With all the talk about the future of FS into the next version and it's missions, I thought maybe a step back to think may be cool. I don't want this to go to flame wars or attacks, just everyone to post the answer to the title, not comments about what it means to other people, just what it means to you personally, what do you get out of it.For me it's procedure starts and shutdowns, I like the challenge of following a checklist as close to the book as poss. while still finishing said checklist without getting nagged by FSHotseat's CP for being too slow, knowing the checks I'm doing are far more involved than hers. Once airborne I like to kick back and relax a little, maybe listen to music or, now I've found a working Microphone, chat to buddies who're flying at the same time. I fly offline, online I've not had much luck with ppl wanting to crash into others and spoil their day. I like a smooth flight and a nice sunrise/sunset but take whatever comes, thunderstorms or severe weather go with the territory. On descent I love the challenge of getting set up right, quite a workload in a heavy jet. It's great to hear my CP's voice asking for the arrival runway and getting the nav radios set for me. Now I have Radar Contact the CP with that can fly the aircraft properly right to the beam, so I can run the checks and make sure the speed is right when we get there. Land, nothing like a smooth landing to put a smile on the face, then to the gate and get rated, now three times for me, FSHS - aiming for excellent, FSPax - aim for as many points toward that precious promotion as possible, and of course RC4 - aim again for excellent. Of course I like to let my hair down too, that's when my warbirds get dusted off and flown at a virtual version of a real airshow, my favourite to re-create is OSHKOSH because it goes on for a week or so. Then it's back to the line flying, planning my day's flights then planning each one, with weather as best can be done, and off again, "ready for the first checklist.."

>With all the talk about the future of FS into the next>version and it's missions, I thought maybe a step back to>think may be cool. I don't want this to go to flame wars or>attacks, just everyone to post the answer to the title, not>comments about what it means to other people, just what it>means to you personally, what do you get out of it.>>>For me it's procedure starts and shutdowns, I like the>challenge of following a checklist as close to the book as>poss. while still finishing said checklist without getting>nagged by FSHotseat's CP for being too slow, knowing the>checks I'm doing are far more involved than hers. >>Once airborne I like to kick back and relax a little, maybe>listen to music or, now I've found a working Microphone, chat>to buddies who're flying at the same time. I fly offline,>online I've not had much luck with ppl wanting to crash into>others and spoil their day. I like a smooth flight and a nice>sunrise/sunset but take whatever comes, thunderstorms or>severe weather go with the territory. On descent I love the>challenge of getting set up right, quite a workload in a heavy>jet. It's great to hear my CP's voice asking for the arrival>runway and getting the nav radios set for me. Now I have Radar>Contact the CP with that can fly the aircraft properly right>to the beam, so I can run the checks and make sure the speed>is right when we get there. Land, nothing like a smooth>landing to put a smile on the face, then to the gate and get>rated, now three times for me, FSHS - aiming for excellent,>FSPax - aim for as many points toward that precious promotion>as possible, and of course RC4 - aim again for excellent. Of>course I like to let my hair down too, that's when my warbirds>get dusted off and flown at a virtual version of a real>airshow, my favourite to re-create is OSHKOSH because it goes>on for a week or so. Then it's back to the line flying,>planning my day's flights then planning each one, with weather>as best can be done, and off again, "ready for the first>checklist.."Real Simple For Me: Hoping to get closer to simulating ALL ASPECTS & ALL AIRCRAFT of REAL LIFE FLYING as close as possible.Carmine http://forums.avsim.net/images/wave.gifhttp://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7118/phoenixtp8mg.jpg

For me FS is a very crude alternative to getting out flying for real. :-) Actually for some reason it's been very enjoyable over the years with the constant flood of new releases every other week (both Freeware and Payware). I've learned allot using FS and it's a heck of a step up from the standard video games most associate the sim with. This is diffidently a piece of software I wouldn't want to be without because it's so customizable for an aviation enthusiast. Even in the real world you'd never have access to the various airports and planes you have in the FS community. FS allows you to enjoy aviation much the same way as the founders of aviation did back in the days of the 'Curtis Jenny'. The real world is soo bogged down with rules and space restrictions it can be more of a headache than enjoyment. Dealing with partners of a said aircraft, hanger space expenses, and annuals can be a little too much for those middle class 9-5 family man simmers among us as well. FS give those who can't fly for one reason or another an outlet. I can't fly nearly as much as I want but I have FS (drives my wife crazy for the one or two plus hours I spend looking at my screen at night).I often wonder how I would feel about FS if I were a real ATP pilot. There's so many other aspects that go with that job besides just enjoying the basic job of flying the aircraft. I wonder would I fool with FS if I were rich. I mean ware I could afford to own my own P51 and fly Gulfstreams when I want to vacation in Europe. FS really has a unique knack of getting grown men to be kids again. Here you have grown men pretending they were in a whole other plane of existence than they currently are (once again it drives the wives crazy). I often thought the imaginary facet of life has to be healthy to some extent that we generally loose when graduating from childhood to adulthood. Hobbies keep the mind young and rejuvenated which if a study was held I would bet adds years on ones life. I would hate if all I had to look forward to everyday was the daily grind of work/home, work/home, work/home. Flight Simulator is one of the few things I do that cost very little but adds so much to the day. If I had nothing else going on during the day, I can always count on coming in here finding some new add-on or some great conversation about aviation or simming in general. It's the little things many of us have to learn to appreciate in life like kids, a good wife (if your lucky enough), and general good health/strength. Flight Simulator is one of those little things that brings that extra bit of enjoyment. This is especially true for those of us who used to look up in the sky and wonder what it would be like to fly one of those big birds coming in for a landing. Now we have some sort of an idea and for many that's fine enough (this option wasn't available at all one generation ago). The major concern we all need to have is how long will this last. FSX is already starting to show signs of pandering to the casual gamer which can be a death nail to what most of us love about the sim/hobby. If future versions can take us farther along the realistic path with better simulation of ATC, SID/STARS, and weather, the enjoyment/learning factor can last for many years to come. Trouble is many in our various societies want everything handed to them. They don't want to figure anything out they just want to be entertained. This is the vary reason why FS should move away from the gaming arena. Flight Simulator is looking stranger and stranger at the annual E3 conventions. If FS could stand the course it's followed for so many years you

Its a great write up Dillon. I enjoy flight sim almost as an extension to my real world flying. procedure wise, it can be no different. Chair flying is very important for real world flying. I look at flight sim as better than closing your eyes and chair flying. For IFR flying, its invaluable. If I were rich.. I not only would buy me a real world airplane.. I would probably custom build me a nice sim with hydrolics an all.:)Manny

FS led me to my current career. Simple as that. I'd had a fascination with flight since I took my first flight some 20 years ago. Then, a few days after graduating from high school, my parents purchased FS5 for me. I played around with it for a month or so, but quickly got bored, and put it on the shelf. After a year or so, FS98 was released, I picked it up, and my fascination with this hobby began. However, it wasn't until FS2002 was released that I considered a career in aviation.Now, 7 years later, I have my PPL, instrument rating, have nearly completed my commercial license, and will soon start my multi-engine and CFI training. This can all be traced back to that day when I first took off in a C172 at Meigs Field in FS5. Now, at the time that FS98 was released, I was heavily in to Quake, Diablo, Starcraft, and the other popular games of that time. I got into FS because I wanted to see what it was like to fly a plane, not to fly instrument approaches, SIDs or STARs, or accurately simulate an airline flight. Some have voiced a concern that the series is not concentrating on the features that it should be, such as accurate ATC, SIDs and STARs, and detailed system and subsystem simulation. However, I believe that the more accessable MSFS is, the more simmers we can bring in to the community. Sure, some of the missions presented so far have an arcade-like aspect. However, if those missions serve as a stepping stone for some of those "casual" simmers into the more advanced aspects of the hobby, then I would consider the time spent on that feature to be well worth it. In the end, the MSFS team has to walk a fine line between keeping the sim accessable to the general public, and adding enough features and complexity to keep the "hardcore" fanbase satisfied. FS2004 saw the introduction of a fairly realistic GPS, volumetric clouds, as well as the introduction of instrument approaches into the ATC system. These features probably did little to draw new simmers into the hobby (unless they were pilots already). So, can it be all that suprising that the features that are being touted with this release are ones that will appeal to a wide range of users? If they are features that help to bring new simmers into the hobby, then that will make our own community more vibrant. And how could that be a bad thing?

For me FS has lost a little bit of its shine, and I doubt if I'll ever get back quite the level of enthusiasm I had a few years back.BUT..there's still something about it, something that means I keep coming back - even after an extended period of time. Right now I've just about stopped simming, but when FSX and the PMDG Airbus come out I'll pick it up again, and no doubt go through another enjoyable spell.Other games are quickly forgotten, and I have other hobbies which take precedence, but I think there's so much depth to our little virtual world of flight that its impossible to stop exploring. It's the potential for recreating an ever more detailled and realistic aviation environment that's the draw. Well that's what it means to me.Nighty night..Ian :-)

"I would probably custom build me a nice sim with hydrolics an all."That's funny, I was thinking the same thing... :-lolIf I had the money I would have a full blown 767 Level-D simulator (hydraulics included) with FS9 and later FSX loaded into it for scenery and all the other sim features. It would be housed in a building adjacent to the house or shall I say mansion. No matter how rich you are you'll most likely never own a real 757/767 and why would you, that's why I'd have that heavy simulated in great detail. I would already have my private Baron 58 hangered at the local airport along side my P51 (maybe a private airstrip in back of the house would be in order or a flying community like John Travolta lives in). I would already co-own a GulfStream so like I said above the heavy airline flying would have to be simulated. If I'm rich I'd do it just like the airliners do (a 1st class simulator).I would still be an enthusiast in this community every summer giving kids and simmers alike rides in the Gulfstream (we could have a drawing or something). I'd make sure PMDG or DreamFleet model every aircraft I can get my hands on and if I'm rich that would be allot... :-beerchug

Manny I got to quit writing those long winded posts at work. I went back and read my post above and realized I should have proof read that thing a little better. The last paragraph is terrible

A fantastic, educational experience, that has changed my life and broadened my understanding of this mode of transport.Learning to fly in the UK is similar to buying a house in the UK i.e. ludicrously expensive. I recently saw flying lessons in a C150 being advertised for

Sorry this post is gonna be off topic.Don't know where you live, but if it's in the home counties can I suggest if you ever go to Duxford airshow on a calm day (not a windy one as they don't fly) pay the money and take the Tiger Moth flight, it's

I'm not in the home counties, but that sounds ok :)

Many hours of pleasure!RTH

Been hooked since FS 4. Its almost become a way of life.Rob MorrisonFS Enthsiast