What to Say and When on VATSIM
I really enjoy using VATSIM and one of the things I think people first worry about is what to say and when. There’s a number of good training materials at the Pilot Learning Center that are better than this post, so this is more just a quick recap. It’s not meant to be an exact guide or anything and lots of nits to pick for sure. It’s North American centric for this flight, so other places prefer different ways of ATC speaking (sometimes).
So here’s a quick informal transcript during a flight yesterday, as part of the Cross the Rockies event.
Flight Transcript
Some admin work to get going. Use Simbrief to get a typical flight plan for a B378 going from CYVR Vancouver to CYEG Edmonton. This gives me Block Fuel, ZFW (things I need to set up later) and a typical route of VIDRI Q949 ESKIE ESKIE2. I file the plan on VATSIM using the ‘Prefile’ via Simbrief, noting the off block times as do-able.
Do the flight sim set-up dance. I load up MSFS, make a roast dinner for eight while that is loading (joking) and then select a parking space at CYVR. I’ll be Swoop WSW 186 today, a budget airline that has one of the world’s worst shocking pink liveries, which is why I chose it. I just made up the flight number and parking space, but you can use things like Flightaware.com and find something that you like to fly and get the correct liveries and stands etc. Start up VPilot and VSR (I use VR) and cold and dark at Gate 21 (Domestic side, so not totally unrealistic)
Actual Talking (finally). With the aircraft checklist up to the point I need clearance I’ll go ask for it. During the event all stations are staffed up, so I’ll tune (or rather click in VSR) to Vancouver Clearance. Often controllers will be missing (e.g. no clearance, just ground etc), but they operate in a ‘top down’ way to cover areas - it’s a subject worth reading up on at VATSIM. Have a pen or something to write stuff down at this point.
“Vancouver Clearance, hello. Swoop 186 requesting IFR clearance to Edmonton.”
“Swoop 186. Cleared to Edmonton as filed. Vancouver 2 Departure, with runway 26 left. Expect to contact Departure on 132.3. Squawk 5155.”
“That’s Vancouver2 departure on 26 Left, expecting Departure on 32.3 and squawking 5155.”
“Swoop 186, readback is correct. Push at your discretion, contact ground on 127.15 when ready for taxi.”
“Push on discretion, contact ground on 127.15 before taxi - thanks.”
Get ready to go, do a quick departure brief to make sure you’ve got the right charts all ready. Notice in this case we didn’t get an initial altitude as you can get it from the YVR2 departure chart (7000 feet) and as a busy night they’ll be giving you directions soon after take off anyway. Having a ground chart available is a good idea for the next bit. Clearance will amend your VATSIM flight plan of your SID, as Simbrief is usually fairly shy of putting that on up front, as it doesn’t know how busy things are.
Ok. All pushed back, two good engines, squawking mode charlie as CYVR is a decent sized airport and lots of people tonight. If you haven’t already, grab the ATIS info and note the information letter. You’ll need to set your baro and it usually gives a good idea on current airport operations (dual runways in use, transponder mode to use with taxi, stuff like that). Again, depending how far you are from the assigned runway, get ready to make a note of the instructions.
“Vancouver Ground, Swoop 186 ready to taxi, with information Bravo.”
"Swoop 186 good evening, taxi via Hotel, Delta, Delta Five. Hold short 26 Left’.
“Hotel, Delta, Delta Five and holding short 26 left”
Depending on where you are you can also give them the direction you are facing, the stand or hold point as well.
Do the taxi thing, being aware that you might get instructions to hold at various points on the chart and to give way to traffic if needed. Keep those ears peeled. Somewhere close to D5 entrance to 26L you’ll get a call of:
“Swoop 186, contact tower on 118.7”
“Tower on 118.7, Swoop 186 thanks”
(click in VSR to switch over to tower)
“Vancouver Tower, Swoop 186, holding short 26 left”.
“Swoop 186, altimeter 3002, winds 296 at 8 knots, runway 26 left cleared for takeoff.”
“Cleared for take off, 26 left Swoop 186”
The tower can remind you about contacting departure when airborne, or you could also say you have the ATIS with a ‘have the weather Bravo’, so they’ll be some variance here. Sometimes you might get a ‘monitor’ rather than ‘contact’ if things are really super busy as well.
Do the piloting thing. Once your hair is not on fire and in the air contact Departure.
(tune to 132.3, or be even smarter and have it ready on Comm 1 standby and switch over like a pro)
“Vancouver Departure, Swoop 186 passing through one thousand.”
“Swoop 186 identified, cleared to 7000 feet for now”
“Up to 7000, Swoop 186”
More piloting things, just following SID out waiting for more instructions. Don’t do random things in controlled air space, but do the pilot the plane first. Controllers get busy and they aren’t flying the plane with all the pretend people on.
“Swoop 186 turn right 330, climb 16000”
“Right 330, up to 16000, Swoop 186”
Cabin crew can now start offering the $15 snacks and aggressively sell bespoke credit cards.
“Swoop 186 cleared direct to VIDRI, contact Center on 121.9”
“Direct to VIDRI and over to center, Swoop 186, thanks”
You can repeat back the frequency as a habit and controllers just expect you to be set up via looking in VPilot on what the next online frequency is. If you say the wrong frequency read back they might correct you, but if super busy then they like brevity rather than long emotional chats about you abilty to remember four digits for more than 7 seconds.
