Air Traffic Con-Trolling in Flight Simulator X
November 13, 2018 8:01 AM Subscribe
"if you could please SLOW DOWN, GAIN AIRSPEED..."
posted by zekesonxx at 8:16 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by zekesonxx at 8:16 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'll give him 20 more minutes. But that's it
posted by growabrain at 8:17 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 8:17 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
As an old person who does not video game or play on simulators, that was oddly fascinating. (But Biscoff cookies?)
posted by AugustWest at 8:27 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by AugustWest at 8:27 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes Biscoff!!
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 8:29 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 8:29 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
As an old person who does not video game or play on simulators
There's a reason these types of game are (both derisively and affectionately) called "dad games". You're never too old to get weirdly obsessive about following fake ATC protocols while flying your fake airplane.
posted by tobascodagama at 8:33 AM on November 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
There's a reason these types of game are (both derisively and affectionately) called "dad games". You're never too old to get weirdly obsessive about following fake ATC protocols while flying your fake airplane.
posted by tobascodagama at 8:33 AM on November 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
Never had to deal with this kind of nonsense in Euro Truck Simulator 2...
posted by Naberius at 8:38 AM on November 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Naberius at 8:38 AM on November 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
Is this a game where you do flight sim, but online as an MMO? Or is it a scripted recording thing? v confused
posted by dis_integration at 8:39 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by dis_integration at 8:39 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Hey, this is up my alley, though it might seem a bit odd for me to say so, as a totally blind gamer. I play FSX off and on, though my tastes run more towards PilotEdge, which charges but guarantees you full-time ATC coverage within its area.
I find the protocols oddly soothing, and just wish that my preferred voice-controlled autopilot hadn't been discontinued a while back. It's never been the same since.
posted by Alensin at 8:42 AM on November 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
I find the protocols oddly soothing, and just wish that my preferred voice-controlled autopilot hadn't been discontinued a while back. It's never been the same since.
posted by Alensin at 8:42 AM on November 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Flight sims have turned into MMOs now. People run the towers, fly the aircraft, organize themselves into groups and entire airlines with timetables, etc.
My son the aviation nut watches AirForceProud95 all day long. I mean yeah, this is what goes on all day and all night on these servers, but it's pretty funny stuff. Like the time Obama showed up.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:42 AM on November 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
My son the aviation nut watches AirForceProud95 all day long. I mean yeah, this is what goes on all day and all night on these servers, but it's pretty funny stuff. Like the time Obama showed up.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:42 AM on November 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
(SHITTY MORSE CODE)
posted by solotoro at 8:43 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by solotoro at 8:43 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
that's Metafilter: (SHITTY MORSE CODE)
posted by Naberius at 8:45 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Naberius at 8:45 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
My brother-in-law graduated to these from air combat sims, when he realized that it wasn't the shooting part that he enjoyed the most. I think this ATC needs some SAM installations, though.
posted by Mogur at 8:46 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Mogur at 8:46 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Flight sims have turned into MMOs now. People run the towers, fly the aircraft, organize themselves into groups, etc.
All done through modding and APIs, basically. And actually this has been a thing since the late 90s. VATSIM, the biggest one, was founded in 2001, but it had a couple of earlier predecessors.
I think this ATC needs some SAM installations, though.
"We're classifying you as a ROGUE AIRCRAFT and we're going to sic some F-18s on you."
posted by tobascodagama at 8:47 AM on November 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
All done through modding and APIs, basically. And actually this has been a thing since the late 90s. VATSIM, the biggest one, was founded in 2001, but it had a couple of earlier predecessors.
I think this ATC needs some SAM installations, though.
"We're classifying you as a ROGUE AIRCRAFT and we're going to sic some F-18s on you."
posted by tobascodagama at 8:47 AM on November 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
There's a reason these types of game are (both derisively and affectionately) called "dad games".
Like the time Obama showed up.
I can 100% picture Obama playing a flight simulator in his retirement, making terrible airplane based puns to Sasha (who rolls her eyes and goes back to her phone), and Michelle not so gently nudging him to get outside and help her with the vegetable garden.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:48 AM on November 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
Like the time Obama showed up.
