Flying PMDG Airplanes Online

From PMDG Ops

If you have not experienced the exciting world of online flying yet, make sure to visit VATSIM. If you subscribe to the online edition of the Wall Street Journal, there is an interesting article on VATSIM that is worth a read if you are interested in the field of online flying. The title is "In virtual skies, controllers guide mock pilot's course" and it was published on Friday, May 19 2006. The same article is also available from the Post Gazette.

Using PMDG Airliners Online

The PMDG 737NG Series and 747-400/747-400F are configured for realistic VATSIM flying by using custom transponder code. In addition, online traffic is visible on your navigation displays using the TCAS system.

Transponder use

If you use Squawkbox 3 to fly online, you will not need its embedded transponder. Use the transponder found on your PMDG airliner radio panel (accessible through the panel switcher - R button on the 737NG | Radio button on the 747) to set the assigned squawk code. When the time comes to switch the transponder to NORM, set the mode switch to TA/RA (to make full use of the TCAS system). If a controller prompts you to dial a squawk code and IDENT, you can also use the IDENT button on the PMDG transponder panel as it is fully functional.

TCAS use

To have online traffic visible on your naviation display, make sure you set your traffic source to FSUIPC and not FS2004 in the PMDG options menu. Once you switch the transponder to TA or TA/RA mode and hit the TFC button on your EFIS control panel, your fellow online airplanes will be visible on the ND. For more information on this, please consult your operating manual.