These links you gave me are super helpful! I was looking for exactly something like this so I can train with friends who have no clue about ATC phraseology at all and still can tell me if I get things correctly. Amazing!
I’d say use the FBW mod. Most tutorial videos use the mod so you can follow along. You can also use some tutorials designed for X-Plane or P3D since the systems are simulated pretty closely now.
And don’t worry about being perfect. It’s a simulator and you can’t really upset your passengers or damage the aircraft. As long as you get from one airport to the other that’s a success!
When you file your Flight Plan, put in the Comments, that you are NOT fluent English, and to talk slowly & clearly.
If you don’t let ATC know this, how are they to know 
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I do intend to get fully into vatsim at some point.
Actually, the OP gave me another reason not to go VR. I hadn’t considered that I wouldn’t be able to take notes while in VR.
Thinking of doing Pilot2ATC first as that’s an AI ATC but uses voice. Maybe I’ll practice with an AI before jumping into Vatsim.
It is possible tor remember ATC instructions, freqs, etc and you eventually become ‘tuned in’ to it. The problem comes with taxi instructions which really do need to be written down. Lie many, I will always be grateful to Pilot2ATC which helped me enormously to get used to speaking to ATC. Still use it now when Vatsim is offline. P2ATC is a great program, especially in VR where it forces you to remember the ATC instructions. A bit like taking the training wheels off of a bike.
I also agree about the lack of access to Navigraph in VR. Very poor that as a partner of FS2020 there is no means of using the charts in VR. I can even do that in XPlane!
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Telling to Atc that I am not fluent in English may help. Thx for the tip. By the way, I feel to hard to taxi in this Sim, in other hand I think X-Plane 11 is more complete on stand and taxiway indication and signs. Once I use pilots life software and I am hired by TAP, I do lots of flight from and to Lisbon but in this Sim, I have lots of difficult to use taxiways because the information is to low, at lppt, I already know all the taxiways, but find the stand is hard. No info at all. Luckly I have a second monitor which I use to see charts to find the right taxiway and stand. Don’t know if hand crafted airport in this Sim is more complete about stand and taxiway signs and information or not.
I absolutely want to but am too scared. I don’t know all the verbiage and although I feel comfortable with SIDs and STARs and how to intercept an ILS… but worried I’d get hated on for being a noob to VATSIM.
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I agree, everyone should try VATSIM! If you are looking for better ATC there is no superior option. The learning curve may feel steep at first but I assure you it is only nerves! I started VATSIM with the hot start TBM in xp11 before MSFS. Here are some things I think made it easier for me, I am sure most of which have been mentioned by other posters:
- pen & paper or digital notepad handy to copy clearance/taxi instructions
- basic understanding of airport traffic patterns, SIDs & STARs, direct-to function, and holding patterns
- I absolutely LOVE navigraph for being able to quickly look up charts, frequencies, waypoints and the moving map feature. I believe there are non-subscription ways to achieve all these things but navigraph has always worked perfectly for me
- you should feel comfortable with the systems of your chosen aircraft
- a program for flight planning (for me navigraph charts). For flying airliners I liked to use the flightaware website to look up real world routes. Most of the time the routes are perfect but sometimes your clearance controller will have changes for you from your filed flight plan (grab that notepad!)
Lastly a huge thing that helped me at the start was loading into VATSIM to simply listen to other flights on the radio without actually flying. File your flight plan with a brief description like ‘new pilot observing radio comms’. If you sit on the ramp out of the way with your plane powered up you can tune in to your desired frequency and listen. I don’t believe this is an issue for controllers as long as you aren’t wandering aimlessly or hot mic’ing the frequency. This helps to understand the flow of clearance request, taxi, takeoff, etc. through all stages of flight. It’s the main way I learned the actual sentence structure of the comms for each particular task, not being a real world pilot myself. Also it may sound boring but watching youtube videos of others on VATSIM also helps to learn comms.
Have fun! Cleared for takeoff!
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I used to fly MSFS 2020 on vatsim exclusively. But since I use VR it is not presently possible. What we would need is native support to display other apps within VR. I know there are plenty of threads out there that suggest 3rd party apps for that purpose, but unfortunately they don’t work for me. I’m holding out on vatsim until sim-native VR support for that is available.
Now with so many VATSIM ATC streaming on YouTube and Twitch, that’s another way to get familiar with how it works.
I like Sh3ed who streams Boston Center on Twitch.
I fly VR and Screens, if I’m using Vatsim or any glass cockpit plane I fly on screens, if I’m flying without vatsim, in a round gauge plane, VR all the time, its fantastic.
Getting VR doesn’t mean you always have to do VR, and getting Vatsim doesn’t mean you always have to do vatsim.
There is a lot of training and help on the vatsim website.
Try the free 10 day trial of Pilot2ATC to learn the language. It helped me and many others and gets you used to talking to controllers.
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I’ve been flying as a real military, police and corporate pilot for 36 years so i am aware of the sequence and content of regular ATC exchanges. Some things such as complicated taxi instructions at unfamiliar airfields need writing down on occasion. I like VATSIM, but as I’m now pretty much always on VR I won’t use it as removing the headset to read the text messages etc is immediately a deal breaker for me. Looking forward to the day both VATSIM and Navigraph get together with Microsoft and get it integrated on the menu bar.
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That made me laugh far longer than it should 
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EVERYONE who flies on VATSIM was a “Vatsim noob” when they began.
Nobody is going to “hate” you !!!
Just DO NOT go jumping into a Big Event with lots of other aircraft , until you have got the hang of it, by flying in areas where there is ATC, but few aircraft. Then the Controller has time to help you if you are having any difficulties.
You can use VATSPY to see where ATC and other controllers are online.
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Thank you so much. Will check this out.
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