I wanna press a button. Can the software be told to produce more errors for an eventful flight? Like a slider with a probability of increasing the likelyhood of one?
The program out of the box has a set of standard failures you can set for a timer or to happen at random. I have this feature turned off...
However, each of the big addon aircraft (such as the A340 and the 767 etc) have their own failure support. The A340 and the 767 probably the most complicated failure sets, including cab pressure, partial hydraulics failures, electrical, systems, IRS (inertial Reference (navigation) system) Fuel pump failures, partial fuel leaks (ie leaking from one tank or pump) and a whole set of situations. Also on the 767, the engines dont consume fuel at an even pace (like on the real one lol) so you might get fuel imbalences and such naturally requiring a crossfeed before landing. Of course the standard 'engine failure' can also happen, but as in real life, those are rare. In fact I'v never had an engine failure I havn't preset on a timer before.
Question which I've always pondered...
Just why do you people do this? I mean, get in a plane, wait in line, take off, fly about a bit, land.. what's the point?
Sure, if it was a training sim, I can understand that... but a game? Doesn't sound all that exciting to me...
It's less the plane and more the procedures. Polishing the procedures in an online environment and not imbarrising yourself
I guess you have to love aircraft (civillan aircraft at that) to really enjoy it, but for someone who's always had a secret desire to be an airline pilot, to be able to get on a headset/michrophone and say to someone else who's always wanted to be an air traffic controller "Los Angeles Centre, Dreamflight 726 Heavy request Airways Clearance to Brussels as filed, flight level 330 non standard for step climb" and get the reply "Dreamflight 726 Heavy, you are cleared Brussels via the Gorman 4 departure, Shafter transition thence J5, initial climb 3000ft expect Flight level 330 in ten minutes, Departure frequency 124.5, squawk code 1003" with about 8 other airline pilot wannabes listening in and waiting their turn. It is great fun. The Idea is not to kill people. It's possibly the most peacefull game there is. And because we do 9 hour flights from time to time (aka Im doing one right now, and did one yesterday) some would call it a hobby. I guess Vatsim is a hobby as it encorperates communication by voice/simulated radio to other people engaging in the same activity/recipricol activity. I don't know why I find it so interesting and fun, But I do find it challenging doing the full flightplans and adhering to procedures, not to mention the odd emergency procedure like Friday night.
Indeed it's not "Exciting" in the action movie sense. No stuff blowing up, nothing to kill. However for technology lover (what's the word? Technophiles?
) then there's something to be had following the same procedures used by airline pilots to fly a computer based airliner weighing 180 tonnes, at 480 knots at 35,000ft.
Here is a typical flight from me. (modeled on my flight today, which I have yet to complete)
Having a video of the flight from
www.worldairroutes.com of Citybird flight 725/726 (Brussels-Oakland-Los Angeles-Belgium in a 767-33A/ER) inspires me to fly the route.
Looking up the flightplan with my flightplanner (to which I have a subscription) I find today's route for the same flight (North Atlantic Flight Routes change twice daily due to winds and traffic, so the flightplanning is complicated). The route for today comes up as such: (note the formatt is a Waypoint (or vor) then an Airway to another waypoint. Airways themselves may have many waypoints that make them up. These are left out of the plan itself otherwise it ends up 11 pages long in this case.
KLAX - EBBR CTB726
LAX (Los Angeles) EHF (shafter) J5 FMG J7 REO J537 MLP J540 MEETO J505 YVC J540 YFB 5E72 KEF G3 MY G11 SIDER UM125 SUM UL7 VENAS UL74 MONIL UB1 PETIK UR127 SPY UB315 LEKKO UB31 WOODY BRU (EBBR- Brussels)
The flight is 5180nm in length. The aircraft weighs 111,000 kg (111 tonnes) with no fuel (this is total weight of aircraft plus passengers plus cargo). We burn 4.5 tonnes of fuel an hour. We also need 60 minutes legal minimum reserve. It takes 30 minutes to fly from Brussels to Luxembourg, the alternate, and we need to add 10% more fuel incase of unforecast headwinds. (we expect a 40 to 60 knot tailwind over the atlantic by the weather charts as we will be flying in the jetstream)
This comes to a total of 64 tonnes of fuel requres, which is 100% fuel in the wing tanks, and 74% in the centre tank. this comes to 175 tonnes of weight for the takeoff. The chart shows that at this weight we need to use flap setting 15 degrees for takeoff. And that takeoff speed (VR) will be at 151 knots. If we were to pull up earlier than this, the aircraft wouldn't become airborne and would drag the tail along the ground.
With this done, we send our flightplan into the Vatsim system and log on.
Taking a look at the ATC pull down list, we see that Los Angeles Ground controll is on, Frequency 119.95. We dial up 119.45 on the Radio frequency, and the AVC tuner program detects our position, and all frequencys in range of my aircraft. It then figures that 119.95 is aliased to Los Angeles Ground, and interrogates the system for his voice room, which is for today rw.avsim.com/lax/119.95
On the room being opened I get a little "squelch" noise to inform me the Voice room has been found. I also catch the tail end of a pilot reading back his clearance to ground
"... to 5 thousand, expecting flight level 310 in ten, Departures on 124.5 and squawk code 3102"
A second of silence ensures. but knowing that ground will have to make another transmission I wait as I continue my own checklist, getting the 767 ready for departure. inputting the route into the Flight Navigation Computer.
