What do you do in "Real Life"..when you aren't simming?

[Guest JamesJ]

Retired air traffic controller..27 years in Atlanta Center. Age 68 James Johnson, now living in Pensacola, Fl, the cradle of Naval Aviation

[virtualstuff 766]

Great thread ;-)I'm a 41 Dutch guy spend most of his time in the IT sector...Current IT consultant/developer for a large multinational implementing software that is a factor 1000 higher as the price of FS ;-)Large experience in programming and beta testing and graphical stuff...Was active on the Internet in the early days...Have a real passion for aviation (probably given by my father which was a real fighter pilot in the fifties and sixties (F104 / Hawker Hunter etc..)Beside Flightsimming my family lol wife and two children youngest son is 11 and my oldest almost 15 ;-)Developing with our group freeware for the FS community with three wonderful Guys Milton Shupe/Scott Thomas/Joaz Paz and some painting...All stuff is there with FS : AviationGraphical stuffDevelopmentComputersPlain spotting hehehe real at a regular base at Schiphol Andr

[Guest SteveJ]

Hi Tom-We have some UVA grads in the family, and my youngest daughter is currently a "2nd Year" at UVA. I get down to C-ville from time to time (perhaps my next 172 "instructed" flight this summer/fall will be KHEF-KCHO?). I enjoyed our AVSIM get-together at Fair Oaks a few years ago and I would look forward getting together with other VA simmers.Again, thanks for all you and AVSIM do for flight simulation!Steve J.

[Byrna 0]

Hi Mike,Your posting is a good idea for the flightsim community to get to know each other a little...I work in computer technical support by telephone (help desk) for a major company. I have only simmed since September of 2003 but really love it. Age: 41.John

[Guest firehawk44]

Great thread!I'm 60 and a retired counterintelligence officer (Army Intelligence) after serving in the US Army and civil service for 35 years. I currently reside in Dumfries VA near Quantico MCB. I enjoy my two grandchildren, ages 3 and 6, and golf 3-4 days a week (20 handicap). I also enjoy tinkering with computers and putting a system together. I started flight simming back in the late 80's and have purchased or put together a new system every two years since then (just to stay ahead of the technology and make this hobby enjoyable).Thanks to all the freeware and payware developers who make this hobby so enjoyable. Special thanks to Tom and AVSIM employees for the Number One Flight Sim website in the world!Jim

[HawaiianCondor 0]

Great thread...I just turned 48, graduated from USCG Academy in 1979, mostly a ship driver in the Pacific for 20+ years...currently still on AD as a Captain, Chief of Operations for the Coast Guard in Honolulu...we do search and rescue (including finding downed pilots!), law enforcement, port security and anti-terrorism, disaster relief (our Hercs just finished up tsunami relief in Sri L and Indo with DOD) throughout the central and western Pacific.Started PPL in high school and a mishap put me off track and never got back to it. Every now and then I can bum a few minutes at the controls on one of our Hawaii based C-130's or the cyclic on a HH-65, other than that it's pure flightsimming...since about 1994 on the Mac.Have a standing project to build a home cockpit but 14 year old daughter and younger wife think I'm nuts and definitely take priority for time...Just moved to the eastern side of the island of Oahu, before I lived in an apartment downtown just a couple miles from the reef runway (08R) at PHNL where I never tired of watching the heavies strain and finally get airborne after a long roll on a warm day...Great to see the diverse group on here including folks I've seen on the forums for years but never really knew much about.aloha

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

Oh lordy... you didn't have to mention UVA... :)As a San Diego born and bred Univ. of California type, and married to a 30 year employee of the UVA Hospital, I have no love for that organization. :) In fact, when they were not successful in hiring Tubby Smith from Kentucky, I gave up on them (I went to school with Tubby and was on the basketball team with him in '67 - '68 at Great Mills HS in Southern Maryland under coach Woods). I could rant on, but the sake of my wife's job, won't. :)

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

Thanks Jim for the compliments. But... 20 handicap with 3 - 4 rounds a week??? Good grief, there goes my dream of being a duffer in my old age. I had great expectations about improving my handicap when I could play more. That dream is now shot to oblivion. I don't need any more good news.. :)

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

Chris, I may have asked you this question before... Do you know a Captain Ray Miller (USCG of course)? Retired about two years ago. If you know him, know what he now does, then you know what I do. He sits two offices away from me. :)

[Guest firehawk44]

Hi Tom,I plan on getting better at golf. I just started playing about 5 years ago after I retired. Took some one-on-one lessons and my goal this year is to hit in the 70's. Less than 2 years ago I was hitting between 118-124 so improving. I don't think you'll have any problems.Jim

[Guest Navigator]

Hi,I

[Guest SteveJ]

:-lol well, I did say "in the family..."Actually, I'm a displaced Hoosier and a Boilermaker.Later,Steve J.

[Guest ship_fixer]

I'm 23 years old. I always wanted to fly in the Royal Air Force, but I failed the selection tests because my legs are 14mm too long. I was working towards the academic qualifications required to apply for a sponsorship from British Airways when 9/11 occured and the bottom fell out of BA's sponsorship programme.Right now I'm serving in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. I started in September 2003 as an Officer Cadet and have a one year left before I qualify as a marine engineer officer. I'm studying at South Tyneside College in North East England doing the Electro Technical Officer (ETO) course.

[monnie 1]

Hi, Good question. I'm a Veterans Advocate, Fly radio control and crash alot. So I never turn on "Crash Effects" cause I love to fly jet liners. Gotta tell you...Getting up is easy--Getting down is just as easy if you close your eyes!MonnieKINDWhen I push the button and it works, I happy:-)

[Guest detector]

Oh well, time to stop my secrecy and "Area 51" way of thinking. At an age of 43, one learns to creep outta the shell - no reason to hide anything, life is to short for that, and this thread is great x:-) Automation engineer by profession, you may call me "sparky"...for the time being I am a ships electrician. Been at sea for 6 years, working on special vessels like shuttle tankers, cruise ships (with Miami as the base), and several seismic vessels and survey ships. I also worked for the Norwegian railway company for 9 years, and I cover everything from huge 16.000 Volts equipment to computers. My recent job is on the "Polar Princess", I came home from Shetland two days ago, after sailing from Rotterdam, where we had a total overhaul of the ship. Hotverdomme, what a struggle that was, but she`s still afloat :+ I`m half Norwegian, half German, and live in Sweden for the time being, but will move back to Norway...as soon as those wicked vikings join the European community and lower the living costs!Hobbies...way too many!Photographing, model railroads (Fleischmann N-scale, digital), flight simming since FS3 and orange EGAA screens, die-hard Fly II enthusiast, Hi-Fi freak (using stuff like Wadia, Dynamic Precision, Proceed, etc), electronics (making my own DAC`s and line stages), a trip in the woods now and then & have not had skis on my legs for 20 years, and I hate sports...but love pistol & rifle shooting and playing pool with a few beers inside my cardiovascular system :( Lastly, I`m ex Loke, ex Hagar, now detector.