The UK Virtual Flying Club

Screenshot Competition Winner - April 2012

Mountain Rescue - Andrew Larkins

Mountain Rescue - Andrew Larkins

Andrew says: The Sea King provides a stable platform for flying and taking in the scenery - without the worry of a nearby runway to put down on. Recognise the location? The mountains are in the Lake District - St Sunday Crag on the left and Hellvellyn on the right. Red Tarn is just visible between Striding Edge and Swirral Edge. I ended this flight at Carlisle (EGNC) - and a well earned brew.

Who Are We?

The CIX VFR Club is a group of Flight Simulation enthusiasts who enjoy flying extremely realistic simulated light aircraft, chiefly around the United Kingdom, across a computer generated landscape made up of real photographs, and within an Internet community environment.

What Do We Do?

We "meet" each weekday evening and on other organised occasions, to practise our flying skills and hold events such as visits to distant aerodromes. Between meets we exchange news, views and ideas via our own private Club Forum, or the CIX conferencing system.

How Is This Possible?

With Internet technology, we can see each other's aircraft, and talk to each other on-line as we fly. We have realistic, live, simulated Air Traffic Control, thanks to our membership of VATSIM, and its UK Division VATSIM-UK.

Why Would I Want To Do That?

Because it is very much less expensive than flying real aeroplanes, but as realistic to the real world as we can achieve (except that we can magically switch off any bad weather!) We can also go where no real plane can go and see things one can never see in the real world.

Want to Have a Go?

The CIX VFR Club welcomes new members at any level of flight-simming ability to come and try the lighter side of aviation - in more ways than one. Lots of varied activities involving light aircraft flying on-line with others and with live ATC, make the Club one of the most exciting branches of the Flight-simming hobby. Experience of aviation or of Flight Simulator is not necessary. Members simply have the common aim of having fun in a simulated aviation environment.
Interested in joining? Contact the Membership Secretary.

Don't Know How?

With our private VOIP server and lively Forum, help on any subject is only an internet connection away.

We also operate a training programme for pilots new to either Flight Simulator and VATSIM (or both). Training is voluntary, and provided to match the members' needs, from the basics of flying to help getting into the VATSIM world. The instructor shares the student's aircraft guiding him through a lighter version of the real world Private pilot's syllabus, with the emphasis on fun not work! Further information from the Chief Flying Instructor.

The Members' Bar

A key part of Club life is the Forum, which has had over 65,000 posts in the seven years since its inauguration in February 2004. As well as flying, join in lively craic in the Members' Bar where we chat about almost anything, including every facet of flying and flight-simming, including tips and tricks (and yarns) from real world pilot members.

The CIX VFR Club is but a tiny part of VATSIM, a large international community of people linked by a passion for flight and air traffic control simulation. Many are real-world pilots and air traffic controllers. As well as small groups like ours, there are virtual airlines; their pilots flying all over the world, and talking to many people in other countries, and there are both national and international events in which we can take part.
Click on the UK icon to see which club members are online now.