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Links

External Information

Grow your Flight Simming Experience

There are a huge number of websites devoted to Flight and Flight Simulator. This page contains links to sources of information and add-ons which will be of interest to Club members. The CIX VFR Club is not responsible for the content of these websites. Members' suggestions for useful and interesting links will be gladly received. Email suggestions to the Webmaster by clicking the following icon. @

VATSIM Resources

VATSIM International

The main VATSIM web site. Worldwide event news, new developments, resources, statistics, forums and much more.

VATSIM UK Web Site

Keep up to date with what's happening on our patch of the planet

VATSIM UK Forum

Keep in touch with VATSIM life in the UK, outside the Club environs. CIX VFR Club members are welcome to air their views too of course, in their role as an individual or Club member, but please do not make statements on behalf of the Club without checking first with a member of the Management Team.

VATSIM Pilot Resource Centre

Training and help documentation on anything to do with flying with Flight Simulator and VATSIM.

VATSIM Statistics

VATSIM's own connection records, with various ways of looking at them. You login with your VATSIM id and password.

VATAWARE

Flight tracking history for VATSIM. The software records and stores data from every registered member's VATSIM flights. Some statistics may be viewed without registering, but the full extent of your personal data can only obtained if you log in as a registered member of Vataware. Note that Vataware login is not the same as VATSIM membership login.

VAT-SPY

VAT-Spy is a free download that allows you to view current ATC and traffic levels on VATSIM. It is modeled after ServInfo, the original traffic and ATC viewer for multiple online flying networks. ServInfo is a fantastic program that left little room for improvement, but VAT-Spy's is smoother when panning and zooming around the map.

VATTASTIC

VATTASTIC was launched in 2010 and is another ATC and traffic application for VATSIM, but it is a web application, so no download is needed. Development is ongoing, the most recent version being launched in January 2019.

VATSIM Indicators

Create your own VATSIM an online/offline signature for use in forums or on a website. You will need to sign in with your VATSIM ID and password on the second page to access the service.

Commercial FS Resources

ORBX-FTX Site

ORBX provides some excellent scenery add ons for FSX. These cover mainly Australia and North America. New Zealand is in plan for late 2011.

PC Aviator

On-line Flight Simulator shop - this site is a great source of hardware, books, videos and software etc. This collection is all commercial payware. Orders to the UK are shipped from the USA

RC Simulations The UK Flight Sim Shop

The UKs own Flight Simulator shop is based in Bristol, but also on line. Theirs is another of those apochryphal businesses started in the proprietor's garage! Everything and anything you need for Flight Sim can be had from them. If you are also into Train Simulator, this is your site! Bob Sidwick can usually be seen demonstrating some of their stock, flying his helicopter on X-plane with Triple Head to Go (TH2G) at FS Shows around the UK.

SimFlight

On-line Flight Simulator shop - this site conatins a mixture of free and commercial products; hardware, books, videos and software etc.

UK2000 Airports for FSX

UK2000 VFR Airfields for FSX brings UK airfields and airports to a new level of excellence. Gary Summons has agreed a discount on purchases by CIX VFR Club members - for details see the announcement in the forum.

UK Photographic Scenery

Playsims Publishing's photographic scenery of the whole UK for FSX/P3D is available from several sources; Flightstore, AVSIM and Amazon to name just three. Published in 7 volumes it is now on version 3.  It's well worth shopping around though, as bargains and sales occur fairly frequently on the the various marketing sites.

General Flight Simulator Information

The History of Flight Simulator

A Wikipedia article about the origins of Microsoft's famous simulator.

The History of VATSIM

A superb write-up by the Author of Squawkbox, Joe Jurecka, on the history of On-line flying.

The History of ATP

Although the title suggests that this article is about ATP (Air Transport Pilot) it is also a nice resumé of the history of the worlds most sold software application, plus a lot about a less known but excellent sim of the 1990s - ATP.

Magazines

PC Pilot

The UK's own Flight Simulator magazine.

Real World Aviation Material

CAA The Skyway Code

The Civil Aviation Authority VFR Guide is mainly produced for pilots not familiar with UK airspace procedures, it has several sections which have been selected from the AIP, deemed pertinent to VFR flying. This link goes to the cover page which itself includes links to various sub-sections, some of which are listed separately below.