I can 100% picture Obama playing a flight simulator in his retirement, making terrible airplane based puns to Sasha (who rolls her eyes and goes back to her phone), and Michelle not so gently nudging him to get outside and help her with the vegetable garden.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:48 AM on November 13, 2018 [17 favorites]
VATSIM, the biggest one, was founded in 2001, but it had a couple of earlier predecessors.
My son is hooked on Infinite Flight, which he plays on his iPad. The amount of detail in this thing blows me away. (He cornered the developers at Oshkosh and asked when they would have split-scimitars added to the 737s. The kid learned all about this on his own...holy crap...)
The thing that really gets me is that they fly in real-time. He has sleepovers with his other aviation friends and they organize transatlantic flights to launch and monitor while they eat popcorn and watch movies.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:56 AM on November 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
My son is hooked on Infinite Flight, which he plays on his iPad. The amount of detail in this thing blows me away. (He cornered the developers at Oshkosh and asked when they would have split-scimitars added to the 737s. The kid learned all about this on his own...holy crap...)
The thing that really gets me is that they fly in real-time. He has sleepovers with his other aviation friends and they organize transatlantic flights to launch and monitor while they eat popcorn and watch movies.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:56 AM on November 13, 2018 [9 favorites]
The thing that really gets me is that they fly in real-time.
This was always my biggest sticking point. Even when I lived alone, I had a hard time blowing eight hours behind a computer screen for a single flight. Though a big part of that is that, with atmospheric flight, you really can't take your attention away for too long.
In college, I did complete a real-time Earth-Moon flight in Orbiter, but that was one of those things where you spend an hour setting it up and then you just need to check in once every couple of hours for a day or two in case you need to make any course corrections.
posted by tobascodagama at 9:06 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
This was always my biggest sticking point. Even when I lived alone, I had a hard time blowing eight hours behind a computer screen for a single flight. Though a big part of that is that, with atmospheric flight, you really can't take your attention away for too long.
In college, I did complete a real-time Earth-Moon flight in Orbiter, but that was one of those things where you spend an hour setting it up and then you just need to check in once every couple of hours for a day or two in case you need to make any course corrections.
posted by tobascodagama at 9:06 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
My first thought; this is ridiculous.
Then I realize my hobby is pretending to be a half-elf druid/bard who talks to other peoples made up people and I realize I'm the ridiculous one.
posted by The otter lady at 9:07 AM on November 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
Then I realize my hobby is pretending to be a half-elf druid/bard who talks to other peoples made up people and I realize I'm the ridiculous one.
posted by The otter lady at 9:07 AM on November 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
The otter lady, sub in "dress up in funny clothes and hit people with sticks" for "pretending..." and that's exactly the reaction I had.
posted by hanov3r at 9:22 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by hanov3r at 9:22 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
You could do a transatlantic flight where the crew have to deal with some crazy passenger screaming about "something on the wing"
posted by The otter lady at 9:30 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by The otter lady at 9:30 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Oh wouldn't be fun to hack in and inject a few UFO's
posted by sammyo at 9:45 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 9:45 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Now I am picturing teenagers trying to see how many airplanes can land simultaneously at a single airport.
posted by ardgedee at 9:49 AM on November 13, 2018
posted by ardgedee at 9:49 AM on November 13, 2018
I can't wait to play In-Flight Meal Simulator 2019.
On searching to see if it exists yet, I found only this.
posted by sfenders at 9:59 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
On searching to see if it exists yet, I found only this.
posted by sfenders at 9:59 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
One has to feel pity for these followers, making exacting replicas of airports, mimicking air traffic chatter, waiting for that Great Loot Box Drop that will never arrive.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:02 AM on November 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:02 AM on November 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
Now I am picturing teenagers trying to see how many airplanes can land simultaneously at a single airport.
