So earlier this evening, I was watching an episode of the SyFy show, Destination Truth, where the crew is investigating reports of Yetis in Nepal. They show the crew landing in a Twotter at Lukla and... yep, you guessed it. inspiration struck. But you see, I don't do anything half-arsed. Some time back, I'd downloaded some freeware scenery for Lukla, and the surrounding area, including mesh, textures, etc. Firing up the Premier Design freeware Twotter, I did a little hop from Kathmandu to Lukla. But wait, there's more! I fired up WinAmp and did a search for Nepal in the Shoutcast thingy. Sure enough, there was one streaming channel purporting to be Nepalese in content. I connected, switched back to the cockpit, and was completely immersed in the sounds of the Twotter's engines and what I could only describe is Nepalese pop music. The sound quality of the stream was lo-fi enough to sound as if I had an AM radio in the cockpit with me. Quite an immersive experience!Oh and I totally fudged the landing, becoming a greasy stain on the cliff face just short of the threshold at Lukla. Doh!So, I have to ask... do any of you have any little rituals or situations that you have to make JUST RIGHT to do a flight that would classify as an act of Flight Sim nerdity? I'd be interested in reading about them. :)Jon/KSEA

So earlier this evening, I was watching an episode of the SyFy show, Destination Truth, where the crew is investigating reports of Yetis in Nepal. They show the crew landing in a Twotter at Lukla and... yep, you guessed it. inspiration struck. But you see, I don't do anything half-arsed. Some time back, I'd downloaded some freeware scenery for Lukla, and the surrounding area, including mesh, textures, etc. Firing up the Premier Design freeware Twotter, I did a little hop from Kathmandu to Lukla. But wait, there's more! I fired up WinAmp and did a search for Nepal in the Shoutcast thingy. Sure enough, there was one streaming channel purporting to be Nepalese in content. I connected, switched back to the cockpit, and was completely immersed in the sounds of the Twotter's engines and what I could only describe is Nepalese pop music. The sound quality of the stream was lo-fi enough to sound as if I had an AM radio in the cockpit with me. Quite an immersive experience!Oh and I totally fudged the landing, becoming a greasy stain on the cliff face just short of the threshold at Lukla. Doh!So, I have to ask... do any of you have any little rituals or situations that you have to make JUST RIGHT to do a flight that would classify as an act of Flight Sim nerdity? I'd be interested in reading about them. :)Jon/KSEA

when you start coding a combat flight sim, then you may reach my level of nerdieness...other than that, I'd say that the most nerdy thing you can do (I KNOW I'm gonna get slammed for this) is to pay over 40 dollars for a flight sim addon. Sorry, but I personally consider that to be a line above the rest for flight sim nerdieness, especially when that money could be put toward a whole new sim, or a various other cool thing that came out recently on the gaming market... I even won't cross that line, sorry add on makers...Personally, I have this policy, usually when I have a choice between an FSX addon and something like say... ArmA 2, or possibly something like a new piece of hardware or a piece of software to make my life easier, I'll probably take the thing thats gonna give me a lot more ease in my life or a lot more enjoyment in multiplayer environments...

when you start coding a combat flight sim, then you may reach my level of nerdieness...other than that, I'd say that the most nerdy thing you can do (I KNOW I'm gonna get slammed for this) is to pay over 40 dollars for a flight sim addon. Sorry, but I personally consider that to be a line above the rest for flight sim nerdieness, especially when that money could be put toward a whole new sim, or a various other cool thing that came out recently on the gaming market... I even won't cross that line, sorry add on makers...Personally, I have this policy, usually when I have a choice between an FSX addon and something like say... ArmA 2, or possibly something like a new piece of hardware or a piece of software to make my life easier, I'll probably take the thing thats gonna give me a lot more ease in my life or a lot more enjoyment in multiplayer environments...

