5 VATSIM Questions Answered

Today, I am going to answer ten VATSIM questions that beginners might ask! This may become a series, so please comment if that seems like a good idea! Credit to AviationPro for the idea.

What's my Callsign?

Basically, your callsign is your name and what ATC will call you. Here's a link to my other article about where to find your callsign, how to use it, and what it is.

What's the Phonetic Alphabet?

The phonetic alphabet is what is used when talking on aircraft radios because it is easier to understand. When talking about a taxiway (ex. b), your callsign (ex. N172SP), or for most other singular letters, we use the phonetic alphabet in place of the letter. 

Here is the phonetic alphabet:

A - Alpha

B - Bravo

C - Charlie

D - Delta (fun fact, when flying it Atlanta, Georgia, use "Dixie" instead of "Delta")

E - Echo

F - Foxtrot

G - Golf

H - Hotel

I - India

J - Juliett

K - Kilo

L - Lima

M - Mike

N - November

O - Oscar

P - Papa

Q - Quebec

R - Romeo

S - Sierra

T - Tango

U - Uniform

V - Victor

W - Whiskey

X - X-Ray

Y - Yankee

Z - Zulu

Do I Need Any Special Equipment?

No, not at all! If you have a computer that can run X-Plane or another flight simulator, and you can download a pilot client (like xSquawkbox), then you can totally do it! If you are interested, I wrote a post about free ways to improve your flight simulator, and most of them apply to VATSIM, so why not!

Do I Need to File a Flight Plan?

In real life, it is not mandatory to file a flight plan when flying VFR, but in VATSIM, it is. I think in some countries or airports they don't make this mandatory, but to avoid trouble, just do it! If you don't have an exact plan for your flight, you can just write "Local VFR" in the route.

Do I Need to Talk?

Nope! You can just communicate via chat, but it may be hard to type and fly at the same time. If you decide to not use voice, you can choose the option "text-only" when filing your flight plan. If you want ATC to speak to you, but you respond via text, then choose the "receive only" option.

To get started with VATSIM flying, read my series here! Also, subscribe to my blog to get notified when a new post comes out!