Start your Flight Simulator. As seen below, you will now have a new tab at the top, named
IVAO. Clicking this tab will display a drop down list. Select “Start IvAp” to start IvAp and display

The IvAp user interface is now displayed, showing version of IvAp in the upper left corner

Shortly after this, if you are using Microsoft FS 2004 in a Single PC setup, IvAp will automatically
start and join the Multiplayer session needed to display the other online traffic around you. A
message about this will be displayed, as shown in Figure 5.3. Give flight simulator some time to
start the Multiplayer session.

At the end of the automatic startup of the Multiplayer session, you will also receive a message
telling you that IvAp has joined the Multiplayer session, as shown in Figure 5.4.  This is very
important, otherwise you will not be able to see other traffic around you when connected to the
IVAO network.

You have now connected IvAp to your flight simulator, but you are not yet connected to the IVAO
network. Three green lights in the taskbar of windows symbolize the correct connection of IvAp to
your flight simulator. The upper left light should be red, as you are not yet connected, as shown in
Figure 5.6. In all other cases, see the troubleshooting section.

Now that you finally started IvAp, let’s have a look at the main screen (Figure 6.1). The IvAp GUI
(Graphic User Interface) is designed to look like an MCDU, in a typical FMC style. The main part is
the message box, surrounded by 12 buttons, six at each side. This is where you can write messages
to ATC and other pilots, receive messages from ATC, other pilots and the network servers. This is
also the place where METAR and other information is displayed.

The line at the bottom, called “scratchpad”, is where you can enter text when required to do so (i.e.
to send a message or to enter the ICAO code for a specific airport in order to request weather). To
save space on the screen, we decided to have the scratchpad line share the last line of the MCDU
screen with line select keys 6L and 6R, unlike real MCDU where the scratchpad line is always a
separate line.

The buttons on the left and right side of the screen are called ”LSK” (line select key) and have
number 1-6, and a “R” for “right” or “L” for “left”. The function of an LSK changes with the label
displayed next to it in the different screens. So, in the case shown in Figure 5-1, LSK 5R gives you
access to the MAIN menu. In certain cases, like in the case of LSK 1L, only data is displayed,
without any possible user interaction, like in the case of the label 1.0.0, since there is no “caret” sign
(the less than “”) shown close to the label.

At the right side of the user interface, you see the status lights at the top with the transponder
below. At the bottom, you have the buttons for some more features of IvAp.

[span class=notice]Note: this example is based on the default IvAp template, other templates might use different
arrangements and colours.[/span]

1. Status Lights – those should be illuminated like shown in Figure 6.2, check the troubleshooting
chapter otherwise. The meaning of each one of the four lights is as follows:

• FP – this status light is red when no flight plan has been sent yet, and will turn grey once
you have sent your flight plan

• FS – status of the connection between IvAp and Microsoft Flight Simulator

• MP – status of the Multiplayer connection to Microsoft Flight Simulator, i.e. the multiplayer
session is hosted.

• NET – status of the internal connection between IvAp and the internal message broker

2. Transponder switch – toggle transponder status from standby to active (mode C)

3. Transponder code – displays the transponder code selected on the panel. You cannot change the
code from here, you need to do it in the airplane cockpit within Microsoft Flight Simulator.

4. Connection indicator – shows your current connection status to the IVAO network.

5. TCAS button – Traffic and Collision Avoidance System, this is used to recognize and avoid mid
air collisions. This will open the TCAS window on your screen, for more details look to Chapter 18.

6. Pushback button – the Pushback function allows to easily perform a pushback maneuver to
move your aircraft back away from the gate, when leaving the terminal. Use this feature by left
clicking on the Push Back Button.

7. Connection button – this is the button you will use to connect to the IVAO servers

8. IDENT button – This feature allows you to send an IDENT signal to the ATC, allowing your
radar position to be highlighted on the radar screen, so that ATC can locate you when the airspace
is busy. Click on it briefly to send the IDENT signal, when requested to do so by ATC.