Well, if you're talking about coding a program, yeah, I guess that does trump anything I could do. I was just reflecting on my whole "inspired by TV, add in the musical ambiance" thing. I agree with you regarding freeware vs. payware to an extent. I used 100% freeware in my little adventure. I have nothing against payware providers and those who patronize them, though. Different strokes and all. As soon as I discover a Flight Sim itch that can only be scratched by a payware addon, I'll consider buying something. Til then, I seem to get by just fine on freeware.Jon/KSEA

Hello, I'm Dave Vega, and I'm a flt sim nerd. :( With me it's flying on an airline for whatever reason. Every time I fly, mostly on business, I develop this itch to get on the simulator and go for an airline flight. Belonging to a VA helps, and I sure do like the one I'm in. The airplane and the scenery of the from-to airports should be as real as possible. One of the most difficult decisions is not to purchase scenery for an airport that I know I won't be visiting often. Guess you can tell that for me the perfect job would be being an airline pilot. Some years ago I was waiting for a flight out of MSP when I overhead two pilots talking about their job. One of them was complaining about having to keep switching charts out of their little binders. I must confess that I felt like beating him up. Guess it's all relative. But back to flight sims...enjoy the flying, even with the music and anything else that immerses you in it. Have funDave

When my wife got a business trip to Paris (I had to stay home), I found out the airline, type of plane, etc. and made her flight in the sim. Sometimes, if there is a plane crash at a certian airport, I will fly that type of plane in the sim to see what the situation is like.Bob

I like to recreate some of my travels throughout Europe and the States. For example once I drove from Munich to Bonn, I re-flew that rout in MSFSX, I traveled on a train to Budapest to Vienna, to Munich, I duplicated it in MSFSX. Also, twice I drove from Seattle to Houston, I flew that too in MSFSX using various planes.As for immersion, I thrive to complete each flight to the end, like when I'm told on a final to go around I followed the ATC and took the extra 15 minutes to finish the flight. Maybe not as nerdy but it's getting there. Ha ha

I'm often inspired by TV :) I see some nice locations, I have to make a flight there. Once I saw an Australian show and than I was flying in Australia for quite some time. Of course if I fly in RL (as passenger) to London, Paris or something like that I have to make that flight too :)

My flight sim nerdieness extends in two directions:- I have flown all the way from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, to Cordoba in Argentine, via Madrid Spain and Santiago de Chile, Chile. In total, it was a flight of roughly 16 hours. I did it with the default FSX Airbus A320, Boeing 747 and Boeing 737 (I didn't have any third party payware stuff back then). And yes, I didn't speed up the time. I actually sat 16 hours in front of my computer, doing that flight (of cours,e not in one go, but still...)- I buy aircraft. I mean , come on, I put my money in virtual aircraft... I guess it's only flight sim enthusiasts that understand this rather weird habbit. Most expensive thing I biought must be the Flight1 ATR72-500, for 45 euros, but I'm planning on buying the Leonardo MD-80 Pro, for 50 euros, and in the end I'll get a FSX Ariane 737, which will also amount to probably 70 euros, and the Airsimmer bus will be about the same price, I guess. So yeah, I spend a lot in this hobby... It;s stupid, because I should actually be buying more European airports, and yet I keep buying planes. I have too many high fidely plane simulations, and that way I can never actually really immerse myself in ALL plane. I simply have too many to fully enjoy. Plus, there's all the FS9 planes that don't work in FSX that I still want to use. Argh, I guess.

My colleague Peter sidestepped the issue. You want FS geeks, become an AVSIM Reviewer. I cannot imagine geekiness beyond that, as the constant stream of products that require reviewing are like throwing gasoline onto a bonfire. Oh, unless you've worn the old-time TracIR sticky silver dot on your forehead in public after you forgot you put it on for a sim session. Always remember: a geek is a nerd who gets things done. Jeff ShylukSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

I'm often inspired by TV :) I see some nice locations, I have to make a flight there. Once I saw an Australian show and than I was flying in Australia for quite some time. Of course if I fly in RL (as passenger) to London, Paris or something like that I have to make that flight too :)

