coma24
12-08-2011, 06:48 PM
My name is Keith Smith, I'm the Founder of PilotEdge, a new online
service that provides real-time ATC for flight simulators. After a brief email exchange with Matt, he suggested I might want to make a forum post about what we offer, so here goes..
My background, very briefly, starts as a 10yr old who discovered aviation and computing at roughly the same time, starting with a Commodore 64 and SubLogic FSII. I have to think I'm not the only person here who knows what those are ;) I learned to fly by using sims, but it wasn't until my early 20's that I started taking flying lessons. I discovered VATSIM after a 4yr break during the training. It was a great resource for getting back in the saddle and working on my comms. I completed my PPL and went on to obtain an instrument rating.
I currently fly (and very much enjoy) a Lancair 360 out of Lincoln Park (N07) in northern NJ.
VATSIM wasn't without its issues, but on a good day, if you knew how to use it, knew the right controllers and all the planets aligned, you could have a meaningful training experience. I tried for 7 years (without success) to recruit real world pilots to that network and
during that time was able to recruit precisely _0_ people, despite receiving thunderous applause at presentation after presentation, and demo after demo to rooms full of pilots. Their experience when they went home to try it simply didn't mirror what we showed during the demo (which was stock with great pilots and controllers, of course).
So, I started thinking about building a new, commercial-grade network which would overcome the known limitations of VATSIM, namely:
- the lack of consistent, predictable presence of ATC
- the lack of consistent, predictable quality of ATC
- a radio system that in no way mirrors the operation of a real world
radio in terms of frequency usage and non-towered operations
- too wide of range of skill and interest level among the pilots
- lack of traffic density as a result of the global coverage and not
enough pilots to fill those skies (outside of a handful of scheduled
events each year)
As a result, PilotEdge was launched to the public just over 2 months ago on Oct 1, 2011. It offers guaranteed ATC presence and quality, 15 hours a day, 7 days a week in the published coverage area (currently the Los Angeles ARTCC, with roughly 100 public use airports). This
will expand to include the Oakland ARTCC in the coming months. There are no plans to expand the public network beyond that point unless the traffic density supports it.
The ATC presence is guaranteed by compensating the controllers for their time and using a robust scheduling system. The ATC quality is guaranteed because unlike other networks, we are able to pick and choose who is allowed to control on the network, and train them to our
exacting standards.
The network is based on voice usage 100% of the time, there are no text transmissions (outside of Private Messages which are used for technical support from time to time). The radio system was built completely from scratch and closely models the operation of a real
world radio:
- there is no 'controller list' showing you who's online
- you dial the frequency for the facility you're trying to reach using real world publications (be it a clearance delivery, ground, tower, TRACON, or enroute facility). You can even call on the published approach frequencies for flight following.
- if you are out of range from a given controller or another pilot, you won't hear them. The range is based on your altitude and the altitude of the other pilot or the altitude of ATC's transmitter. We have modeled the location AND altitude of all of the radio transmitters within the Los Angeles ARTCC, including the one near the JLI which is located on a 4-5k MSL mountain top
On a few occasions in the early days, we neglected to swap pilots to the appropriate frequencies during their flights and lost communication with them as they descend to lower altitudes. We resorted to relaying messages to them via other airborne aircraft which were cruising in the flight levels and were able to reach them on the same frequency, even though we couldn't!
Also, you can enjoy 100% voice communications at the non-towered airports. You'll hear other aircraft if they're within range, and on the same frequency. That means than down low, you'll probably only hear aircraft at your airport, but once you reach 1000ft or so, you'll hear traffic at more distant airports. We calcuate all of this every 3 seconds or so.
The traffic density issue is solved in two ways. For one, the coverage area is smaller (packing what would've been a global level of traffic into a smaller area), and we augment the live traffic with previously recorded VFR aircraft (drones) which fly 24/7. As of now, there are ~550 of these aircraft flying around northern and southern California.
These are VFR aircraft that fly only in Class E/G airspace (where ATC communication is not required). Drone operations range from helicopter tours through the Grand Canyon, to VFR pattern work, air work (steep turns, slow flight, stalls, simulated engine out), cross country
flights and even military operations (many of which are a hoot to watch or follow, I gotta tell ya!). These are NOT computer-generated or AI flights. These are flights that were recorded by a real person and are being played back 24/7 through a custom utility that we built for the network.
Now, all of these benefits come with two sacrifices:
1) the network is not free. Remember, the controllers are paid to be there. The upside is that the cover charge 'keeps away the kiddies'.
