Compass Virtual is an Australian and New Zealand virtual airline operating across six divisions — Mainline Domestic AU, Mainline Domestic NZ, Regional AU, Regional NZ, Mainline International, and Cargo — plus our executive aviation division, ExJet. With over 750 routes connecting 306 ports across the Pacific, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and beyond, we're a serious operation with a serious schedule.
But we're also a community. The people who fly Compass aren't here to grind hours — they're here because they love flying and they enjoy the company of others who feel the same way. Compass has been around in various forms for twenty five years, and several of our team have been involved in virtual aviation and on VATSIM since the early days of the network.
Compass is a VATSIM airline. Most of what makes Compass Compass — the group flights, the camaraderie, the satisfaction of flying a proper IFR procedure with real controllers — happens on VATSIM. We strongly encourage you to fly online, and the guide that follows assumes you will. But it's not compulsory. If you're not ready, or you just want to fly offline today, that's fine — SmartCARS will still log your flight either way.
Compass operates exclusively in UTC — for flight times, schedules, group flights, and everything in SmartCARS. We cover too many time zones to do it any other way. When you're flying a route from Perth to Auckland, you cross four time zones in one flight, and the destination ATIS will be in UTC regardless of which country you're calling from.
This is also how real-world airlines operate. Pilots flying multi-leg international or even domestic Australian operations work entirely in UTC — local time conversions happen at the gate, not in the cockpit.
You'll get used to it quickly. Australian Eastern Standard Time is UTC+10. New Zealand Standard Time is UTC+12. Work it out once, write it on a sticky note, and never think about it again.
-
Register at the Compass crew centre
Head to our SmartCARS Portal and create your pilot account. You'll need a valid email address and your VATSIM CID if you have one (you can add it later if not). Choose a hub when prompted — this is your home base, where the airline considers your flying to be based out of. You can change it later.
-
Wait for approval
New pilot applications are reviewed by Compass staff, usually within 24 hours. You'll receive an email when your account is approved and you can log in to the crew centre. While you're waiting, this is a good time to install the SmartCARS pilot client.
-
Note your pilot ID and callsign
Once approved, you'll be assigned a pilot identifier in the form YMxxx (e.g. YM042). This is your pilot identity within the airline.
Your flight callsigns will follow the Compass family — see the callsigns section below for the full structure.
-
Download and install SmartCARS
SmartCARS is the flight tracking and logbook software that records your Compass flights. Download the SmartCARS client from your pilot dashboard in the crew centre. There are versions for MSFS 2020, MSFS 2024, X-Plane 11/12, P3D, and FSX — install the one that matches your simulator.
-
Configure SmartCARS
Run SmartCARS and log in with your crew centre credentials (these are separate from your VATSIM credentials, which you'll use through a different client). SmartCARS will detect your simulator automatically in most cases.
If anything's not working, the Tech Help forum is the place to ask — there are detailed troubleshooting threads and plenty of experienced members who've been through the same setup.
-
Read the Tech Help FAQ
Before your first flight, have a quick read through the Tech Help — Read This First pinned post on the forums. It covers the most common SmartCARS, VATSIM, and simulator issues new pilots encounter. Five minutes now saves frustration later.
Compass operates three callsign families depending on the type of flight:
Your flight callsign on VATSIM follows the format [prefix][flight number] — for example, the passenger flight from Brisbane to Hamilton Island is YMA flight 645, so your callsign on VATSIM is YMA645, and you would call ATC as "Compass six forty five".
On a Compass Cargo flight, the callsign is spoken as "Compass Cargo" followed by the number. On an ExJet mission it's "ExJet" followed by the number.
Our recommended first flight
YMA645 Brisbane to Hamilton Island, flown in the Embraer E195. A 75-minute Compass Express run up the Queensland coast — long enough to be a proper flight, short enough that you won't burn out. Class C departure from Brisbane, Class D arrival at Hamilton Island, and beautiful Whitsundays scenery on the way down.
It's the route we recommend to every new Compass pilot for a reason — it covers the essentials of a real airline flight without throwing anything overwhelming at you.
-
Pick your flight in SmartCARS
Open SmartCARS, click Find Flight, and filter for YBBN as the departure. Select flight YMA645 to YBHM (there's a second service on this sector later in the day). SmartCARS will load the route, suggested cruise level, scheduled times (in UTC), and the aircraft type — the Embraer E195 in this case.
-
Generate your OFP in SimBrief
Head to SimBrief, enter the route from SmartCARS, select the Embraer E190 as the closest match for now (the full Compass airframe library is coming), set the cruise level, and generate your OFP. Print it or have it open on a second screen.
Brief the route, weather, alternates, and fuel before pushback. This is where real airline flying starts.
-
Load your simulator and aircraft
Load your simulator, position at YBBN, and load the E195 (or your closest equivalent). Set up the FMC with your route from the OFP, load your fuel, set your weights from the OFP, and brief the departure.
Brisbane is generally a runway 01 or 19 operation — check the ATIS or current METAR for the active runway.
-
File and start tracking in SmartCARS
Back in SmartCARS, file your flight plan and click Begin Flight. SmartCARS will start tracking from the moment your engines start. Don't close it or alt-tab away from it for too long during the flight — losing connection mid-flight is the most common reason a flight doesn't log properly.
-
Fly the flight
If you're flying offline today, fly the route as briefed and use UNICOM 122.800 or just listen. If you're on VATSIM, follow ATC instructions — see the next tab for what to expect.
Cruise at your filed level, enjoy the view down the Queensland coast, and start your descent in time to be configured for landing at Hamilton Island. YBHM has a single runway (14/32) and the approach can be visually striking — particularly on a clear day with the Whitsunday Islands laid out around you.
