please allow me to re post one of the best post I have read since I became a member of these wonderful forums

 

 

 

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Posted 13 September 2012 - 06:01 PM

In late 1987, I was in a retail store in MA. and a new department with computer software was setup.

Always in search for the ultimate game, a title caught my eye.

It was Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer.

The PC upgrades immediately started. The CGA card went out for a VGA card (1 1/2 weeks of salary).

Memory upgrade from 512k to 640k. Math-co processor, then a 286 PC, then a 386pc.

 

 

In 1989 - FS3 went on my computer and I never looked back.

More hardware upgrades came to run it smoothly. The 486 PC (2 months salary) came.

 

Then FS4 came out - and add-ons really started coming.

I started a BBS to distribute download files (32 Bit Bus BBS)

It grew to 6 PC's and 6 telephone lines.

FS5, FS95, FS98, FS2000, FS2002, FS2004, FS9, FSX

Fly!, ATP, and a few other programs along with all the combat sims starting with subLogic Jet, F-19, all the Jane's titles, Microprose titles, EA, etc. etc.

 

 

I think of all the scenery I bought - starting with Scenery Disk #12.

All the aircraft, weather programs, flight planners, tweakers, gauges, checklists.

All the hardware. Processors, cases, motherboards, graphics cards, yokes, peddals, joysticks, button tablets, gaming keyboards.

 

Now I think back over the last 25 years - since I was 20 years old - how many evenings and weekends I lost. I have spent 3 hours on Saturday mornings just planning for a flight.

How many blue screens, and resets, and hours upon hours of frustrating tweaking and setups and hardware issues.

I think about my kids growing up watching their dad glued to a computer. How many times I was late for events because I just had to get the aircraft up to cruising altitude and engage the autopilot.

All the sunshinning days I was locked in my home office completely involved in a hobby - that gave very little back.

All the horrible thoughts I had - wishing my family would go out for a few hours so I could have uninterrupted time in a dark office simulating an airline flight.

10 years ago, the secret joy I had when the family went out of town for a week and I was alone doing all the long uninterrupted flights I never had time for.

How I had a hard time watching movies with my wife because I was wishing I had these 2 hours to make a flight.

The 3 times a day - every day - I checked all the websites to see if any new add-ons were being introduced.

 

I was obsessed with pinball and video games in the arcade when I was a kid, and Flight Simulator as an adult.

The hobby has stressed me personally and financially because I couldn't do it in moderation.

 

So before I get much older and realize my entire life passed me by, I decided to clean everything off my hard drive and dump the yoke, pedals and joysticks in the trash.

The computer goes on e-bay and I will buy a tablet for browsing and e-mail which is the only other thing I do with a computer.

 

God bless you to those who can do this hobby in moderation. If my story sounds familiar, maybe we should start a support group for those trying to get off the hobby.

 

I will say though, the community for FS is world-class. The simmers, the freeware and commercial developers, and community forum operators are the most helpful and mature group of folks I've encountered in the cyber world. Thanks to everyone I've interacted with over the years.

 

Time to get outside.

 

Bob Bernstein

[email protected]~

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Hello Bob

 

Just gone 6 am here in the uk. With my wife just gone to work already my pc is alive with the sound of jets warming up, tow trucks pushing back and down stairs is the list of jobs she needs done for the family coming down for Christmas, doesnt she understand I got to get people home for Christmas. Hehe. Personely I blame all the developers, like PMDG, Orbx, Real environment etc, haven't they got nothing better to do, bring it on.

 

Have a very happy flying Christmas.

Shaun

That is a great post of Bob's - cannot quite match his longevity - I didn't get into FS until 2003 - was into train simulation before that. I have always known it to be a type of obsession but at nearly 68 it gives me an enormous amount of enjoyment and I have learned so much.

 

I have been here since 0415 and and am 40nm from TOD on a flight from Baghdad to Dubai. In a little while I will get my wife her early morning tea and then her breakfast before she goes on a 12 hour shift as a nurse.

 

I would love to go for a decent walk later but at the moment it is tipping it down outside. Maybe it will clear up.

 

Happy holidays everyone.

 

EDIT - Just noticed Bob joined Avsim the day after me.

Hey Bob,

 

It has always been a pleasure chatting with you over the years on these forums. Very rare I meet someone with a unique sense of humour like I have. I have never met you in person but I do consider you a friend, simply because you make me laugh many times again and again.

 

Have a very happy holidays and a Happy New Years. I look forward to more chatter in 2013 my friend...

 

Cheers B)

Be careful, that going outside thing can take over your life as well. Mountain climbing took over my life and close to ended it several times...

 

I too started out with good ol' Chuck Yeager on an Amstrad PC with dual 5 1/4 disk drivers and no harddrive. Those were the days. Loved flying that X-15 over the pink landscape.