The controller replies to the other aircraft.
"American 4959 readback correct, cleared pushback, contact us when ready for taxi."
the aircraft replys
"Cleared pushback contact you ready for taxi, American 4959"
The way is now clear for any aircraft to contact the controller.
I finish typing in the waypoint I'm working on and am about to click the radio transmit but someone else gets in before me
"Ground, United 37 for Honululu, request airways clearance Flight level 350 as filed"
The UA37 gets his clearance whyle I complete my pre-start checklist and now wait for the sequence clearing him to finish.
As soon as I hear the pilot of UA37 readback that he is cleared for pushback and will contact the ground for taxi, I jump in.
LA Ground, Dreamflight 726 heavy with you request clearance to Brussels as filed Flight Level 330
the controller then reply
Dreamflight 726 heavy clearance on request standby
The controller is now coordinating my departure with another controller on a 'ground to ground' frequency (the controllers voice room to other controllers)
Meanwhyle the American 4959 calls that he's ready for taxi.
the Controller cleares American 4959 to the runway with
"American 4959 cleared to taxi runway 25 Right, via Hotel, Whiskey Whiskey 7"
american pilot reads back
"Cleared taxi 25 right, Hotel Whiskey for Whiskey 7 American 4959"
and I remain silent.. untill the Controller comes back with
"Dreamflight 726, clearance available, say when ready to copy"
As I'm waiting and doing nothing except waiting for him to clear me so I can put the final touches onto the departure route, I am ready now
"Dreamflight 726 is ready to copy sir"
"Roger, Dreamflight 726, you are cleared to Brussels, via the Gorman 4 departure, Shafter transition J5, initial climb 3000ft, expect Flight Level 330, 10 mins after departure Departures on 124.5 and squawk code 1003."
I read back
Cleared to Brussels via the Gorman 4 departure Shafter transition. Initial climb 3000ft for Flight Level 330, Departures on 124.5 and squawk 1003, Dreamflight 726 Heavy.
The controller replys
Dreamflight 726 Readback is correct, cleared start up and pushback pilot discrescion call this frequency for taxi
and I complete the proceedings with
Dreamflight 726 cleared pushback start, call you for taxi
I then enter the Gorman 4 departure route into the Flight Navigation computer, Set the autopilot altitude to 3000ft, set the transponder code to 1003, and start the engine start process, whyle setting the program to push me back from the gate (simulating a tug pushback)
After a whyle (and with the United aircraft on taxi to the runway 24L now, plus another clearance for another jet on frequyency.) I'm ready to taxi. I ask the controller for clearance and he clears me to runway 24L, telling me the Altimeter Barometer setting today is 29.81 inches of mercury. with
Dreamflight 726 heavy, cleared taxi runway 24 Left via Lima, hold short lima for a united 737 thence cleared Victor, victor 1 holding point runwa 24 left, Altimeter is 29.81
We read back our clearance and make sure the push tug is out of the way. We give the engines a little thrust, hearing the American jet get told to contact the tower on 120.90. We taxi as far as the end of Lima, holding short of the Victor taxiway. The United 737 goes past outside the window. Ground comes on the frequency again after it goes past some way with
Dreamflight 726 cleared behind the united 737 taxi holding point 24 Left.
we increase thrust again to get moving. and stick a few metres off the tail of the united jet out our window.
A Delta Airlines 767 lands on the paralell runway out the window. The United aircraft gets handed off to the tower frequency. and then me also with
Dreamflight 726, contact Tower now 120.9 have a nice flight
I switch the frequency to 120.9 hearing just the beginning of a message
"Ground, Delta 229 with you vacated..." he is then cut off as my software changes voiceroom to Tower's frequency, where I hear the end of a call
"..keoff runway 24 Left United 37"
I wait for a couple of seconds to make sure there is no others waiting to get a message in and then call the Tower
"
Tower, Dreamflight 726 Heavy with you Lima 1, ready for takeoff"
Tower calls
Dreamflight 726 heavy, hold position aircraft is a 737 on the runway
and I reply
Holding position Dreamflight 726 heavy
A few seconds pass, and out the left window one can see the United 737 takeoff and head skyward off the runway. He gets smaller and smaller before dissapearing into a cloud bank It isn't long before tower comes over the frequency with
Dreamflight 726 heavy, Runway 24 Left, winds are 280 at 6 Cleared for Takeoff
I answer
Cleared for takeoff runway 24 Left, Dreamflight 726 heavy
Lining up the aircraft with the runway centreline markings we push the throttle to first, 60%. the engines spool up to this setting at slightly different rates, but arrive within a second of each other. I then hit the EPR button and the Flight Management computer, takes over the thrust setting taking into account temperature, aircraft weight, and derate setting (which is currently derate 1) it smoothly opens the throttles till both engines are heftily roaring at 98% of their power. and at 151 knots I pull back on the elevator controlls and bring 175 tonnes of aircraft off the ground and into the sky...
Can the software be told to produce more errors for an eventful flight? Like a slider with a probability of increasing the likelyhood of one?
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