To get started with IvAp, select now LSK 5R (the button next to “MAIN>”).

The Multiplayer Traffic Library, or MTL in short, is used to display the correct aircraft model and
liveries when connected to the IVAO network.  By correctly configuring the MTL data, everyone
will see your airplane with the livery of your choice, irregardless of the aircraft model you have
selected within Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Depending on whether the MTL contains a model of the aircraft you will use, you might need to
select a different aircraft type. For example, if you plan to use an ATR72 model, as no ATR72 is yet
part of the MTL. In this case, you will need to select an appropriate similar aircraft type (for
instance a Dash 8) and, if available, an airline-specific livery.

Should the MTL already include the same model or a similar one, say a B736 when you are flying
on a B734, the choice will be limited only to similar aircraft types in the MTL (all the B737s in this
case) and the airline-specific livery, as there is already a good fit for your model in the MTL.

You can fill in the MTL details in the connect dialog and using the flight plan dialog (see next
chapters).

Now, after having seen how to start IvAp and connecting IvAp to your flight simulator, it’s time to
connect to the IVAO network. Connecting to IVAO is very simple, too. Simply click on the CONN
button.

1. Callsign – Use a valid callsign, this is how you will be identified while flying. Please note that
IvAp does NOT allow dashes “-“ in the callsign. So an airplane with a registration like OO-ABC
will need to insert OOABC in this field. Note that this is exactly like in real life, where dashes are
never used neither in flight plans, nor on strips or radar screens.

2. Real Name – Insert your first and last name.

3. VID – Insert your IVAO ID number. If you are not registered you can do so by following this
link:  http://www.ivao.aero/members/new/.

4. Base Airport – Insert the 4-letter ICAO code of your home airport here (either where you live, or
where you base your airplane).

5. Password – Insert your IVAO Password here.

6. Hide Supervisor / Administrator rating – Click to activate the checkbox if you are a Supervisor
or an Administrator and would like to be only seen as a normal pilot while flying online.  You will
still receive the WALLOP messages though.

7. Connect me as follow me – Click to activate the checkbox if you plan to give Follow Me Service
on the IVAO Network. The System will recognize you as a Follow Me and will not log your hours.

8. Remember VID/Password – Check this box to let IvAp remember your VID/Password. Note
that your VID/Password is always reminded for the current session, only at the next start IvAp
won’t show it again.

9. Aircraft Type – Select the initial aircraft type of your flight here either by using the dropdown
list or the “…” button which gives more details about the aircraft.

10. MTL Model – Select the initial aircraft and livery you want others to see for your plane. You
can only select models and liveries of MTL packages your installed here.

11. Server – Select from the list a server close to where you are connecting from. IvAp will show
you a suggestion of what is the best server for you to use, based on an automatic check performed
upon startup. You should always use the best server for your connection to the IVAO network.  In
case of a disconnection, please use the same server you used for the first connection. You can also
type the ip address of the server here. In case this list is blank, please see the troubleshooting
chapter.

Note: in Windows 98 and ME you can only select a server or type the ip address of the server, DNS
names (e.g. www.ivao.aero) will not work.

12. Port – You must not change this value unless required to do so for troubleshooting reasons.
Default is 6809.

13. Voice – Selects what you want to use as voice.
- Transmit/Receive: use voice for sending and receiving messages from ATC.
- Receive Only: use text to send messages to the ATC, use voice to receive messages from ATC.
- No Voice: use text for sending and receiving messages from ATC

IvAp will automatically call the TeamSpeak voice client to allow automatic channel change when
changing frequency if you selected “Transmit/Receive” or “Receive Only”.

Remember, before you click connect, to make sure that your aircraft is parked at the terminal and
not on any runway. If you are ready now, click on connect. Otherwise, click cancel.

Once your connection is successful, you then get a greeting message welcoming you to the
network. You will also get a message telling you your rating.

