Hi Everybody,

Is it just me or has the flight sim community gone monthly sub crazy? 

Navigraph, SayIntentionsAI, AICabby,  Foreflight, Pilotedge... are there others? How much do developers think we have to spend each month on flying in the virtual world. Wife is beginning to look at me a bit funny!

1 hour ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

Wife is beginning to look at me a bit funny!

Beginning?? The same person who walks past your sim config every day? What tree did you pick her from? Asking for a friend.

7 minutes ago, blingthinger said:

Beginning?? The same person who walks past your sim config every day? What tree did you pick her from? Asking for a friend.

That's funny!

@Mike_CFII_MEL no developer is forcing you to do anything. Its your choosing, I have no subscriptions,  Nadda one. Get my navdata from Aerosoft. Purchase as I see fit.

Edited June 12, 20241 yr by mjrhealth

22 minutes ago, mjrhealth said:

@Mike_CFII_MEL no developer is forcing you to do anything. Its your choosing, I have no subscriptions,  Nadda one. Get my navdata from Aerosoft. Purchase as I see fit.

Who said anything about being forced into anything? This is an observation.

8 minutes ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

Who said anything about being forced into anything? This is an observation.

And that was my observation. Its all about keeping ones self in a constant income.

It's a pattern with everything these days @Mike_CFII_MEL, and it can really add up if you're not careful. I even downloaded an app the other day to help with fasting (dieting) and even that wanted a subscription just to enable a few minor new features that should have just been in the application to start with and required no additional cost to the developer to provide.

If I'm paying monthly for software then I'd expect something of quality out of it and something that justifies the subscription (e.g. cloud storage, maps etc). If I'm simply paying rent to use an app that could have been a one off payment, then I no longer bother with it and find an alternative or just not use it.

At least with flight simming, I do pay for Navigraph because it's actually a decent service that has updated data (someone is working continually to keep that updated). It also makes sense to me that PilotEdge is a subscription because it's being staffed by real people.

6 hours ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

Wife is beginning to look at me a bit funny!

You should have known it was going to happen sooner or later 😂   My wife gave me the look just after I bought the rudder pedals.  I am going to be smart and hold off until they announce the price drop on the Sayintention.Al and then dive in.  😁

I am going do a flight with the free version to try out then figure out I sneak this in the budget. 😄 

My wife doesn't even get this whole flight sim thing. She once asked me, "Do you shoot anything down?  Is there any acton?"

I said "Nope.  We just fly around for hours."

"That's it???"

 

52 minutes ago, GoranM said:

My wife doesn't even get this whole flight sim thing.

The only way I got my wife to understand is putting the VR glasses on her while in the cockpit. When she saw that, she said, "this is cool". 😄

Edited June 12, 20241 yr by BobFS88

48 minutes ago, GoranM said:

I said "Nope.  We just fly around for hours."

Ha yep, mine says the same thing, she doesn't see the point (same as truck sims etc which I also like)

3 hours ago, BobFS88 said:

The only way I got my wife to understand is putting the VR glasses on her while in the cockpit. When she saw that, she said, "this is cool". 😄

+1 recommended. 

Ive been recording short replays and giving her sceanic VR flights with the replay.

10 hours ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

Hi Everybody,

Is it just me or has the flight sim community gone monthly sub crazy? 

Navigraph, SayIntentionsAI, AICabby,  Foreflight, Pilotedge... are there others? How much do developers think we have to spend each month on flying in the virtual world. Wife is beginning to look at me a bit funny!

I was talking to one of the Mckenzie lot last week. They made a very good case to switch to offering subscriptions, even though personally I don't like them.

key points were:

* People use a product more if they are subscribed to it rather than made a one off payment

* Support oveheads are lower, because problematic customers just cancel their subscription and then leave you alone. still come back if/when you fix whatever made them grumpy

* much more favourable long term financial stability.

So much so I'm seriously contemplating switching to or offering AutoATC as a subscription.

So yes, its a thing now.

@Mike_CFII_MEL I have been noticing it for awhile and hoping it didn't increase, but it has definitely become more prevalent. I am not doing it. I will purchase outright or walk and find another way to spend my money. Hey! The Harley in the garage needs some new chrome...

The worst, I think, is when folks require a subscription to a certain site to get 'free' software for $5/mo or whatever, the dev gets their percentage of $5, and the customer just dumps the subscription once download completes. Just use a store please. I'd pay double if it wasn't a sub.

NAV data is out of date. I'm used to it.

4 hours ago, BobFS88 said:

The only way I got my wife to understand is putting the VR glasses on her while in the cockpit. When she saw that, she said, "this is cool". 😄

Mine said....  "I think I'm about to barf" haha

11 hours ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

Hi Everybody,

Is it just me or has the flight sim community gone monthly sub crazy? 

Navigraph, SayIntentionsAI, AICabby,  Foreflight, Pilotedge... are there others? How much do developers think we have to spend each month on flying in the virtual world. Wife is beginning to look at me a bit funny!

Foreflight really doesn’t count, as it is designed and intended for use in r/w aviation - though it does work well in simulation with a suitable connector program to inject the sim aircraft position, speed and altitude into FF.

I will never feel any sense of resentment at paying for Navigraph charts. I process the Jeppesen invoices for the r/w flight department I work for, and know how much those charts actually cost. ($10,000 per year, per aircraft). The worldwide biweekly Jeppesen charts assortment Navigraph provides is absolutely identical to that provided to r/w aircraft operators, except for the red “For flight simulation use only” warning printed at the bottom of each chart.

Worldwide FMS data is $5,000 per aircraft, per year.

I enjoy “live ATC” on Vatsim, and though I understand the allure of a service like PilotEdge, it’s not worth it (to me) to pay for it,

And of course, there are recurring costs we all pay (indirectly) for using MSFS - electric utility charges and ISP charges for internet access.