Hello gentlemen (and ladies if there are any). I'm not sure whether anyone's attempted this before and I hope it does not amount to a failure. Even though I've been hanging around this forum for some two to three years now and talked to practically most of this forum's regulars I still feel like I barely know most of you. So, moved by my curiosity and wish to make new pleasant acquaitances I invite you to tell us who you are, where you're from and what you're up to lately!I had this crazy idea after reading in another topic that a long timer here is a 78 year old retired engineer from Japan. A person whose reality and life-style must be so different from mine and yet for a few hours during our week we find ourselves taking immense pleasure form doing the very same thing.I personally never cease wondering at how such an apparently "lonely" hobby could end up gathering so many different people with their intents bent on the same direction: making it "as real as it gets".So here it goes: I'm Victor Lima, a 23 year-old surgical intern in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I have been wanting to fly for as long as I recall and lately I've been doing as much of real flying as medicine allows - in an italian sportplane called Tecnam P-92 Super-Echo (which is a joy to fly) and on a friend's brand new Cirrus SR-20 aircraft. I actually almost sent an application to Embry Riddle university to become an airline pilot before I ended up heading to med-school. If any of you guys ever come down to Rio for Carnaval or whatever feel free to contact me and we'll arrange a nice sight-seeing 1000' MSL!Post yourselves!Best Regards,Victor Limahttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/800driver.jpg

So ya don't feel too lonely...I am a 747-400F Capt for Atlas Air and have been flyng the Whale since 1996 and have flown as Captain on the 200 and 400 since 1998. I was priviliged to be able to consult some here on the beta for the 400F, which is a fine product! A reformed Alaskan Bush Pilot, I still live in Alaska and worked my way 'up' through many planes and places to finally the 400F.Haven't been to Rio in a long time, but used to go there a fair bit. New Years da is quite a sight on the beaches there!!Cheers: Tom

Capt Tom,Are you the one on the Polar DVD explaining system functions during cruise? Just curious... :)I am a 29 year old lawyer in New York city practicing corporate law. But my heart and my head are in the clouds. I am planning to get a PPL sometime in the fall, but still haven't found what I am looking for: personal, modern, attentive FBO. Any recommendations in the New York/New Jersey area?I travel frequently to Asia, and have had the pleasure of being in the flight deck of the 744 chatting it up with pilots. Even bump into some jetBlue pilots in the subway, once in awhile!Anyone else from New York city?Tomas

Hey folks, I'm 22 have a few hours here and there on some light aircraft, cessnas and senecas and the like...live in Ireland, moving over to the US in December to start a new job in IT up in New Hampshire, hopefully I'll be able to devote more time to gettin a PPL & maybe even a CPL over there where it's a lot cheaper in the mean time I can dream of flying jet aircraft!

Drove a Seneca around for a thousand hours or so, a fun plane to fly!As to Video's, I try to stay away from that side of cameras as much as possible!Keep plugg'n away!Tom

alan. good luck with your move across the pond. NH is great, i went to college there (Dartmouth) and Manchester airport is a nice place to get a PPL. i didn't do it whilst at uni because i wasn't very fond of aviation just yet, but if i could do it again, i'd do my ppl there. good luck.tomas

Hi all!Haven't been here too long, or posted very much, but I read the messageboard daily after purchasing the 747 abou a moth ago.Anyway, I'm Martin Foss from Norway, 22 years old, and live close to Oslo Airport Gardermoen (ENGM/OSL). Spend my days at the airport working in the export departement at FedEx. Don't fly anything as a Real-life pilot, but enjoy the occasional flight on my computer. Except from aviation, I also spend some time performing on one of my guitars, mostly for my own listening pleasure..