These messages will also be sent to the Flight Simulator screen (Figure 8.3) via the Multiplayer
session.

The connection indicator will switch to “online”. In your taskbar, you should have four green
lights. 

Congratulations, you are now online and connected! If that is not the case, please see the
troubleshooting chapter.  

Now all that is left to do is to create your flight plan, and get in touch with ATC.

To create and send a flight plan, select LSK 1R to open the ACARS page in the message box. Then
again click on LSK 1R to “SEND FLIGHTPLAN” to open an ICAO International Flight Plan form
as shown in Figure 9.1.  Please read the next pages to learn how to correctly file a flight plan.

In order to provide more help when filling in the flight plan form, you can click on the button with
the dots “…” next to the 6 fields that describe the flight rules, type of aircraft and equipment on
board. 

The Request Route Feature
The flight plan dialog features a button ‘REQ ROUTE’. This feature allows to request a flight plan
from the IVAO server. To use the feature follow these steps:
1. Enter your departure airport in the flight plan form
2. Enter your destination airport in the flight plan form
3. Press the request route button, a dialog appear as in Figure 8-8.
4. In the dialog select the route and press the ‘select’ button
5. Your flight plan is now loaded from the server

[span class=notice]Note: not the complete ICAO flight plan is supported by IvAp, future versions will improve
support for FAA flight plans.[/span]

I t e m 7 – A i r c r a f t I d e n t i f i c a t i o n ( m a x 7 c h a r s )
This field is pre-filled with the callsign from the IVAO connection window, Valid callsigns for
ICAO FPL are:

• The registration marking of the aircraft, without dashes (N724AT, OONZA,…)
• The 3-letter ICAO designator for the aircraft operator followed by the flight number (BCS777, SAB94K,…)
• The callsign determinated by the military authorities (BAF54,…)

I t e m 8 – F l i g h t R u l e s ( 1 c h a r )
Insert on of the following letters to denote the category of flight rules which the pilot intends to
comply:

• I if IFR
• V if VFR
• Y if IFR first (specify in item 15 the point or points where a change of flight rules is planned)
• Z if VFR first (specify in item 15 the point or points where a change of flight rules is planned)

T y p e o f F l i g h t ( 1 c h a r )
Insert on of the following letters to denote the type of flight:

• S if scheduled services
• N if non-scheduled Air Transport Operations
• G if General Aviation
• M if military
• X if other than any of the defined categories above

I t e m 9 – N u m b e r o f a i r c r a f t ( 1 o r 2 c h a r s )
Insert number of aircraft, but only if more than one.

T y p e o f a i r c r a f t ( 2 t o 4 c h a r s )
Insert the appropriate designator as specified by ICAO, or, if designator not assigned insert ZZZZ
and specify in item 18 (number and) type(s) of aircraft preceded by TYP/

Wa k e T u r b u l e n c e C a t e g o r y ( 1 c h a r )
Insert one of the following letters to indicate the wake turbulence category of the aircraft:

• H if heavy, to indicate an aircraft type with a MOTW of 136.000 kg (300.000 lb) or more
• M if medium, to indicate a MOTW less then 136.000 kg but more than 7.000 kg (15.500 lb)
• L if light, to indicate a MOTW of 7.000 kg or less

[span class=alert]FAA does uses different Wake Turbulence Categories which are not available at the moment[/span]

I t e m 1 0 - E q u i p m e n t
Preceding the oblique stroke, insert one letter as follows:

• N if no equipment for the route to be flown is carried, or the equipment is unserviceable.
• S if standard COM/NAV equipment for the route to be flown is carried and serviceable.

