Shouldn't I be contacting departure right
> about now? Up over flight level 250, heavy clouds and turbulence pretty
> strong; gotta call Center and get clearance to climb, right? Oops, no
> Center here. How can we make flights jump to life with live Air Traffic
Roger Curtiss
not get any better!
J.T. Wenting
SATCO...
I also don't like being banned or screamed at if I do something wrong
because I lack experience (as seems to happen on SATCO, or so I've been
told).
"Roger Curtiss" <cur...@lightstream.net> wrote in message
news:3b02...@news.simflight.com...
Ron Ackerley
If there were ever a time that a pilot will make plenty of mistakes, it's
while learning to add the use of live ATC with a sim program. I can only
speak for myself and what I have seen on SATCO, but being relatively new
myself (only a couple of months) I think I can give a pretty fair assessment
of the issues you mention.
From the first time I logged into Satco and on from there I have received
nothing but positive support from both pilots and controllers. I have
listened as an otherwise busy controller took the time to help new people. I
have watched as they accommodate the common errors new users make in pattern
or simply in following directions.
I have never once heard a controller respond rudely or inappropriately to a
pilot. By and large they remain extremely professional and never come across
as arrogant. FS2000's Multiplayer facility is rather weakly implemented and
can cause problems that controllers seem to take in stride as well.
If a user is truly looking to improve the realism of their flights, Satco
provides easy access to everything you need, Preferred routes, SIDS, STARS
and much more. As a pilot the better you learn to plan and prepare the more
enjoyable it becomes.
Also, remember SATCO is a FREE service and the people from administration,
to network techs, to controllers to pilots all do this for the love of
online flying. As you derive more enjoyment from improving your skills you
also provide greater pleasure to everyone else who fly's the network.
The server that has been down, and is now about to be back online, is
supplied and maintained not by subscription but by volunteers that supply
effort and often physical resources at their own expense. In a world of
"Let's try to make money with this" attitudes, Satco represents something
quite apart. A shared vision and a shared appreciation of the absolute value
we can all bring through positive participation.
Have people been banned? I'm sure there have been, but not for being
inexperienced. More likely from abuse of the system, from profanity to abuse
of other users, these are the likely things that cause a person to be
banned. Not because a user does not know how to fly an arc.
Once the registration process is back online, I would suggest you give it a
try and see for yourself. For myself, no matter where I choose to fly one
thing remains constant, the obvious pleasure and commitment SATCO people
have in both using and providing this wonderful service.
Best regards,
Ron Ackerley
J.T. Wenting <jwen...@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:3b03...@news.simflight.com...
J.T. Wenting
>
> From the first time I logged into Satco and on from there I have received
> nothing but positive support from both pilots and controllers. I have
> listened as an otherwise busy controller took the time to help new people.
I
> have watched as they accommodate the common errors new users make in
pattern
> or simply in following directions.
>
as well as controllers? That would get more people started more easily, as
it would lower the tresshold (noone likes to look bad, but in a classroom it
is not all that bad as you're not the only one) to starting. Is such things
exist, I've been unable to find them.
> I have never once heard a controller respond rudely or inappropriately to
a
> pilot. By and large they remain extremely professional and never come
across
> as arrogant. FS2000's Multiplayer facility is rather weakly implemented
and
> can cause problems that controllers seem to take in stride as well.
>
I've hears stories, but I'm sure those people were biassed (but then, so are
controllers in stories about bad pilot behaveour :) ).
> If a user is truly looking to improve the realism of their flights, Satco
> provides easy access to everything you need, Preferred routes, SIDS, STARS
> and much more. As a pilot the better you learn to plan and prepare the
more
> enjoyable it becomes.
>
Certainly. I do have charts for some of the areas I like (and been unable to
get them for others, especially enroute charts for areas outside the US and
Europe are hard to come by here).
I've taken to preparing longer flights using charts (if available) and only
after that inputting the data in the flightplanner.
> Also, remember SATCO is a FREE service and the people from administration,
> to network techs, to controllers to pilots all do this for the love of
> online flying. As you derive more enjoyment from improving your skills you
> also provide greater pleasure to everyone else who fly's the network.
>
I know it is a volunteer effort, and I appreciate that. It's a lot of work
keeping an organisation running like that, I wonder how they do it without
fulltime staff :)
> The server that has been down, and is now about to be back online, is
> supplied and maintained not by subscription but by volunteers that supply
That's good news. I've been wanting to try it, but could not :(
Once they are back up, and I get SB to work (so far it eludes me, causing
lots of problems in FS and out) I shall.
Simon Kelsey
> That's good. Maybe have training sessions (voluntary, of course) for
pilots
> as well as controllers? That would get more people started more easily, as
> it would lower the tresshold (noone likes to look bad, but in a classroom
it
> is not all that bad as you're not the only one) to starting. Is such
things
> exist, I've been unable to find them.
The UK Online Flying Club holds Pilot Training Sessions every Friday from
around 2015BST (1915Z) at Cardiff EGFF.
Feel free to come along some time if you want!
Regards,
Simon Kelsey
UFC Pilot Training Director
www.onlineflyingclub.org.uk