[Kumiankka]

This is the FAQ thread for the X-Plane.org virtual air traffic server. Frequently asked questions regarding online flying at X-Plane.org can be added to this thread. Please do not use this thread for general comments or questions, put those in other threads. This thread is for the FAQ only!

FAQ contents:

What is the X-Plane.org virtual air traffic server?
What are the requirements for flying online?
OK, I want to fly online. How do I get started?
What are the rules for flying online?
How do I log in?
Why can't I find anyone online?
I'm only seeing 747s or A320s when flying online! What's wrong?
Typing text while flying is difficult. Does the server support voice communications?
The other planes' movement is jumpy and formation flying is hard! How do I reduce the lag?
What makes the X-Plane.org server different from VATSIM or IVAO?
Who can I contact for more information?
Where can I find ATC clients?
I'm participating in one of the fly-ins. How do I time my arrival there?
Where can I get sector files for my ATCing?
What do all the abbreviations I see online mean?
Where can I find airport information and help in making flight plans/routes?
I lost my account information, what do I do?

[Kumiankka]

What is the X-Plane.org virtual air traffic server?

The X-Plane.org virtual air traffic server lets you fly online with your fellow X-Plane enthusiasts. Instead of the boring default air traffic in X-Plane you'll be able to see other people flying with you, and get proper ATC instead of X-Plane's normal air traffic control! This server is an alternative to VATSIM and IVAO, both of which have their advantages. (Also see the question "What makes the X-Plane.org Server different from IVAO or VATSIM?")

Compared to the VATSIM and IVAO networks, our server is of course quite a small one, and there may not be people around to fly with all the time. To mitigate this, we host a number of online flying events, such as the official X-Plane.org fly-ins every Sunday. Participation in these events is open to everyone without any separate registration required, other than what you'll need to get started flying online.

[Kumiankka]

What are the requirements for flying online?

First of all, you need a computer capable of running X-Plane 6.70 or higher. This is necessary to install the X-IvAp, which works with all versions of X-Plane from 6.7 to the latest V9 betas. Refer to this post for details on getting started:
http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?s=&...st&p=262681

As far as internet connections go, even a modem should be adequate to fly online, since the plug-in doesn't really take advantage of faster connections. Of course, you will need an internet connection, no fly by mail support yet

You don't have to own a copy of X-Plane, but the demo version will only let you fly around the demo area(s) for a couple of minutes, so having the full version is advised. If you don't own a copy of X-Plane yet, consider supporting X-Plane.org and ordering from the X-Plane.org store. Registering for the virtual air traffic server is free!

No need to worry about not being skilled enough to fly online - you can come online to learn! If you are having problems, ATC (or your fellow pilots) will be happy to assist you

[Kumiankka]

OK, I want to fly online. How do I get started?



Simple instructions:

Go to http://x-flightserver.net/

Register, download the plug-in, follow instructions! That's it.







Detailed instructions below in case of trouble. Credits to eltoppo for the original version of this guide. Updated 12.3.2009 to include information about the new temporary server.


1. Go to X-FlightServer.net. Sign up for an account and download a version of X-Ivap (Mac/Windows) or XSquawkbox (Linux) as appropriate for your system.


2. Follow the instructions given there on how to configure the plug-in to connect to the temporary server. Just in case, here is a brief summary for X-Ivap users.

* If you haven't got a previous version of X-Ivap installed, install the one you just downloaded and skip to part 3.

* If you have already installed X-Ivap previously, replace only the *.xpl file with a new one and do the following:

* Open the file myservers.txt inside the folder "X-Plane/Resources/plugins/X-IvAp Resources/".

* Add the line "N:GFV:217.160.72.14:" (without the quotes) where indicated in the file.


3. Connect to the GFV server in X-Plane.

Congratulations, you should now be able to fly online! To enhance your online flying experience, you may also want to do the following:


4. Download CSL packages to see the correct aircraft matching what others are flying (download manager, section XSB CSL Kits)


5. If you want to talk to others while flying online, use the Teamspeak server (download link windows, linux, mac). Connect to TS using this address: x-plane.org


6. You may also want to install the latest airport and nav data, maintained by Robin Peel.


For those who want to know more, Ranger's guide to flying online covers X-Plane networking, X-IvAp and Teamspeak in more detail. (note that the guide was written for the old server, so parts of it may be outdated as well)



Below: outdated guide to the now-defunct X-Plugins.com server


1. Install the X-IvAp plug-in.
(download link for v0.1.6 - from this site, only use IVAO version 0.1.6 on the X-Plane.org server)
A working update to version 0.1.7, which allows 3-letter ICAO codes, can be downloaded here: (update version 0.1.7 from x-plane.de)
Version 0.1.8 is currently not recommended for use on the X-Plane.org server, as it is unable to render the CSL models used for displaying other aircraft.

