IMHO Multiplayer is where it's at friends.
I would encourage you all to hop on Teamspeak 3, and get online!
For those worried about their experience level, remember there are many pilots of all levels online...heck, the sim just released on Steam, and we will get some more new pilots when the boxed DVD version drops.
Regarding the jerks and blowhards, they usually don't last too long when you are actually using Teamspeak, most get shunned quickly, besides they like the anonymity of the forums better.