This Week's Meaningless Topic (#164)(Oct 27)

[Rodger Pettichord]

Hi all. As a hobby, flight simulation usually does not get much respect. Most people don't know anything about it and don't much care. Sometimes there's an exception -- a friend who is an Alaska Airline pilot was so excited when he learned that I "flew" flight sim that he got me time on Alaska's full-bore 737 flight simulator. Wow! But normally most reactions are far less enthusiastic. And that leads to this week's topic.

 

 

THIS WEEK'S MEANINGLESS TOPIC:  How do people react when you tell them that your hobby is flight simulation?

 

[BradB]

When I tell my seat mate on a flight that my hobby is flightsim ………🤪😁

[gumbypickett]

A lot of the people I've told are completely cool with it

because they are into some kind of gaming themselves.

It's a WOW reaction when they see for themselves how 

realistic it is and I only have P3D V5.

So I get the thumbs up.👍

cheers

Gumby

[Ken Q]

Of course it depends on whom I am talking to.  Many are fascinated by it, others are "ho hum."  In most (but not all) cases they get excited when I show pictures of my cockpit setup.  They realize it's not "just another computer game."  Those who get to "ride along" get especially interested.

 

Ken

[pilot100]

About the same as when they tell me their hobby is book binding or gardening or knitting of even golf. It depends on the person and whether they have any frame of reference to understand what it is and the challenge involved. Frankly I'm not that worried about it.

[boetie]

My wife learnt many years ago that I don't "play" my sim after being corrected by me several times. "It's a simulator not a game". She now correctly calls it "having a flight". Anyone who calls it a game gets a mouthful from me

[John Heaton]

Once upon a time - many years ago - I physically flew general aviation aircraft of a number of types - mainly for recreation -

and owned my own PA 32 (avatar) - and just about everyone in my family have frequently flown with me - on long and short hops 

 

The majority reaction to when they sit beside me now - when "Simulating" - say - "it's not the same feeling !"

 

I sometimes agree with them - "in a seat of the pants sense" - and knowing that I didn't have to be as careful in the flight rules

that I once had to be - to stay alive.

 

But then again !! - what else could I spend my time on - after the investment in hard and software which allows me to fly anywhere

in the World - never before seen by myself --- or my family - thanks to MS and its brilliant 2020 -soon to be 2024

 

Stuff - what anybody else thinks !!

[Iain Emms]

Yes many are very interested and ask questions but some shake their heads as though I'm an alien but I like being an alien and will carry on flightsimming.

cheers 

Iain 

[wain71]

some great answers there, I get some looking at me like a little bit weird others are intrigued and ask lots of questions, I am always amazed at peoples responses when I show them screenshots of scenery, airports or some cockpits......had one of the grandchildren tell me I must be 'really clever as this is so complicated', he was happy with the VR on my Playstation flying a fighter jet, but not so keen on setting up the 737.....one of my daughters once said to the wife when she said I was simming a lot - 'well he could be down the pub every night!'....in my fridge the bar is always open, cider anyone? (sorry Rodger)

[gumbypickett]

7 hours ago, wain71 said:

some great answers there, I get some looking at me like a little bit weird others are intrigued and ask lots of questions, I am always amazed at peoples responses when I show them screenshots of scenery, airports or some cockpits......had one of the grandchildren tell me I must be 'really clever as this is so complicated', he was happy with the VR on my Playstation flying a fighter jet, but not so keen on setting up the 737.....one of my daughters once said to the wife when she said I was simming a lot - 'well he could be down the pub every night!'....in my fridge the bar is always open, cider anyone? (sorry Rodger)

Yes so long as it is hard cider.👍

cheers

Gumby

[flyingleaf]

12 hours ago, wain71 said:

some great answers there, I get some looking at me like a little bit weird others are intrigued and ask lots of questions, I am always amazed at peoples responses when I show them screenshots of scenery, airports or some cockpits......had one of the grandchildren tell me I must be 'really clever as this is so complicated', he was happy with the VR on my Playstation flying a fighter jet, but not so keen on setting up the 737.....one of my daughters once said to the wife when she said I was simming a lot - 'well he could be down the pub every night!'....in my fridge the bar is always open, cider anyone? (sorry Rodger)

A'm on mah way my main Man. (Sorry too Rodger). Cheers k

[John Burgess]

I tend to mention Flight Simulation as 'my Anorak thing' - usually elicits what can best be described as polite disinterest 

 

My wife enjoys a bit of peace and quiet when I'm 'flying' so all is good.

 

My boys used to enjoy flying under bridges and between skyscrapers despite me explaining it wasn't a game 

 

You never know where things will lead.

I'm a bit late replying because I've been visiting my youngest son Pete and his family out in the States (Omaha, Nebraska).

He is now flying for United Airlines and I can have far more intelligent conversations with him because of the knowledge I've accumulated over years of simming.

It also means that we get standby privileges on United flights (free but no guaranteed seat and only hand luggage). Makes flying for real a bit of an adventure!