Thanks Tomas,Manchester is a nice airport, I flew out of there last year when I was working in Merrimack on a southwest flight to orlando it seems like the perfect type of airport to train in given the level of traffic...I must really start lookin into schools up there

I got my PPL in 1974 when I failed an eye exam and couldn't take the Air Force pilot's slot I earned by going back to college and passing the aptitude test (I still got a commission to jump from SSgt to Lt). I've only logged 1300 hrs since, but most of those were in the past six years in a Cessna 414, a 220kt turbocharged pressurized twin that I have occasional access. The plane owner and I fly frequently together, swapping PF and PNF each leg, and have flown many Angel Flights including three days of constant flying between KCRP and Pascagoula MS delivering food water and supplies into Mississippi after Katrina. I have my CPL MEL and Instrument rating. I am retired from the Air Force now. and work in the petrochemical industry as a contract engineer (I've earned a BSEE and MBA). I really enjoy the PMDG 737NG, which I fly with SWA colors within their route structure as if I had passed that eye exam over thirty years ago.

Hey it's working! thanks for acting as my starter motor Tom!Best Regards,Victor Limahttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/800driver.jpg

>Capt Tom,>>Are you the one on the Polar DVD explaining system functions>during cruise? Just curious... :)>>I am a 29 year old lawyer in New York city practicing>corporate law. But my heart and my head are in the clouds. I>am planning to get a PPL sometime in the fall, but still>haven't found what I am looking for: personal, modern,>attentive FBO. Any recommendations in the New York/New Jersey>area?>>I travel frequently to Asia, and have had the pleasure of>being in the flight deck of the 744 chatting it up with>pilots. Even bump into some jetBlue pilots in the subway, once>in awhile!>>Anyone else from New York city?>>Tomas>I fly outta KMMU with certfified flyers, very good FBOwww.certifiedflyers.com

48yr Male living in Perth, Western AustraliaOwn my own business in motor vehicle accident reconstruction.Had a PPL thousands of years ago (that's how it feels). Flew a aircraft called a Air Coupe or something similar and flew out of Bodmin airfield in Cornwall, UK. My instructor was an ex-WW2 RAF pilot who always insisted that I had shiney shoes!! Bob Davey

Tord Hoppe, born -69. Live in Stockholm, Sweden and have a UL-B cert. Work in the telecom business and am looking for a house to move in to with my girlfriend.For anyone interested in a tour over Stockholm or the archipelago, just give me a holler. ;)

My name is Anthony Rees.I live in Cape Town, South Africa. I am involved in medicine and health politics. Age 34.Soon to enroll into PPL course at FACT.Have taken over controls of friend's Yak 18T a few times, as well as Cessna 172. Enjoy jumping out of planes as a parachutist.Had a good couple of jump seat rides in 737-800 (SAA) and 747-400 (Air Namibia) in the days gone bye.Being flying the PMDG 737-600 to 900 for two years and PMDG 747-400 for as long as it has been airborne. Addicted .... yes, maybe. A bit of a realism-nut and upset PMDG guys with emotional outbursts in my quest for even greater relism and features not there yet.Can't wait for the Airbus A320, as SAA and Air Namibia has begun replacing all it's Boeing fleet with +/- 40 new Airbus varieties from the A319 up to the A340-600. The SA Airforce will also be purchasing A340-300E's to modernise its fleet.Fortunaely, SAA recently joined the international Star Alliance, and hope to now do a lot more flying on other member carriers which will still have have Boeings.AnthonyCape TownSouth Africa

Hi, Alonso Reig, im 22, live in Madrid, Spain have been in love with flying since I can remember. Havn't got any flying licenses yet, I want to finish university first (one year left) and then off to the US (I am both American and Spanish) to do my pilot training all the way to the ATPL. So far just joy rides in gliders, C172, Piper Arrows and jump seat sessions in quite a few aircraft, most memorable was a 742 approach and landing into KMIA on a late summer evening, extraordinary!! plus a few sim sessions and the sort, anyway hopefully will get to fly the Queen some day, although a job at Southwest will be gladly accepted!! :-xxrotflmaoRegards,Alonso