It’s funny how the other day I was watching a YoutTube video about real life ATC communication and phraseology and the captain was saying that the more skilled you are at this, the more ATCs will help you, whereas they will show little patience for those who are new and are trying to learn.
It should be the other way around, like with VATSIM. All VATSIM controllers are extremely helpful when you tell them you’re a new pilot (or just put it in your remarks notes). They will be very clear in their instructions, they may give you tips, URLs etc.
i feel like that may apply in the real world, but not so much in the virtual world. Real world Air traffic controllers are probably some of the most stressed out people in the world in charge of hundreds and hundreds of lives. Generally speaking, by the time you’re flying out of major airports, you should have the experience at that point (it’s like what 500 hours total flight time before you can be certified to fly a commercial jet in the US plus at least 70% on the FAA test, not counting getting trained in a given airframe) to know how to properly communicate with ATC. Not only that, they have 15 other pilots talking to them at the same time and they have to make sure they aren’t gonna crash into each other, ATC don’t have the time to sit there and train you or give you pointers. Keep in mind, this is more applicable at busy, international hubs vs smaller regional airports (like Telluride) or your local airstrip (which may be uncontrolled even).
I don’t play on vatsim, but in these sort of video games (truck sim, flight sim, combat flight sim, racing sims etc) where real world employees of the industry are playing with f***ing casuals like myself, it’s lot more relaxed because theres nothing actually at stake, except maybe your time.
I love reading these stories of individual experiences.
I did my first IFR Vatsim flight earlier today in the TBM 930 from Rockford,Il to Chicago O’hare (my home base) and Wow! What an experience. I was exhausted and hands quivering. I remember the same feeling when I was a student pilot.
My flight was less than perfect. I was expecting to be assigned a standard arrival and approach (which I was prepared for) but instead, got a curve ball, vectors all the way to the localizer which I wasn’t mentally prepared for.
The controllers were Great and very patient in the Chicago airspace. I messed up plenty and they hung in there with me. Especially when I contacted Ground. I finally had to request a progressive taxi (got lost) and the controller was super patient with directions and incorrect read backs at times.
I would urge the community to not be afraid (like I’ve been for months), and just dive in.
Read their training literature, watch a few of the Vatsim YouTube’s and just practice your phraseology while your out for a walk or driving miss daisy.
As I’ll do the next time, open your requests with, Student Pilot TBM N347DT… Like we do in the real world. No shame in being a student, we’re all students and to learn and get better, we need to practice. And we’re very fortunate that the wonderful Vatsim controllers seem to know that already.
Hi everyone!
Love VATSIM - I’m the UK and have been using it solidly and almost exclusively from September… There’s nothing better now!
I spent a while getting the confidence to use the PTT on the network for those first few flights but once I overcame that, there was no holding me back!
I’ve since created a YouTube channel and have made a dedicated VATSIM Mini Series to help everyone else get started so if YOU fall into that category then check it out!
It will be updated regularly too with a few other videos, tips and tricks but covers the basics to give people the confidence and the basic knowledge to get started!
To be EXTRA useful, I’ve actually started created short pdf documents to help people follow me along on live streams and to give them physically something to read while watching the tutorial videos
Be sure to read the Playlist Description to the link for those pdf files!
I have 40 hours on VATSIM at this point after doing my first VATSIM flight four weeks ago. I started playing MSFS on the very first versions (wireframe on the Apple ][e!) but never had the guts to try VATSIM until MSFS2020 made VFR possible.
My first flight, I sat on the ramp at Phoenix Sky Harbor for 15 minutes, my TBM’s engine sucking up the fuel fruitlessly, while I worked up the courage to make my first call. Finally I tuned to ABQ Center and got clearance. I forgot to set Mode C in vPilot, forgot to check in after takeoff, and forgot to get the ATIS. The controller was extremely patient with me, but I still felt totally unprepared for what I was doing. On the return flight (out of Telluride, an uncontrolled airport), I called Center and got read a very low-key riot act for requesting taxi clearance, then saying I was “Cleared for takeoff” when I was actually cleared for IFR release and had to announce my own intentions on UNICOM, and I just felt like an idiot.
But with time comes practice, and with practice comes greater assurance. 40 hours later, I’m still making errors (checking in with an approach controller from FL410; asking for IFR clearance from a ground controller, because I’m still getting used to how VATSIM consolidates duties in understaffed sectors; calling a 10-mile final for “runway sixteen right on the RNAV” instead of the proper phraseology, etc.). I’m definitely not perfect on freq, but by and large the controllers are very patient. And I’m starting to recognize some voices after multiple flights with them (Shez Ansari at LA Center is one I’ll highlight as a very good controller) - I’d like to think they are starting to recognize my callsign, too.
Anyway, VATSIM has changed my life in terms of flight simming. I will never go back to AI ATC - at least, I won’t go back until it gets to Google Assistant levels of interaction. The human element just makes everything so much better. I wholeheartedly recommend it if you haven’t tried it yet.
My tips:
Have an actual scratchpad to work with when you fly. Not just an app or an electronic scratchpad such as in SimToolkitPro. It helps immensely to have the pen and paper to make quick notes during clearance and routing. There are YouTube videos that go into depth on various types of shorthand, but use something you’ll recognize.
Do your checklists audibly. Actually speak your cockpit flow as you prep and taxi. It helps you remember not just the switches and dials, but also little things like activating your Mode C, having your initial climb set in your autopilot, etc.