And/or one or more of the following letters to indicate COM/NAV equipment available and
serviceable:

• A LORAN A
• C LORAN C
• D DME
• E EGPWS
• F ADF
• H HF RTF
• I Inertial navigation
• L ILS
• M Omega
• O VOR
• P Doppler
• R RNAV route equipment
• T TACAN
• U UHF RTF
• V VHF RTF
• W RVSM
• X MNPS
• Z if other equipment, specify in item 18 preceded by COM/ or NAV/

Then, following the oblique stroke, insert on of the following do describe the serviceable SSR
equipment carried:

• N Nil
• A Transponder – mode A – 4096 code’s
• C Transponder – mode A – 4096 code’s and mode C
• X Transponder – mode S – without pressure altitude and without aircraft identification transmission
• P Transponder – mode S – with pressure altitude but without aircraft identification transmission
• I Transponder – mode S – without pressure altitude but with aircraft identification transmission
• S Transponder – mode S – with both pressure and aircraft identification transmission

I t e m 1 3 – D e p a r t u r e A e r o d r o m e a n d T i m e ( 8 c h a r s )
Insert the ICAO four letter location identifier of the departure aerodrome, or if no location
assigned, insert ZZZZ and specify in item 18, the name of the aerodrome, preceded by DEP/

I t e m 1 5 – R o u t e C r u i s i n g S p e e d ( m a x 5 c h a r s )
Insert the first cruising speed as the true airspeed for the first or whole portion of the flight, in
terms of:

• Kilometers per hour, expressed as K followed by 4 figures (e.g. K0350)
• Knots, expressed as N followed by 4 figures (e.g. N0220)
• Mach, when so prescribed by the appropriate ATS authority the nearest hundredths of unit
• mach, expressed as M followed by 3 figures (e.g. M072)

C r u i s i n g L e v e l
Insert the planned cruising level for the first or the whole cruising portion of the route to be flown,
in terms of:

• Flight Level expressed as F followed by 3 figures (e.g. F085)
• Altitude in hundreds of feet expressed as A followed by 3 figures (e.g. A015)
• *Standard Metric Level in tens of meters expressed as S followed by 4 figures (e.g. S1130)
• *Altitude in tens of meters expressed as M followed by 4 figures (e.g. M8040)
• VFR when no specific cruising level is planned for VFR flights

*when so prescribed by the appropriate authorities

R o u t e
Including changes of speed, level and/or flight rules (note this is an abbreviate instruction)

Flight along designated ATS routes:

Insert the designator of the first route, or the letters DCT followed by the point of the
joining route. Then insert each point at which a change of the route, speed or flight rules is
planned.

Flight outside designated routes:

Points not normally more than 30 minutes flying time, or 200 nm apart, including each point
where a change of speed, level, track or flight rules is planned.

I t e m 1 6 – D e s t i n a t i o n A e r o d r o m e a n d E s t i m a t e d E l a p s e d T i m e
(8 chars) Insert the ICAO four letter location indicator of the destination aerodrome followed by
the total estimated elapsed time, or if not designator has been assigned, insert ZZZZ followed by
the EET and specify in item 18 the name of the aerodrome preceded by DEST/

A l t e r n a t e A e r o d r o m e s
Insert the ICAO four letter location indicator of not more than two aerodromes, or, if no designator
has been assigned, insert ZZZZ and specify in item 18 the name of the aerodrome preceded by
ALTN/

I t e m 1 8 – O t h e r I n f o r m a t i o n
Insert 0 (zero) if no other information, or, any other necessary information in the preferred
sequence shown below, in the form of the appropriate indicator followed by and ablique stroke
and the information to be recorded.

• ALTN/ destination alternate aerodrome if the letter group ZZZZ is inserted in item 16
• AWR/Rn alternative flight plan on basis of the aircraft operator “what-if” re-route function (AOWIR) whereby “n” designates the current number of the AOWIR alternative flight plan

CODE/ aircraft address (expressed in the form of an alphanumerical code of six hexadecimal characters) when
required by the ATS authority

COM/ aircraft address (expressed in the form of an alphanumerical code of six hexadecimal characters) when
required by the appropriate ATS authority

DAT/ data related to data link; followed by the letters S (for satellite), H (for HF), V (for VHF), and/or M (for
SSR Mode S)

