FAQ
Short answers to the questions that pilots ask most.
Do I need VATSIM to fly on Tailstrike?
No. The Tailstrike plugin records your flights directly from your simulator. Therefore you can fly fully offline, and each leg counts. VATSIM is optional. Connect to it when you want live ATC and event airspace.
Can I fly offline, with no network?
Yes. Tailstrike records an offline flight fully, if the plugin is in operation. A flight that you fly alone at night counts the same as a flight at a large event.
Which simulators can I use?
MSFS 2020, MSFS 2024, P3D and FSX, with SimConnect. Also X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12, directly. See Connecting your sim.
What is a lease?
When you lease an aircraft, you have exclusive access to fly that specific aircraft. No other pilot can use it until your lease ends. See Leasing an aircraft.
Must I plan my flights?
No. Select Just fly, and fly to the place that you want. If you want an objective, Intelligent Dispatch writes an assignment for you, a mission gives you a shared objective, and my own destination records your own plan.
Must I stay connected for the full flight?
Yes. Keep the plugin in operation from the departure to the shutdown. Then Tailstrike records the flight correctly. A short disconnection is permitted. A disconnection of approximately thirty minutes terminates the flight.
Does the aircraft change automatically when I land?
Yes. When you land and stop, Tailstrike completes the flight, closes your lease, and changes the position, the fuel and the status of the aircraft immediately. There is no button to press. See Flight completion rules.
Can I land at each airport?
You can land at each current real-world airport that is large enough for your aircraft. Therefore the next pilot can depart with no problem. A diversion is permitted.
Can I fly VFR with no flight plan?
Yes. Tailstrike never needs a flight plan. If you fly on VATSIM, give a flight plan for ATC in the normal way.
Why must I fly at 1x speed?
Tailstrike is a realistic shared world of aircraft and flights. This is possible only if each pilot flies in real time. Then the world stays consistent and fair for each pilot.
Does Tailstrike cost money?
No. Flying is free, and it stays free. There is an optional Supporter subscription. It pays for the work, and it gives perks: Intelligent Dispatch on each lease, the addition of aircraft to the network, and aircraft patronage. No part of flying is behind a payment.
What is the difference between an owner, a patron and an endowment?
An owner got their aircraft with flights. A patron holds an aircraft with their Supporter slot, with their name in gold. An endowment means that you added the aircraft to the network. In each case, the aircraft stays public, and each pilot can fly it.