The History of Flight

This very interesting article was sent to the Club by a young man called Trevor in March 2020. Trevor is a member of the Lake Jennings BSA Scout Troop 325. Trevor is studying for his troop's Aviation Merit badge. We think he deserves it!

The History of Aviation

In August 2022, we received an email from a lady whose son and nephew are also boy scouts and huge aviation enthusiasts who are working towards their aviation badge, and hope to become pilots one day. They had discovered CIX VFR Club and were very appreciative of the content of our website. She sent me the above link to this interesting synopsis of the history of aviation starting as early as 400 BCE, which the boys had also found, which also includes interesting links to other real aviation material. She wrote "we hope this can be helpful to others! It would put a big smile on the boys faces knowing they could possibly help spark a passion for someone else."

Airfield Diagrams

Part of the NATS - AIS site (see below). Once you have logged in, the index page is displayed. Select the aerodrome you want the information for and then select the individual file. Choose from Textual data, Airfield Diagram, or various Instrument Approach Procedures. Files are in pdf format.

Airfield Locations

Aerial views of UK airports and airfields. Makes use of google maps to display an area in the vicinity of any UK site, selected from a list, with latitude and longitude data. It covers disused sites as well as those which are still in use. You may have to drag the map around a bit to see what you're looking for.

NATS - AIS

The new UK Aeronautical Information Service web site was launched in May 2008. This site does not require registration or login and is easier to navigate than the original UK AIS web site which has now been closed. All European countries will be providing their AIP data on the Eurocontrol European AIS Database (EAD) site at sometime in the not-too-distant future. (Registration & Login will be required)

Checklists

This is a wiki-type repository of checklists for many many different aircraft and aircraft systems. Because a lot of Flight-sim aircraft come with less than perfect checklists and performance data, this real world aviation site is extremely useful to us too.

Weather

Useful real world weather site to see what sort of conditions VATSIM is likely to present to for your on-line flights. Place your mouse over your nearest airport or destination on the displayed map of the British Isles and you can get a current weather report as well as wind history and predicted winds etc. You can also see an animated 24 hour weather forecast.

Aviation Weather Briefing

Various aviation weather situation and forecast details published by the UK Meteorological Office. The Forms 214 and 215 are the first documents pilots look at when deciding whether to fly. This service is free but requires registration to use.
Form 214 - UK Spot wind chart providing wind speed and direction and temperature for standard levels up to FL240, updated four times a day.
Form 215 - UK low-level weather chart providing a graphical display of areas of different weather plus text relating to surface visibility, weather and cloud up to FL100, updated four times a day.
Forms 414 and 415 provide similar information for Europe.

Weather Education

A really impressive guide to the weather and how it applies in the UK, how to read the charts, what's on them and why, how to spot trends etc. It is in the form of free education material aimed at three different levels: kids, teens, and teachers.

General Aviation Safety Council

Real world aviation organisation dedicated to flight safety. Their bulletins are always a good, and sometimes sobering read.

UKGA

Lots of very useful real world General Aviation information and onward links to other sources.

Mixed Commercial/Free Resources

AVSIM

On-line Flight Simulator download site and shop - this site contains a mixture of free and commercial products; hardware, books, videos and software etc. Almost every aircraft, utility or scenery package you could ever want for FS is very likely to be here. See also FLIGHTSIM. There are many other repositories, but we have found this to be the best. Downloads include freeware, shareware and commercial packages, aircraft, utilities, scenery, books, videos etc. Hosts a lively forum too.

FLIGHTSIM

Flight Simulator site with news, downloads and on-line shop - a mixture of free and commercial products. Downloads include freeware, shareware and commercial packages, aircraft, utilities, scenery, books, videos etc. Also has a lively forum.

Surclaro

Less well known, but excellent Flight Simulator download site and shop. Downloads include freeware, shareware and commercial packages, aircraft, utilities, scenery, books videos etc. Also has a forum which has a slight bias towards learning from real world aviation practice.

Simviation

Site contains many interesting aircraft - with a bias towards military types.

UK Sceneries for FSX

A very well organised site comprising dozens of links to useful download sites. Airport scenery is listed in alphabetical order. Scenery is for FSX, some free, some payware. The site also contains links to charts and other aviation material, plus FS2004 scenery for those who have not caught up with sim life.