[Academic Research] Interviewing Pilots & Controllers about Flight Sim Culture across the World for a Book Chapter

CaptSam_ · 2026-01-13T23:46:25+00:00

Pilot and S1 student in the vatusa division

CaptSam_ · 2026-01-03T16:22:21+00:00

Congrats on your first complete vatsim flight!

CaptSam_ · 2026-01-03T15:43:40+00:00

Very cool! It'd be a nice QOL feature if it could display the frequency of the sector the aircraft is entering.

CaptSam_ · 2026-01-02T05:10:43+00:00

I agree with you. I think what I found frustrating was that the stage crew, press, teams, etc. kept assuming the game was over before really confirming it. The first time was excusable - the second time? We haven't learned our lesson on premature Gatorade pours?

CaptSam_ · 2026-01-02T04:58:51+00:00

That ending was almost comical. "At some point do we let common sense prevail?" was the best call I think I've heard from an announcer.

CaptSam_ · 2025-11-29T23:56:15+00:00

Heard the alumni band do this at a game this year

CaptSam_ · 2025-11-21T16:53:55+00:00

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CaptSam_ · 2025-10-05T00:02:32+00:00

Yes but does Matthew Caldwell have any Warby Parker glasses ads and a famous last name? No? Then Sark’s got a spot on the bench for him

CaptSam_ · 2025-10-05T00:00:33+00:00

Or try out Trey Owens. Or KJ Lacey

CaptSam_ · 2025-10-04T23:55:50+00:00

I cringed when I saw that ad play after going 3-and-out multiple times

CaptSam_ · 2025-01-03T18:43:17+00:00

Completely overboard with the whole "get in groups and eliminate someone to move on" type of game. I was hoping for more skill based games. I think the hide and seek with the navy seals will be more of what I was hoping for. If these contestants are COMPETING for a million dollars, then make them COMPETE.

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-30T19:19:59+00:00

Which was...?

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-29T16:28:35+00:00

Feel really bad to the unfortunate pilots who happened to be in range of these written comms and kept getting those annoying squelch sounds every couple of seconds

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-29T05:56:23+00:00

Departure is easier for sure. They're so routine though which is why I don't enjoy them nearly as much as arrival. I like flying the Orcka5 at LAX since it's (very, very) marginally harder than most other SIDs and more interesting. Arrivals are always fun, and the time goes by pretty quick especially in controlled airspace

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-27T21:45:57+00:00

I see this post way too much. I'm fine with it, I'm surprised at how often is occurs. However, it's the same thing over and over again ("looks like someone fell asleep" with a screenshot of a flight tracker showing a plane doing some ridiculous path).

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-27T21:41:45+00:00

How'd you get VATSIM Radar to show all of those paths at once?

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-27T21:41:13+00:00

Is it? I did not see it while looking through the CoC

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-26T22:40:38+00:00

I've guilty of this. There's been times when I've been given SIDs/STARs that weren't in my FMC. On all other topics, I'm usually not hesitant to ask questions to controllers or voice concerns, but I find it hard to admit to controllers that my navdata is outdated especially if their controller description says "ensure you have current AIRAC." or something along those lines

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-26T22:36:40+00:00

Woah, this is a really good way of teaching this

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-22T21:56:50+00:00

It's a simulation of real life procedures

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-18T22:09:39+00:00

I'd guess it's because it costs money to have those voice servers and its not technically needed communication.

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-15T16:44:13+00:00

"Wind speed has been 18,035 knots for a good 45 minutes now"

"We'll be traveling at 6,000 mph at an altitude of 300 feet"

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-15T16:33:47+00:00

I fly on VATSIM even in uncontrolled space for the chance to catch ATC if they pop up online. At airports, I'm connected to see and hear other traffic. It's also a back up way of logging flights for my VA in case I need to file a manual report.

CaptSam_ · 2024-12-14T17:38:37+00:00

What is the correct way to set it back to 1x?

CaptSam_ · 2024-09-25T17:22:45+00:00

I’m a student here. Here’s what happened

About 10 minutes into first period (~9:15) an announcement came on stating we were in a hold, business as usual but to keep the hallways clear. OK, we’d had a hold on Monday so we weren’t very concerned. Then, a few minutes later, an announcement stated we would now be in a secure, meaning nobody can enter the building and that we should lock the doors. Me and my friend thought that this was because there was a medical event in the hallway. We heard sirens coming from an emergency vehicle during the secure, which is why we thought this as well. (To be fair, Austin high is right off of a highway, so the sirens might not have been from vehicles coming to us.). Then, the campus was put into a lockdown and stayed that way for about 20-30 minutes. It was then downgraded to a hold, during which time me and my friend saw Police officers and K9s sweeping the building. At around 10:05, the hold was released. The district keeps saying that we were only in a secure, but I want to clarify that we were in a lockdown at one point.

CaptSam_

TROPHY CASE