Connecting Pilots Together!
WELCOME!
I’d like to take the opportunity to say hello and welcome you to the Online Virtual Pilots Association (OVPA) website.
There are many good reasons to sign up for the OVPA Website. We find that people primarily sign up out of interest in:
- Learning more about OVPA,
- Receive advance notices of our Worldwide Flight Simulator Community Broadcasts. Our first broadcast had almost 5000 viewers and our guests were Aerosoft and Majestic Software, and we gave away a terrific software including the several full copies of the Aerosoft Airbus bundles, Majestic Dash 8 Professional, Aerosoft Scenery, REX Texture Direct / Soft Clouds bundles and Airline2Sim Cadet Video Training courses! On our broadcasts we interview leaders in Flight Simulation and demonstrate new and upcoming products.
- Watch our Twitch Streams which often include Shared Cockpit and Beta product test flights.
- Receive our Online Pilot Newsletters and/or Pilot Guides,
- Flying with us as a non-member pilot,
- Joining OVPA as a formal member,
- You just want to stay in touch with what’s happening at OVPA.
Serious, But Fun!
We are a very different type of group than most in flight simulation. We are intentionally small, private (non-public), mature group who focuses on the quality of our flight simulation experience rather than trying to attract as many members as possible. This is one reason why our membership application is performed offline. One of the benefits of being small is that all of our members are all close, trusted, and valued personal friends regardless of where they live on the globe. We are very serious when it comes to flight simulation, but also a very friendly, fun loving group. Many of our members have spent their time giving back to the flight simulation community.
Shared Cockpit
We invested a lot of time over the past 10 years to master Shared Cockpit and create a high level of crew immersion and realism. We’ve accumulated close to 10,000 shared cockpit hours in high-end, study level aircraft models, and we developed and tested special settings and software which makes our shared cockpit flights on VATSIM an automatic and seamless experience for both pilot and copilot. You will find live streams of our flights right here on our websitee!
The OVPA Beta Team
The OVPA Beta Team is a separate team from our pilot group and is comprised of our most experienced pilots. In addition to having what most would consider to be an overwhelming amount of experience, many of our Beta Team members are commercial pilots and are specifically trained in software test and analysis, Our Beta Team works closely with many different flight simulation software developers whom we help to compress time lines and get products to the community faster while ensuring the highest quality. In addition to testing, we can provide professional Project Management, Design Influence, Research, Marketing Support, Test Plan Development & Management, and post-release customer technical support. OVPA members with significant experience in flight simulation who meet team requirements are welcome to apply for a position on the OVPA Tech Team. At a minimum the age requirement for the Beta Team is 24 years of age.
ANYONE CAN JOIN US FOR A FLIGHT!
Anyone is welcome to fly with us without joining OVPA, though for security reasons our members are not able to fly Shared Cockpit or otherwise connect their computers to non-members. For more information on our security policies please see our Shared Cockpit Guide. To fly with us in single cockpit just login to our voice server and ask any of our pilots if you can join them on a flight. Alternatively you can you contact us via the “Contact OVPA” link on our website and ask when our next group flight is.
To fly with us, you’ll need the same general type of aircraft that we’re flying so you’ll be able to match speed and altitudes. We typically fly commercial airliners (see the list below) It doesn’t matter what flight simulator software you have (FSX, FSX Steam Edition, P3D or X-Plane), though our group typically flies using FSX/FSX Steam Edition or P3D.
Since all our flights occur on VATSIM, you’ll need a VATSIM account and should be familiar with commercial aircraft flight planning, navigation, ATC procedures and how to operate your aircraft. We let you know this as it’s next to impossible to help someone with these things during a flight – event though we’ll all be talking and sharing information on our voice server during the flight.
Our members usually make several flights per week and we try to make a few VATSIM Events each week. The warmer months (in the Northern Hemisphere) are a time of reduced activity for us (as well as most of the flight simulation community) as we enjoy the nice weather and family vacations. It follows that fall, winter and early spring are the periods of high activity.
OVPA Members enjoy many benefits which are listed on our website. Many find that membership helps them compress timeframes and shorten learning curves as they move from entry level to intermediate, then to advanced commercial flight simulation. Working with group members in shared cockpit is the very best way to develop these skills!
Our members fly most all of the high end aircraft available for FSX/P3D, however the primary aircraft we fly are:
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Aerosoft Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321/A330*
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Single & Shared Cockpit/CFD
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Majestic Dash 8/Q400 Professional
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Single & Shared Cockpit /CFD
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TFDi Design B717*
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Single & Shared Cockpit /CFD
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Leonardo MD-80 Professional (Maddog)
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Single & Shared Cockpit /CFD
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PMDG 737NGX / 777
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Single Cockpit Only
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CaptainSim 777 (no OOMs)
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Single Cockpit Only
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And several other high end addons.
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* In development, not yet released to the public.
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JOINING OVPA
As already mentioned, we are a private (non-public) group. We differ from most other flight simulation groups in many ways, and our application process is a bit more involved than merely signing up. Before requesting a membership application we ask that prospective members make six (6) single cockpit flights with OVPA members during a consecutive four (4) week period. This allows you to get to know us and see if OVPA is the right group for you! Then should you wish, you may continue to fly with us as a non-member or you may request a membership application providing you meet the few OVPA requirements which include being at least 24 years of age, a VATSIM Member in good standing, and agree to follow all OVPA Rules. For computer security purposes, those who wish to join us on Shared Cockpit flights will have their age and identity verified. For more information on our Computer Security Policy please see the Shared Cockpit Guide. Remember that you don’t need to be an OVPA member to fly with the group in single cockpit.
WHAT TO DO NEXT?
The best way to get started is to view Information for Pilots section of our website, and then log into our Voice Server and say hello! It’s helpful if you ensure your microphone and headset/speakers are working prior to logging in and have a Push to Talk (PTT) key or button in mind (you’ll need one that is not already used for flight simulation). There is a complete Voice Server Guide on our website to help you install and set up the voice server software.
If you decide to stop by our Voice Server, you’ll find everyone to be friendly and easy to talk to.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact via the “Contact OVPA” link on our website should you have any questions or comments regarding OVPA.
Yours truly,
Dave Hodges
Director,
Online Virtual Pilots Association