Flying For the Airlines - Why?

[Mithras 87]

Hi, I'm going through a bit of a dry spell and can't find anything in simming to motivate me, I wondered how you guys flying for Virtual Airlines keep flying the same routes over and over. Why? And how? 

I have a full cockpit build of a GA plane and have flown lots of UK airfields, and overseas bush airstrips. I think my pace is slackening, I might have 'mastered' those flights and maybe getting bored with the easiness of them. I've flown airliners, helicopters... Cold War jets ... how do you keep doing the same type of flying, but keep it interesting or challenging? 

 

Thanks! Paul 

[flyinpilot212121 724]

I only fly airline type aircraft in the sim and I normally fly in the same general geographical area. I sometimes venture out of my area but usually tend to stick to North America.

I’m not sure what keeps me coming back but I do know what would keep me away and that is If real world weather wasn’t an option I don’t think I’d keep coming back to It.

[Mace 1,902]

43 minutes ago, Mithras said:

. how do you keep doing the same type of flying, but keep it interesting or challenging? 

Thanks! Paul 

I get on AVSIM, and I see Paul Elliott post a signature of a London-to-Australia biplane flight.  Now I want to do that!  :)

For me it happens like that.  I'll hear about a flight somewhere, and then do it.  Or, I'll fly into Toncontin, and never be bored.  Or, I'll do something else...my sim-itch comes back after a few days.

[tttocs 301]

Paul, sometimes you just need to take a break to get the juices flowing again.  I've taken a couple of extended breaks over the years and have always come back to greater levels of enjoyment.

Scott

[skelsey 765]

I suppose it depends what sort of VA you fly for.... I know as far as the one I fly for its concerned we have thousands of flights updated on a weekly basis to coincide with the real airline's schedule so destinations come and go and move fleets etc from time to time... certainly there's more destinations than I could fly to regularly enough to get bored of if I was to systematically work my way around all of them!

Routes aside, every flight is unique --different weather, different levels of traffic and challenges in the online ATC environment. I make it my mission to try and do a 'perfect' flight - not missing an item/switch/procedure etc and keeping to the SOP, staying ahead of the aircraft at all times and anticipating ahead so as to achieve smooth transitions to climbs/descents/turns/decelerations etc, trying to perform a perfect CDA where the thrust levers close at T/D and don't open again until 1000ft on final, never missing an R/T call/using the correct phraseology every time etc.. the list goes on and on.

Needless to say, in 20+ years it's not happened yet so I guess I still need more practice 😂.

[pracines 823]

The varying weather and time of day usually is all it takes for me, but with a whole world to explore on "days off" and so many add-ons available to spice things up, there is no way to get bored.

If you have a relative or friend to join you, that could help...like a first time flyer that you need to explain things to.

[Patco Lch 1,463]

The constant flow of new developments and updates keep me interested. Always something new to learn. If not a new aircraft then a scenery or interesting new utility to increase imersion. And just the fun of trying to get the most out of your hardware. That's why I'm on AVSIM several times a day.

[ahsmatt7 1,199]

I thought this was for real life. 

 

My answer? It pays the bills.

Actually, the fact that I can fly any airplane, anywhere and any time I want is why I still use P3d even though I fly foe the airlines in real life.

Because you're right, the airline has us flying the same airplane on the same routes....alllll ttttthhheee tttiimmmeeee.

[Stratocruiser1 134]

Try my airline for a change. DC3airways.net. We only fly the Douglas C-47/DC-3 and the Douglas  C-54/DC-4, with hundreds of flights for off line, and a Maint. Det. ferrying other pilots planes back to home base for inspections and overhauls from all over the world. We also are heavy into Multiplayer Flights on line with our own dedicated servers. There are three scheduled MP flights a week with a dozen or so members flying and using TeamSpeak or communication and with real weather. Very relaxed and great fun with some very interesting people.

Howard

[Torsen 492]

Hi Paul,

the flightsim blues... most of us know it well and it comes from time to time. But even the cure from it is a personal thing and there is no general recipe. I usually quit a few weeks, create some liveries, think about areas to fly in, create route networks for it, do some other silly task even do some blasphemic contentration on other games in totally different areas... But then comes back the itchy scratchy get back into the cokcpit feeling.

Regarding your question: I wondered how you guys flying for Virtual Airlines keep flying the same routes over and over. Why? And how?

There are some VAs out there that have a different approach and me part of one. We are a small bunch of pilots fascinated by the varity of options and want to try them out all (as long as possible). For sure we have networks as a base. They are segmented into classes and their main purpose is to give a base of routes most of them short enough to match into around the 90 min mark max because we all have lifes and real world stuff to be done beside the sim. Most of them especially for the smaller plane classes are a lot shorter but for sure there are longer ones, too. There will for sure be real world routes among them but we do not focus on it and you can fly them whenever you want without given schedule and however you want as long as passengers and cargo get there in one piece. And if you want to go somewhere else our pilots actively can request new stuff or even prepare routes/tours/network segments that our admins will check on consitency and implement then. Even if we advise to fly real time we allow our pilots especially on the airliners on longer legs to speed things up cause at least we don't want to you to get stuck in hours of boredom over the big blue nothing if you insist on flying such routes. Some people will scream blasphemy now but between TOC and TOD usually happens not that much interesting. Flightsimming should stay fun even if you learn new things every day. And regular online flying and doing tours and races keeps the fun up, too.

If you are interested go check out http://andrasmeridian.com or drop me a pm if you have further questions.

Cheers

Thorsten

[JLuis 409]

Hi Paul,

Use this App then you will be a fun job. 

https://fselite.net/news/simbitworlds-a-pilots-life-updated-to-version-1-3-0/

I love this soft.

Thanks

[SierraHotel 974]

Try getting your head around the DCS F14 Tomcat or FA18, that should banish boredom for about two years.

[Holdit 551]

How about a round the world trip?

[MarkW 1,490]

I tend to mostly fly Airliners although i still really enjoy flying GA from time to time.  The key to a great Airliner experience is finding the "right" VA for you.  If there is a great community, lots of online activity, a voice chat room when you are in cruise, Discord or similar text chat as well as great online support for the airline you are flying for (proper routes, information, updates, etc.) then the experience is simply amazing.  I have gone through probably 4 or 5 VA's in the past 20 years....two of which were incredible and one of which I still fly for.  So look around, join a few, see how it goes and when you find what you are looking for you will know it!

[Bobsk8 12,537]

After many years flying for VA's, the VA I use now is the best I have found. You can fly either scheduled flights, or make your own, and fly any aircraft you want. I fly about 10 flights a week average, and almost always, never to the same airports. http://flyvirtual.net/index.php/