VATSIM

Brad · November 21, 2013, 03:39:40 PM

Any fellow VATSIMers out and about? I finally picked up my En-route certification the other night with ZJX ARTCC. So happy! Of course then last night I get two Deltas, one at FL320 the other 2 miles behind at FL300 and they go unresponsive when I start trying to untie their knot. DON'T FLY THAT CLOSE IN AIRCRAFT THAT BIG! Not hard!

vento · November 21, 2013, 09:22:09 PM

About 10 years ago I retired as ZOA CI. Back then the CTR controller also had to provide service to all towered airfields and about 30% of the traffic was TEXT only. Good old times.

Brad · November 21, 2013, 09:25:15 PM

Still that way. Center has to provide top-down service to all towered fields if the tower would be open real-world at that time and workload permits, and we still get a good amount of texters. I've been at it for about 7 years now off and on.

There are a couple of new tools though, including a very-near-real-world TRACON client, vSTARS, and another one in development for Center controllers, vDSR.

Eclipse · November 21, 2013, 09:26:30 PM

You will never be as cool as this guy...

737-800 home made cockpit take off from Innsbruck

Although it appears he doesn't know what some of the buttons do, either, and it looks like he turns off the cockpit on takeoff accidentally.

Brad · November 21, 2013, 09:29:04 PM

There's a healthy amount of home cockpit pilots that fly about. I always like having them come in so I can add that extra bit to their already fantastically real experience....and hit them up for media of their setup!

Eclipse · November 21, 2013, 09:43:20 PM

As dummy panels that would be impressive, but a lot of it looks like it really works.

a2capt · November 21, 2013, 10:07:53 PM

Couple images from the "project" I've been working on for a while.. off and on.

I'll probably end up putting an LCD in there and simulating the avionics stack, with a touch screen, and make the bezel swappable to do either G1000/500 or round dials with graphics behind it, too.

There's a drop down movie screen on the wall ahead of this. If the room is dark, that's all you can see.

Eclipse · November 21, 2013, 10:32:43 PM

Very cool.

(Nice pink pliers.)

a2capt · November 21, 2013, 10:56:56 PM

LOL, those pliers started out red .. a -long- time ago.

This is the "remains" of an AST 300 that got traded in, though most of the instruments were swiped for "table pieces". I do have all the mechanical portions, and the computer hardware. The goal is to work as much as I can into X-Plane interfaces, since X-Plane can pretty much take every metric, in and out.

vento · November 22, 2013, 03:48:50 AM

Quote from: a2capt on November 21, 2013, 10:07:53 PM

Couple images from the "project" I've been working on for a while.. off and on.

I'll probably end up putting an LCD in there and simulating the avionics stack, with a touch screen, and make the bezel swappable to do either G1000/500 or round dials with graphics behind it, too.

There's a drop down movie screen on the wall ahead of this. If the room is dark, that's all you can see.

This is way cool! :clap: :clap: :clap:
How can anybody in your family tolerate your hobbies? :angel:

SARDOC · November 24, 2013, 03:31:14 AM

I've tried to do VATSIM but I've never been able to use it successfully. I'm not sure of what the technical problem is so I don't know how to fix it.

Brad · November 24, 2013, 07:37:16 PM

Quote from: SARDOC on November 24, 2013, 03:31:14 AM
I've tried to do VATSIM but I've never been able to use it successfully. I'm not sure of what the technical problem is so I don't know how to fix it.

As a pilot or a controller? If as a pilot, which pilot client were you using, what is your flight sim program and OS, and what is the error you are getting?

SJFedor · November 24, 2013, 09:29:36 PM

If you were using FSInn, it has VERY specific steps you have to follow to install so it runs correctly.

I still fly on there occasionally, and control in Albuquerque's airspace regularly as a C1/mentor.

BFreemanMA · November 25, 2013, 01:55:27 PM

I used to be on there all the time. Now, not so much due to CAP commitments and a currently broken desktop. I fly for vUSAF and FedEx Virtual. VATSIM taught me nearly everything I know about flying :-D

Larry Mangum · November 25, 2013, 02:20:26 PM

Wow, vUSAF, huh, have not thought or heard about those guys in years. Many moons ago, I use to be a member and a check pilot in vUSAF. In fact got credit for helping to test an add on for FS that allowed you to catch a "wire" on a carrier, that was developed by a member of vUSAF and later sold to ABACUS.

BFreemanMA · November 26, 2013, 02:08:26 AM

vUSAF is going quite strong. One of our members created an ACMI gauge that allows for SAMs, bomb/cargo drops, air to air missiles, cloaking, and all sorts of neat things. I'm a one-star with the organization, so it's neat seeing how far they've come in a short time. I recommend that anyone who's interested in learning more about military aviation check out www.vusaf.org.

And, after reading what I wrote, I want to add that this wasn't a free commercial. They have a lot of good material on military aviation that they'll teach you and expect you to utilize. :-)

Brad · November 26, 2013, 12:40:59 PM

I was going through vUSAF's flight school but then I got my Approach rating and got sucked big time back onto the scopes. Now with Center on top of that, I can't get away lol!

ChrisMOlmstead · November 29, 2013, 03:18:08 AM

Brad, I had no idea you were in CAP every time I saw you covering ZJX CTR. I'm an S3 at ZOB, while also visiting ZTL and ZMA; haven't started towards my C1 yet. I do most of my flying in commercial airlines and most of the time with Delta Virtual or JetBlue Virtual, but independently occasionally too. I credit VATSIM with my skills on the radio, both as an MRO and as an FAA student pilot. I highly recommend getting into it!