One tip is that it’s fun to try to think of how to say things like VIDRI out loud first rather than getting so mumbly and confused they have to Victor, India, Delta at you.
(tune to 121.9)
“Vancouver Center, good evening Swoop 186 passing 14000 feet to 16000”
“Swoop 186 hello, climb to flight level 350”
“Up to 350, Swoop 186”
Now lots of staring at clouds contemplating what the dogs are really doing while you sit in VR with a couple of TVs strapped to your face. You can request with the controller that you want to step away for five minutes if nothing going on and you need to shout at said dogs for eating something they shouldn’t. Just say when you are back.
“Swoop 186 contact Edmonton Center on 121.5”
“Center on 121.5 Swoop 186, see ya”
“see ya”
“Edmonton Center, Swoop 186 flight level 350”
“Swoop 186 roger”
Most controllers will see your flight plan and expect you to have some idea of what approach you’d like. It’s worth reviewing if you’d prefer setting up for a RNAV or ILS for example and then requesting it when they ask, as they usually will ask so be ready. You could say ‘dealers choice’ but we’re pretending to be pilots here.
Your arrival on ESKIE2 gives you height and speed restrictions but the approach controller will often give you specific instructions as well. On busy arrivals you might get vectored off or at least given some speed restrictions. If you get a ‘Cleared on the ESKIE 2 arrival’ then you can follow the chart, otherwise listen out to what they want you to do first.
“Swoop 186, descend when ready 16000. Expect 30”
“Down to 16000 when ready and I’ll expect runway 30, Swoop 186”
Piloting stuff, down the hill when your wee TOD greeny is near.
“Swoop 186 contact Edmonton Arrivals on 119.25. Altitude two triple nine and information yankee”
“Contact arrival on 119.25, have the weather. Swoop 186 - thanks”
“Edmonton Arrival, Swoop 186 passing flight level 200 for 16000”
“Swoop 186, maintain 280 or greater”
“Speed 280 or greater, Swoop 186”
Note the flight level and feet difference between the North American transition altitude of 18000 feet. Lots of fiddling around balancing the descent and the required speed restriction, noticing that someone behind me is driving their Airbus like they stole it and the controller is trying to space us out a bit - Schumacher behind me is getting calls to slow it down some.
“Swoop 186 speed restriction cancelled. Cleared ESKIE 2, what sort of approach do you want?”
“Um, ILS 30 Zulu please”
“Expect ILS 30 Zulu, expect vectors passed SUVAT”
“ILS 30 Zulu. Vectors passed SUVAT, Swoop 186”
If you haven’t already and you should have while staring at all those clouds before, narrow down your charts to the Arrival and Approach. Get your ILS radios and course set up, your decision heights and all that jazz. Do your mental approach briefing and think about the steps on what’s around you, what to do if going around etc. On a busy night people do odd things, so not landing is a thing that happens. Piloting stuff.
“Swoop 186, left 070, keep speed 190 or greater”
“Left 070, speed 190 Swoop 186”
It’s busy tonight, no idling in the groove.
“Swoop 186 left 010 to intercept. Contact tower on 118.3 when established”
“Left 010, tower on 118.3 when established - Swoop 186, thanks”.
One last chance to sell the Swoop passengers another credit card they don’t really need.
“Tower, Swoop 186 9 miles runway 30, established on the ILS”
“Swoop 186 good evening, altimeter 2999, winds 190 variable, cleared to land runway 30”
“Cleared to land 30, Swoop 186”.
So the speed restriction wasn’t cancelled but it’s towers control now, so fly the aircraft at the speeds you need rather than Topgun coffee-cup spill the good people of Edmonton. Fly that sucker down safely, lots of people are watching. (not really, no one cares, they are all here to enjoy flying)
(screech, budget airline nose thud, reverser noises)
“Swoop 186 welcome to Edmonton, exit right and contact ground on 121.7”
“Ground on 121.7, Swoop 186”
Get your butt off the active runway, there’s a train of lights behind you. Hope you have your ground chart all ready to go?
“Edmonton ground, Swoop 186, runway 30 alpha two.”
“Swoop 186, hi, what gate would you like?”
(fumbling around parking charts noise) “Um, gate 56 please”
Always a nice idea at a busy event to have some idea where you want to park, e.g. use Flightaware and scope out the Swoop gates normally used if going for REALISM ™.
“Swoop 186, gate 56 on alpha, alpha delta and proceed to the apron.”
“Alpha, Alpha Delta and then on to Apron - thank you, Swoop 186”
Depending on the airport and the amount of control on the apron you can play dogems here and try to avoid the embarrassment of turning off your engines before your APU generators are switched over - two blues, one red etc.
Ok, so a bit long but hopefully helpful to someone. There are many good learning guides and this is probably not exactly one of them, but I thought easy to type up while I could remember it (more or less, frequencies might be off etc). I might get some flack for this one, but it’s written in the spirit of encouraging people to go online by giving an example of the sort of thing that happens. You can monitor VATSIM as an observer, but following a flight step by step is a bit rarer to see.
Good luck, and whatever the network, give an online ATC a go! Once you can pilot the plane it takes things up a notch.
