Quickstart

From sign-in to first mission completion in under ten minutes — assuming you already have a VATSIM CID and a sim you're comfortable flying on the network.

Before you start

You need three things, all of which you almost certainly already have:

• A VATSIM account in good standing. We use VATSIM Connect (OAuth) for sign-in; we never see your password.
• A flight simulator that lets you connect to VATSIM (MSFS 2024 / MSFS 2020 / X-Plane / P3D / FSX).
• A pilot client (vPilot, swift, xPilot, etc.). vCareer doesn't ship one.

During alpha, access is gated to a hand-picked CID allowlist. If your CID isn't on it, sign-in will bounce you back to the landing with a "join the waitlist" banner — drop your email and you'll be first to hear when beta opens.

1. Sign in with VATSIM

Click Alpha sign in in the header. You'll be redirected to VATSIM Connect, asked to authorize vCareer's read-only scopes, and bounced back to the app. The session cookie that gets dropped is signed, HTTP-only, and lives 7 days.

What we read from VATSIM at sign-in: your CID, callsign, display name, and country. Nothing else. See Sign in with VATSIM for the OAuth scope detail.

2. Tell us your sim + home country

First time only: pick your simulator platform (MSFS 2024, MSFS 2020, X-Plane, P3D, or FSX) and the country you fly out of most. Your hangar pre-populates from the platform default; you can edit it afterward.

Why home country? The mission generator targets roughly 70% of your missions with a leg in your declared country. The other 30% are ferry / international slots so the board doesn't feel parochial.

3. Pass an entry test

Go to Classes. Six are available; pick one whose flying you enjoy (don't optimize, you'll unlock the others later). Click Take the entry test.

• 10 multiple-choice questions, 70% to pass.
• Costs ∀1,000 per attempt — refunded if you pass.
• Questions link to public references (SkyBrary, FAA PHAK / AFH) — study material lives there.
• Pass → starter type rating granted automatically + first board generates.
• Fail → one-hour cooldown before you can retry.

4. Pick a mission from the board

The Mission Board generates 8–12 missions for you, tuned to your tier, your hangar, current ATC, and current weather. Each card shows route, aircraft, base reward, stacked multipliers (e.g. "+15% time-sensitive"), and a short scenario blurb.

Tap a mission to see the full detail page. Accepting is free; you have 7 days after acceptance to complete it. The mission then lives in My Missions regardless of board refreshes.

5. Fly it on your sim, on VATSIM

File a flight plan with the dep + arr shown on the card and fly the leg the way you would otherwise. vCareer reads your live VATSIM track — we don't need a logger, an installer, or any special configuration on your end.

A mission needs a filed flight plan — without one, the completion verifier can't match the dep + arr. Don't fly VFR-no-plan and expect credit.

6. Get rewarded

Once a minute, a background tick reads your recent VATSIM position samples and decides whether each accepted mission has transitioned to COMPLETED, COMPLETED_DIVERTED, or FAILED. On completion, ∀Cred and XP are credited immediately with multipliers applied.

XP accumulates inside the class you flew for. Hit 90 XP and you can progress to T2 (see Unlocking T2). ∀Cred goes into your balance, which you can spend on type ratings in the Ratings Shop.

Where to next

• Classes & tiers — what the six classes feel like, the T1→T5 ladder.
• Missions — how generation reacts to live ATC and weather.
• Economy & ∀Cred — the reward formula and the multiplier reference.
• Declaring your sims — managing your hangar after onboarding.