8 minutes ago, jon b said:

I’ll add Cape Breton Island to my list then, thanks I’ll have a look at that.

When life was better, 2 to 4 day layovers and a minimum of 3 days off after to recover, I used to get the chance to do a lot of riding around California and Nevada on hired BMWs. Sadly nowadays it’s 1 night layovers and 2 days off between trips, everybody is running on empty.

It doesn’t seem like 2 minutes ago I was a 16 year old flying the PA28 in the champagne IL circuit on my Commodore 64 so believe me I know how lucky I’ve been to progress on to flying for real it was always my dream job too. Sadly the whole airline  landscape seems to have changed into some horrible toxic woke environment and most people I know over 40 want out. Perhaps corporate flying a nice jet for a good boss or back to freight flying is the way to go.

What’s really great about the sims is it’s just about pure flying , about you and the machine, you avoid the nonsense of real world airline management and their interference, and you don’t get FOs who’ve only been flying a couple of years quoting ops manual regulations in your ear, who get the auto pilot in at 200ft and  turn to stone with fear when faced with a 20kt crosswind.

As my Australian mate says, they can’t fly a plane but can type 120 words a minute.

 I’m just getting old I think

A very interesting post from someone on the inside....but sad to read what you relate!     So you did the rental thing on your layovers!   What a gas!  And on BMW's no less!   I don't think you are 'getting old'...I just think you wish like we all do...that the world could be taken back to the social mores  of  (well for me...the 60/70's)  but as to that...I'm not going to hold my breath.  Blue isn't my best color...    And of course, a lot of us, actively use our computer time (flight simming) as a way to step off the world for an hour or three.   Certainly that.   Playing a musical instrument, does the same for me, as I'm sure for other musicians.

50 minutes ago, Sesquashtoo said:

Cape Breton Island

Especially the Cabot Trail, wouldn't you say, and counterclockwise to appreciate the long winding climb up to Cape Smokey.

I have become obsessed with a part of my simulator.  Adding startup scenarios.  I park my Kodiak in a parking spot at some airport and then save the scenario.  Then I link the scenario to an icon on my desktop.  I have 7 desktop pages now with over 900 startup flights at different P3D and Orbx airports.  I can put 20 startup icons in a row and 7 rows on a page.  Fences makes it easy.  Will I ever use them all?  Not a chance.  But it's something for me to do.

About two or three times a week I fly a leg of my extensive around the world flight I planned that circumnavigates the continents.

What will I do when I run out of airports to park my Kodiak in?  Start my airplane collection over again from scratch on a different sim.  Right now I am on P3Dv5.  I think I will use P3Dv3 for the airplane collection.  And I will customize the panels to fit my modified keyboard and stick controls.

I am now housebound.  Foot problems keep me from taking walks anymore and failing eyesight limits my reading.  I've lost interest in writing.  I don't play any musical instruments.  I could watch television all day but I would lose interest in that.  So I only watch old movies in the evening.

I have friends in my age group (I'll turn 89 in December) who have no hobbies and have nothing to do but sit and watch the world go by and take a lot of naps.  My wife is one of them.  She gets out and goes shopping a couple times a week.  But aside from that she naps and sits and pets the cats.

I wake up each morning, discover I am still alive, and think about what I will do with my simulator today.  Where should I spot my Kodiak today?  Perhaps I will fly the next leg of my around the world flight.  Or maybe it's time to reinstall P3Dv3 and start adding airplanes and customize panels. 

That simulator you guys are bored with keeps me alive and interested.

Noel

There is only one thing to be said about hardware update for the casual to moderately serious Simmer:

X-Box Series X

Now it is very nice to have a cutting edge PC that cost $5000 BUT these days you'd have to be nuts to go down that road for Flight Sim v's $500 for the X-Box.

My current build (i9 10900K at 5.2Ghz with RTX 3090 etc. etc. etc.) is my last one! The 3090 alone cost more than 4 times what X-Box Series X costs.

