Welcome to Cyberairspace

Where you can fly from Chicago to Atlanta without leaving your living room.

  • By Ed Regis
  • Air & Space magazine, January 2009
 
Flight simulation software enables pilots to view their aircraft from outside the cockpit — at any angle. Flight simulation software enables pilots to view their aircraft from outside the cockpit — at any angle.

Delta Virtual Airlines

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Chicago Approach: “Delta 6461, radar contact. Climb and maintain one-three thousand, direct CMSKY.”

“Nominal,” as they say. But then a few minutes later, at about 10,000 feet:

Chicago Approach: “Delta 6461, you are climbing out of my airspace. Chicago Center not online. Radar service terminated, frequency change approved. Thanks for flying.”

And with those last three words, the simulated flight ends. Breaks in radar coverage are nothing new to Ward, who in real life is a 57-year-old systems engineer for General Dynamics. As a student at the Naval Academy, he logged about 75 hours in different aircraft, but these days Ward spends his time on one of the hottest digital pursuits aloft or on the ground: the virtual airline game.

Virtual airlines mirror real-world airlines. Although it might come as a shock to most passengers (as well as their flight crews) who are plowing through the skies on any given day, there are also, on that same day, hundreds if not thousands of virtual pilots flying the same, though virtual, routes. The Web site Air Seychelles VA and Ocean RIA/Ocean Airways, which AVSIM describes as “a German airline based in Palma de Mallorca.” Then there are virtual charter and bush airlines (22 total), virtual cargo-oriented airlines (19), and 57 virtual airlines that don’t fit into other categories.

Nor are these outfits merely imaginary entities or complex, extended jokes. Each virtual airline has its own Web page, some of which are detailed, realistic, and sophisticated beyond belief. “There used to be a UPS Virtual,” says Terry Eshenour, Delta Virtual Airlines’ president and CEO. “They had a cease-and-desist order because they were using [UPS] logos, and it was difficult to differentiate whether you were dealing with UPS or UPS Virtual.” (The Web page for today’s UPS Virtual Air Cargo, upsvac.com, now includes a disclaimer saying, in part: “This virtual airline is operated by aviation and simulator enthusiasts. All ‘real’ logos of UPS (United Parcel Service) are copyrighted material for the corporation of UPS (United Parcel Service). We are not affiliated with UPS (United Parcel Service).”)

Delta Virtual Airlines’ own Web site, deltava.org, also includes a disclaimer (“We are in no way affiliated with Delta Air Lines”) but is otherwise hyper-authentic. Here you will find predictable stuff like Delta Virtual Airlines news, a fleet gallery (with images of real-world Delta jets), and a “Who Is Online” link. Further down the page is an archive of Delta VA’s inflight magazine DELTA FLY!, a “Water Cooler” forum that logs 300 to 400 posts per day, a pilot roster, and a pilot locator, which depicts a map of the world dotted with teardrop-shaped pushpins, many of them clustered around big cities. Clicking on a pushpin brings up a balloon giving the pilot’s name, Delta ID number, and approximate home base. “Approximate” because Delta Virtual Airlines emulates real-world airlines’ tendency to suppress and distort certain information “for security reasons.”

Even more impressive is the Web site’s live map: Based on the real world’s Airline Communications Addressing and Reporting System, the map shows the current status of Delta Virtual Airlines’ flights, using color-coded pushpins to show whether the flight is on the ground, climbing, descending, or at cruise. Clicking a given pushpin brings up a trove of information that borders on the surreal: the pilot’s name, rank, and Delta VA seniority number; the flight number and type of aircraft; its departure and arrival airports; its exact geographical coordinates in degrees, minutes, and seconds; its airspeed, ground speed, vertical speed, and Mach number; heading; percent of rated power in N1 and N2 compressor engine sections; total fuel flow in pounds per hour; autopilot and auto-throttle settings. If you want more, you can superimpose the airplane’s current position on a Google Earth map.

Although I’m sitting in the living room of a second-floor condominium in Germantown, Maryland, what I see on the monitor of Dan Ward’s Dell computer invites me to imagine I’m in the cockpit of an Embraer 145 regional jet. Visible through a cockpit window is the jetway, which runs from the passenger door to a gate at Terminal 3 of Chicago O’Hare. The cockpit instruments are dark, but after Ward types in a few commands, the control panel lights up like a Christmas tree.

Soon Ward, senior pilot for Delta Virtual Airlines, is keying flight data into the flight management system, the automated device that will fly the Embraer 145 from just after takeoff to just before touchdown while he sits back, monitors progress, and talks to air traffic control. Then he types in the departure and arrival airports (KORD and KATL), flight plan (CMSKY CARYN CYBIL PXV J73 BNA ERLIN5), initial climb rate, cruise speed, altitude, fuel reserves, winds aloft, number of passengers, and so on. The entire process takes about 10 minutes. Finally, Ward is ready to go.

As the jetway moves aside, Ward requests push-back. He starts the engines, which make a whoosh in the background, then speaks into his voice-activated headset: “Chicago Arrival, Delta 6461 with you, IFR to Atlanta.”

Chicago Approach: “Delta 6461, Chicago Approach, standby one.” (Beep. Long pause.)

Ward is calling Approach for a departure because today’s virtual controller is multi-tasking and playing a variety of roles.

