I alt-tab and browse the internet when I'm cruising. I check back every once in a while to make sure I didn't crash in the middle of the countryside.

Wow i bet you make an exellent pilot in real life.Oscar klein

Edited February 26, 201214 yr by oscar19681

Wow i bet you make an exellent pilot in real life.Oscar klein

What? You want him to sit there looking out the window on his flight from Newark to Seattle/Tacoma? :(

What? You want him to sit there looking out the window on his flight from Newark to Seattle/Tacoma? :(

Why would I do that if I could go back to the fuselage and seat myself next to the wing? Gotta love the wing view. Maybe even set the autoland and watch the airplane land from the passenger's perspective.

Wow i bet you make an exellent pilot in real life.Oscar klein

This is a sim. So yeah.

You don't think that real pilots burry their heads into their laptops at cruise?JB

I've got a second computer next to me so I surf the web, check the forums, watch JustFlight DVDs, watch YouTube videos, etc. and still I'm able to keep up with RC4 ATC which I just set up with Flight Sim Voices, so it's pretty nice.

I read a book / watch episodes of The Wire / do my Rosetta Stone french lessons / catch a few episodes of Ghost Adventures on the couch with the gf

I use 2D cockpit as captain. What I do during the flight depends on many things:1) The length of the flight, if I fly a short I stare at the cockpit, for long flight I check in every 30 min.2) ATC density. Since I fly on Vatsim and there is ATC I obviously can't leave.3) If I have nothing to do I sit in front of the FSX computer and browse the internet with my portable (that I bought for reading charts easier) recently I have learned that full staffed ATC from Vatsim makes the experience 1000 times better :(

You don't think that real pilots burry their heads into their laptops at cruise?JB

Indeed. At Northwest Airlines it used to be S.O.P to surf the web at cruise.Which is still better than Delta, who has a "Land on nearest Taxi-Way" procedure when the traffic pattern is full. :(

Wow i bet you make an exellent pilot in real life.Oscar klein

you are far removed from reality my friend....

Here is a spot that could keep you occupied while on a long flight....http://www.flightsimbooks.com/

(No joke here - this is realy how I fly) I always fall asleep when I am cruising (except for VATSIM flights). I get really bored and lights out. I could never be a real pilot as I have the attention span of a door knob. (unless I had some flight attendants keeping me up). I've missed my destination countless times. I wish I can get an alarm to let me know when I am at TOD or a specific way point.

(No joke here - this is realy how I fly) I always fall asleep when I am cruising (except for VATSIM flights). I get really bored and lights out. I could never be a real pilot as I have the attention span of a door knob. (unless I had some flight attendants keeping me up). I've missed my destination countless times. I wish I can get an alarm to let me know when I am at TOD or a specific way point.

You can see the predicted time when you're gonna reach each waypoint. That should solve your alarm problem :D.

I keep my flights short in order to prevent boredom. I like to stay in the captain's seat for the entire flight. I don't even switch to an outside view. I have Track IR but also use four EZdok views (captain's view, FMC, radio's and overhead). I like how EZdok transitions smoothly between views because I hate popup windows.Usually I plan my flight so that when I reach TOC I am almost at TOD. I see no reason at all for doing longer flights and doing jobs around the house while the plane flies unattended... Never understood the fun of that and never will.If for some reason I do a longer flight (happens once I a while) I might read a book, but I'd still stay in the captain's seat, keeping an eye on the systems. I also never alt-tab out of FSX to go on the internet or whatever. It spoils the immersion. Obviously lives sometimes gets in the way and my wife or kids may need me for something or whatever: in that case I pause the flight. Once I decided to stay away longer and had the plane stop at TOD but when I came back to the pc the fun of it was gone completely. I had missed most of the flight and wondered what the hell I was doing and where the fun in this was... so I quit FSX. Didn't even finish the flight.What's the fun of flying if you aren't there to enjoy it? :(

I wish I can get an alarm to let me know when I am at TOD or a specific way point.

Hello,the FMC will predict when will you be reaching the TOD. You can find this time in Progress page.Also, there is an option to pause your flight either at TOD or something like 20 miles before, I dont really remember as I do not use it. Could be of god use.