Shared Cockpit in FSX
Microsoft Flight Simulator, in the original (boxed - De Luxe and Gold versions), FSXSteam or Prepar3D versions includes a cockpit sharing function. The only downside, for those of a non-techy nature is that you have to set a fixed IP address for the host computer and set the host's router to "port forward|" any external computers' FS data to to the host's FS "port", instead of blocking it, which is the default. In some routers this is easy, in others it is an obscure, user-unfriendly challenge. The Club has a help tutorial on the subject Instructions for using FSX Cockpit Sharing and VATSIM. It is a valuable tool for training, as the instructor and student can connect either via a direct peer to peer connection, or when the student is ready for the realism to be increased, they can take advantage of live ATC from VATSIM or IVAO. Both members taking part must have exactly the same version of FSX. This includes having FSX Service Pack 2 installed. Note that FSX Service Pack 2 incorporates Service Pack 1 which is no longer available for download. Some level of sharing the Flight Simulator can be achieved using Team Viewer which is a lot easier, but there are sometimes data transmission delays which can spoil the immediacy of sharing a flight.