Chicago Approach: “Delta 6461, have your clearance. Ready to copy?”

Delta 6461: “6461’s ready to copy, sir.”

Soon Ward is off the ground, with downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan coming into view through the left side of the cockpit.

Chicago Approach: “Delta 6461, radar contact. Climb and maintain one-three thousand, direct CMSKY.”

“Nominal,” as they say. But then a few minutes later, at about 10,000 feet:

Chicago Approach: “Delta 6461, you are climbing out of my airspace. Chicago Center not online. Radar service terminated, frequency change approved. Thanks for flying.”

And with those last three words, the simulated flight ends. Breaks in radar coverage are nothing new to Ward, who in real life is a 57-year-old systems engineer for General Dynamics. As a student at the Naval Academy, he logged about 75 hours in different aircraft, but these days Ward spends his time on one of the hottest digital pursuits aloft or on the ground: the virtual airline game.

Virtual airlines mirror real-world airlines. Although it might come as a shock to most passengers (as well as their flight crews) who are plowing through the skies on any given day, there are also, on that same day, hundreds if not thousands of virtual pilots flying the same, though virtual, routes. The Web site Air Seychelles VA and Ocean RIA/Ocean Airways, which AVSIM describes as “a German airline based in Palma de Mallorca.” Then there are virtual charter and bush airlines (22 total), virtual cargo-oriented airlines (19), and 57 virtual airlines that don’t fit into other categories.

Nor are these outfits merely imaginary entities or complex, extended jokes. Each virtual airline has its own Web page, some of which are detailed, realistic, and sophisticated beyond belief. “There used to be a UPS Virtual,” says Terry Eshenour, Delta Virtual Airlines’ president and CEO. “They had a cease-and-desist order because they were using [UPS] logos, and it was difficult to differentiate whether you were dealing with UPS or UPS Virtual.” (The Web page for today’s UPS Virtual Air Cargo, upsvac.com, now includes a disclaimer saying, in part: “This virtual airline is operated by aviation and simulator enthusiasts. All ‘real’ logos of UPS (United Parcel Service) are copyrighted material for the corporation of UPS (United Parcel Service). We are not affiliated with UPS (United Parcel Service).”)

Delta Virtual Airlines’ own Web site, deltava.org, also includes a disclaimer (“We are in no way affiliated with Delta Air Lines”) but is otherwise hyper-authentic. Here you will find predictable stuff like Delta Virtual Airlines news, a fleet gallery (with images of real-world Delta jets), and a “Who Is Online” link. Further down the page is an archive of Delta VA’s inflight magazine DELTA FLY!, a “Water Cooler” forum that logs 300 to 400 posts per day, a pilot roster, and a pilot locator, which depicts a map of the world dotted with teardrop-shaped pushpins, many of them clustered around big cities. Clicking on a pushpin brings up a balloon giving the pilot’s name, Delta ID number, and approximate home base. “Approximate” because Delta Virtual Airlines emulates real-world airlines’ tendency to suppress and distort certain information “for security reasons.”

Even more impressive is the Web site’s live map: Based on the real world’s Airline Communications Addressing and Reporting System, the map shows the current status of Delta Virtual Airlines’ flights, using color-coded pushpins to show whether the flight is on the ground, climbing, descending, or at cruise. Clicking a given pushpin brings up a trove of information that borders on the surreal: the pilot’s name, rank, and Delta VA seniority number; the flight number and type of aircraft; its departure and arrival airports; its exact geographical coordinates in degrees, minutes, and seconds; its airspeed, ground speed, vertical speed, and Mach number; heading; percent of rated power in N1 and N2 compressor engine sections; total fuel flow in pounds per hour; autopilot and auto-throttle settings. If you want more, you can superimpose the airplane’s current position on a Google Earth map.

While tracking virtual aircraft is easy, knowing the exact locations of flight crews is less so because virtual pilots are not required to remain seated in their virtual cockpits for entire flights. While flying from Atlanta to Tokyo, for instance, Eshenour flew a Delta airliner as far as Alaska, then turned the flight over to the aircraft’s flight management system and went to bed. He woke up in time to start the descent and made an on-time landing. Such allowances might seem like cheating, but real-world pilots do almost the same thing, napping in crew rest areas on long-distance flights while co­pilots take over.

The question arises: Why do a bunch of sane, calm, and levelheaded people go to such extremes to make something essentially fake seem real?

“This is a way to live out the fantasy,” says Eshenour. He had always loved airplanes and aviation, but had no desire to learn to fly. Now retired, he had been in upper management at the Coca-Cola Company. He was responsible for introducing the company’s Minute Maid brand to Japan, where he and his wife lived for two years. Somewhere back in the 1980s, he bought a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator and played it on his home PC.

“In Japan I was using this as a personal escape,” he says. “You can set up in your mind some goal you want to achieve: You want to go someplace, you want to do things under certain conditions. And when you’re pursuing that, you can block out anything around you.”

In 1988 he came back to the States and worked at Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta. He bought a new computer and an upgraded version of Flight Simulator. “The version for the year 2000 had something in it about ‘online flying,’ ” he says.

Online flying, it turned out, was simulated flying with the added attraction of air traffic control. The surprise was that the air traffic control experience was not part of the Flight Simulator program, nor was it any sort of add-on program. (There are tons of add-ons and plug-ins for simulated-flight enthusiasts: ones for combat flying, navigation, route planning, and crew scheduling, among others.) Instead, air traffic control was provided by real live people wrapped up in their own pet simulation: virtual air traffic control.

