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Ben Cap

Dear PMDG team.....

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PMDG Team:Over the past year now I have become very fond of the expertise and the INCREDIBLE precision found withing your aircraft addons. I own your 747X and it is second to none on the level of realism.--Been flying it for a year now and I am still learning the extremely advanced systems... I have shown family friends and others pictures and videos of the upcoming release of the NGX.--(So far all of them have been STUNNED at the level of realism and quality of this product. They hardly could believe it was even a Sim!)A friend of mine couldn't distinguish the difference between the NGX and a comparison photo of a real NG cockpit..... Big%20Grin.gifI cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this release. I've can't remember that I was this excited...:biggrin:Anyways, just a few questions:Q1-- Mr. Randazzo, when and how did you make PMDG "happen". What caused you to open the company and why did you do it?Q2-- Mr.Maziarz, and others(don't know the other names :()-- How long have you been working on the PMDG team. Also, do you develop out of enjoyment, hobby, or just because you where in the right place and right time when Mr.Randazzo was "recruiting" for his team. Q3-- Are all of the members on the PMDG team actually interested in flying? (or are some just software programmers and they just do internal coding for the plane w/o knowing much about aviation)Thanks,

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Here's a interview I found with CNN. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/dayonthejob/05/03/pilot/"What do you do to relieve stress?""I run my own aviation-related software business when I'm not flying, Precision Manuals Development Group (see Related Sites below). Most of my co-developers live outside the United States, and I find it to be educational and rewarding to work so closely with fellow aviation enthusiasts from all around the world. Our customer base includes airplane enthusiasts around the world. I enjoy helping to promote interest in aviation, regardless of where someone lives."Doesn't exactly answer your question but might help clear out some confusion.

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Q2-- Mr.Maziarz, and others(don't know the other names :()-- How long have you been working on the PMDG team. Also, do you develop out of enjoyment, hobby, or just because you where in the right place and right time when Mr.Randazzo was "recruiting" for his team. Q3-- Are all of the members on the PMDG team actually interested in flying? (or are some just software programmers and they just do internal coding for the plane w/o knowing much about aviation)
I've been here as an actual employee since early 2006. Before that I was heavily involved on the beta test team for the original 737NG products and the original 747-400. As the company got much more popular, the need arose for a dedicated forum/support and knowledge-base person and I was asked to do it. With the NGX I've contributed to the actual product development for the first time by doing photo survey work, writing tutorials and stuff like that. It's small stuff compared to what the other guys on the team have done, but it's pretty neat to look at the nearly finished product and know I actually helped create it - I'm very proud of this airplane!All of us on the team are big time aviation and FS enthusiasts and many are actually involved in real world aviation as pilots, maintenance and so on. I do fully intend to get my real-life PPL and IFR ratings at some point - just a matter of having the money and time. There's no one here who's just a programmer, there's a connection to aviation for everyone.

Ryan Maziarz
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For fastest support, please submit a ticket at http://support.precisionmanuals.com

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Awesome reply Ryan. Thanks for sharing. Regarding getting your license...Why not go for a Sport Pilot license first? It seems that there is a lot of prejudice to this rating, but this is how I started. It costs half as much as PPL, requires half the time, and there is a lot of freedom with what you can do. You can also count the training time from your SPL toward your PPL, at least where I live. Some people believe that you can't fly into controlled airspace with a SPL, but that's totally false. Once you get instructor certification, you could fly in Bravo airspace if you wanted. The main restrictions are:You can only carry one passengerAC gross wt not exceed 1320lbsCruise below 120ktsVFR - DayThe SLSA aircraft that I flew were the Jabiru J-230, and the Arion LS-1. Even though I have moved in to heavier metal, some days I still prefer the Jabi over the Saratoga.It only cost me 130/hr including instructor, aircraft, and fuel. Of course, the cost may be different where you live.Here's the J230: http://tinyurl.com/Jabiruj230Here's the LS-1: http://tinyurl.com/ArionLS-1

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That is some interesting background info I never knew. Thanks for sharing it with us Ryan!Ethan - That's an avenue I'd never considered. I have the money but not the time, I spend it all working to make the money... Vicious cycle, that...Anyways, anything to cut down the training time would be a plus since I wouldn't be using it to fly in & out of any airports even remotely busy. I've got a former co-worker with a big enough pasture to work as a grass strip if it were smoothed out a bit & he'd let me keep something small there indefinitely just so he can say there's an airplane in his back yard.

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<br />That is some interesting background info I never knew.  Thanks for sharing it with us Ryan!<br /><br />Ethan - That's an avenue I'd never considered.  I have the money but not the time, I spend it all working to make the money...  Vicious cycle, that...<br />Anyways, anything to cut down the training time would be a plus since I wouldn't be using it to fly in & out of any airports even remotely busy. I've got a former co-worker with a big enough pasture to work as a grass strip if it were smoothed out a bit & he'd let me keep something small there indefinitely just so he can say there's an airplane in his back yard.<br />
Yea. Another thing to note is that you don't have to get a Piper Cub-like airplane. I mean, the Jabi that I fly has a fully digital cockpit equipped with moving map/GPS, digital engine monitoring system, 6 axis autopilot, PFD and ND LCDs, etc. You gan make the Sport Pilot program fit you, whether that means flying a Cub in and out of grass strips, or flying a fully digital Jabiru into a commercial airport. The choice is yours.

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Yea. Another thing to note is that you don't have to get a Piper Cub-like airplane. I mean, the Jabi that I fly has a fully digital cockpit equipped with moving map/GPS, digital engine monitoring system, 6 axis autopilot, PFD and ND LCDs, etc. You gan make the Sport Pilot program fit you, whether that means flying a Cub in and out of grass strips, or flying a fully digital Jabiru into a commercial airport. The choice is yours.
Well my ultimate goal would be an IFR rating & a small twin prop like the Beech G58. Something that'd make a cross-country vacation practical without being limited to daylight & clear skies... If I started now that'd probably be 5-10 years away though... Something more short-term would be a 25 year old C172 in decent shape. I fell in love with those during my days in the Civil Air Patrol 20-odd years ago.This is a little off-topic, but those days gave me a good idea of just how tolerant the old Cessnas are. I went up one time to practice touch & go's with our least favorite CFI (to be honest I dunno how he was a CFI). Anyways taxiing out he cut a corner on the taxiway too close & we felt/heard a pretty big bump/thud. Got clearance & took off. Performance/power seemed pretty weak so we landed after the first circle & went back to the hangar. He'd hit a taxiway sign & broken half a blade off the prop! To be honest, looking back I have no idea how the vibration from being off-balance didn't kill the engine or throw the rest of the prop & put us in the situation of gliding to a landing on a nearby county road. Maybe it was sheer luck that we landed safely, but it still give the impression that a C172 can withstand anything short of an AAA battery...

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