DEP/ departure aerodrome if the letter group „ZZZZ“ is inserted in Item 13 or the point from which the flight
plan is applicable, or the position from which supplementary flight plan data may be obtained if the letter
group „AFIL“ is inserted in Item 13

DEST/ destination aerodrome if the letter group „ZZZZ“ is inserted in Item 16, or the point to which the flight
plan is applicable

DOF/ date of flight, given in the sequence year-month-day

EET/ significant points, points with change of flight rules, indication of locations or FIR boundaries with
accumulated estimated elapsed time

MDCN/ Military Diplomatic Clearance Number; for military aircra

NAV/ indication about the radio navigation equipment carried if the letter „Z“ is indicated in Item 10

OPR/ aircraft operator, if not obvious from the aircraft identification in Item 7 of the flight plan form

PER/ aircraft performance data (e.g. rate of climb)

RALT/ name of enroute alternate aerodromes

REG/ aircraft identification

RFP/Qn replacement flight plan (replacement, alternative flight plan), „n“ indicating the current number 1 – 9
of the replacement flight plan for the flight concerned

RIF/ changes of routing to the changed destination aerodrome and/or changed destination aerodrome

RMK/ any other remark significant for the handling of the flight by ATS

RVR/ RWY visual range (in metres)

SEL/ SELCAL Code :
1. Only the letters A to S can be used.
2. The letters I, N and O are not allowed.
3. Duplicate letters in the same pair are not allowed (SEL/AABC or SEL/ABCC are not valid).
4. The same letter in both pairs is not allowed (SEL/ABAC is not valid).

STS/ Reasons for special handling:

STS/ATFM EXEMPT APPROVED*
STS/EMER Flights engaged in emergency missions*
STS/EXM833 State aircraft, not equipped with 8.33 kHz channel spacing radio equipment prescribed
for an area
STS/HEAD Flights with Heads of States*
STS/HOSP Flights with sick or injured persons needing immediate medical assistance, including
flights urgently required for life-saving medical care of sick or injured persons. This comprises
both flights for the transport of transplants, stored blood and medicine and flights to be conducted
to pick up a patient, transplants, stored blood or medicine at the destination place.
STS/HUM Flights operating for humanitarian reasons
STS/NIL Replaces all other STS/entries. Only to be used when reporting flight plan changes.
STS/NONRNAV State aircraft, not equipped with type RNP prescribed for a route segment, a
routing and/or an area
STS/NONRVSM State aircraft without RVSM permission.
STS/PROTECTED Flights critical to safety, the flight plan of which is only to be made available to a
limited circle of recipients.
STS/RNAVINOP For aircraft, the RNAV equipment of which is inoperable at short notice or no
longer complies with the required minimum conditions
STS/SAR Flights engaged in Search and Rescue missions*
STS/STATE Government flights
* Leads to an automatic exemption from ATFM restrictions.

TYP/ type of aircraft if the letter group „ZZZZ“ is inserted in Item 9

I t e m 1 9 – S u p p l e m e n t a r y I n f o r m a t i o n
This information is not filed with the flightplan, but is kept at the unit where the plan was filed. In
case of emergency the supplementary information will be transmitted to the appropriate rescue
agencies.

E n d u r a n c e
After E/ insert a 4 Figure group giving the fuel endurance in hours and minutes

P e r s o n s o n B o a r d
After P/ insert the total number of persons ( passengers and crew ) on board, when required by the
appropriate ATS authority. Insert TBN (to be notified) if the total number of persons is not known
when filing

E m e r g e n c y a n d S u r v i v a l E q u i p m e n t
R/ ( radio )

cross out U if UHF on frequency 243.0Mhz is not carried
cross out V if VHF on frequency 121.5Mhz is not carried
cross out E emergency location beacon - aircraft ( ELBA ) is not available

S/ ( survival Equipment )

cross out all indicators if survival equipment is not carried
cross out P is polar survival equipment is not carried
cross out D if dessert survival equipment is not carried
cross out M if maritime survival equipment is not carried. Note : this refers to equipment in
addition to the lifejackets listed in the following section
cross out J if jungle survival equipment is not carried

J/ Jackets

cross out all indicators if lifejackets are not carried
cross out L if lifejackets are nit fitted with lights
cross out F if jackets are not equipped with fluorescent
cross out U or V or both as in R/ above to indicate radio capability of jackets, if any.

