r/VATSIM

Recently I've been gradually learning how to fly on VATSIM, specifically VFR helicopter flying in the US. I've still got a lot to learn, but one thing I've wanted to work my way towards doing on the network is "urban ops" in downtown areas and cities that mimic the flying you'd see military or federal agencies doing, like shuttling personnel from urban areas and landing on rooftops/helipads of buildings, flying in close proximity to buildings and other objects, loitering around, etc.

My questions are:

1. How does VATSIM view this kind of flying?
2. How would I properly contact and communicate with ATC to achieve this?

Like I said, I've still got a lot to learn and I'm very, very new to VATSIM and even just trying to realistically fly in flight sim, so I hope these questions aren't stupid and I imagine they're quite nuanced depending on the location and airspace you're in, but those are just my thoughts.
(I should also clarify that I do not intend to do this or anything like it until I'm very comfortable and "decent" flying on VATSIM)

Thanks in advance

Hey everyone! In your opinion, which flight simulator offers the best value for money for flying on VATSIM in 2026? I'm choosing between MSFS 2020, MSFS 2024 and X-Plane 12.

I'm mainly interested in VFR flying, following VRPs and identifying real-world landmarks, but I also want up-to-date airports with taxiways that match the real-world layout.

Which would you recommend considering price, scenery availability, future support and VATSIM compatibility? Thanks!

So yesterday I was about to land in LEMD. I was about 400ft and not yet cleared to land. There was nobody on the runway so the controller most likely forgot about me as he had a lot of traffic. At that point another pilot contacted the freq and if the controller answered him, I would have had to go around 100%.

So after the traffic contacted the freq, before ATC could answer, I stepped saying Break break Iberia XXX short final RWY 32L. There after, he cleared me to land 200ft away.

My question is: Did I use break break correctly? Are pilots allowed to say this? Or shuld I just said the same withoud break break.

I got a handoff and immediately transmitted on my new frequency and blocked an exchange. Dumb mistake. I should know better. Do better next time, etc.

However-I did get a slew of emails afterwards from the VATSIM Pilot Feedback System. This is new as I’ve never seen this before.

The controller gave me feedback on how I shouldn’t do this in the future (rightfully so) and it was then “investigated” by a member of the Pilot Feedback Team which brought about essentially the same comment. “Wait before transmitting”. All’s well that ends well.

I think it’s only fair as we’ve been able to review controllers for quite some time and now, ATC has a way to review pilots. Hopefully this helps some people.

Mind your radio etiquette gang!

Edit: Some people are missing the spirit of this post which ISN’T meant to be a discussion about radio etiquette. I know where I bungled but if you listen to LiveATC enough, you’ll hear this periodically irl, albeit much less.

The post IS meant to be a discussion about the pilot review system (which I say is a good thing).

I want to start flying on vatsim and was just wondering if there were any major mods that are really helpful or practically needed.