BVA's Getting Started Guide: Sharing Aircraft

Sharing Aircraft >> Overview | Hosting a Shared Aircraft | Joining a Hosted Aircraft | Tips and Tricks

To join a shared aircraft, start by joining your host's multiplayer session.

1. Start FSX. From the main screen, select the "Multiplayer" tab, and then select the "Local Network (LAN)" radio box (not GameSpy).

2. Enter your choice of username (most people choose their first and last names). The default value in the box will be "Player", so make sure to change it.

3. Click "Sign In", and then "Connect Directly".

4. Enter the IP address of your host's server. The person hosting the shared session will provide this information. Remember that you need to connect to the host's public IP address, which will not start with "192.168...". The host can find his or her public IP address by going to the website http://whatismyipaddress.com on the host's computer.

5. Click "Find Sessions". If prompted, enter the host's password. Otherwise, you will be connected directly to the host's session.

Click "OK" to move directly to the briefing room, then click on the "Join Aircraft" button next to the host's aircraft. You do not need to select an aircraft of your own. However, make sure that the "Share my aircraft" option is NOT checked.

If the "Join Aircraft" button is grayed out, double-check to ensure that your "Share my aircraft" setting is deselected on the "Choose your session options" screen.

Once the connection is established, you will immediately be placed into the aircraft and the host will receive a message indicating that you joined.

Once you are both spawned into the FSX multiplayer session, it's time to connect to VATSIM. To do so, open vPilot. When connecting, use the same callsign as your host but add the letter "S" to the end (to indicate sharing), and select the "Connected in shared cockpit mode" checkbox:

Either pilot will be able to transmit and receive on vPilot, but only one pilot will be able to have control of the aircraft at a time. By default, the host has control. To request control from the host, or to accept control from the host, use the key command "SHIFT + T". It is also good practice to for each pilot to state "You have control" / "I have control" (as appropriate) during any transfer.