Everybody - I just want to share my first impressions of VATSim with you.

First of all, an introduction. I'm not a newbie to flying or flightsimming. In fact, I flew my first (very primitive) sim in the mid 1980s, I suspect some of you readers weren't born yet. It was just green lines on a black screen, but it was the best the technology of those days could deliver. I've had just about every version of MSFS, tons of add-ons, I have a joystick, throttles, rudder paddles and TrackIR, joined a couple of virtual airlines, dabbled into ATC with ATCSimulator and LondonControl, you name it. Probably like many of you. Oh, and I got my PPL back in 1995, so I got some real life experience to add to all that.

I just never flew online until last week. Why not? Perhaps there was a hurdle to share my "private" hobby with others. Perhaps it was the feeling that talking on 122.8 at EGLL of KATL when there are no controllers are online is unrealistic. But I got increasingly tired of the scripted ATC in MSFS that doesn't know what a SID or a STAR is and kept vectoring me starting 40 miles out even for small fields, so I made the plunge.

My take: it is totally awesome! Yes, I did take off from KDFW on Unicom, even flew a 5-hour flight totally on Unicom. I didn't miss the MSFS ATC, in fact, I was kinda relieved it wasn't there. And I've flown in a couple of events with total ATC coverage, the thrill of talking to live controllers while piloting your A320 or even a Piper Cherokee is just without comparison. I had a smile on my face last night for a couple of hours after completing my flight in the Manchester NH event. I am hooked! Already signed up for controllers training and I will continue to fly regularly.

Why am I writing this? First of all to thank the people who created and who populate this wonderful environment. And on the odd chance that another simmer with doubts about online flying reads this: my advice is, take the plunge, you will not regret it!