17 hours ago, OzWhitey said:

Hey OP, even for informal research, this data won’t give you any useful information about the precentage of Prepar3d users who pilots, due to the profound degree of selection bias. If you just went by the comments it would suggest that almost all P3D users are pilots, mostly with a great deal of experience. This is reflected to a lesser degree in the poll.

What your research does suggest is that the old joke is true:

Q. How do you know if there’s a pilot at your party?

A. Don’t worry, he’ll let you know!

😊

Yeah, there are definitely ways I could have gone about getting more accurate data. Basically this is just the result of me asking the question to myself and quickly coming up with the poll. 

Still, 64% of respondents being pilots is a lot lower than I was expecting.

Of the people who use any sim, those who take the time to go on forums, join, and answer polls are the most likely to be more 'hardcore' into their respective sim and thus may be more likely to have a general interest in aviation and be pilots or student pilots. And, of course, as you point out, pilots may be more likely to identify themselves as having that skill is a point of pride. I'm sure if you had a similar poll asking "who has 1 million dollars", millionaires would be enthusiastic to respond while the rest of us would be more likely to just keep our mouths shut and move on! 

Also, if I were to run a better survey I'd first have to deal with the philosophical question of what a pilot is, exactly! 😄     

 

Edited September 17, 20187 yr by avgaskoolaid

On 9/15/2018 at 1:40 PM, Rafal said:

Right, except that in case of flying drones commercially, you have undergo training, pass exams, have medical certifications, analyze weather, avoid other traffic, obey to xxx rules, follow zone restrictions and get ATC permissions. LOL.

 

Which makes you a trained toy operator.  Not a pilot.

3 hours ago, FishermanIvan said:

 

Which makes you a trained toy operator.  Not a pilot.

Hmmm...flight simmers dissing “drone’ pilots as being “toy operators”...

I sometimes fly what you call a “drone”, using a first-person view headset. It’s actually an enjoyable way to experience an aspect of flight with minimal time and financial commitment (which is not to say it replaces GA flying).

Personally, I find any form of aviation fascinating.

Oh, and the reason I use quotes around your term “drone” - these craft are regulated by aviation authorities, and are correctly known as RPAs - that would be remote PILOTED AIRCRAFT. 😊

 

7 hours ago, FishermanIvan said:

Which makes you a trained toy operator.

Thanks for making me better informed now. 🙂

As a commercial drone (or RPA, as Robert correctly mentioned) pilot (?), I now have to take all I learned and all my materials/documentation/certificates with a huge pintch of salt. They use the word 'pilot' too often...
Probably they followed the definition of a pilot which is ' A person who operates the flying controls of an aircraft '.

I won't even dare to comment on your 'toy operator' idea, as I admit to have zero understanding of how what I've been doing for some years now (commercial filming, photography, monitoring, assisting emergency services, search, etc.) turns out to be... using a 'toy'. 🤔
And no, I don't work for the military.

33 minutes ago, Rafal said:

Thanks for making me better informed now. 🙂

As a commercial drone (or RPA, as Robert correctly mentioned) pilot (?), I now have to take all I learned and all my materials/documentation/certificates with a huge pintch of salt. They use the word 'pilot' too often...
Probably they followed the definition of a pilot which is ' A person who operates the flying controls of an aircraft '.

I won't even dare to comment on your 'toy operator' idea, as I admit to have zero understanding of how what I've been doing for some years now (commercial filming, photography, monitoring, assisting emergency services, search, etc.) turns out to be... using a 'toy'. 🤔
And no, I don't work for the military.

You do good work with drones, no doubt, but it's not a pilot.  You're not flying an aircraft with people or goods on board.

37 minutes ago, FishermanIvan said:

You're not flying an aircraft with people or goods on board.

That is not the only criteria for a pilot. A military target drone aircraft requires a pilot. The small multi engine helicopter like drones basically require an operator but there are definite aviation rules and regs that they must be aware of. I would say they are far from "toys".

The kind I might fly in my back yard could be called toys but not any commercial drone and especially any military versions.

Vic

3 hours ago, vgbaron said:

commercial drone and especially any military versions.

I'd been a whole lot braver in SE Asia if I'd been flyin' guns while settin' at a desk ten thousand miles away. ROFL

1 hour ago, Bluestar said:

I'd been a whole lot braver in SE Asia if I'd been flyin' guns while settin' at a desk ten thousand miles away. ROFL

you better believe it!  

I highly respect the task drone pilots are accomplishing, but IMO the important distinction between a drone and 'real' pilot is, that a 'real' pilot faces the risk of loosing his 'real' life during each flight.  

Crashing an airplane or landing a crippled airplane will increase the stress level a lot because you know that in the worst case you will die.

This doesn't apply to a drone pilot. If you screw up, if you damage your drone or crash it, you can't die or be injured.

That's also the reason why I find the countless 'can-a-passenger-land-a-commercial-jet' videos on YouTube etc. completely useless, because even in a Level-D sim, you know that absolutely nothing happens to you if you fail.

 

edit: concerning the original topic I'm surprised that some many real pilots are using a flightsim.

E.g. when talking to pilots from other airlines I found out that the percentage of airline pilots using a flightsim must be very small.

Same goes most like for military pilots. 

 

 

 

Edited September 20, 20187 yr by J35OE

How often do drone pilots do 

1.lpc

2.opc

3.30 day recency 

4. 3 in  90

5. Crm

6. Sep

7.security and dangerous goods

 

I think you'll find the answer is never. and most of you on here wouldn't have a clue what those 7 things are as it is. 

As much as I think alot (but not all) commercial pilots are self righteous intitled little children that can't tie their shoelaces without someone doing it for them, and think they are healing the world by using an autopilot, I however do feel for them having to sit in the fun box every 6 months and practice squirting the bcf every 12, whilst learning not to put lituim batteries in the back.  We don't have to do any of that malarkey in OCC 

However Drone pilots are not pilots im afraid. 

Edited September 20, 20187 yr by tooting

deleted

Edited September 20, 20187 yr by J35OE

I believe this has run it's course.  
vic