2) the coverage area is not global...it's not even national (nor is it ever likely to be). We support the Los Angeles ARTCC (ZLA) right now and will add the Oakland ARTCC (ZOA) soon. ZLA has roughly 100 public use airports, as does ZOA. When all is said and done, our coverage area will be approximately 600x400nm, allowing for a 90 minute flight in a 737, which we think is sufficient for most operations, particularly since the enroute phase of flight offers little in the way of educational or even entertainment value.
So, who is this for? If you're a student pilot, instrument student or commercial training outfit (flight school or sim center), the benefits of this system should be quite obvious.
However, we think it might also attract the attention of the discerning sim enthusiast who sees value in having quality ATC every single time they fly, even if it means flying in a more restricted area, and is willing to pay a modest amount per month for it $19.95/mth, or less if you're flying with a partner VA, a list of which will soon be forthcoming on the site).
This network is NOT for you:
- if you are not willing to fly within the Los Angeles ARTCC
- if high quality, guaranteed ATC presence is not a important element of your flying, or is simply not worth paying for
- if your existing only flying network consistently meets 100% of your needs.
I suspect that as cockpit builders, the service we offer WILL be of value to you, so I'm eager to see the reaction!
Check out the site, there is a 2 week free trial (we ask for credit card info for a number of reasons, but you will not be charged until the end of the trial) for anyone who wants to give it a shot.
The supported platforms are FS 2004, FSX, Prepar3d (unofficially), and X-Plane 9/10. You can install the FSX client on another machine but it's not recommended at this time. We'll be releasing a modified version of the client which lends itself to better execution across the network fairly soon. Right now, the installer ships with the incorrect version of SimConnect, you'll need to grab the FSX SP2 SimConnect installer (I can post a link if needed) if you do plan to run the PE client on a machine other than the one where FSX is running.
We also send position updates for aircraft at 5Hz, so the fidelity is considerably improved over what is available on other systems. We also send light, gear and power settings across the network, so you can actually see when aircraft switch on their strobes and landing lights
prior to takeoff, etc.
Again, I'm happy to answer any and all questions and look forward to hearing your reactions to the service. It's not for everyone, but if you're looking for the next level of ATC interaction, there is really nothing out there that offers what we have, and certainly nothing that can be used on a commercial basis.
service that provides real-time ATC for flight simulators. After a brief email exchange with Matt, he suggested I might want to make a forum post about what we offer, so here goes..
My background, very briefly, starts as a 10yr old who discovered aviation and computing at roughly the same time, starting with a Commodore 64 and SubLogic FSII. I have to think I'm not the only person here who knows what those are ;) I learned to fly by using sims, but it wasn't until my early 20's that I started taking flying lessons. I discovered VATSIM after a 4yr break during the training. It was a great resource for getting back in the saddle and working on my comms. I completed my PPL and went on to obtain an instrument rating.
I currently fly (and very much enjoy) a Lancair 360 out of Lincoln Park (N07) in northern NJ.
VATSIM wasn't without its issues, but on a good day, if you knew how to use it, knew the right controllers and all the planets aligned, you could have a meaningful training experience. I tried for 7 years (without success) to recruit real world pilots to that network and
during that time was able to recruit precisely _0_ people, despite receiving thunderous applause at presentation after presentation, and demo after demo to rooms full of pilots. Their experience when they went home to try it simply didn't mirror what we showed during the demo (which was stock with great pilots and controllers, of course).
So, I started thinking about building a new, commercial-grade network which would overcome the known limitations of VATSIM, namely:
- the lack of consistent, predictable presence of ATC
- the lack of consistent, predictable quality of ATC
- a radio system that in no way mirrors the operation of a real world
radio in terms of frequency usage and non-towered operations
- too wide of range of skill and interest level among the pilots
- lack of traffic density as a result of the global coverage and not
enough pilots to fill those skies (outside of a handful of scheduled
events each year)
As a result, PilotEdge was launched to the public just over 2 months ago on Oct 1, 2011. It offers guaranteed ATC presence and quality, 15 hours a day, 7 days a week in the published coverage area (currently the Los Angeles ARTCC, with roughly 100 public use airports). This
will expand to include the Oakland ARTCC in the coming months. There are no plans to expand the public network beyond that point unless the traffic density supports it.
The ATC presence is guaranteed by compensating the controllers for their time and using a robust scheduling system. The ATC quality is guaranteed because unlike other networks, we are able to pick and choose who is allowed to control on the network, and train them to our
exacting standards.
The network is based on voice usage 100% of the time, there are no text transmissions (outside of Private Messages which are used for technical support from time to time). The radio system was built completely from scratch and closely models the operation of a real
world radio:
- there is no 'controller list' showing you who's online
- you dial the frequency for the facility you're trying to reach using real world publications (be it a clearance delivery, ground, tower, TRACON, or enroute facility). You can even call on the published approach frequencies for flight following.
- if you are out of range from a given controller or another pilot, you won't hear them. The range is based on your altitude and the altitude of the other pilot or the altitude of ATC's transmitter. We have modeled the location AND altitude of all of the radio transmitters within the Los Angeles ARTCC, including the one near the JLI which is located on a 4-5k MSL mountain top
On a few occasions in the early days, we neglected to swap pilots to the appropriate frequencies during their flights and lost communication with them as they descend to lower altitudes. We resorted to relaying messages to them via other airborne aircraft which were cruising in the flight levels and were able to reach them on the same frequency, even though we couldn't!
Also, you can enjoy 100% voice communications at the non-towered airports. You'll hear other aircraft if they're within range, and on the same frequency. That means than down low, you'll probably only hear aircraft at your airport, but once you reach 1000ft or so, you'll hear traffic at more distant airports. We calcuate all of this every 3 seconds or so.
The traffic density issue is solved in two ways. For one, the coverage area is smaller (packing what would've been a global level of traffic into a smaller area), and we augment the live traffic with previously recorded VFR aircraft (drones) which fly 24/7. As of now, there are ~550 of these aircraft flying around northern and southern California.
These are VFR aircraft that fly only in Class E/G airspace (where ATC communication is not required). Drone operations range from helicopter tours through the Grand Canyon, to VFR pattern work, air work (steep turns, slow flight, stalls, simulated engine out), cross country
flights and even military operations (many of which are a hoot to watch or follow, I gotta tell ya!). These are NOT computer-generated or AI flights. These are flights that were recorded by a real person and are being played back 24/7 through a custom utility that we built for the network.
Now, all of these benefits come with two sacrifices:
1) the network is not free. Remember, the controllers are paid to be there. The upside is that the cover charge 'keeps away the kiddies'.
2) the coverage area is not global...it's not even national (nor is it ever likely to be). We support the Los Angeles ARTCC (ZLA) right now and will add the Oakland ARTCC (ZOA) soon. ZLA has roughly 100 public use airports, as does ZOA. When all is said and done, our coverage area will be approximately 600x400nm, allowing for a 90 minute flight in a 737, which we think is sufficient for most operations, particularly since the enroute phase of flight offers little in the way of educational or even entertainment value.
So, who is this for? If you're a student pilot, instrument student or commercial training outfit (flight school or sim center), the benefits of this system should be quite obvious.
However, we think it might also attract the attention of the discerning sim enthusiast who sees value in having quality ATC every single time they fly, even if it means flying in a more restricted area, and is willing to pay a modest amount per month for it $19.95/mth, or less if you're flying with a partner VA, a list of which will soon be forthcoming on the site).
This network is NOT for you:
- if you are not willing to fly within the Los Angeles ARTCC
- if high quality, guaranteed ATC presence is not a important element of your flying, or is simply not worth paying for
- if your existing only flying network consistently meets 100% of your needs.
I suspect that as cockpit builders, the service we offer WILL be of value to you, so I'm eager to see the reaction!
Check out the site, there is a 2 week free trial (we ask for credit card info for a number of reasons, but you will not be charged until the end of the trial) for anyone who wants to give it a shot.
The supported platforms are FS 2004, FSX, Prepar3d (unofficially), and X-Plane 9/10. You can install the FSX client on another machine but it's not recommended at this time. We'll be releasing a modified version of the client which lends itself to better execution across the network fairly soon. Right now, the installer ships with the incorrect version of SimConnect, you'll need to grab the FSX SP2 SimConnect installer (I can post a link if needed) if you do plan to run the PE client on a machine other than the one where FSX is running.
We also send position updates for aircraft at 5Hz, so the fidelity is considerably improved over what is available on other systems. We also send light, gear and power settings across the network, so you can actually see when aircraft switch on their strobes and landing lights
prior to takeoff, etc.
Again, I'm happy to answer any and all questions and look forward to hearing your reactions to the service. It's not for everyone, but if you're looking for the next level of ATC interaction, there is really nothing out there that offers what we have, and certainly nothing that can be used on a commercial basis.