I’ve got a checkride soon for my license. It would be nice to practice irl but at $150/hr rental for a 70s c172 I’d rather conserve my money. Is the ATC role playing any good or is it a bunch of children role playing?
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It’s very serious yet fun. Give this a read: Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network - Wikipedia
PilotEdge is great also.
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I am a 20 year simmer and I have never flew Vatsim because its to real for me. They are nice to newbies but do your homework because ATC takes their role play serious. They have cancelled people off the service for life if you do not take it for real and play around or don’t follow instructions.
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As long as you’re serious and actually want to learn, I would say it is great alternative. Pilotage is even more professional
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Agreed with above. VATSIM helped me tremendously with real life flying before I even took my first lesson. Continued to use it through instrument training too to keep up with approach plates and procedures. Even to this day I’ll hop on once in a while to keep fresh. And the best part, it’s free! With the cost of aircraft rental through the roof, it’s a great way to skip renting to get ATC experience/feel. It is NOT a bunch of children playing ATC, the process to become a controller on VATSIM is pretty in depth and takes a lot of time and training before you’re allowed to be a controller on there. So yes you do need to take it seriously. It’s a platform to simulate real life procedures, not an online multiplayer free for all.
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Been using it since 2009, absolutely love it! I wish I knew about it earlier. I actually learned about VATSIM back in an FSX MP lobby.
Yeah it’s ok. Depends on where you fly because the controllers can be very unfriendly, unhelpful and rude. I find UK/US good but Australia not so much.
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Oh that sounds like real life. I was in pattern on the downwind and this guy on ATC said “xxx call your base” I proceeded to turn base at the usual spot and the controller flipped out and said “I SAID ILL CALL your base!” 
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It’s a ripe place for control freaks and narcissists.
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Hm, did you acknowledge that they will call your base and also where did you do this? There may have been traffic on final.
I repeated “I will call my base” after he said “call your base” and there was nothing on final. A plane had already landed and was turning on the next taxiway
Oh, I thought they said “I’ll call your base” my bad! >_<
Not unless he accidentally let go of the transmit button when he said i’ll. The xxx I put in the original quote was supposed to represent the last 3 of whatever my call sign was that day
The only times I’ve heard a controller telling me to call my base is when I request to extend my downwind or they say “Report a X mile left / right base for…”. Other times it’s “Extend your downwind I’ll call your base” in which I’ll reply with “Extended downwind you’ll call my base”.
Yeah idk it was a class D airspace and this specific airport is usually bad about giving clearance for the option to land or touch/go unless you tell them you’re on base
Its good. Im using VATSIM too.
You have good controllers there and all with real life procedures. Many times they have “Events”, so in a predefined time you habe a lot covered also Center’s. When you know phraselogy it is good to train. You also can get help and feedback there (or checkrides)
So, do it 
Greetings
Oh yeah, events are really fun. I remember a long time ago a bunch of aircraft were put into holds because there was so much traffic at an airport, hehe.
Does it connect to msfs in that I can tune the radio in whichever plane I’m using and it communicates the radios back to the xpilot application? Or do I have to tune it in the separate application? Still awaiting on their moderators to approve my account. I easily got every question right on their test without reading through their rules because I’m familiar with FAR/AIM rules and regs.
No very far from real life
Yes, you use your aircraft radios in the sim but you can type .com1(2) and the frequency if you want in the client. Also, be sure that you download vPilot, xPilot is for X-Plane.
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