D/ ( dinghies ) ( number ) cross out indicators D and C is no dinghies are carried, or insert number
of dinghies are carried and ;

(capacity) insert the total capacity, in persons, and
(cover) cross out indicator C if dinghies are not covered and
(colour) insert colour of dinghies if carried.

A/ ( aircraft colour and markings ) is colour of aircraft and significant markings

N/ ( Remarks ) cross out indicator N if no remarks, or indicate any other survival equipment carried and any other remarks regarding survival equipment.

C/ ( Pilot ) insert the name of the PIC (pilot in command)

IvAp can make use of the two radios provided by Microsoft Flight Simulator. So you can set the
second frequency while still talking to ATC on the first one. This will allow you to quickly change
to the next ATC frequency.

Active radio is marked by “” in the middle of the message box (Figure 11.1). Whenever you
change the active frequency and ATC using this one is in your communication range, TeamSpeak
will automatically switch the frequency, and the ATIS of this station will be shown in your
message box.

T u n i n g f r e q u e n c y i n I v A p

There are different ways to tune your radio frequency in IvAp. The easiest way is using the buildin
ATC list. Simply right-click on LSK 1L to change radio COM1 (Figure 10.2). Let me say this
again, right-click on LSK 1L.

To show more stations, click on LSK 2R to go to the next page. Press LSK 1R to go back to the
previous page. Pressing LSK 3R will refresh the ATC Online window. To change the sort order of
the stations, click on LSK 4R (Figure 11.3).

You can have your ATC sorted by distance (closest first), frequency (in ascending order) and ATC
unit callsign (in alphabetical order).
Once you have found your station, click on the button next to it. IvAp will automatically tune the
COM1 radio on this frequency.
You can do the same for COM2, using LSK 2L from the main page and following the same steps
discussed above.

S e l e c t i n g a c t i v e r a d i o
Now you have to select your active radio. Simply do this by left-clicking on LSK 1L to make COM1
the active, or on LSK 2L for COM2. Remember, the active radio is marked by “” in the
middle of the message box.

T u n i n g f r e q u e n c y i n a i r c r a f t p a n e l
The most realistic way to change frequency is to use the radio panel of your aircraft. Just tune the
frequency you need, and make that the active frequency on your panel. IvAp will automatically
tune the frequency on that radio. If you change the active radio, TeamSpeak will automatically
change, and the ATIS will be requested.

U s i n g t e x t c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
Any text communication, be it on the frequency or private, will always be shown on a line in the
main FS window, via the Multiplayer session, in order to be able to read the messages even when
the IvAp MCDU is hidden. A sound is also played when receiving text communication, and you
will be able to distinguish between a normal communication and a private message.

When tuned to an active frequency, text communication is also available, should you want to do so
(if flying at night while other people sleep, for instance). The active Air Traffic Controller will see
the text message come up in his communication window, and will be able to reply to you. Also,
any other aircraft tuned to the same frequency will be able to see the text communication, exactly
like on the voice channel. An example of such communication, between SAB94K and
EHAM_A_TWR, can be seen in Figure 11.4.

U s i n g p r i v a t e t e x t c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
IvAp can also be used to communicate privately with other users, either aircraft or ATC, using the
MCDU. Incoming private text messages will appear in another color (depending on the template
used), to differentiate them from communication happening on the frequency tuned in the active
COM radio. An example of private text communication can be seen in Figure 11.5.