2. Get an instant account for the x-plugins.com flight server (Sign up here)

3. Connect to the flight-server using this address: x-plugins.com
(see instructions below for how to add the server to X-IvAp)

Server Setup
Unlike XSB, you select a server from a list, and x-plugins.com is not on the list. You have to add it thusly, before starting up X-Plane:
[*]Open the file myservers.txt inside the folder "X-Plane/Resources/plugins/X-IvAp Resources/".
[*]Add the line "N:X-Plugins:x-plugins.com:" (without quotation marks) where indicated.
(thanks to dand for providing the above setup guide)

4. Download CSL packages to see the correct aircraft matching what others are flying (download manager, section XSB CSL Kits)

5. Use the XFSD-map to see who is online and where they are. (link to online map - note: may not be compatible with Internet Explorer)

6. If you want to talk to others while flying on the .org server, use the Teamspeak server (download link windows, linux, mac). Connect to TS using this address: x-plane.org

7. You may also want to install the latest airport and nav data, maintained by Robin Peel.


For those who want to know more, Ranger's guide to flying online covers X-Plane networking, X-IvAp and Teamspeak in more detail.

This post has been edited by Kumiankka: 17 June 2009 - 02:44 PM

[Kumiankka]

What are the rules for flying online?

Most of the time there are no rules - just don't cause trouble deliberately. You're quite free to ignore real aviation rules if you don't feel like following them - on the other hand it does make flying more realistic if you follow the procedures you're familiar with, but sometimes people just fly online to have fun and want to forget about realism. However when there are other people around it would be nice if you'd follow these guidelines to make sure things don't get out of control.

Update: Following the rules linked above is mandatory at the official .org fly-ins. If you break one of the rules, one of us Flight Ops or your fellow pilots will helpfully tell you what you are doing wrong. If you still fail to comply, you may be kicked from the server to ensure the fly-in goes smoothly. (however you are still allowed to rejoin the fly-in as long as you don't cause any more trouble)

Basically as long as you don't bother anyone else you can fly any plane you want, anywhere you want, any way you want. Feel free to try and shoot down other pilots if you feel aggressive, they won't see you shoot them anyway. But if you do, please attack other military aircraft rather than civilians - it's not nice to mess up someone's traffic pattern or final approach by buzzing them at supersonic speeds (unless they give you permission for it)

Outside the official fly-ins you won't get kicked from the server for almost anything you do online, but try to be polite to other people and make sure you don't keep them from enjoying their online flight.

[Kumiankka]

How do I log in?

Assuming you've installed the X-IvAp plug-in, and gotten your account information, you need to choose Connect from the X-IvAp submenu under Plugins. Enter the appropriate information here - for your callsign you can either use a nickname or an aircraft registration number if you're feeling official. Then file a flight plan and get started.

[Kumiankka]

Why can't I find anyone online?

Make sure you're logged in first - see here for the details if you're not sure.

Also, make sure you have set X-Plane to draw other planes. If you still can't see other people, it might be that there just isn't anyone else online! X-Plane.org still isn't a large server, but we're getting more registrations all the time.

But the best way to see where people are flying is to check the flight server's map here:
http://xfsd.ansorg-web.de/fsdmap/

Map for the old server - now offline:
http://xfsd.x-plugins.com/map/

This post has been edited by Kumiankka: 12 March 2009 - 01:28 PM

[Kumiankka]

I'm only seeing 747s or A320s when flying online! What's wrong?

The X-IvAp plug-in can tell what aircraft another pilot is flying by looking at the ICAO code they have entered in their flight plan when logging in. First of all, many pilots forget to file a correct flight plan, leading to incorrect aircraft models being displayed. The only way to avert this problem is simply for every pilot to remember to fill in a flight plan when logging in, and include the correct ICAO code for their aircraft. The rest of the details don't need to be 100% correct, although if ATC is online they will certainly appreciate a correct flight plan.

The second issue concerns CSL packages, short for Common Shared Libraries. These files, available from their own category in our download manager, contain low-detail models of other aircraft that X-Plane uses to represent other planes when flying online. X-IvAp will try to pick a model that's close to whatever plane the other pilot is flying, but the plug-in only comes with a few CSLs, so unless you have installed plenty of CSLs from here, you will see a lot of default aircraft models.

Finally, a bug in version 0.1.6 of X-IvAp causes three letter ICAO codes to be ignored. This can be fixed by using a four letter version of the code that represents a very similar plane, for instance DC3T instead of DC3.

[Kumiankka]

Typing text while flying is difficult. Does the server support voice communications?

The X-Plane.org flight server uses Teamspeak for voice communications. Go here to download the Teamspeak software (available for Linux, Mac and Windows) and connect using the address: x-plane.org

[Kumiankka]

The other planes' movement is jumpy and formation flying is hard! How do I reduce the lag?

There is a substantial lag built into the X-IvAp plug-in. Versions 0.1.6 and higher of the plug-in do contain a peer to peer position update feature that should make formation flying slightly easier, but there will still be plenty of lag.