They do that all the time, but the in thing is organized group photos.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:37 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
They do that all the time, but the in thing is organized group photos.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:37 AM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Listening to this is giving me hives.
posted by backseatpilot at 11:04 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by backseatpilot at 11:04 AM on November 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I’ve watched a lot of Airforceproud95 so I guess that I’m a fan but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t have that “I’m 14 and this is funny,” kind of sense of humor where I spend most of the video hoping he doesn’t say something so dumb that I just can’t listen to him ever again, you know?
posted by Skwirl at 11:52 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Skwirl at 11:52 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I guess this is a dad game. I used to love to fly United when they would put the pilot's conversations with the tower and various centers on channel 9 of the audio channels.
posted by AugustWest at 12:25 PM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by AugustWest at 12:25 PM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
“I’m 14 and this is funny,” kind of sense of humor
The Obama one was really bad for that, somewhat predictably. The one in the FPP was solid gold, though.
I guess this is one of those cases where I just have to go, "hey that was a neat vid, thanks for that" and avoid digging any further into the back catalog.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:33 PM on November 13, 2018
The Obama one was really bad for that, somewhat predictably. The one in the FPP was solid gold, though.
I guess this is one of those cases where I just have to go, "hey that was a neat vid, thanks for that" and avoid digging any further into the back catalog.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:33 PM on November 13, 2018
One has to feel pity for these followers, making exacting replicas of airports, mimicking air traffic chatter, waiting for that Great Loot Box Drop that will never arrive.
Somehow I can't avoid hearing this in Werner Herzog's voice and it's pretty great. (Or is this an actual quote of his?)
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:47 PM on November 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Somehow I can't avoid hearing this in Werner Herzog's voice and it's pretty great. (Or is this an actual quote of his?)
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:47 PM on November 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
"The statistical likelihood... is that other civilizations will arise. There will one day be lemon-soaked paper napkins. Till then there will be a short delay. Please return to your seat.''
posted by SansPoint at 1:02 PM on November 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by SansPoint at 1:02 PM on November 13, 2018 [10 favorites]
“I’m 14 and this is funny,” kind of sense of humor
Totally. I'll supplement my comments with the fact that my son is in middle school so this is right up his alley. (FYI, I've been told that AFP95 is a college grad so he's punching below his weight but hey anything for subscribers amiright?)
But I do admit I love the graphic absurdity of multiplayer FSX and all of it's "Ghostrider requesting a flyby in a 747" hedonism. I could watch that all day compared to the boring semi-real world like over at Information Zulu Live ATC/LAX
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:02 PM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Totally. I'll supplement my comments with the fact that my son is in middle school so this is right up his alley. (FYI, I've been told that AFP95 is a college grad so he's punching below his weight but hey anything for subscribers amiright?)
But I do admit I love the graphic absurdity of multiplayer FSX and all of it's "Ghostrider requesting a flyby in a 747" hedonism. I could watch that all day compared to the boring semi-real world like over at Information Zulu Live ATC/LAX
posted by JoeZydeco at 3:02 PM on November 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
you're never too old to get weirdly obsessive about following fake ATC protocols while flying your fake airplane.
My little brother was doing this a lot when he was like, 13.
.... he's now ATC in MSP.
posted by flaterik at 3:56 PM on November 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
My little brother was doing this a lot when he was like, 13.
.... he's now ATC in MSP.
posted by flaterik at 3:56 PM on November 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
It's well known that the flight simulator genre attained perfection in 1992, with Stunt Island.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 4:30 PM on November 13, 2018
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 4:30 PM on November 13, 2018
My little brother was doing this a lot when he was like, 13.
True, you're never too young either. I did most of my serious flight simming around that age, too. :)
posted by tobascodagama at 5:21 PM on November 13, 2018
True, you're never too young either. I did most of my serious flight simming around that age, too. :)
posted by tobascodagama at 5:21 PM on November 13, 2018
Stunt Island is almost perfection but one of the wings on their SR-71 is canted at an odd angle.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:27 PM on November 13, 2018
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:27 PM on November 13, 2018
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posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:14 AM on November 13, 2018 [4 favorites]