Also, when using private text messages, the callsign of the user corresponding with us will be in
parenthesis, to better understand that this is a private message, very useful when looking at the
message via the Multiplayer chat line, instead of the IvAp MCDU.
Beside this you have the option of using your arrow keys to get previous messages, for example.
Following Arrows are used :

• Previous Message = Arrow Up
• Next Message = Arrow Down
• First Message = Page Up
• Last Message = Page Down

These small features are especially useful when reading the ATIS or any other command from the
Controller given by text.

If you plan to have a longer conversation or add several persons to the conversation, we have build
in a small chat function using the command .chat

When you opened the chat window, you have also the possibility to add or remove other Players
by the Commands + and -.

[span class=notice]TeamSpeak is the official software for voice communication on IVAO. In order to enjoy the most
realistic experience when flying online, the use of a headset with microphone is recommended.[/span]

Once you have installed TeamSpeak there are a few things you better setup before using
TeamSpeak.

The most important thing to do is to set up the key for PTT (or Push-to-Talk). Otherwise you will
either transmit every noise or nothing. Plese do NOT use Voice Activation, as you will end up
transmitting the aircraft noise coming from Flight Simulator, or even your coughing and sneezing!

To select the key used for PTT, start TeamSpeak and select Settings|Sound Input/Output Settings. In
the next window, choose Push to talk and set a key of your choice (Figure 12.1). In this case we
have used the CTRL key.

TeamSpeak by default “speaks” informational messages on your PC, for instance when joining or
leaving a channel. These messages might disturb the online flying session, so we suggest you to
disable them. In order to do this, select Settings|Options. In the window that shows up, change to
tab Sound notifications and check Disable all sounds.

Now, how to use IvAp and TeamSpeak together? It's really simple, just check the Voice checkbox
when connecting

IvAp will automatically launch TeamSpeak when connecting. However, it will not connect
automatically to the IVAO TeamSpeak network while your active radio is tuned to the UNICOM
frequency, 122.80 MHz.

You can switch your COM radio to the frequency of an active ATC unit by following what is
described in Chapter 10. TeamSpeak will always connect to the correct voice server and change the
channel too, all automatically.

When you change back to the UNICOM frequency of 122.80 MHz, TeamSpeak will disconnect
from the network as there is no unified voice unicom channel on the IVAO voice servers.
UNICOM is only to be used with text communications.

Also, when you will disconnect IvAp from the IVAO network, TeamSpeak will also disconnect and
exit.

For further information how to set up TeamSpeak please see: http://www.ivao.aero/ts/

IvAp uses the ATC transponder provided by Microsoft Flight Simulator.

When instructed by ATC to “squawk 5101”, you will need to either use the appropriate panel in
your airplane cockpit to set the code, or use the command “.x 5101” from the scratchpad in the
IvAp MCDU.

Two functions are not provided by the built-in transponder in MSFS, the Standby/Mode C switch
and the IDENT button.  The Standby/Mode C and IDENT button are implemented in the IvAp
GUI

The Standby/Mode C switch will need to be clicked in order to activate the Mode C reporting, or to
put the transponder in Standby mode.  It is also possible to configure a “hot key” to change the
status of the switch, so that you will not need to activate the IvAp GUI to activate or deactivate the
transponder.  See Chapter 16 for details on hot keys.

The IDENT bar on the right needs to be pressed briefly in order to activate the IDENT pulse, when
requested to do so by ATC.

On the IVAO network, each terminal controller creates an ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information
Service) message for the area he/she covers. This ATIS message gives important information to the
pilots, such as weather observation, transition level and transition altitude, and runways in use at
the airport for departure and landing (only in case of APP, TWR and GND).

The ATIS message will also contain information about the voice channel used by the controller, if
he/she has voice capability.

NOTE: with the recent release of IvAc version 1.1.2 (the ATC client used on IVAO), CTR
controllers no longer have an ATIS, only the voice channel information are sent now. This is like in
real life, as ATIS are only used in terminal areas and never enroute.