For a virtual pilot such as Eshenour, who had been doing all of his simulated flying, crashing, and burning in the privacy of his own home, the question was whether to go public. It was in fact a big decision.

“What happens when you’re online and you have ATC on the other side and they can see you, and you screw up?” he asks. “Really, they can see you screw up! Am I going to be confident enough to do that as an aviator? Do I really understand how to communicate and to navigate under ATC and under IFR [instrument flight] rules?”

Eshenour’s fears were not without foundation. Just like real-world pilots, virtual pilots have taxied into terminal buildings, overrun runways, and collided mid-air with other aircraft. In the beginning,

Eshenour’s specialty was crash landings. “These days I go around more than I crash,” he says.

As if it weren’t enough of a challenge to fly a virtual airliner safely, some virtual pilots look for additional responsibilities. Take Luke Kolin, a cyber airline pilot based in Atlanta. Originally from Toronto, Kolin got a degree in history but was also an exceptionally accomplished computer geek, who, as a teenager, operated his own online bulletin board. In 2001, he decided to get involved in the creation of a virtual airline, one that had all the trappings of a real airline: a fabulous fleet, complex route structure, crew training, a rigid system for getting promoted up the ranks, and so on. Since he lived in Atlanta, the home base of Delta, why not make it Delta Virtual?

Headquarters was initially a server in Kolin’s bedroom. (Nowadays the Delta Virtual Airlines server is operated by a commercial firm.) Today, seven years later, Delta VA is the world’s largest virtual airline, with 2,500 active pilots. Anyone 13 and over can join, and membership is free (operating costs are voluntarily funded by a dozen or so members). “The only thing we ask of a pilot applicant is that they have an interest in aviation and a valid e-mail address,” says Eshenour.

Since the whole raison d’être of Delta Virtual Airlines is to enhance pilot enjoyment through knowledge and experience, company policy dictates that a type rating in a given aircraft requires a written examination and a check ride, which is a 30- to 45-minute test of skills under the supervision of a Delta Virtual Airlines certified flight instructor. Senior Captain Dan Ward (who also flies for United Virtual and three other cyber airlines) has type ratings in more than two dozen aircraft. (“I have check rides in all of them,” he says.) Delta Virtual operates its own flight academy and publishes flight manuals for the aircraft in its fleet. Some of those in Ward’s bookcase run to 300 pages, “and I actually read them before flying the plane.”

Does all this mock flying actually increase proficiency in any real-world sense? Eshenour recalls the time that he and Kolin got a chance to fly not a real-world Delta jet but the next best thing: Delta’s real-world training simulator in Atlanta. It’s basically a 737 cockpit on hydraulic legs, which enable actual movement in pitch, roll, and yaw. Real-world Delta pilots have sweated through countless simulated emergencies, missed approaches, and other tortures in the device.

“He and I sat down in the 737-800,” says Eshenour. “He sat in the left seat, I sat in the right seat, and we said, ‘Okay, put us in Philadelphia at the runway threshold, and we’re going to fly and land at JFK.’ We knew what the winds were and what runway we wanted to land on, and we punched into the FMC [flight management computer] where we wanted to go. We set the flaps and took off and flew it. And landed! At Kennedy!

“I don’t want to say it was the prettiest approach and landing,” he adds. “But we got it down on the centerline, at the right speed, and we didn’t break the struts, and we didn’t do a tail strike—all of which we did before, in a 767 [simulator], at Salt Lake City.”

Short of actually leaving the ground, flying a hydraulic simulator is as real as it gets. Flying Microsoft Flight Simulator, by contrast, is a heavily compromised experience. For one thing, unless you’re equipped with a “simpit,” a simulated cockpit, which is a relatively rare commodity in the online world, it’s all too clear that what you’re really flying is a computer. Although the images on the screen may impart a temporary illusion of motion, in reality nothing moves except your hands (and feet, for those who have rudder pedals). And while the onscreen images have gotten more realistic over the years, there is still an element of artifice and staginess to them: They’re canned, cartoonish.

None of this holds true for another kind of simulation, the very one that makes the existence of virtual airlines possible: virtual air traffic control.

Virtual air traffic controllers spend their time looking at a display screen, but so do real-world controllers. The similarity makes all the difference in the authenticity of the simulation, especially considering that the images that appear on the two kinds of screens—real and virtual—are functionally indistinguishable.

Mariano Buitrago lives in Leesburg, Virginia, which coincidentally is the home of the real-world Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center. Buitrago, who is originally from Managua, Nicaragua, is an engineer and MBA with a day job at a large financial company in Washington, D.C. He spends many of his night hours controlling simulated airline traffic from his home office.

“I’ve had the aviation bug for my entire life,” he says. “I grew up reading Flying magazine.” But because his family considered being a pilot risky, he never took flying lessons. He did, however, learn Flight Simulator, which is where, “like most people, I stumbled across VATSIM.”

VATSIM, otherwise known as the Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network, is an organization created in 2001 to provide voluntary air traffic control services to FlightSim pilots. On its Web page,

vatsim.net, VATSIM notes that the early FlightSim experience “was a very lonely proposition. There were no other airplanes in the skies while we flew en route, and our arrivals at major airports were like landing in ghost towns.”

