43--Former US Marine and currently a Contract Crash Fire Rescue Fire Chief for the military. I have been a private pilot since 2002. Still working on my IR (will get around to that soon).

Hi Richard, I have a GSD who we love a lot, but he's getting up in years. I've always been intrigued by the Bernese. How do you like them?

She absolutey beautiful and has a great disposition. She is 18 months now and still acts like a puppy, although she is 91 pounds and solid. Males are usually bigger, be selective in your breeder choice. The AKC has a breeder referral service on their web site.RSC

I'm 28 years old, living in Winchester, VA - about 50 miles or so west of Washington DC. I'm a carpenter for my family's construction business, building mainly in Loudoun County and Fairfax County. I'm an instrument rated Commercial pilot with 500 hours, currently working on my flight instructor certificate. I fly a Cessna 182 out of KOKV. I also play guitar, but not professionally. My main guitar is an emerald green custom 24 Paul Reed Smith which was bought for me by my fiancee. Not a bad deal at all!Robert Williams

I'm a 24 year old electrician living in Oxfordshire UK

Cool thread, Im 26 years old, hold a canadian commercial pilot licence and a float rating, wanted to become a airline pilot, but here in canada being a pilot pays peanuts, literally. So I dropped the flying business thing and became an industrial welder. Been simming since fs95, other hobbies are four wheeling, hockey and snowmobiling. But my favorite past time more than anyhing is spending my time with my daughter, she is very hard to keep up to, but she keeps me busy and happy. Gerry

I also play guitar, but not professionally. My main guitar is an emerald green custom 24 Paul Reed Smith which was bought for me by my fiancee. Not a bad deal at all!Robert Williams

Nice man, the Custom 24 is a great guitar, that's what I'd buy if I ever got a PRS.

Air Traffic Controller At Santa Barbara ATCT/TRACON.Tony Megowan

Nice man, the Custom 24 is a great guitar, that's what I'd buy if I ever got a PRS.

It is a great guitar. Now I've been spoiled and I don't want to play anything else!Robert Williams

I am 22 years old, currently writing my master thesis as to graduate from Msc Business Administration soon. A few months ago, I successfully finished the selection procedure for the flight academy of the big blue Dutch airline and if my medical exam will go well too, I hope to start somewhere in 2011 :)

hi there, turning 26 next month, IT Technician (Automated Softwaredeployment) from Upper Austria. Will be sent to the US somewhere around early 2011 for at least2 years. (no definite location yet - at the moment brighton, mi)One item i definately take with me is my cort western guitar (and if possible my yellow epiphone les paul - due to heavy fsx addon buying couldn't afford a gibson *lol*). Currently im sutdying for my examns in May/June/July for my A-Levels (don't know whats in the US - should be something like a highschool degree), while i'm working. Simming since 2 or 3 years. My dad is Mechanics on a C-130 Hercules in the Austrian Airforce and i guess he is partly responsible for my aviation enthusiams. Always loved planes and started my simming carreer with Falcon 4.0, but turned more into the bigger airliners. (MD11 fanatics - she is the most beautiful plane in the skies)I can remember that i have flewn also on FS95 - but at that time i was too young to even think about aviation. All the best from Austria, Alex

I'm pleasantly surprised to see how many folk are professional/private pilots or are otherwise employed in aviation. Somehow I always thought that the flight sim world was dominated by children or retired old gimmers (okay, I know, I was in one of those groups and may be in the other all too soon). Regardless of our occupation, for those of us, including me, who will never get their hands on a real airliner PMDG give us the next best thing.I'm 53, I live in the UK (1 nm west of EGHG). I am an airframe stress engineer specialising in landing gear and associated structure. I went solo in a glider long before I ever played with a flight sim. My first flight sim was Sinclair Spectrum Fighter Pilot followed by umpteen other titles interspersed with some real world flying starting with a Gliding Silver C. I have enjoyed: FS4, FS5, FS6......FSXFalcon 3.0ATP+3DAGSPS1.0, PS1.3Fly! + PMDG 757PMDG 737Real world PPL - Cessna 152, 172, PA-28PMDG 747PMDG MD11DCS Black Shark (I have a little stick time in real helicopters inc. Gazelle and imho this is the nearest entertainment sim to that experience).PMDG JS41 (I did three RW landings in a J31 once, that's the closest I have got to flying a RW PMDG 'plane :( )Cockpit building (generic console, GA panel, iocards, Hall sensor joystick. very slow progress)I'm looking forward to the new 737 heaps.I'll now give in to the (very strict) forum rules and sign my real name.Best wishes to all,Pete Adshead(Peter_Pilot)

