Lockheed-Martin's "Real Target Market"

[n4gix 4,947]

Over the past few months, it has become increasingly clear that many in the flight simulator community have begun to fondly imagine that "we" are the focus of Lockheed-Martin's amazing Prepar3D.

 

Such of course is very far from reality, but then us simulator "pilot's" aren't really all that concerned with "reality" anyway are we?

 

I was looking through the list of companies listed in L-M's Developer Network* who are using Prepar3D in their products, and found this one who is without question representative of L-M's "real target market"...

 

Distributive Military Simulators LLC

 

Just imagine, now anyone can buy a complete Military F-16 BLK 52+ Flight Simulator System...

 

...for the amazingly low, low price of only $995,000.00!

 

Or, you can 'rent' one for a reasonable cost from $500 up to $5,000 a day depending on location, additional services purchased and the total number of days the consumer wants the simulator at their location.

 

Here is another example:

Engineering Support Personnel

One of their products is the Reconfigurable Aviation Crew Trainer (ReACT)

 

 

* Prepar3D Developer Network: http://www.prepar3d.com/developers

[denali 74]

*YAWN*  

 

I bet they can't sim in their underwear.  NOT realistic.

[Poppet 703]

That's crazy,  interesting stuff.   We are only tiny little piece of a big jigsaw. 

[rjmcgill 15]

I looked at this same web site. It is amazing we have the guts of the Simulator. I have been kicking around the idea of building a full projector style sim in my shop. My wife says, "Great I will never get to see you then!" Kind of takes the glory out of it! Hunting for the right cockpit now. I want a 737. So can you imagine sitting in the shop watching netflix on this thing. Comfy captains seats and all. I then thought well, wire a bell into the kitchen so when I want a drink, NOT! Get it yourself swettie! Gotta laugh, there is humor in my wife after all. Played around with it on Auto Cad and finally gave up on the idea. Let me know when you rent one of those things. I want to play when you do. Cpt out.

[dgraham1284 92]

LM is a well known military company.  Skunkworks produced the SR-71, U2, F-117 and finally the F-22. Clearly we are not their target market.  We are lucky enough to be able to have access to it. Use it. Be happy. 

[SirStiggie 63]

Very interesting. I wonder though, what is the ratio of useful feedback they receive from those customers vs us simmers?

[MartinRex007 390]

I do think we as a community help LM in getting to where they need to go in regards to getting to a solid platform, and we benefit by having an affortable flightsim than only seems to get better. Win Win for both!

[ubersu 78]

So glad you have noticed.  LM couldn't care less about the FS users, except for the occasionally useful feedback they give.  Otherwise, should it suit management, they'll drop it like a hot rock.  It's amazing that this product has been allowed loose in the wild the way that it has.

 

DJ

[gmoneyprs 2]

I wonder if those folks care about transparent ATC windows or terrain shadows...

[vc10man 732]

Thanks for that, Fr. Bill. Which also probably goes to give credence to what RSR has been expounding for a long time, but we 'chose' not to listen----that PMDG's market is not us, 'simmers'.

[z06z33 763]

I looked at this same web site. It is amazing we have the guts of the Simulator. I have been kicking around the idea of building a full projector style sim in my shop. My wife says, "Great I will never get to see you then!" Kind of takes the glory out of it! Hunting for the right cockpit now. I want a 737. So can you imagine sitting in the shop watching netflix on this thing. Comfy captains seats and all. I then thought well, wire a bell into the kitchen so when I want a drink, NOT! Get it yourself swettie! Gotta laugh, there is humor in my wife after all. Played around with it on Auto Cad and finally gave up on the idea. Let me know when you rent one of those things. I want to play when you do. Cpt out.

If your still living in the south, there is an aircraft recycling place in Mississippi and I know a guy who works there.

[gfd 15]

Bang on! I wonder if that is part of the reason PMDG ported their aircraft to P3D. No way LM would have taken a sniff of this if it weren't for the commercial market.

 

This is a bit off topic, but we really have to stop asking why games and commercial simulation users get so much more attention than us. The price of admission to gaming is a console, a title or two; and a set of headphones. For that, you get to play games along with thousands of others and instant gratification. I don't want to think how much I've spent on this hobby; and I'm nowhere near the big spenders.

 

As you so aptly pointed out, LM can make the equivalent of 20000 retail sales of P3D academic in one shot.

[z06z33 763]

So glad you have noticed.  LM couldn't care less about the FS users, except for the occasionally useful feedback they give.  Otherwise, should it suit management, they'll drop it like a hot rock.  It's amazing that this product has been allowed loose in the wild the way that it has.

 

DJ

Well we serve a purpose we help pay for some of the costs of the programming and we find more of the errors.

[shivers9 1,174]

Wa!Wa!Wa! It is not as good as x-plane!! Also I hear some company want 90.00 for 777-777-777 add on. I will stay with FS9. They are not getting my money!!!!!!

[denali 74]

 

 

LM couldn't care less about the FS users

 Nonsense.  We are their toughest customers, and probably their most enthusiastic as well.   The clients of their clients are going to be people that are easily impressed with P3D.  We play hard to get, and I bet we are the most interesting to them.  We are also the gatekeepers to P3D being accepted by a wider audience.  With P3D they can capture the imaginations of many and introduce new generations - that don't know what Lockheed has done [for them] - to the world of aviation, and along the way some of the best icons in that world, Lockheed Martin's own products.  The tiny niches that P3D fills and could grow to enormity are a marketers dream.