All that changed with the dawn of virtual air traffic control, a phenomenon made possible by the Internet and new software. One early program, called ProController, turned an ordinary computer monitor into a virtual radar screen. Servers programmed with complex networking software enabled simulated flights to show up on the radar screens of several different controllers.

Individual virtual flights were hooked to the network by an add-on program called SquawkBox, which transmitted an aircraft’s flight data to VATSIM; in addition, it allowed pilots to communicate with air traffic controllers either by text messaging or by voice, using a headset and microphone. For Buitrago, all of this was a dream come true. “I started out as a student controller in 2004, and worked my way up over a period of two years to be a senior controller,” he says. “There’s a very strict hierarchy in VATSIM. I started in Washington Center and have been there ever since. I was deputy manager for two years, and then manager for about a year and a half.”

You might think of Buitrago’s home office as Washington Center’s control room. It’s a small, downstairs den with bookcases laden with IFR charts. On a desk are two monitors, each wired to its own central processing unit. Front and center is the monitor hosting the virtual radar client. On a black background, the various sectors and components of Washington Center’s airspace show up in color: airways, cities, airports, radio towers and other navigational aids. Prohibited areas such as P-40 (Camp David) and P-56 (the White House, Pentagon, and U.S. Capitol) are red.

Flights in progress appear as “tags,” colored blocks of text that give, among other things, the flight’s points of origin and destination, ground speed, altitude, transponder code, and whether it’s in cruise, climb, or descent. A line to the left of the text block indicates the aircraft’s heading.

At this precise moment Buitrago’s radar screen shows about eight targets. He dons his headset and connects to the system (he arranges with other controllers in Washington Center on when to participate). From the controller he’s about to replace, he learns about aircraft on the ground at Reagan Washington National Airport, waiting for clearances. Then, by text messaging over ChatBox, he informs other controllers in the area that he’s about to be up and running. And all at once this 42-year-old MBA magically becomes…Washington Center!

A United flight checks in.

United 4347: “Washington Center, United 4347 climbing out of one six thousand for one seven thousand.”

Washington Center: “United 4347, Washington Center, good evening. Climb and maintain flight level two-seven-zero.”

“The guy who wrote this VRC [virtual radar client] went so far as to add a filter to distort the voice so it sounds like a VHF radio,” says Buitrago. “Otherwise it would sound too clear, too perfect.”

Both virtual pilots and virtual controllers make every effort to mimic real-world air traffic control phrasing and speech cadences, as well as its elaborate politeness and formality.

Buitrago’s other display screen, to his immediate right, is for “flight strips,” which are also artifacts of real-world air traffic control. A flight strip is a rectangular box that duplicates much of the information found in the radar tag but also includes such data as the aircraft’s alternate airport for landing and its complete flight plan.

A flight strip for United 4347 suddenly appears. Soon there are several more on the flight strip screen.

All of this is hyper-realistic with one exception: Whereas a real-world Air Route Traffic Control Center’s functions would be divided among several controllers, one each for clearance delivery, ground control, departure, and arrival, on this particular Monday evening Buitrago is playing all roles himself for Reagan National.

Cactus 2579: “Washington Center, Cactus 2579, standing by, clearance.”

Washington Center: “Yes sir, 2579, you’re cleared to Tampa as filed. Maintain five thousand, expect flight level three-four-zero 10 minutes after departure. Departure frequency is one-two-three point eight-five. Squawk zero-five-zero-two.”

And so it goes, for as long as you want. Sometimes, during Friday ops, when lots of pilots are flying, virtual air traffic controllers can get real-world levels of traffic. Buitrago, who has a wife, three kids, and a dog, usually limits himself to an hour and a half or maybe two of VATSIM controlling a few times a week.

“Do you ever get nervous doing this?” I ask him.

“Yeah,” he says. “You sweat.”

He’d sweat even more should there occur on the screen any flying that constituted a threat to public safety, whether it was an inadvertent entrance into restricted airspace or an intentional flight into a building or nuclear power plant. Virtual air traffic controllers can at their discretion report such actions to VATSIM supervisors, who are always monitoring events. Virtual pilots who engage in acts of simulated terrorism face a range of sanctions, the most serious being a permanent ban from the network. And just as there are virtual airlines, VATSIM has virtual armed forces, though they have not been as active recently as they have in the past. If some of the virtual armed pilots were online during a security incident, however, they could be ordered to intercept.

If both virtual airline flying and VATSIM air traffic control are indeed this realistic, exactly where does all of it take place? These things are not just imaginary, existing only in the minds of participants. The flights also exist in computer chips and on display screens, on Web pages, and in servers networked through the Internet across the globe. It’s as if virtual flights pass through some sort of fifth dimension, a mythic realm also populated by Elvis, the Martian canals, and the Princess of Helium.

So why do people by the tens of thousands indulge in these pursuits? VATSIM controller Mariano Buitrago may be thought to speak for the multitude when he says: “It’s a great mental exercise. It allows me to live my passion for aviation in a safe way, in the comfort of my own home. And believe it or not, it allows me to relieve stress.”

Believe it or not. 