4 hours ago, Sesquashtoo said:

Keep up with that guitar!  It will soothe the Soul.  I also am into archery,  (have a compound bow for target and hunting (for food on the table), as well as an interest and usage of both pistol and long gun, again, for target, and providing wild game to the family table.   Yeah,  I have played quite a few instruments over the years...but my prime instrument is the Piano.  Along with that, came an interest in Jazz, Blues, and Dixie. So ,  I learned such as the trumpet, trombone, tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass guitar, 12 string, banjo, flute, wood flutes, harmonica (my dad made that instrument, cry...lol)   So...good-bye to many hours staring into a computer monitor...and more of actual physical engaging of creating music....  That's the plan moving forward, Swe!

Yeah, there are so much to do besides 'wasting' time by the computer (even though it is an escapism I really appreciate). My plan was to bowhunt, sadly it is illegal here in Sweden and I would have to go abroad to hunt so it has been target practice only. As for the guitar, I played several years as a yougster but sadly was not all that focused so I never really got anywhere. I probably got further in my playing this summer than in all those years.

Here’s an idea, start controlling on Vatsim. Any computer will do and the challenge is very rewarding. 

6 hours ago, dmwalker said:

Especially the Cabot Trail, wouldn't you say, and counterclockwise to appreciate the long winding climb up to Cape Smokey.

Absolutely....I forgot to mention that he wants to run the outside lane.   Thanks for that tip!  We always do the counterclockwise for sure! At the 'south end of Nova Scotia, we always stop in Digsby, for some fresh, still wiggling Scallops!  We eat at one of the family shacks on the pier....and seriously, the Scallops are still dripping salt water as they place a dozen in front of you, and of course...with BEER! 🙂

Ses

Edited September 3, 20223 yr by Sesquashtoo

7 hours ago, birdguy said:

I have become obsessed with a part of my simulator.  Adding startup scenarios.  I park my Kodiak in a parking spot at some airport and then save the scenario.  Then I link the scenario to an icon on my desktop.  I have 7 desktop pages now with over 900 startup flights at different P3D and Orbx airports.  I can put 20 startup icons in a row and 7 rows on a page.  Fences makes it easy.  Will I ever use them all?  Not a chance.  But it's something for me to do.

About two or three times a week I fly a leg of my extensive around the world flight I planned that circumnavigates the continents.

What will I do when I run out of airports to park my Kodiak in?  Start my airplane collection over again from scratch on a different sim.  Right now I am on P3Dv5.  I think I will use P3Dv3 for the airplane collection.  And I will customize the panels to fit my modified keyboard and stick controls.

I am now housebound.  Foot problems keep me from taking walks anymore and failing eyesight limits my reading.  I've lost interest in writing.  I don't play any musical instruments.  I could watch television all day but I would lose interest in that.  So I only watch old movies in the evening.

I have friends in my age group (I'll turn 89 in December) who have no hobbies and have nothing to do but sit and watch the world go by and take a lot of naps.  My wife is one of them.  She gets out and goes shopping a couple times a week.  But aside from that she naps and sits and pets the cats.

I wake up each morning, discover I am still alive, and think about what I will do with my simulator today.  Where should I spot my Kodiak today?  Perhaps I will fly the next leg of my around the world flight.  Or maybe it's time to reinstall P3Dv3 and start adding airplanes and customize panels. 

That simulator you guys are bored with keeps me alive and interested.

Noel

A most excellent post!

Cheers!

Ses

3 hours ago, MarkW said:

Here’s an idea, start controlling on Vatsim. Any computer will do and the challenge is very rewarding. 

Mark, my poor wife would be rolling her eyes...but thanks for the idea.  Another facet of the hobby. 🙂

On a selfish note, I hope you'll drop in here at Hangar Chat once in awhile to let us know how you're doing.  I've always enjoyed the enthusiasm you exhibit in your posts.

2 hours ago, Mike A said:

On a selfish note, I hope you'll drop in here at Hangar Chat once in awhile to let us know how you're doing.  I've always enjoyed the enthusiasm you exhibit in your posts.

Hi Mike...not actually closing doors and shipping out!  I intend to still fire up one of the three when the fancy flairs...but just that I am not any longer,  a 'focused' user of the flight sim genre.  It will be with all the other things that I will now expand to take up my recreational time.   See ya around! 🙂  Happy flights.