Hi everyone, My name is Neal Young, and I live in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. I'm 17 years old and am currently a senior in high school. I will be attending the University of California, Irvine next year, majoring in economics and computer science. I've been playing flight simulators since I was about 7 or 8 years old with FS2000. Right now, I mostly play FSX on my dad's Mac Pro or my MacBook Pro with the PMDG MD-11 and 747-400/8. I love playing tennis, ultimate frisbee, and video games of all types. Neal Young

I'm a 20 year old student currently attending Eastern Michigan University (will be a senior this coming Fall). I'm studying Commercial Aviation, and currently hold a Private Pilot Certificate with an instrument rating and roughly 200hrs. I'm presently working on my Commercial certificate and hope to wrap that up in the next month or two, then proceed onto working on CFI. I work for a local Mobile DJ Business on the side, when time permits, and hope to finish up college and flight training debt-free (crosses fingers!). I've been flight simming for over 10 years, probably dating back to the days of FS95? I've been an avid PMDG flyer since my first experience with the 737 (first payware aircraft!) and have since flown the 744, MD-11, JS41 and the B1900. I enjoyed reading the stories behind the names here and it is really awesome to see this hobby shared with people around the world. Ryan D."ScreamingEmu"

I'm a 50 year-old prof at a university in the suburbs of Vancouver, BC, Canada. At the university, I teach half-time, and I work for the Faculty Association (on union matters related to faculty members and their working conditions, etc., etc.) the other half. For what it's worth, most of my instructional time is taken up teaching people how to write essays. In addition to those duties, I am on the review board of two academic journals, and I am a copy editor for one of those as well.I live in the 'burbs near the university with my wife of 18 years and my two kids, a teen-aged boy who in the monosyllabic stage (an accomplished drummer, by the way, for all you musicians out there) and a nine-year-old girl who still in the cuddly stage.I've been into flight sims since the days of the Timex Sinclair (yep, believe it or not), probably starting in or around 1983 or so--been so long, I can't remember when exactly. Although I've never taken flight lessons, I've been up as a passenger in GA planes a few times and have loved the experience. The only thing holding me back from getting a PPL is She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, who figures GA flying tempts fate. :( On the surface, that's not such a good thing, but in fairness, to keep me on the ground at home, she's more than happy for me to spend the money on fast computers, flight sims, and related hardware. :(

What a great thread!

I am 37 Years old and have been in the Navy since 1990. I am currently stationed in Connecticut onboard the USS Missouri which is the newest ships being commisiioned.

Chief I take it? Thanks For Your Service! My Dad was a bubble head(FTCM), 41 for freedom (40 for freedom 1 for spare parts his term) No good sub sims so FS is my fun.Spent a few years on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson(CVN70) as a ABF3 (Fueler/grape) I am 42 and work part time as a systems engineer for a Law firm in SC and also do some computer consulting on the side. I also am a rodeo announcer and announce a 30-35 rodeos a year in the SouthEastern US for the International Pro Rodeo Association(IPRA) . www.rodeoannouncer.com I know, I know, cowboy or nerd? well i say both!been flight simming since FS5. Love FSX and spend way to much time and $$ on FS. I have started my PPL but ran out of money. hope to finish it in the next year or so. I was surprised to see how many Real world Pilots are here as sim fans!Gary