Yeah, the show I mentioned in my first post is good for that. Destination Truth sends a team of investigators out into some really off the beaten path places to look for local legends of Bigfoot, Nessie, and other cryptozoological stuff. Whether you believe in such things or not doesn't really matter. It's great to see all the little places they go to and recreate the flights in FS. They go to anywhere from the wilds of Papua New Guinea, to African and South American rainforests, and just about anything else in between. If anyone is looking for inspiration on some bush flying, the show is a veritable gold mine. Jon/KSEA

A few years back when I wasn't married, I went to Vegas for a few days by myself. After Vegas, rather than going home, I flew to Long Beach, CA for a 90 minute session in a full motion 717 simulator. Adding the extra flight, food, sim session and the hotel room at the Westin, I probably spend $700 just for an 90 minute session. I also got a tour of the 717 factory which was very cool.Was it worth it? You betcha.On thing that makes me feel like a nerd is when I encounter airline pilots and I tell them I am in to FS. They always look at me like I am pitiful. This summer at the Selfridge Airshow, they had Delta 757 on static display. The flight crew was on hand to answer questions. I mentioned FS to the pilot and I can't remember the exact response but I got the feeling he felt sorry for me.

My colleague Peter sidestepped the issue. You want FS geeks, become an AVSIM Reviewer. I cannot imagine geekiness beyond that, as the constant stream of products that require reviewing are like throwing gasoline onto a bonfire. Oh, unless you've worn the old-time TracIR sticky silver dot on your forehead in public after you forgot you put it on for a sim session. Always remember: a geek is a nerd who gets things done. Jeff ShylukSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

LOL I didn't even think of that, 90% of the time I'm more focused on programming than anything else (even when I'm flying, I have my head wrapped around a coding issue). I wrote that after being up for a good 20 or so hours, and being in front of the screen for a good 4 hours trying to debug an issue.

So I guess someone should make a Sasquatch add-on. :(

On thing that makes me feel like a nerd is when I encounter airline pilots and I tell them I am in to FS. They always look at me like I am pitiful. This summer at the Selfridge Airshow, they had Delta 757 on static display. The flight crew was on hand to answer questions. I mentioned FS to the pilot and I can't remember the exact response but I got the feeling he felt sorry for me.

Yeah, but when he's sitting in a hotel away from his family on Christmas day wondering if he's going to still have his job or pension tomorrow, you can pity him :(

Real world airline pilots looking down on flight sim captains seems to me a real shame. Like as in any profession (except AVSIM Staff), you get your good folks and your not-so-good folks. Personally, I've never had anything but respect and goodwill from airline pilots I have talked to about FS in person. I've had a few unfriendly notes from pilots I know only as e-mail addresses, but in person, all of the pilots I have met have been gracious. Robert Randazzo sets the highest standard for current pilots who are excited about FS, as far as I am concerned, and Tom Allensworth is simply an amazing person to meet. (EDIT: I accidentally substituted Bryan York for Capt. Randazzo, so I have used Edit to correct the error! Gah! My mistake! Of course, Bryan York is pretty awesome, too!) Many of the pilots I have met were passengers on flights with me. One spent most of the flight explaining not only the utility of checklists, but how to maintain a certain cadence so that you don't get bored with the routine or overloaded into missing steps. Another was reading "Fate Is The Hunter", and we spent the flight talking about that book. I talk about AVSIM and writing Reviews, but I doubt that I can stay on that topic for more than half a minute before the eyes of all but the very geekiest fanatics glaze over. Pilots never have difficulty telling stories about flight, and in researching my Reviews, I enjoy hearing about them. Telling stories about flight sim, on the other hand, is tricky. There isn't really anything other than geek pride at stake during a flight. I'd rather talk about flight simulation as a community rather than as an activity. That seems to interest pilots I know more than the time I enabled unlimited fuel because I pooched my fuel calculation. Jeff ShylukSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM