NOTE: This part of the guide is limited to P3D and FSX users only. The method for connecting from X-Plane is different, and an article for that will be added in the future.
Prerequisite knowledge:
FSX/P3D cannot connect to VATSIM through the simulator itself. Therefore, an external client is required in order to connect your simulator to the VATSIM network. Vpilot, developed by Ross Carlson, is the most modern and user-friendly client available. Other options include FsInn and SquawkBox, but this guide will use Vpilot.
To being, download the most stable version of Vpilot from http://vpilot.metacraft.com/Download.aspx. Run the installer, and open Vpilot.
FSX/P3D cannot connect to VATSIM through the simulator itself. Therefore, an external client is required in order to connect your simulator to the VATSIM network. Vpilot, developed by Ross Carlson, is the most modern and user-friendly client available. Other options include FsInn and SquawkBox, but this guide will use Vpilot.
To being, download the most stable version of Vpilot from http://vpilot.metacraft.com/Download.aspx. Run the installer, and open Vpilot.
Start by clicking the "Settings button. Here, Vpilot can be configured with your VATSIM credentials and other preferences.
Network: Fill out your VATSIM credentials, name, your home airport for your VATSIM flying (could be anywhere), and choose a server closest to where you live for the best connection to the network.
Notifications: Controls what notifications Vpilot will show in game. These are down to pilot preference, although keeping all of them ticked is recommended.
Fonts: Purely aesthetic and down to pilot preference.
Audio: Select an output device for audio, and an input device if you have a microphone (a microphone is not required for VATSIM). If you do have a microphone, calibrate it using the onscreen instructions given by pressing "Calibrate Mic...".
It is recommended that "Enable VHF simulation for audio output" is left unticked. This setting adds static to transmissions in an attempt to make them more realistic, although the inherently low quality of the VATSIM voice servers already do a good job of this.
It is recommended that "Enable VHF simulation for audio output" is left unticked. This setting adds static to transmissions in an attempt to make them more realistic, although the inherently low quality of the VATSIM voice servers already do a good job of this.
Push-To-Talk (PTT): If you have a microphone, set a key to be used to activate the microphone on the network for transmitting messages.
Model Matching: These settings can be left alone for now, they will be addressed in the next section.
Performance: Can be left as is, however if you experience performance losses in busy airspace on VATSIM due to the air traffic, you can lower either of those values.
Updates: Stable versions are recommended.
Miscellaeous: Both of these are pilot preference. Selecting the first option will have Vpilot automatically switch the aircraft transponder to mode C when airborne. The second option will place the Vpilot window above all other windows.
Now that the settings are complete, an actual connection to VATSIM can be made.
Since the traffic on VATSIM widely varies, it is important to verify which airports to have traffic/ATC and which ones don't. The website Vattastic or the program Vatspy can be used to view traffic on the VATSIM network.
Using one of the above tools, identify an airport with ATC and/or aircraft traffic. Load up FSX/P3D, and go to your Settings. Press "Customize", then go to the traffic tab. Verify the "Airline traffic density" and "General aviation traffic density" sliders are at 0%. This will ensure that no AI aircraft spawn in when connected to VATSIM, and the only aircraft you see are from other VATSIM pilots.
Now that the settings are complete, an actual connection to VATSIM can be made.
Since the traffic on VATSIM widely varies, it is important to verify which airports to have traffic/ATC and which ones don't. The website Vattastic or the program Vatspy can be used to view traffic on the VATSIM network.
Using one of the above tools, identify an airport with ATC and/or aircraft traffic. Load up FSX/P3D, and go to your Settings. Press "Customize", then go to the traffic tab. Verify the "Airline traffic density" and "General aviation traffic density" sliders are at 0%. This will ensure that no AI aircraft spawn in when connected to VATSIM, and the only aircraft you see are from other VATSIM pilots.
Go back to Free Flight, and select an aircraft, time of day, and weather setting as you normally would. When selecting an airport, choose one with a good amount of activity as shown in Vattastic/Vatspy, and ensure you are not spawning onto a runway (you must spawn into a parking spot/gate). When that's all done, load up the scenario.
Once the scenario is loaded up, press "Connect" in Vpilot.
Once the scenario is loaded up, press "Connect" in Vpilot.
The following pop-up window will then appear:
For your first VATSIM connection, all of the fields will be blank. Simply enter a callsign (can be either your aircraft registration or a formal commercial callsign), as well as the ICAO type code for your aircraft. The type code is a 4 character code unique to a certain aircraft model. If you are unsure of what your type code is, you can search for it on the Wikipedia type code list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ICAO_aircraft_type_designators
The SELCAL code is only used for flights across oceans, and therefore it can be left blank for now. Verify the "Connect in shared cockpit mode (observer mode)" option is unticked, and hit connect!
You should see aircraft load in at your chosen airport (assuming their are pilots online flying aircraft at that airport). If there is ATC, their frequencies will not only be shown in Vatspy and Vattastic, but in the left sidebar of Vpilot as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ICAO_aircraft_type_designators
The SELCAL code is only used for flights across oceans, and therefore it can be left blank for now. Verify the "Connect in shared cockpit mode (observer mode)" option is unticked, and hit connect!
You should see aircraft load in at your chosen airport (assuming their are pilots online flying aircraft at that airport). If there is ATC, their frequencies will not only be shown in Vatspy and Vattastic, but in the left sidebar of Vpilot as well.
You can dial these frequencies into your aircraft's active communication radios, or simply type the command ".com1 xxx.xxx" into the Vpilot chat box, where xxx.xxx is the desired frequency (e.g. 127.850).
Congratulations! You are now connect to VATSIM. Feel free to listen in and observe, however you cannot move your aircraft without getting a proper clearance. Articles covering detailed VATSIM operating procedures will be made in the future, however the VATSIM website does have thorough tutorials of their own.
You may notice there are lots of A321s in the simulator. This is due to a lack of available models in your simulator, and it will be resolved in the next article, which will explain setting up model matching. However, that step is optional.
Before you do any real VATSIM flying, it's also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the VATSIM rules.
Congratulations! You are now connect to VATSIM. Feel free to listen in and observe, however you cannot move your aircraft without getting a proper clearance. Articles covering detailed VATSIM operating procedures will be made in the future, however the VATSIM website does have thorough tutorials of their own.
You may notice there are lots of A321s in the simulator. This is due to a lack of available models in your simulator, and it will be resolved in the next article, which will explain setting up model matching. However, that step is optional.
Before you do any real VATSIM flying, it's also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the VATSIM rules.