Keeps the mind alert!

Unlike my bud (excuse me mate) John, I don't take it too seriously. But, like mdreyer I don't consider it a game. 

If you call it a "game"...you're not really a "flight simmer".   It's a simulation where there is not competition, and no opponents.  You, the simmer, are the only "winner" when you do everything right from takeoff to landing.  The feeling of landing in another part of the world is a good feeling.  Yesterday, I flew to Bermuda, and the weather was beautiful...because I left a chilly, rainy location.  It's almost like I was actually there!  The more sophisticated our hobby becomes, the more satisfying and REAL it feels.

Flight Simulation is especially satisfying when you replicate a flight you've had in real life OR you fly it BEFORE you actually take the trip in real life.   

What can I say?   I'm drawn to it every day.

Stan

An interesting study into why folks do what they do.

Here, I'm an son of a decorated WWII bomber pilot and senior officer in the Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Grew up on Air Force Bases. Love planes...and love computers.

Some folks do crossword puzzles...I personally, love the technical stuff and make my own flight sim scenery. Half the fun for me is the mental challenge of flying in all sorts of weather and sticking the landing.

Now at 70years can't do the stuff I used to do, sim flying is great fun, great social interaction with folks of similar tastes and interests. And as has already been said, with today's much improved scenery going by the window, one can go to any region of the planet and see things that one can't afford in real life. Or, in my case I can relive my many years of flying bush planes into dangerous situations, working in isolated environments, in all sorts of weather...totally addicting.

Bryan

The escape of virtual flight, piloting heavy metal above most of the weather, or sometimes GA aircraft through/ underneath the weather.

I love aviation and, to some degree, machinery, weaponry and vehicles of all kinds. (Don't worry, I'm in the UK where it's all banned ) I like watching documentaries about engineering - power, size, speed, ingenuity. I love video games too so I've gravitated to the simulation side of that industry (trucks, cars, tanks, submarines), but aviation has been the key. 

All of the above. I like to fly a jet liner somewhere then google pictures or videos of that place I'll never see in real life. As a retired codger life would be empty with out my sim and AVSIM to check several times a day to see what's trending. All that would leave me would be that mindless bottomless garbage pit called television. Well, except for the Smithsonian Channel.

9 hours ago, mdreyer said:

Game?!!! How very dare you sir! Tis no 'game'! 😉

You got that right! Those are fighting words!

6 hours ago, charliearon said:

It sure as hell beats tic-tac-toe!  Since this was a question for all, I have moved this topic into the Hangar Chat forum.

This is a general question about why you Sim and not a Sim vs Sim situation.  Let's keep it that way!

It's as real as it gets for less than $100,000, or make that several hundred million dollars for some of my rides!

1 hour ago, spilok said:

If you call it a "game"...you're not really a "flight simmer".   It's a simulation where there is not competition, and no opponents.  You, the simmer, are the only "winner" when you do everything right from takeoff to landing.  The feeling of landing in another part of the world is a good feeling.  Yesterday, I flew to Bermuda, and the weather was beautiful...because I left a chilly, rainy location.  It's almost like I was actually there!  The more sophisticated our hobby becomes, the more satisfying and REAL it feels.

Flight Simulation is especially satisfying when you replicate a flight you've had in real life OR you fly it BEFORE you actually take the trip in real life.   

What can I say?   I'm drawn to it every day.

Stan

Stan's the man!

You said it Sir as good as I could.

Been hooked ever since I first flew stick planes over checkerboard ground on an Apple 2E, whenever that was...

(Can still hear it sound the frames: chug...chug...chug)!

Have over 600g of P3D installation now. It's as real as it gets, so far!

Kind regards,

Spirit Flyer 

Stephen

 

12 hours ago, Quackarov said:

Hello everyone.  I would like to ask you all question.  What is the thing that keeps bringing you back to flight simulation?  Is it the views?  Or maybe the airplanes? Maybe it is the satisfaction of completing a flight.  What is it that makes you load up your game and get in an airplane?  

 

Any answers welcome!  

 

Thanks!

 

Aviation is in the blood.  The cost savings of Flight Simulation is another bonus.  Hobbies like flight is great and even more so when we have a thrifty option.  It's that simple to me. The cost of fuel and a plane has priced me out.  Thanks to PC's I'll take this option as it's better than nothing at all.  Add-ons like PMDG, FSDreamteam, and DCS to name a few offer great learning for airports an environments around the world the no one would ever see in one life time.  That's the short of it for me....   

