I have always loved the "global" aspect of the AVSIM community, and enjoy seeing the comments from distant members from distant lands.

 

That being said, I find myself being rather "provincial" in my flight planning, and am continually flying over terrain that I actually know - the PNW, the CRM, and much of the southern United States (yes, Orbx will get there eventually). I realize I could fly anywhere in the world, but find myself quite satisfied with flying over places that I have traveled in real life.

 

I see many members that report flying only the British Isles, or Norway, or the Mediterranean areas. Is this feeling of "locality" more pervasive than we think? 

 

I think part of my fascination is how closely does the flight experience mirror my on-the-ground experience, albeit from 2,000+ feet. Familiar roads can be identified, certainly geographic landmarks, and I guess for better lack of a term, it provides a home base for exploring further afield from a different perspective. I have driven down the Columbia Gorge on the Oregon/Washington border several times, yet always get a kick of how well the Bonneville Dam is modeled from the air. I know the Puget Sound area well (my family hails from there), and am always amaze by flying over where I was born (Oak Harbor Naval Base).

 

I dunno - is this just me, or are most of us "rather provincial" in our approach to a Global flight simulator?

 

John

I fly the US mostly, and mostly where I've actually been like yourself. I fly around Yellowstone allot, East Coast allot, but rarely anywhere else. I've started around the world trips that I never finished.. I did make it to the tip of South America once though. I've flown a couple Alps trips from uploaded flight plans.

 

Youtube is a good source for inspiration. I'll look to see what people are flying, and sometimes repeat those flights.

I have taken a little different approach, mostly US but also Canada & Mexico. I have flown a couple of trips around the world and made sure I hit every continent and country that I could. Here are some statistics, my goal is as many airports as possible:

 

Statistics:
Flights = 2258
Planes used = 7
Airports used = 743
Take Off = 2186
Landing = 3102
Hours = 2330.9
Night = 853.0
IFR = 326.6
Multi = 2311.9
Avg Flight Time = 1.03 hours (61 min)

 

Just the way I do it. Everyone has/should have their way to get the most enjoyment.

 

I find flying long haul on VATSIM a good companion when I had to work overnight with my paper on my loptop. The following are some of my favorite medium to long haul routes.

 

RPLL-YSSY-YMML-RPLL

RPLL-KSFO-RPLL

RPLL-CYVR-RPLL 

RPLL-KLAX-RPLL

RPLL-VTBS-RPLL

RPLL-VHHH-RPLL

 

Currently I have logged 1057 hrs of Carrier activity on VATSIM network.

I fly where OrbX provides coverage, which means north western North America and the UK. Haven't gotten their NZ or Au sceneries yet, but may get them in the future.

 

I would love to fly over my home country, but there just isn't any quality scenery available. Flying over an area you're familiar with and seeing missing towns and roads, forest instead of farms, incorrect building types etc. makes the whole experience surreal and unrealistic.

 

 

I would love to fly over my home country, but there just isn't any quality scenery available.

Exactly my problem, too.

I don't really mind this for airliner flying, so most of my flights in larger jets are from or going to Vienna, and I mainly fly them in Europe. Most destinations I use to visit are ariports/cities where I've actually been IRL, the others I simply use, because of the great sceneries.

 

For low and slow operations, I prefer ORBX NA and Tongass Fjords, because those products do a good job replicating the real world for visual flying (and of course the scenery can be quite a challenge), and occasionally ORBX AU and NZ. It's just easier for me to fly with some visual reference, even if I don't really know the environment IRL, than flying in the dull default Austria, which simply looks nothing like the real thing to me.

 

I have to say, though, that as soon as ORBX releases Norway I will most likely go there for GA flying, and the moment the new Austria Professional comes out, I will be locked to my own area, I guess.

Low and slow Minnesota and Iowa most times as use lakes and follow beacons for navigation and use photoreal with add ons for airports. 3rd party never do most areas I live. So, I use Sketchup to make items and add obstructions know are around certain airfields.

I tend to fly no more than 1.5 hours at a time, so that restricts my distance based on cruising speed, so generally I fly no more than about 300 nm.

I've had 535 hours flying with a VA, doing a mixture of tours, long & short-haul in the PMDG 747, 737 and AXE.

 

 

I would love to fly over my home country, but there just isn't any quality scenery available. Flying over an area you're familiar with and seeing missing towns and roads, forest instead of farms, incorrect building types etc. makes the whole experience surreal and unrealistic.

 

Good point - I have had the good fortune of the early Orbx NA releases being aligned with my geographic interests - it is for this reason I eagerly await Northern California. But yeah, I can see where errors and omissions for local landmarks would be frustrating. 

 

 

Take Off = 2186
Landing = 3102

 

How is this possible?   :huh:

 

Saved flights?

I tend to fly one area for an extended period of time. Spent several weeks in nothern Norway, then 3 months in Morocco, a couple of weeks in the south of France. Been in the panhandle of Florida for what seems like forever. Looking forward to spending some weeks in Argentina then back to the SE USA in Mississippi.

 

I gather the sceneries, aircraft, liveries, charts, etc. for an area and absorb for a while.

Being from Ireland I actually fly to the UK most often. I fly to airports and on routes that I'v done in real life on the real aircraft. For me "long haul" is a trip to Zurich or Vienna. I only fly to locations that I have payware airports for and on Vatsim.
So I do think there is a lot to be said about flying in your own geographical location. Years ago I would have flown in the US alot but since getting onto Vatsim I'v become a real home bird! ^_^

SATRoadWarrior, on 02 Sept 2013 - 12:35 AM, said:

 

 

Take Off = 2186

Landing = 3102

 

 

 

 

How is this possible?

 

I am not sure how that happened. My only guess is that before I had a program to monitor my flight log that something was corrupted. I also think there could be a problem in the program that recaps my flight log and when I do multiple landings in one flight it is not counting the additional take-offs, just the initial one. ???????????????

 

Sample:

 

 

KSAW/1 KBIS/1 4SD4/1 KDEN/1 4   KSAT/1 1         KPHX/1 1         KFHU/1 1         KSAT/1 KSMF/1 2       KLAS/1 1         KTUS/1 KELP/1 KLRD/1 KMAF/1 KSAT/1 5 KLRD/1 KBIF/1 2       KABI/1 1         KOKC/1 1         KSAT/1 1         KIAH/1 1         KDYS/1 KRND/1 2       T82/1 KSKF/1 2       T82/1 KERV/1 2       KCAK/1 KSTL/1 2      

I fly everywhere.

 

I live in New York, but I rarely even fly to here. Usually I'm flying to Paro, or Norilsk, Kai Tak, Dubai, or some other interesting airport on the other side of the globe.

I fly on every continent.   At home in England, Europe, North & South America, Africa, Asia, and Australasia ...... heck, I even own Aerosoft Antarctica X so even fly there occasionally!

 

I love interesting places (a lot like Nathan is describing above), and going to far flung places.

 

It amazes me how many people only fly in their home country; if I dare to pick on my American cousins, it seems a lot of Americans seem content just to fly in the US.  I do find that hard to comprehend but of course each to their own; some are using FS as a training or familiarization tool for real life flights they will take, at home.   But still; get out and explore! :smile:  .... I am of course making a sweeping generalism, and Nathan's post above shows that there are many exceptions but I just seem to noticed a lot of Americans saying "I'm only interestested in North America" or "I only fly in the US".