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Comments (56)

I need to know what size CPU, do I need to fly MS Flight Simulator X, at maximum output level? (ie, all slides to the maximum)

Posted by Roy B Carter on November 25,2008 | 12:51 PM

is it possible to stop the voice telling one not to sink etc when coming in for a what i beleive to be a good touchdown!

Posted by bryan andrews on December 6,2008 | 01:51 PM

Fantastic article about one of my favourite hobbies. As a member of Boston Virtual ATC (we're smaller than VATSIM but with better pilots and a more intense training and selection program) for two years now, it's nice to see people talking about the online world of flight which is indeed becoming huge.

Posted by Evan on December 9,2008 | 11:00 AM

On the Air Bus A320 ,while on final and just prior to touch down the AUTO THROTTLE engages and cannot be closed down.
Is there a method of override in this instance?
It would be helpful if some one would write an article dealing with this problem!

Can more details in the operation of the G1000 GPS be contained in future articles covering engaging the Auto-pilot while using this facility.

Posted by George Clarke on December 10,2008 | 11:55 AM

For you cargo mutts out there, come visit Precision Global Cargo Virtual Airline.

http://www.flyprecision.net

Posted by Bob Bernstein on December 14,2008 | 12:10 PM

Hello, is there any virtual USAF?
Playing FSX (Flight Simulator X) is like flying the real thing. My uncle works for the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association)he said they play this game during lunch break. =)

Posted by C-130 USAF Capt. on December 22,2008 | 10:13 AM

Interesting use of modern technology, virtual flights.
Just one question: Does this require one of those virtual reality goggles so that it looks like you are really on the plane, or are you just viewing the images on the conputer screne. Maybe my old granny eyes did not read the article clearly.
However, it does sound fun, especially if the program is interactive and once the "passenger" lands at the destination one can take a virtual reality tour of the destination. i.e. visit the most popular tourist sites such as museums, historical sites and concert halls, etc.

This might be fun if the tour included the virtual reality of sight seeing.

Posted by Esther Whittle on December 22,2008 | 04:02 PM

well i think i'm the only one in my country that have fsx NO JOKE and i'm the only one who have fsx with out joystick and rudder pedals ......because it's not available in my country and thats the only thing that makes me embarrassed .....in front of other pilots because it takes a whole day to land a halicopter and i wished that landing was good ....i can't wait to get to the usa where every thing is available.

Posted by on January 3,2009 | 10:16 AM

Hi friends,
I live in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil and last year I begin to fly in my home. It is great and I like it.

Thanks.


PS. I would like to correspond with new friens aviators around the world.

Posted by edson carmo on January 4,2009 | 10:58 AM

Great Article-

Die-hard FS fan and own several aircraft spanning from ultralights to the big DC-10s. And I agree, it's relaxing, reduces stress and is a great get away though I stop at the VATSIM (bad enough I'm a idiot-why spread it around).

Best thing is about all this is that it's not a typical PC game. No resources to gather, magical or sci-fi beasts to slay etc-just you and the plane as realistic as you want to get. In my mind, nothing better.

Something else to, I've gained a very healthy respect for the guys who do this for real and what it takes for proper coc-pit management, especially in a commercial jet like the 737.

73
Mark

Posted by Mark west on January 5,2009 | 09:33 PM

Great article.
For those interested by bush flying, I would suggest to visit the site of St Paul Airlines.
Beside the usual heavy jets interantionsl schedule, you will find here a bush operations division covering many areas of the best World's landscapes and sceneries, a dedicated fleet of bush aircraft and hundreds of interesting bush or VFR destinations, including online event. http://www.stpaulairlines.com/index.php

Posted by Yoland on January 11,2009 | 09:45 AM

Great article that just touched on a few of the great things flight sim has to offer. If you'd like to learn to fly virtually, start out in small GA aircraft as you would in real life. Check out this Virtual Airline where you can fly small planes and still fly for a virtual air taxi service: http://greenbriervirtualaviation.blogspot.com/

Posted by Bill Cox on January 24,2009 | 01:02 PM

On the Airbus A320, the autothrust is normaly on most of the time. The thrust levers are in CL detent. At about 20 feet you should pull the thrust levers to idle, which disables the autothrust. If you are airborne, you can turn off the autothrust, and manualy work your thrust levers back and forth, to maintain airspeed, just like in a light airplane.

Posted by Kris on February 3,2009 | 05:55 PM

That's probably what caused the accident in Brazil on flight TAM 3045, in July 17th, 2007, Congonhas Airport. Although investigations are still on course and crew errors have not been ruled out, from the CVR, we can hear the pilot saying he was unable to stop the aircraft.
The right thrust lever was found on the CL detent, as the right engine was also accelerating, making me believe that there was some sort of software error that made the airplane think it was still flying or "going around", thus forcing the autothrottle to accelerate the engine.
I can't imagine how the pilot wouldn't realize that the thrust lever wasn't on the idle position. The best course of action, IMHO, was to detect the undesired thrust and immediately shutdown the engine in order to stop.
Anyway, it's a long discussion... anyone to comment about?

Posted by Dario Souza on February 8,2009 | 02:39 PM

Hello,
i would please like to know how to get to fly things like monarch planes and so on.

Posted by on February 11,2009 | 02:48 AM

In response to the C-130 USAF Captain asking about a sim USAF. There is one, I am part of it. Check out the link below..


http://www.simairforce.org/

Posted by SIMAF41 on February 14,2009 | 03:41 PM

Signed up for Newsletter and free Cessna 152. I saw it download but have no idea how to find it and try it.

