As of 2024, half of flight simmers (48%) choose to fly online with networks like VATSIM or IVAO. 29% are part of a Virtual Airline.
Just like flight simulators themselves, the world of online aviation is the ultimate sandbox, full of options that appeal to users of all aviation interests. Whether you are brand new to aviation, a desktop flight simulator veteran, or a real-world student or certificated pilot, you’ll find a home in the online aviation world.
The Benefits of Flying Online
Flying online allows you to do so much more than flying alone!Socialize
Multiplayer enables you to connect with other flight simulator pilots across the globe. From group flights to airliner operations, you will find a group of pilots that shares your interests.
Learn
Through "hangar talk" or just chatting during a flight, you will pick up simulator tips and tricks, discuss rules and regulations, and ultimately become a better pilot.
Perform
Only through multiplayer can you truly experience the thrill and challenge of carrier landings, air racing, military operations, and formation flying.
Fly With ATC
Air traffic control provides a new level of realism and learning for the simulator and student pilot. Airspaces, regulations, and procedures become the norm.
Why Fly Online?
There's something unique about flying together. It doesn't matter how specialized your interest is—you'll find others that share that passion.
There are groups devoted to just about every aspect of flight, from small general aviation hops to fast-paced military operations. You can find casual experiences where you can get in an airplane, start flying toward a destination, and talk about aviation along the way. Or you can find highly realistic air traffic control groups that are intent on simulating real-world operations. Wherever you end up, flying online allows you to find and get to know people who share your interests. It's the best way to broaden your horizons and take your simulation to the next level.
Real people are unpredictable; they make mistakes, they pose new challenges—and in doing so, they create a much more dynamic and engaging environment than the robotic aircraft and air traffic controllers found in single player. Worried about being "too new"? We all remember our first flights on a desktop simulator, and people in multiplayer sessions are some of the nicest and welcoming pilots you'll find. Many of the established communities have detailed learning material, and some even offer virtual one-on-one training in an aircraft. Even if you just join in for the discussion, you'll pick up new techniques and ideas for flying the aircraft and tweaking the simulator in addition to being with an accepting group of people who are passionate about aviation.
What Are The Options?
The online aviation world has so much more to offer than the single player environments available in 'single player' flight simulator modes. In general, there are two types of online aviation communities: Casual Aviation Communities and ATC-Based Communities.
Casual Aviation Communities are normally focused on the magic of flight and the fun of social interaction, offering mission-based activities, challenging group flights, or just 'no rules' groups where pilots are free to do what they please. Alternatively, ATC-based communities strive to more closely replicate day-to-day aviation operations.
Communities exist in several places. In MSFS and X-Plane, as with Infinite Flight, you’ll find some multiplayer communities built right into the simulator. For example, Infinite Flight has built-in multiplayer options that range based on how “serious” users wish to be, and there can be thousands of pilots flying online at the same time. There are also communities that span multiple simulators. Networks like IVAO, PilotEdge, VATSIM, and more use special software that connects your simulator to their network, allowing pilots from several different simulators to fly together.
Let Rob of Slant Alpha Adventures introduce you to the various types of online flying communities.
The ATC-based communities also support several sub-groups. For example, pilots on VATSIM can choose to join several Virtual Airlines, which provide pilots with assigned routes, schedules, and aircraft to fly.
Choosing the Right Community
The online aviation world has so much more to offer than the single player environments available in in 'single player' flight simulator modes. Without a doubt, there is a lot of choice. How do you pick what’s right for you?
Casual aviation communities tend to be more relaxed than realistic ATC communities. There, you’ll tend to meet people who are friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to help those new to the simulator or aviation itself. Participating in group events is a great way to meet new people, learn more about aviation, and start to see more of the online aviation world that thousands of flight simulator users around the world couldn’t live without.
By comparison, ATC-based communities tend to appeal more to the "realism" side of virtual flying. These communities tend to be more rules-based, with a steeper learning curve but offering a very rewarding experience.
The nice thing about flight simulation is that so many of these resources are totally free! You can join both IVAO and VATSIM for free to experience the differences for yourself. The more people you meet, the more you’ll learn about this vast new world of online aviation.
89% of simmers who fly online used VATSIM, making it the most popular online network of those in the survey. IVAO was second-place with 17%, followed by PilotEdge (5%).
Those who fly on networks like VATSIM and IVAO do so because of the realism and immersion offered by interacting with human pilots and air traffic controllers. Even when you’re not directly interacting with air traffic control, the presence of other flight simmers provides another reason to “sim like you fly” and follow rules and procedures while you sim.
Based on member and partner input, we’ve categorized the communities that have reached out to us to help you decide which are the right ones for you:
Learning how to fly on VATSIM and free online ATC training programs.
Learning how to fly, be an air traffic controller in Infinite Flight. Using the Infinite Flight developer, connect, and OpenTrack APIs.
Accessing guaranteed ATC coverage on a schedule.
Learning how to fly on VATSIM with free, one-on-one training and regular group flights.
Experiencing realistic ATC procedures around the world, ATC and pilot training, interacting with 100,000+ aviation enthusiasts for free.
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Nervous About Flying in ATC-Based Communities?
You’re not alone! In Navigraph’s 2020 FlightSim Community Survey, 22% of respondents mentioned not knowing how to speak with ATC as a reason they fly offline. In fact, feeling a little nervous about connecting for the first time is a ubiquitous feeling for first-time online fliers. The best way to get started is to start from a comfortable place.
- Our Learning Flights provide information about speaking with ATC in the context of realistic flight options.
- If you want a great starting point for online ATC, join the free Boston Virtual ARTCC (BVA) pilot community on VATSIM. As a sub-group of VATSIM, you’ll find pilots at BVA who can help get you started with online flying and answer your questions as you go, making it much easier to get on for your first flight.
- Reach out to Evan via our contact page. Evan is one of the founding members of FSA and is a senior controller on VATSIM. He's happy to work with you during the first few online flights.
In some cases, you may be able to find or join a community from right within your simulator. However, most of the well-established groups will have their own websites with detailed instructions on how to get started. Often, communities that are external to your simulator will use special software to connect you to their network. You may also find communities using social tools like TeamSpeak or Discord, which allow you to connect and engage with other pilots outside of the simulator itself.
Because most communities are free to join, we encourage you to explore! Don't feel the need to restrict yourself to just one or two. By flying online, you’ll expose yourself to meeting new people, learning new techniques, and a world of others who are passionate about aviation. Whatever you fly, there’s a group out there who loves it just as much!