-
Land, taxi, shut down
Park on the apron, set the parking brake, shut down the engines, and SmartCARS will detect the end of flight. It will then prompt you to file your PIREP (Pilot Report).
-
File your PIREP
SmartCARS auto-fills most of the PIREP fields — flight time, fuel burn, route flown, landing rate. Add any notes, and submit. Your flight is now logged, your hours are credited, and your career has begun.
-
Welcome aboard
That's it. Your first Compass flight is in the books. The second one is easier, and from there it's just flying.
Pop into the forums and introduce yourself — Compass members like seeing new pilots arrive.
VATSIM is free to join. Head to vatsim.net, register an account, and you'll be assigned a CID (your VATSIM identifier). New members are automatically issued a P0 (Observer) pilot rating, which is all you need to connect and fly. There is a short, easy quiz on basic knowledge and then you're set — you can fly your first VATSIM flight the day you sign up.
That said, a few hours of reading before your first online flight will save you (and the controllers) a lot of grief. VATSIM publishes a Pilot Training Manual that covers the basics of online flying — it's worth a read.
You need a VATSIM client to connect to the network. Three options, all free:
- vPilot — for MSFS 2020/2024 and P3D
- xPilot — for X-Plane 11/12
- Swift — open-source, cross-platform, works with MSFS, X-Plane, P3D, and FSX
Download the right one for your simulator, install it, log in with your VATSIM credentials, and you're ready to connect.
Here's how to make sure your first VATSIM flight is a positive experience rather than a stressful one.
- Pick a quiet time and place. A regional Australian port on a weekday evening AEST is ideal. Avoid Friday evenings, Saturday mornings, and VATSIM event days — those are when the major hubs are flat out.
- Brief your flight thoroughly. You should already know your route, cruise level, expected SID and STAR, and arrival runway before you ever touch the radio.
- Listen before transmitting. When you connect, listen to the frequency for a minute. Get a feel for the controller's pace, who else is on frequency, what's happening.
- Read back what's asked. If you don't understand an instruction, say so — "Compass Six Forty Five, say again." Controllers would much rather repeat themselves than have you do the wrong thing.
- Use of the text frequency. Text is now being discouraged on VATSIM, the realism and the ease of voice is quicker for both pilot and controller alike. Text based CPDLC systems are used in Oceanic control though.
VATSIM controllers are volunteers who've put in real hours of training. They're generally professional, patient, and happy to help — particularly with pilots who are clearly trying. Most controllers in the AU/NZ region will pick up on a new pilot quickly and adjust their pace accordingly.
If a controller seems short with you, it's almost always because the frequency is busy, not because they're annoyed with you specifically. Stay calm, keep transmissions concise, and follow instructions.
Most of the time, most of the world, there will be no controllers online at your departure or arrival airport. That's normal. In that case:
- In Australia, North America and the Caribbean, monitor and make position calls on the Tower frequency as CTAF.
- In New Zealand and everywhere else, use UNICOM 122.800.
- Make standard position calls — taxiing, lining up, departing, joining the circuit, on final.
Your SmartCARS log doesn't care whether ATC is online or not — it logs your flight either way.
Every week Compass runs a group VFR flight — a chance to get off the airways, fly low, and actually look at the scenery for a change. Routes are typically scenic — coastal runs, mountain crossings, island hops — and the emphasis is on flying together and enjoying the trip rather than nailing every procedure to the letter.
VFR flights use the lighter end of the Compass fleet. Specific aircraft and routes are posted in the Announcements forum ahead of each flight.
The IFR group flight is the backbone of the Compass group flying calendar — a proper airline operation, filed and flown on VATSIM, with SimBrief for planning and SmartCARS for logging. Compass IFR flights are structured enough to be worthwhile and relaxed enough to actually be fun.
Aircraft, routes, and departure times are posted in Announcements ahead of each week's flight.
- Watch the Announcements forum for that week's flight details — aircraft, route, departure time (in UTC, of course), and any special notes.
- File the flight in SmartCARS as you would any other Compass flight.
- Plan in SimBrief using the posted route.
- Be on TeamSpeak around the departure time — the group will be coordinating on the day-of-flight voice channel.
- Connect to VATSIM and fly as part of the group.
You don't need to RSVP — just turn up. If you can't make the whole flight, fly the legs you can.
Compass tracks your flying career — hours flown, routes covered, aircraft types, and rank progression. As you fly more, you unlock larger aircraft and longer routes.
Full details of the rank structure and progression requirements are on the Pilot Career page. There's no rush — fly at your own pace, and the ranks come naturally.
Compass is more than a flight tracking system. The community is the heart of it.
- Compass Forums — the main hub for Compass discussion. Introduce yourself, share screenshots, ask for help, suggest routes, and join the conversation.
- TeamSpeak is where most of the group flight chat takes place. Our server is at ts3.virtualflyers.online
- Discord — real-time chat and voice. Some prefer Discord, many stick with TeamSpeak.
- Group flights — see the previous tab. Weekly VFR and IFR group flights are where the community comes together in the air.
A few features of the Compass website worth knowing about:
- The interactive route map — explore the full 750+ route Compass network, filterable by division.
- The port guide — detailed operational briefs for every Compass port, with runway data, frequencies, navaids, terminals, alternates, and a live METAR feed.
- The ATC Guide — operational procedures for VATSIM flying, including the interactive oceanic position report generator.
- Useful links — curated list of simulators, aircraft developers, hardware, scenery, and online tools.
- Hall of Fame — the top Compass pilots by hours flown, plus tributes to those who've made the airline what it is.