Many thanks.

Posted by Bruce Holloway on February 17,2009 | 02:23 PM

Hi there
iget rudder control on the ground on the a321 in fsx ,but no rudder control when in the air any solutions?

Posted by f quinn on February 27,2009 | 12:51 PM

I'm grown pilot, my wish to be at commercial pilot was my dreaming.but I'm keep my hope at live with 61 year old.
I has six hour on piper 180.

Posted by JOSE M MINAYA on March 2,2009 | 03:43 PM

If there is a conference that covers off flight simulation, or a trade show, I'd like hear about it. Would be nice to meet people with the same interest in this hobby, look at a few simulator set ups and get deals on related products.

Posted by Randy Wilton on March 28,2009 | 04:57 PM

hey,
i have been looking to join a online airliner for quite some time now but i havent a clue on how to join one.
if you have time could you please email me the how to??

lil-lj4@hotmail.com

Posted by lucas on April 8,2009 | 03:48 PM

Hi,i'm a big big fan of flight simulator.
I wanted to know when is the new version of flight simulator comming out.

Posted by reza on April 19,2009 | 12:35 PM

Hi, you guys. It took me a lot of hours to discover desengaging A321 autothrotle on landing. Best way I found was to pull levers to idle at cruise altitude and forget about them.
Just fiddle with it about 1 mile from threshold in the proper glide slope disengaging auto pilot altogether. For a few seconds you move the levers for wee-bit adjustment, just like you kiss a girl, softly, gently and warmly, and tires embrace runway as it cuddles our planes.

If anyone knows a better way, please let me know.

Posted by Robert C. Viana on May 8,2009 | 06:30 PM

I love the default 737 in this game. I also fly it to the nearest airport I live. Thanks MSFS to make this as real as it get. =^^=

Posted by Anakin on May 16,2009 | 01:25 PM

www.liveatc.net - A great place to listen to live atc feeds from various airports- especially fun when playing flight sim! Just landed a flight from CYYZ (Toronto) to CYYR (Goose Bay) while listening to the atc @ liveatc.net and talking to my own atc while being handed off from atc to atc, over 3 different cities, before finally being led in to a comfortable approach and landing at CYYR. =) The aircraft by the way was a Boeing 732. (737-200)

Posted by Tom on May 30,2009 | 06:45 AM

Interested in flying in europe with a modern virtual airline.
Try KLM-VA the right way to the left seat online.

Check us out and try and see if you really have the right stuff to make it into a virtual airline pilot.

Oh its free :)

Posted by Mike on June 13,2009 | 10:27 AM

Thanks for such a wonderful article. For all interested in FSX, you can visit www.flightsim.com for more information.

Posted by pilotshop tv on August 8,2009 | 01:40 AM

i use fsx a lot, but i cant figure out how to to run a flight in free flight with people. Can you e-mail me Please. zach: zachary.gordon@roadrunner.com

Posted by zach on August 17,2009 | 09:30 PM

I enjoy flying the fsx as it fairly represents certain aspect of instrument flying.
I would like to corespond with others who have the same interests.
I can be contacted at westcangeorge@yahoo.ca

Thaks....

Posted by george clarke on August 25,2009 | 07:20 PM

When I fire up FSX none of my AI aircraft have any paintwork
they are allcomplete in detail and they all go off on their flight plans but all of them are just white or grey. Can anyone help please

Posted by Bob Field on August 28,2009 | 07:30 AM

where can i get the download for virtual german airlines?

Posted by lele on October 3,2009 | 06:15 AM

For FSimming you may start here:

http://flightsimulator.ning.com/

Posted by antero guerra, portugal on October 18,2009 | 10:25 AM

I have FS 2002 Professional Edition.Please some one can advise me the key points,that I should execute at the controls that will allow me to a smooth landing of a Boeing 737-400 without the help of auto pilot.I could land with the help of localizer and glide scope but some time it is not a smooth landing or over shoot the runway or in some cases when i tried to maintain the air speed as low as possible without going below the stalling speed, I find the aircraft doesn't response that fast as I anticipating for the slight adjustment I do to altitude,pitch and air speed changes. Please advise the magic numbers I should maintain on those instrument when landing after I got the Glide scope and localizer on the panel.
Thanks for your time
Tony

Posted by tony on October 20,2009 | 04:31 PM

@tony and the "magic numbers".

Use the PAPI indicator (white or red lights on the side of the runway ) to keep your aircraft on the right slope :
4 red = too low,
3 red/1 white = a little too low,
2 red & 2 white = good slope ,
1 red / 3 white = a little too high ,
4 white = too high.

Usually approaches are performed with an indicated speed of
V=Vs*1.3, (Vs=stall speed) which gives a margin of 30%.
These margins are greater in case of wind gusts.

A formula exists to calculate the vertical speed knowing the indicated airspeed and the slope in %.
It is : Vz (feet/min) = V (knot) * Slope (%).

Usually the slopes for ILS are 3° that is to say 5%.
So with an approach speed of 140 kt (advised in Fs X), the vertical speed should be 140*5 = -700 ft/min.

If you manage to keep -700 ft/min, 140 kt and 2 red / 2 white lights your approach will be perfect.

