>I've got to ask this: Does everyone refer to Pete's program>(Pete included) as F-S-U-I-P-C or do you pronounce it>something like "FiSooIPiK"?I don't really say it at all -- no one around here is the least bit interested in computers, let alone Flight simulation! ;-)Pete

Well said Pete:-) Keep up the good work!

Pete,Thank you for this informative posting AND for many years of supporting the flight sim community.Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.comwww.mikesflightdeckbooks.com

So Pete, what in the heck will you do when you finally decide to retire? Actually fly Flightsim for a change, LOL?:-lol

>I don't really say it at all -- no one around here is the>least bit interested in computers, let alone Flight>simulation! ;-)>>Pete>For some reason, I always called it FlightSim-U-I-P-C.I know how you feel about co-workers Pete, I work with a bunch of geeks (like myself) and developers and they just can't comprehend simming. I get razzed about it daily...:-beerchug

>So Pete, what in the heck will you do when you finally decide>to retire? Actually fly Flightsim for a change, LOL?Well, yes, that would be nice. I'd also want to explore more of the world before it's too late (in terms of both my age and the likely future cost of travelling in view of fuel escalation). Not that my wife and I haven't started -- in the last two years we've managed to get to India, China, Myanmar, Columbia, Ecuador (and the Galapogas), South Africa, and even ... Italy! ;-)RegardsPete

Great to see the world Pete, but dont forget the nice parts of nothereurope. You will enjoy those countries like mine. The netherlands. Thanks for all the years, and the years to come, with out your FSUIPC i would not be able to manage my Flightdeck at home.CheersMike{Polarairways.com and KLM-VA)

>Great to see the world Pete, but dont forget the nice parts>of nothereurope. You will enjoy those countries like mine. The>netherlands.Yes, we visited The Netherlands a lot when our son lived there (nice but, er ... rather flat for us hillside folk! ;-) )-- and Germany before that. He lives in Spain now, so we've seen a lot of that. Our favourite place just for relaxing is Madeira or the Azores -- nice gentle climate ideal for walking. The third world country trips we do are all in pursuit of live steam railway action! ;-)Regards,Pete

'The third world country trips we do are all in pursuit of live steam railway action!'This is completely off the FS topic but just to say Pete that there is plenty of live steam action around England on preservation railways. That's my other hobby when I'm not flying! Driving Trainz! Do get across here in the summer if you haven't been and enjoy the the North Yorkshire railway and York train museum - they're a must!Oh, and thanks for all you have put in to the flightsim community!John Metcalfe (Yorkshire - England)

What ever you do Pete, I wish you the very best. I remember about 18 months ago I was struggling with an intermittant Flight Sim problem. The darn thing would just crash at unpredictable times.. just enough to drive me crazy. I tried everyting I could think of, and was at the point of blowing away the whole installation and starting over ... and with about 15 different add-on products installed and countless third party aircraft, that was a forbidding prospect.In any case, in desparaton I emailed Pete, and within a day got a response back which was thoughtful, to the point, and really helped me troubleshoot and fix the problem.Now I know that Pete must get a bazillion (that is a LOT) of emails just like mine, and the fact that he took the time to provide a careful answer was incredibly thoughtful and caring. The FlightSim community is enormous these days.. but Pete Dawson still has the same personal approach. I truely believe him when he says that it is more than a full time job.His contribution is incredible, not only in the delivery of a cornersone piece of software, but also in making the FlightSim community a real community of folks who enjoy a common hobby and help eachother when they can.Pete, I think about you EVERY time I fire up FS9.. and that won't stop when the new versons come up regardless if I am using FSUIPC or not...Larry JasmannSeverna Park MD USA

>there is plenty of live steam action around England on>preservation railways. That's my other hobby when I'm not>flying! Driving Trainz! Do get across here in the summer if>you haven't been and enjoy the the North Yorkshire railway and>York train museum - they're a must!Of course! My wife and I are many years' standing members of both the NYMR and the SVR and have been to both many times, as well as visiting most of the others in the UK at one time or another.It's just that in the UK they don't let you do things with trains you can do in other parts of the world! And steam is disappearing faster elsewhere than in the UK and other energetic preservation areas like some of the European countries, the USA and Australia! I've been lucky enough to have seen and ridden on some of the last live steam operations in China, and of course in many of the Sugar Mills in Cuba.RegardsPete

Does anyone have any idea what Rudolph is talking about in the third post? Confused, http://www.my-buddy-icon.com/Icons/objects/red_3d_plane.gifAlex ChristoffN562ZBaltimore, MD

I'm totally baffled... :-hmmm I guess he's O.K. with the default stock of aircraft and scenery of Flight Simulator. Just give him his beer and he's happy. As for the rest of us we can only hope SimConnect builds on the wonderful foundation Pete has laid down for so many years.

Come downunder Pete and when you do head downunder downunder i.e. Tasmania.Plenty of magnificent walks in God's garden. Cradle Mountain, SW Conservation and Freycinet will blow your mind - climate is very British too - pouring rain at the moment :-)Aybe

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Pete,While I don't wish to speak for anyone other than myself, I suspect many will share the feelings that I would like to convey.I have used Flight Simulator from its very inception. In my humble opinion, there has been no greater utility, no greater contribution to the FS community and the functionality of Flight Sim than FSUIPC. The level of dedication and commitment you have shown to the development and improvement of simulated flight has no equal. Absent FSUIPC, there would not be many of the absolutely astounding add-ons that have come into existance.While I am intrigued to hear of SimConnect and your participation in the development of it as a part of FS X, it has also given me a certain sense of relief. Microsoft is billing this to be their best product yet, with SimConnect, I am sure that will live up to its billing and that the community of programmers, developers and companies dedicated to building quality add-ons for Flight Simulator will be able to make their products better because of the work that you have done.Thank you for all you have done and what you are continuing to do to make FS the product it can be. While we will miss you when you retire, you certainly will always hold a special place in the hearts of the millions of us who owe you a debt of gratitude for your contribution to this, our hobby, our livelihoods and our passion.David L. Lambbaw716