VATSIM, or Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network, is a non-profit organization operating a dedicated, worldwide, Internet-based flight-simulation network. Users can connect to the network to either fly online as a pilot using flight simulation software, or direct traffic as an air traffic controller (ATC) and participate in what has been described as a close approximation of real-life aviation procedures. The organization has achieved notability for its very high level of participation and realism, that has seen it in use as part of Federal Aviation Administration funded research projects. This notability resulted in the organization being featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal in 2006. It is considered the largest online flight simulation network in the world with over 209,000 registered members as of 3 September 2009, with hundreds of participants online at any one time.
Read more about Virtual Air Traffic Simulation Network: Overview, History, Reception, Software, Membership and Training, Events
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