We made it from Edinburgh Scotland to Newark NJ without a problem but were struggling to find flights to Omaha. The closest we could get was Des Moines Iowa.

 

No problem. Pete borrowed a plane and picked us up. He even let me fly it for a bit.

Here we are finally arriving in Omaha 

 

Not looking at my best but we had been travelling for 26 hrs!

 

I've rambled off topic but if Pete is okay with my simming then that's good enough for me 

 

All the best,

 

John

 

 

[Nick Cooper]

Hello John,
I couldn't have put it better than you did with "polite disinterest".
My real world of work has and still does (part-time these days, I'm 71 you know ) revolved around practical things like road haulage,
where flight simulation is an alien concept.
Most of my colleagues are kind enough not to roll their eyes in front of me, but as Iain so rightly puts it,
"I like being an alien and will carry on flightsimming".
I expect that you are justifiably proud of your son, he is evidently as resourceful as he is skilled.

 

Luckily for the world, there are mercifully few pictures of me but this is one of the ones I am least unhappy with.
It's about 1998 and I am in France, doing five deliveries down the eastern side and then a collection from Turin, Italy.

 

 

I am driving this:

 

[carlosqr]

When I talk about it they usually go like

 

[gumbypickett]

4 hours ago, Nick Cooper said:

Hello John,
I couldn't have put it better than you did with "polite disinterest".
My real world of work has and still does (part-time these days, I'm 71 you know ) revolved around practical things like road haulage,
where flight simulation is an alien concept.
Most of my colleagues are kind enough not to roll their eyes in front of me, but as Iain so rightly puts it,
"I like being an alien and will carry on flightsimming".
I expect that you are justifiably proud of your son, he is evidently as resourceful as he is skilled.

 

Luckily for the world, there are mercifully few pictures of me but this is one of the ones I am least unhappy with.
It's about 1998 and I am in France, doing five deliveries down the eastern side and then a collection from Turin, Italy.

 

 

I am driving this:

 

Hey Nick, are those the same glasses?

I don't know why I just had to ask.

cheers

Gumby

[wain71]

@Nick Cooper nice post and great pictures there Nick, I always wanted to do that but after the Military I did a bit of recovery work and then 21 years as a courier owner driver, the nearest I get to long distance lorries is Euro Truck / American Truck sim in the virtual world, probably my 2nd choice of PC use after flight sim...

 

@John Burgess you must be very proud of your son, sounds resourceful to.....great picture...

[Nick Cooper]

3 hours ago, gumbypickett said:

Hey Nick, are those the same glasses?

 

 No, just the same design.
After two cataract ops, I don't need glasses at all now, after wearing them since my nose was big enough to support a pair.

[gumbypickett]

My late ex wife would say I had a Roman nose.

I said is that because it's a broad nose.

She said no, it was because it roamed all over 

the place.😷

cheers

Gumby

[Bluebear]

A few years ago, I surprisingly had the opportunity to fly in a FUJI/FA-200 AERO SUBARU.
When I jumped into the cockpit, the pilot asked me if I had any flying experience and I told him that I only knew flying from the simulator.
Shortly after we left the ground, he said to me, well, then you can fly yourself and let go of the yoke and said,

fly an airfield circuit and try to find the runway.
We had a very intense conversation about flying and after thirty minutes,

as I started to land, he said maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to do the landing himself,    the scaredy cat. 

 

Ulrich

Edited October 30, 2023 by Bluebear

[Ken Q]

2 hours ago, Bluebear said:

A few years ago, I surprisingly had the opportunity to fly in a FUJI/FA-200 AERO SUBARU.
When I jumped into the cockpit, the pilot asked me if I had any flying experience and I told him that I only knew flying from the simulator.
Shortly after we left the ground, he said to me, well, then you can fly yourself and let go of the yoke and said,

fly an airfield circuit and try to find the runway.
We had a very intense conversation about flying and after thirty minutes,

as I started to land, he said maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to do the landing himself,    the scaredy cat. 

 

Ulrich

I related this earlier, but in the present context it bears repeating.  Back in February I had the opportunity to fly with a friend Bill.   I expected to sit in the right seat, and maybe take the controls for a bit once airborne.  Bill started by offering me a choice of aircraft; he owns a C172 and a PA 24 Comanche.  Since I fly a Mooney Bravo, I chose the Comanche since it is very similar to the M20M.  "OK, get in the left seat."  "Does your SIM have rudder pedals?" "OK, taxi to the runway."  "There's Thu push-to-talk button - call Tower."  From then on it was "my airplane." I took off from KISP, flew to KPOU, flew the pattern and landed on RWY 24.  We had a nice snack at Paula's Airport Cafe.  For the flight back it was my other friend, Tony's turn, but he passed, preferring to ride in the back, so I flew back too.  Two hours of flight time, two takeoff and landings.  Bill (a CFII) of course gave me instruction and direction, but we were both pleased at how much the simulator had prepared me to fly a real, complex airplane.

 

We're planning to do it again in a couple of weeks, this time from KISP to Nantucket, KACK.

 

Ken

Edited October 30, 2023 by Ken Q