When you are near or above the runway treshold cut throttles and pull slighty the stick to execute a smooth landing. This is obviously the hardest part, because you have to perfectly time your actions !

If you want to train for landing, create a flight that starts with the plane facing the runway, 3000 ft above it and 10 nm before the treshold. These figures corresponds to a slope of 5%.

Posted by szut on October 26,2009 | 08:22 PM

I have tried over and over again, in an attempt to get my 747 out of a stall, in F/S i can't get past that mission. Does any one have suggestions. Need help. Thanks.

Posted by al glommen on October 31,2009 | 09:45 AM

I have 2000 hrs on a rutan Long ez.
Is there a simm for ifr?

Posted by jvnflying on November 5,2009 | 11:48 PM

Dear hearts It takes a lot of computor to run a flight simulator.It also takes a very good vidio card if it is to be done right.just when you think your ready to go,put about three to four mgs of ram into your computorI am 77and every day hone my skills as a computor pilot.You are never to old and it is great fun.Over the years I have collected just about any any aircraft you can name Including the B-36 and P-47 plus a B-29.I was at travis Air Force in 1953,I worked on a b-29 as ground crew.There were B-36s and and B-29s stationed at Travis.Just not enough room for both.So the Air Force reopened Mountain Home air force base for our B-29s.I was in the 9th Wing and 1st Bomb Sq.

Posted by Floyd Houck Jr on November 14,2009 | 12:15 AM

Regarding FLIGHT SIMULATOR X ...fantastic game but I suggest for its successor whenever i)improve approach radio contacts so you can plan approach well beyond 30miles from airport, ii)introduce weather radar to planes simulating what I understand is in real planes. Full marks to MS for this.

Posted by stephen pugsley on November 27,2009 | 04:59 PM

Hi Folks

As a kid I always had dreams of becoming a pilot and when i was about 21 I was fortunate enough to have been able to enroll in a flight school at Midway Airport Chicago and later on at Clow Int'l and i managed to get about 25 hours logged in. I felt my dream coming true . I had to unexpectedly quit flying when i left the U.S to live in India but I didn't let the dream die. I can't really afford to fly here but a couple of years ago I got introduced to Microsoft Flight Simulator Version X, "the only way a man with 25 hours of training in a Cessna gets to land a jet" I say. I know now that that dream will never die and i will fly again. Thanks to Microsoft .

Posted by Santosh on December 31,2009 | 03:27 AM

Probably no big deal to most , but tonight I managed to finally get Flight Simulator X installed and took my first training flight and even though it took me two tries I managed to take off and land without messing up the day. I have always wanted to learn how to fly and because of the expense probably never will at my age, but tonight was just as exciting for me as the real deal. I'm lovin this flight sim software an awful lot and this love affair looks like its going to be very very long term. EDITORS' REPLY: Glad to hear it!

Posted by Craig on February 6,2010 | 12:47 AM

Hello to all,

Please kindly advise me how to move the gate to my aircraft when landed after completion of taxi and how to open the baggage locker?
Also I would like to download a real airline jet planes, how to do that?

Many thanks in advance and awaiting yours,
With Kind Regards, Samuel K.!!!

Posted by Samuel on March 4,2010 | 11:53 AM

Whenever I am running FSX I am unable to hear the voice of the air traffic controller and also when I am in the mission mode, I am unable to hear the voice of the instructor. My operating system is Windows 7.

Posted by Gerard Jack on March 15,2010 | 04:45 PM

Flight Simulater was the magic wand that made my dreams come true. Thank you for everything.

Posted by Dan Herrera on May 13,2010 | 03:54 PM

I have installed FSX already, but I couldn't find a single aircraft with the logo of UA. How can I do that? I saw other players of FSX can use an a380 of singapore airline and a silver bullet of cathay pacific. How can I do that too? What other packages should I install? Please reply asap!! Thx!

Posted by Thomas on August 24,2010 | 04:21 AM

Thomas, you can get a multitude of "Liveries" for both payware and FSX default aircraft and a site called AVSIM,
and at various web sites... if you are looking for a UA (United Airlines) livery, just do a search for it... but, AVSIM is a good place to start!!

Good Luck in your journey!!

Posted by Brian Murphy on August 25,2010 | 09:55 PM

i have 3 problems, when i run the A380 in FX mode, the engine sound overpowers the ATC voice, i cut the engine sound to zero in the sound box, but still it stays the same,however in the 2004 version it is normal, and you can hear the ATC perfectly. my next problem is, in the FX mode the instant playback jerks all the way to the landing, but in the 2004 one playback is perfect.i had this problem in the De Lux version, so i bougth the gold edition, but it has the same problem when i program the FMC in the A380 2004 the ALT meter licht comes on and works fine, but in the FX A380 no matter what i do it will not light up,the plane does answer to the setting of the altitude, but not to the decent.can anybody help with my 3 problems.??? i run microsoft simulator FX gold edition De Luxe.Thanks.Joseph Theeboom.

