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Online

VATSIM connects pilots and controllers in an online network with live air traffic control, realistic flight plans, and shared weather — the step from flying alone to flying in a system where a real person clears the pushback. On Linux the setup is no different from other platforms: a VATSIM account, the xPilot client for X-Plane, a realistic flight plan, and the basics from the Pilot Learning Center.

The VATSim page walks through exactly that getting-started sequence and then introduces the ATC Flight Planner, a web app that continuously collects controller bookings, event schedules, and live traffic from VATSIM and ranks departure and arrival airports by expected ATC coverage for the chosen aircraft and time window — so the flight is planned where controllers will actually be online. The phraseology for each phase of the flight is covered separately in the ATC chapters, from clearance to landing.

  • VATSim — Setup and usage of the online network