Awesome thread!!!

I myself went to college and received my commercial pilots licence along with a business degree. I was planning on flying as a career but soon after college I was offered a very well paying job, had a few daughters and, well my career path just went in another direction.

I still have my licence and can rent a plane to fly IRL, however I have a hard time justifying the cost of an hours plane rental where that one hour can pay my cell phone bill, vehicle insurance, motorcycle insurance, internet etc. for the WHOLE month. An hour flying or a months of paid bills is the difference. Flight simulation let’s me keep in tune with flying. For that hour I spend on flying real life I can purchase a couple airplanes and some scenery and use it over and over and over again at no extra charge...That plus I really do enjoy it and it relaxes me, almost therapeutic with work and the daily grind of life etc.

Dont get me wrong, I’d rather fly real airplanes, but again the cost for an hour in my log book just isn’t justifiable, I do however plan on purchasing a little C152 IRL within the next ten years.

Edited May 16, 20197 yr by flyinpilot212121

Why do I sim ?  I come from Flight Simulator 2 on the C64, I don't think that the present generation truly understands what they have on their desktops today with wold wide terrain mesh, TrueEarth photoreal, Live Weather and Environments, Real World Procedures to over 25,000 airports and everything to scale on multiple wide screen HD monitors and worldwide network connected. All for the price of two or three C172 tires, just stand back and be amazed.

As a school boy, every day I watched a Rockwell Aero Commander take off from a small-town airport near my school and dreamed of what it must be like to fly!  I found it very hard indeed to wait the further ten years until my very first flight, in a B727-200 from my hometown to a distant interstate college.  Since then I have flown countless times to so many destinations, all around the world - and have never tired of the experience!

I began flight simming on the original Bruce Artwick Flight Simulator for Apple II, and was hooked immediately - despite primitive (blocky) instruments and laughably non-existent "scenery"!  With each new iteration (on C64, Amiga, right up to Microsoft FSX and now P3D), it became more real, immersive, visually accurate, and fun.

I really enjoy planning and flying a route, and landing well, which is even more fun now with GSX ground vehicles and activities going on while I plan the onward flight!  I love the realism that comes with quality in-depth aircraft, very realistic scenery, Active Sky real-time weather, and especially the challenges that weather presents with general aviation aircraft.

I get a buzz out of creating new liveries for the heavies, whether my own personal designs, variations of real-world airliners, or meeting special requests from fellow enthusiasts.

So flight simming is my indoor retirement hobby, great for keeping the mind active and the creative spirit challenged - there is so much to do and to learn.  Next step for me is to begin flying on VATSIM, and possibly sharing the cockpit, which I understand opens up a whole new level of realism! 

I am reading through these with one of the biggest smiles I have had in a while.  I love all of the responses and stories people are willing to share.  It is really something special.  

On one of the topics I have seen, the "game" comment was accidental.  I probably should have re-read it before clicking send, but oh well.  I made my bed, and now I must lay in it.  

 

Again, I really appreciate everyone who took the time to respond!

 

Thanks again!

2 hours ago, Quackarov said:

I am reading through these with one of the biggest smiles I have had in a while.  I love all of the responses and stories people are willing to share.  It is really something special.  

On one of the topics I have seen, the "game" comment was accidental.  I probably should have re-read it before clicking send, but oh well.  I made my bed, and now I must lay in it.  

 

Again, I really appreciate everyone who took the time to respond!

 

Thanks again!

My family call it a game always. I keep flying and enjoying my sim.

9 hours ago, Quackarov said:

I am reading through these with one of the biggest smiles I have had in a while.  I love all of the responses and stories people are willing to share.  It is really something special.  

On one of the topics I have seen, the "game" comment was accidental.  I probably should have re-read it before clicking send, but oh well.  I made my bed, and now I must lay in it.  

 

Again, I really appreciate everyone who took the time to respond!

 

Thanks again!

You are heartedly forgiven and welcomed most warmly to our flying club as one of us! 

Kindest regards,

Spirit Flyer

Stephen

1 hour ago, SpiritFlyer said:

You are heartedly forgiven and welcomed most warmly to our flying club as one of us! 

Kindest regards,

Spirit Flyer

Stephen

Speak for yourself Stephen. I don't like him.

2 hours ago, Ron Attwood said:

Speak for yourself Stephen. I don't like him.

😞