Posted by joseph theeboom on August 31,2010 | 12:09 PM

answer to gerard Jack, re voice of comtroller.go to settings ot options open sound settings and you can increase the ATC voice and decrease the engine sound.i only have this problem when i run A380 in FSX mode with 2004 the sounds are perfect.i am still waiting on some help with my problems i put them on the comments site, but to date nobody has been able to help me.especialy with the playback jerking in the FSX de luxe gold edition i did asked Microsoft but i find they are the worst people to ask for help you ether get a young lady on the line and she has no clue what i am talking about, or a person who nospeaka da hingelish, or so badly i do not understand a word they say, i live in South africa and the young lady did not even know what a simulator was, it is vertualy imposseble to get the FSX version here, i had to order it from Austalia.i noticed one person on this site asking when the next simulator is coming ,it seems he is not aware that they have closed down the studio that developed the simulator, so dont hold your breath waiting for the next one.joseph theeboom

Posted by joseph theeboom on September 2,2010 | 08:50 AM

I know the A380 is a nice plane; however i have a few problems with that, but only in the FX version, i went on line to Wilco who are the makers and they asked so many things, like the exe files that is supposed to show up when i put the cd in.but i could not find it, however i did give them the key to launch the item but that is apparently not good enough. when you send the particulars most companies have a page that states, your email had been received we will get back to you as soon as possible. NOT wilco, in fact they said due to some tech problem all email mesages from august till sept first have not been recieved IF THAT IS A PROBLEM FOR YOU resend it, holy macaroni, of course it is a problem for me, i like some help with my problems. seems to me they are not very customer friendly business. joseph theeboom

Posted by joseph theeboom on September 3,2010 | 09:45 AM

How do you go to the game?

Posted by Shaurya on February 1,2011 | 09:14 PM

great article. i love my flight sim and have been flying for a while now. i just found out about virtual airlines and i can't wait to join up. it's totallty stress reliving and my wife is happy that i spend 6 hours at a time in my den, not in her hair lol.I enjoy the airbus a321 mostly, and have yet to crash and burn =) i think the thing i enjoy most about flight sim is that it can be as real as you want it to be, acessory upgrades, add-on's, etc. that's what makes this hobby one that i'm proud to be a part of.

Posted by Joe Schonwit on March 11,2011 | 08:46 AM

I play this game and its amazing. Try playing multiplayer on FSopen, its totally free and uses direct connect so no need to use gamespy. It has real atc most nights and a great flying community.

http://www.fsopen.co.uk/

Posted by adam richardson on July 27,2011 | 12:59 PM

I was looking for the boxes on the glare shield that brings up GPS,RADIOS, AND SO ON FOR THE 747. iT WAS ON OTHER JET LINERS. cAN YA HELP?

Posted by S. Williams on January 2,2012 | 09:54 PM

Three years ago I discovered DC-3 Airways http://www.dc3airways.com/. This is a very mellow virtual airline, much in keeping with the style of flying written about by Ernest K. Gann in "Fate is the Hunter." DCA even has Ernie Gann's famous flight AM-21, which goes from Newark, NJ to Cleveland, OH and return.

I fly my DC-3 mostly on local hops out of Arlington Airport (KAWO) in Washington State. Lots of fun, and very relaxing. The typical flight is at 5,000 feet, or whatever it takes to get over any mountains. Descent from cruise altitude takes some planning to do correctly. First you figure how many miles out you need to descend from cruise altitude to about 2,000 feet above your destination, give or take. You can descend at about 300 fpm without changing the throttle settings if the air is not too bumpy, as you will be approaching the yellow arc on the airspeed indicator. ATC always wants you to descend more rapidly if you are flying IFR. Pull throttles back to 25 inches manifold pressure when you're within 5 miles or so of the field. Imagine that you are flying a real DC-3, with real radial engines - you don't want to give them a thermal shock by simply chopping the throttles. Ease into the pattern, pulling 1/4 flaps on downwind, 1/2 flaps on base, 3/4 when turning onto final, save full flaps for when it's "in the bag."

Very relaxing.

Seeya
ATB

Posted by Alan T. Butler on January 15,2012 | 02:53 PM

Great article - flight simulation is a growing hobby and even a utility for future pilots. It's especially growing in the Middle East as well.

VATSIM is strong in the Middle East. Virtual airlines such as www.ArabianVA.com (alMirath Arabian Airlines) and Middle East Airlines Virtual (MEAv http://www.meavirtual.org/) are among some of the more active virtual airlines in the Middle East.

Great article and I hope that more articles such as this detailing the amazing world of 'virtual' aviation are written.

Posted by MF on April 22,2012 | 08:44 PM

Hi
I have flown Cessnas in real time (300 hours) and hold a frozen Aussi CPL. I cant afford to fly anymore, so I wish to fly FSX using various types from Cessna to B737/A320/A340.
I want to purchase good quality flight controls that will behave like in real time flying. Can you please recommend a good product. Will a B737-type yoke work on an Airbus a/c?
Much obliged.
Biggles M

Posted by Biggles Monahan on August 23,2012 | 08:03 AM

I can't seem to get the NDB to function in either FS-9 or FSX. The panel lights up, and I can change the NDB frequencies, but no movement on either of the two ADF pointers. I am suspecting that maybe only certain NDB frequencies are available in Flight Sim. Does anyone know if this is true, and if there is a list of the available stations somewhere?

Posted by airknocker on September 28,2012 | 11:16 AM

Please tell me how to get rid of Gamespy use in FSX Multiplayer and how to install/use/login with VATSIM instead of Gamespy

Posted by Stephen Sherriff on April 10,2013 | 11:00 PM

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