My Sim time reduces in the summer when I can ride my bike - an Indian Challenger - during what I hope is a 6 month riding season here. I'm retired, 69, retired 6 years ago after 40 years of flying both fixed and rotary and I am lucky enough to have lots of things i like to do. When I retired within 2 weeks I loaded up the bike and went for a 6 week, 10,000 km ride. I'm a sport shooter and have been for going on 60 years. Before i was 12 i was running around the woods with a single shot 16 gauge shotgun. I don't run around the woods much anymore as I haven't been a hunter for almost 30 years and spent lots of time there in my helicopter days plus the joints aren't too thrilled with the idea. In another 8 weeks we have a 50/50 probability of having snow on the ground to stay and that's when I really get back into the sims. I'm grateful for the flight sim interest for when the body really starts really slowing down i will still have a great interest in going somewhere for a flight.

Mr. Birdguy it was a real pleasure reading your post. I hope you have many more years to continue to fly around the world.

3 hours ago, dbw1 said:

My Sim time reduces in the summer when I can ride my bike - an Indian Challenger - during what I hope is a 6 month riding season here. I'm retired, 69, retired 6 years ago after 40 years of flying both fixed and rotary and I am lucky enough to have lots of things i like to do. When I retired within 2 weeks I loaded up the bike and went for a 6 week, 10,000 km ride. I'm a sport shooter and have been for going on 60 years. Before i was 12 i was running around the woods with a single shot 16 gauge shotgun. I don't run around the woods much anymore as I haven't been a hunter for almost 30 years and spent lots of time there in my helicopter days plus the joints aren't too thrilled with the idea. In another 8 weeks we have a 50/50 probability of having snow on the ground to stay and that's when I really get back into the sims. I'm grateful for the flight sim interest for when the body really starts really slowing down i will still have a great interest in going somewhere for a flight.

Mr. Birdguy it was a real pleasure reading your post. I hope you have many more years to continue to fly around the world.

Great read, and thanks!   A Challenger, huh?   Great bike...was looking at that....but my final choice was the Yamaha Star Venture TC.   I also had/has my eye on the Pursuit.  I really like what they did for the rear suspension.  I have family (come from) in the Phoenix AZ area, as well as the Valley in Southern California.   Either next Spring/early Summer,  we are hoping to put together a three bike friendship ride down to Phoenix,  over to San Diego, up the coast (Route 1) to the L.A. area,  then up to Oregon to visit my wife's family...and over through Montana, and eastward, until we hit Detroit and the Ambassador Bridge.  Then onto home and a hot shower...lol.  BTW, for your Challenger, I suggest you try REDLINE (premium synthetic) 20W50...as I have found by experience, that to be the best premium synthetic oil (and viscosity over 10W40) I have ever put in my Star Venture TC, which has an air/oil cooled 113 c.u. V-Twin.  Engine runs cool, and tranny shifts are like butter...highly recommend you give it a try.  You should see a night and day difference even between any other premium like Amzoil for instance.  I swapped out of 20W50 Amzoil, and saw the bettering running with REDLINE, right away, in the first few miles and shifts.  Back to flight simming...enjoy your motorcycle off-season snow bound,  flights! 🙂

Ses

Edited September 4, 20223 yr by Sesquashtoo

What gets me down is the sim vs sim division of the community of late. My sim looks better, my sim is more realistic, your sim is dead, etc etc. As @Sesquashtoo  says it's just a pixel game, not a religion and no one is getting rich doing it except maybe certain developers who have a Pied Pipper talent for stringing us along. There are just limits to what can be done on a desktop.

As far as getting real I've done the Cessna 152 thing as well as eight years of ATC in the military as well as the FAA mess, but I will never shadow the front office of a 737, 747, or Airbus A320. Simming affords me that experience in an abstract way so I guess I'll continue to devote a lot of time and treasure to it as long as I can. 

My system cost before I upgraded under $1200. MSFS ran fine on Medium settings anywhere and Ultra most places (it was a 3600X cpu and 2600 super gpu back then). The same company IBuyPower now offers better rigs for about $1350.

https://www.ibuypower.com/store/gaming-rdy-slhrg214

Walmart sells a xBox|X (in stock) for $499. The new Honeycomb works on either PC or Xbox. Most USB pedals work fine on xBox|X.

Things like the 40th anniversary edition extravaganza is designed to keep interest stoked.

(I  sound like a Microsoft  salesman, LOL)