Flying Online

As to not appear biased, though I am, I will post links to the three I know of.  If I wanted to appear biased, I would post in the rant thread.

http://www.vatsim.net

http://www.ivao.aero/

http://pilotedge.net/page/home

http://x-flightserver.net

Added.

VATSIM Traffic-Position Update Rate: 5 seconds

IVAO( X-IvAp plugin ): Defaults to 5 second update rate, can under certain conditions achieve faster update rates for close traffic. Unsure of current status.

Pilot Edge: New modern network plugin feature fast update rates and live human ATC. Currently beta, very promising.

Come on, let's get in peoples faces, it's what X-Plane multiplayer needs.

I doubt that that's true about vatsim.  I've done formation with FS guys no problem.

I have reverse engineered and re-written flight servers that work with IVAP and XSB.

(I have been using X-Plane for a long time...)

For X-Plane, it is fact.  Like it or not.

For MSFS XSB "3" has better tech.

http://www.ivao.org/hq/

IVAO.org is no more IVAO. It's IVAO.aero since a few years ! 

Happy flying !

I like VATSIM, i switched over from FSX and have friends that still fly FSX and I like to fly with them, plus I jump around in the world alot and like to fly with ATC. IMO VATSIM is the best as far as traffic and controllers go. I HATE XsquawkBox in the fact that I can't talk via unicomm or a private channel like I could with FSInn.

A, unicom is text only because some pilots are text only on the unicom, and B, many VA's, which I'm guessing you are part of at least one, use teamspeak, though a private voice channel would be nice on squawkbox.

Switched IVAO link, I'm not familiar with IVAO so I just googled it and used whatever came up.

A, unicom is text only because some pilots are text only on the unicom, and B, many VA's, which I'm guessing you are part of at least one, use teamspeak, though a private voice channel would be nice on squawkbox.

No, I fly FSEconomy, and when I'm on VATSIM I stick to GA aircraft. Unicomm is text only for X-Plane, FS9 and FSX get voice on unicomm. When you're in the pattern it's a pain in the ass to type your location as you're turning left downwind, ect. Yes I could use TS, but what's the point in that if everyone isn't on the same TS server, besides, my airplane has radios so why would I use TS?

From what I've read PilotEdge has fixed this, but I don't fly where their controllers are when they're up. When PilotEdge is fully up I may switch to that.

I thought that X could also get voice on unicom, but that it's not allowed, at least on vatsim, because there are /t/ pilots on unicom and there isn't a way for one to know if there are any /t/ pilots on the unicom

XSB connects to a voice room that is specified in the controller's ATIS when you join a controller's frequency.  If you got to a frequency on which there is no controller (ie, 122.80), it will not join a voice room.  This is why there is no voice unicom capability in XSB.  FSInn (msfs) lets you join an arbitrary voice room.  However, that's still not a simulation of unicom, because there is no range limitation, unless you join a 'regional' unicom voice room, ie. "Australia_12280"

XSB operates with the expectation that it will receive position reports every 5 seconds.  It is possible to do limited formation flying, as long as you're not doing a lot of aggressive maneuvering. Straight and level works fine. Bear in mind, XSB interpolates the position of aircraft between known points (by running 5 seconds delayed, if I understand it correctly). Hence, the animation of aircraft, frame by frame, should be quite smooth.

Full disclosure: I am the founder of PilotEdge...

PilotEdge has a radio system that is not 'voice room' based (it does use voice rooms on a 3rd party voice server under the covers, but that is largely irrelevant). You can tune to ANY frequency, and if your buddy tunes to the same frequency AND he is nearby, then you will hear eachother on the radio.  If you're both on the ground, 10nm away, then you won't be able to hear each other. As you takeoff and climb a few hundred feet, you'll soon hear each other on the radio.

Regarding position updates, PE sends data every 3 seconds for distant target or 5 times PER seconds for nearby targets.  It also sends light settings (landing, strobe, position, beacon), an engine setting and flight control settings (flaps, spoilers, aileron, elevator, rudder).  We'll eventually use a new OBJv8 CSL format which will allow multiplayer aircraft to have animated controls.  Right now, we simply show the change in light settings (a very handy feature, I have to tell ya).

We have done 5-ship formations at 500-600kts at low level on published military training routes (VR-1257 and VR-1256 in southern california, starting near SMX, heading to PMD, PSP and eventually JLI VOR if anyone is interested in trying it out). 3 of the aircraft were recorded drones, 2 of us were live. The fidelity of the playback was such that it wasn't possible to tell who was live and who was a drone.

Small aside, for anyone who enjoys formation-flying, this is the network for you, even if you NEVER say a word to ATC. We have 200+ aircraft flying around 24/7 (we can record more at any time) doing everything from pattern work in GA singles, air work in light twins and singles, GA VFR cross countries, helicopter air tours around Catalina, glider flights launched off a winch (using ridge lift to stay aloft for about 30 minutes before heading back to the airport), bizjet ferry flights and, of course, a boatload of interesting military activity on military training routes and in special use airspace.

I hope to ramp up the staffing from part time (3 days a week, 4 hours a day) to full time in a few weeks from now.

As to not appear biased, though I am, I will post links to the three I know of. If I wanted to appear biased, I would post in the rant thread.

http://www.vatsim.net

http://www.ivao.aero/

http://pilotedge.net/page/home

http://x-flightserver.net

Just thought I'd let you know that your vatsim.net link directs us to vatsim.com which doesn't exist.

Hawk

Um, no. vatsim.net redirects my browser to http://www.vacc-sag.org/ (english), which is the official German VATSIM chapter.

Um, no. vatsim.net redirects my browser to http://www.vacc-sag.org/ (english), which is the official German VATSIM chapter.

Not in my browser it doesn't. the vatsim.net link here redirects me to http://www.vatsim.com/ )

Interesting - must have been a DNS issue. Today vatsim.net is the original vatsim.net again.