Either sign up for Navigraph Charts or download LittleNavMap and have it up and ready when you are departing and arriving, so that you have a moving map showing where you are at the airport. Until Asobo or a third-party adds this to the in-game electronics suite, you’ll want this so you don’t get crossed up on the taxiways - especially since the airport signage in MSFS2020 sucks right now.
Use SimToolkitPro as your electronic flight bag (EFB). You’ll have all the charts (taxi, SID, STAR, Approach) for all your airports, METAR information, and etc. that you’ll need on hand when you need it in flight. The more information you have, the better you’ll be able to adapt to unexpected changes of route from the VATSIM controllers.
I’m Citation N31TC and I fly out of Deer Valley Airport, so if you see me on line send me a shoutout.
Fantastic post, I’ll have to agree 110% with everything you wrote. I also find that a physical scratchpad helps immensely, both to prepare your flight plan and also to keep notes while you’re on it.
Also for the life of me I have no idea how I was flying in the past without using Little Navmap.
There’s really no point in going back to AI ATC after you’ve experienced VATSIM and the like.
I’m seeing a lot of great tips here. Thanks to all for sharing. Every little bit helps.
Here’s another, I was taught from my flight instructor many many years ago.
If you feel the plane is getting ahead of you, and your head is getting overloaded, slow things down. Pull the power back a bit, put in a notch of flaps, take a couple deep breaths, clear your head for a moment and reset.
Now, that was VFR flying. 90% of my flying these days is IFR and I’m not sure what ATC will say if I’m at FL310, slowing to 100 IAS to recalibrate. But if I get overloaded, that’s what I’m going to do. At least until I get yelled at.
Above all, fly the plane 1st, navigate, communicate. That’s what I was taught.
On the weekend I had my first Vatsim experience too and I love it. It really brings the sim to a new level. I was quite nervous during my first flight, especially the first contact with ATC is a big step. But now, after only four flights I feel much more confident already. Of course I still do a ton of mistakes, especially in terms of phraseology.
If there are some people out there, who are still hesitating to do the first step, I have some recommendations:
Watch many YouTube videos and take notes:
By doing this, I learned the phraseology before I started my first flight and prepared a cheat sheet with all phrases I could possibly need during the flight. It doesn’t prevent from making mistakes, but it might help to improve.
Learn how to fly your plane:
Another important prerequisite for me was, to feel confident with my plane. I am using the working title CJ4 mod. Without this mod, I would not feel comfortable to fly on Vatsim, because the default version is lacking of so many important features. You should be able to at least have some sort of VNAV guidance so that you can follow the required vertical profiles easily. And quite obviously: you should be able to fly directs to other waypoints, which is not possible during approach in the default version.
Get familiar with charts:
I’ve been using the PMDG 737 in FSX for several years before going to MSFS. I always used the charts, so I didn’t really have to learn about it now. But if you never used charts before, you should definitely learn how to read them.
During the flight and flight planning:
Always think ahead. Have all charts ready before you start flying. Check the weather/ ATIS, to anticipate your arrival route and other procedures. I use vattastic and/ or VatScope to follow my plane and anticipate the next handover. And always have a pen and piece of paper to note down your instructions to give a proper read back.
The trick is to land somewhere operational but reasonably quiet. Make a mistake when there are 20 odd planes waiting to take off and they will get a bit short - if there’s only one then they’ll go through it with you much more patiently. Basically, don’t try JFK, Frankfurt or Heathrow until you’ve had a bit of practice.
Quick followup to my much longer post above - I finally broke down and purchased a subscription to Navigraph, and used the Navigraph Charts for the first time last night on a flight. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended. Between that and SimToolkitPro, you should have answers to any question you’d get asked by VATSIM ATC on a flight. The simple ability to click an airport and see a visual, color-coded representation of every SID/STAR availability, along with being able to overlay all sorts of charts on your enroute map, is worth every penny of the subscription - and those are only a couple of the features available.
Yep! I love Navigraph. I have an ipad set up to my left (similar to where the real iPad’s sit in jetliners). It’s awesome to have all the charts and real time location.
This is very true. Ever since I got my Navigraph subscription I feel much more comfortable as I can access all this critical SID/STAR/taxiways material at the click of a button (even mid-flight or while I’m talking with a controller) instead of searching in random different web places every time.
People who are reluctant to use Navigraph because of the 90 eur/year cost should also keep in mind that apart from the charts it provides up-to-date AIRACs which can be sync’ed between various apps (SimBrief, Little Navmap, SimtoolkitPro, Pilot2ATC etc). This helps things immensely when filing flight plans.
If you’re flying VATSIM you’re serious and if you’re serious you should use Navigraph. That’s the end of it.
True. Videos can work as great training and they’re often entertaining as well. There’s plenty of stuff out there and one can quickly lose track, but if you focus on a few proper videos you’ll see that most of the stuff is simply getting repeated over and over. Personally I watched no more than 3-4 videos, read a couple of VATSIM tutorials and I was then able to compose the following IFR phraseology cheatsheet which serves me nice.
Exactly, I just picked a few videos too. Good cheat sheet by the way!
Mine is handwritten, i normally prefer to take notes handwritten But it’s quite similar.
Look into acceptable abbreviations for your call sign, you don’t always have to say the full thing. Can make things a lot easier especially when it’s a registration.
Brilliant.
I sat at Gatwick last night observing but couldn’t pluck up the courage to press the PTT to do a radio check!!
Ha Ha. However, sat on the ground watching the other aircraft and listening to them just took the whole Sim experience to the next level.
Maybe next time I’ll have the courage to file a flight plan and go flying. Lol
But it’s quite similar.