2 hours ago, Bjoern said:

While I've never performed a (thorough) walkaround on a real aircraft so far, the Reality Expansion Packs for various aircraft sure made me hate the procedure. Just like warm-up runs with piston engines.

I don’t think it’s all that bad, frankly.

not saying that it must be done for Serious Simmer reasons, but it is a nice excuse to get out and admire the exterior modeling, if nothing else. 

it’s always clunky because of the unavoidable warp to the cockpit, which breaks immersion. But again - I look at it as a gentle warm up. Only takes about 2mins in the REPs. 

33 minutes ago, Patco Lch said:

This reminds me of Captain Mike Rays comment in the front of his 747 check ride manual. Referencing the 47s long haul mission he says pilots love the plane but hate the mission. They may only get a turn at two or three landings a month. Of course I wouldn’t complain if I were being payed in excess of three hundred bucks an hour to lay up in the cubicle and snooze for dollars. But makes for boring simming.

Yep. My dad transitioned from 727s/737s to the DC-10. And as soon as he could, he transitioned right back to the small boys. 

didn’t want to be gone as often or as long as the big birds demand. 

on a contrasting side note, my FA mom loved long hauls to far off lands. She would only fly transoceanics to foreign countries. She was gone 2 weeks at a time, more or less. 

2 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

Yep. My dad transitioned from 727s/737s to the DC-10. And as soon as he could, he transitioned right back to the small boys. 

didn’t want to be gone as often or as long as the big birds demand. 

on a contrasting side note, my FA mom loved long hauls to far off lands. She would only fly transoceanics to foreign countries. She was gone 2 weeks at a time, more or less. 

WOW, your folks lived the dream.

5 hours ago, Litjan said:

The difference is that on one you get to sit on your *ss, drink coffee, chat with the FO and look at the scenery passing by, with the other you get to bump your head (even on my airplane), get your hands dirty and walk through de-icing fluid...

LOL that part about chatting with your FO made me think about the Russel Crow movie “ A Beautiful Mind”. I can imagine my wife walking past my office , glancing in and hearing me arguing with myself about quality of life bid on the 717 out of Detroit as opposed to a senior FO seat on 37s in Atlanta.

12 hours ago, Patco Lch said:

I can imagine my wife walking past my office , glancing in and hearing me arguing with myself about quality of life bid on the 717 out of Detroit as opposed to a senior FO seat on 37s in Atlanta.

That is what ChatGPT is for these days 😄

If you jump time, there has to be some artificial look-forward for weather, re-estimate of fuel consumption when winds change, guesstimate of time forward with those other estimates, etc.  Not my cup of tea, but do what you like and like what you do.  I much prefer shorter flights in the smaller Airbus, Boeing, ERJ, CRJ, Dash 8 and exec jets.  Keeps me busy in the cockpit and allows a lot more flights over time.