As the ATIS is updated regularly, it will also contain a letter. This letter will tell you the “version”
of the ATIS. It will start with “A” for the first ATIS created, then move on to “B” when updated
and move all the way to “Z” and then begin with “A” again. On first contact, pilots should tell
ATC this letter to confirm that the latest ATIS has been received. Of course, this is only valid for
terminal ATC units such as APP or TWR, and for GND when departing.  

IvAp will automatically request the ATIS when changing frequency to an active controller
frequency. The ATIS will be displayed in the message box.  

As an ATIS message can be several lines long, if you cannot see all the ATIS in the message box,
remember that you can use the following LSK to scroll up and down:

• LSK 3L or 3R: scroll one line UP
• LSK 4L or 4R: scroll to the END of the text block
• LSK 5L or 5R: scroll one line DOWN

If you would like to receive the ATIS of any ATC online, even one that is outside of your current
radio coverage, you can do so by manually selecting the ATC callsign. Click on LSK 1R to select the
ACARS system page. Then type the callsign into the scratchpad that you want to receive the ATIS
from. Click on LSK 2R (“REQ ATIS>”) to receive ATIS of this station. Your frequency and your
TeamSpeak channel will not switch when doing this

You can also use the scratchpad command “.atis” to request the ATIS of any ATC station. Just type
“.atis ” and don’t forget the period in front of “atis”. E.g. type “.atis EDDF_APP” to
request the ATIS of Frankfurt Approach. Again, by doing this, neither the active frequency nor the
TeamSpeak channel will change.

In IvAp, you can easily display the METAR and TAF (weather information) of different airports.
To do so, select the ACARS function with LSK 1R

You will then get the possibility to request the METAR for your departure and your destination
airport as well as METAR, TAF or short TAF a custom station (Figure 15.2)

To receive the current METAR for your departure airport, click on LSK 1L (Next to the ICAO code
of your departure airport). The current METAR for the destination airport can be received by
clicking on LSK 2L.

To request METAR, TAF or short TAF for any other station, enter the required ICAO code and
click the corresponding LSK (3L for TAF, 4L for short TAF, 5L for METAR) to get the
corresponding weather bulletin, which will be shown in the message box.

The IvAp User Interface provides a quicker way to enter certain commands as text in the MCDU
scratchpad.  Here is the list of such commands.

Send a private message:
.msg   or .m

Reply to last private message:
.reply or .r

Resend flight plan:
.fpl or .f

Set frequency on active COM radio:
.c

Change transponder code:
.x

Request METAR of an airport:
.wx or .w

Request ATIS of an ATC unit:
.atis or .a

Show active ATC list:
.atc

Refresh weather:
.rw

Inform all online supervisors:
.wallop

Temporary disable and Enable of the Multiplayer session:
.togglemp

This command can be used to temporary enable /disable the Multiplayer session, should a severe
slowdown of Flight Simulator happen, with a great drop on FPS (frames per second).  By issuing
this command, all the traffic close by will not be drawn any longer, and the performance of Flight

Simulator should improve. This command is also used to enable Mutliplayer again, after you have
disabled it earlier with the same command.

Open a chat window:
.chat or .chat

This command opens a chat window like the one shown in Figure 16.1.  There are three parts in
this window, the top left part contains the text messages sent and received, the top right contains
the callsigns of the users in the chat (both ATC and aircraft can be selected), and the bottom line is
where you type your message.  Type as many characters as you need, the line will scroll if needed,
and then press the ENTER key to send the message.

If you have invoked the chat window with a callsign, it will be already shown in the right pane.  
You can modify the callsign list by using the following commands:

+callsign to add a callsign to the chat
-callsign to remove a callsign from the chat

Disable voice (while connected):
.novoice

Enable voice (while connected):
.voice

Switch to receive only-voice (while connected):
.recvvoice

Next: How to configure Ivap