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Comparing PilotEdge to the Alternatives


"Online flying" is not a brand new concept. While it's reasonable to assume that PilotEdge is a competitor to the other online services, the reality is the service is designed for a market which has received almost no exposure to the world of online flying.  As a result, we don't envisage a mass migration from the alternative services to PilotEdge.  Instead, we anticipate working with whole wave of pilots that have never flown online before.  That said, those who do fly online today will almost certainly be curious about how PilotEdge might be different to what they're using today.

Multiplayer sessions and servers

Some flight simulators have had the capability to create "multiplayer sessions" for years now, allowing pilots to see each other in a single, virtual sky.  Those environments, however, do not typically have any live ATC interaction. As a result, the operations being conducted on those networks are largely for entertainment purposes only.

Other online networks that provide ATC

There are online environments that do provide ATC, such as the VATSIM and IVAO networks. These are volunteer-based networks that set out to provide ATC across the entire world. The PilotEdge founder is a veteran of the VATSIM network, has 7 years experience and has accumulated over 4000 hours of controller time.  This experience has provided considerable insight about the intricacies of operating a successful online ATC environment.

These are hobbyist networks, run entirely by volunteers. Their goal is to provide an enjoyable experience for a massive, global audience. They are not capable, however, of delivering a reliable, repeatable experience for pilots because:

1) ATC presence is not guaranteed

2) ATC quality is not guaranteed

3) traffic density is typically much lower than real world levels

4) pilot quality and interest level is inconsistent.  People are there for a wide variety of reasons, and have different expectations of the network. These differences can quickly degrade the experience for those who are there for training or currency purposes.

5) the radio system on these networks is a far cry from the operation of real world aviation radios. This includes the lack of a realistic voice CTAF, lack of transmission/reception distance modeling, and most importantly, operating models that result in controllers working vastly different roles (delivery, ground, tower, approach, and enroute), all on a single frequency. The resulting experience is confusing for real world pilots who are looking for an environment that mirrors their real world experience.

In addition to these significant challenges, these networks are simply not equipped to cater to the needs of commercial flight training organizations.

PilotEdge

This network provides a reliable, repeatable online experience for real world pilots and discerning enthusiasts.  It was designed from the ground up to specifically address the previously-listed challenges faced by the other networks:

1) ATC presence is guaranteed during the network's published operating hours.  This is achieved by compensating the controllers for their time.

2) ATC quality is guaranteed by way of a rigorous Quality Assurance process that is simply not practical to implement on the volunteer networks. That, and controllers are hand-picked to join the organization, as opposed to the volunteer networks, who are obliged to work with literally anyone who wishes to try their hand at becoming a controller.

3) Traffic density is greatly increased as a result of the following measures:

a) Rather than attempting to provide coverage across the globe, PilotEdge serves a limited geographical area. This effectively compacts the traffic that would've been spread out across the nation into a smaller region.

b) Real world airspace is virtually littered with seemingly random VFR traffic that is "squawking VFR and not talking to anyone."  Other online networks have almost no traffic of this nature.  PilotEdge employs a system that generates aircraft matching this profile, based on actual flights that were conducted by real people on the network.  These drones are indistinguishable from human-controlled aircraft in their appearance and behavior.  The drones remain clear of Class A/B/C/D airspace where they would otherwise be communicating with ATC.

c) Events that are properly organized have the power to transform the experience for online pilots.  PilotEdge will use highly-focused, well-publicized online events to encourage traffic to fly within specific areas, during specific times, and will hold the events on a continuous basis.

4) The service is tailored to a specific audience, real world pilots, and discerning simulator enthusiasts. The monthly subscription fee is likely to deter anyone that falls outside of the desired profile.

5) PilotEdge models 2 way VHF radio operations, including transmission/reception limits based on altitude, as well as non-towered CTAFs.  Pilots dial the real world frequency for the facility they want to reach. If they are in range, and the facility is open (based on the overlap of real-world operating hours and the network's operating hours), they will receive a response from someone serving that role. The system even takes into account the real-world transmitter locations for each facility.  By way of a revealing example, there are cases where it will be difficult to maintain contact with an enroute facility when flying out of some of the more remote airports.  Pilots will actually need to climb higher before they are able to start working with the controllers... just like the real world.

Lastly, this service is available for non-commercial individual use as well as commercial/professional environments. See the Commercial FAQ for more information.