CAL757

Ross, I can only speak for how things are in the United States.My first suggestion is to see if you can find pilots already serving with the airlines you wish to fly for. They will be your best bet on these questions, and it never hurts to know people on the inside when you start applying for jobs. If you dont know any pilots then try calling the Human Resources depart of those airlines and see if they can tell you what they look for in applicants. It certainly cant hurt!Here in the US, flying for the military is the best bet to get into the airlines. You get alot of hours in a complex aircraft without racking up the debt. So if the thought of military life would appeal to you and you dont care if you're not flying a civilian airliner, then I would look into this route. However some forces require long service periods (USAF requires a 10 year commitment to be a pilot) so time will be taken out of your civil career.Next would be a flight university. Here in the US we have Embry-Riddle, which is though very highly of by US carriers. I dont know of a school like that in the UK but I'm sure there is one. This typically can be the most expensive option.Next would be getting hours any way you can. You could be a CFI, you could fly cargo hops for small regional companies. In the US you can do "contract" work were basically a company that flies small aircraft (think Cessna Caravan) will let you fly PIC in their planes and the hours you earn make up the majority of they payment for your services. Not much money, but at least you arent paying to get those hours.There are a TON of options to gain hours and there are probably options available to you in the UK that we dont have over here. Just take some time to find out all your options and evaluate what best fits you time, finances and goals. What is good for one may not be good for someone else. Sadly the PMDG froum probably isnt the best place to get these answers. Look for a forum that is about real pilots and real aviation. There you can find alot more people who can directly help you. While there are some ATPs on PMDG the good portion of us are people who have chosen other things in life and live our dreams of being an ATP with PMDGs aircraft.

I will preface this response with "I am only speaking from a perspective of us carriers"It is a complicated question to answer. Steven is right, my father flew for 27 year in the United States and hated everything about the job except the actual flying. He always said he hated is job until he sat down in the cockpit. He also said living out of a suitcase for 2/3 of a year gets real old real fast. That said, he is now retired and every day he misses it. Flying was his dream job.I too wanted to be a pilot but chose not to and went into engineering instead and here are the things I tossed around in my head before I made my decision.Do you want a family someday? Keep in mind you are gone ALOT. You would miss holidays, birthdays, special events, etc. However, pilots typically get good travel benefits so your family and kids could do things most people can't. I traveled more, saw more places, and experienced more things prior to 16 than most people do in a life time.Does money mater? You have the potential to make a lot of money (you work your butt off for it). But you might never make it out of the regional airlines which are notorious for underpaying their crews. Airlines frequently have their ups and downs, between recessions, layoffs and strikes you at least need to be prepared to work another job outside of flying if something happens to the industry.What really drives you to flying? If it is being at the controls then there is no other way to fill that void in your life. If it is money or travel, it can be achieved through other jobs as well.That is what I went trough to make my decision. I dont know if this helps you at all, but I hope it will.There are few jobs that offer so much, yet ask so much of you, as being a pilot.Finish getting your private license, you will never regret having that. And if my dad were to tell you anything, he would say make sure you have a back up job for the days when things are bad.

You're right, I did some more digging and found that it belongs to a startup called Peregrine Point. Still it is a beautiful aircraft, I would say that I hope PMDG does a combi version but at this point I think what is done is done. Still it is interesting to imagine what situations a plane would be part cargo and part executive.

I saw this picture when I was looking into a NG cargo varaiant. Turns out that Boeing has designed a BBJ 737-700C which has a cargo door on the main deck. I wonder why Wells Fargo needs a BBJ that can convert into a freighter?(Picture source Justin Pistone)

Well to each their own, but I also like the new livery and would love to have a paint of it!

I know this can be a hot topic and I DO NOT want to start a flame war so please dont jump all over me for this statement. I am only providing feedback to PMDG that if they choose to include this feature I (for one) would appreciate it.Travis Menard

I know the 777 is a ways away (after the Dash 8 as I understand it). I was wondering if you guys would consider implementing the folding wings on the 777. I know that no airline has taken this option, but I think it is still an interesting feature.Just my two centsTravis Menard

So, is the drogue and sensor plug used only for testing the prototype 73, or are they used for the test flights of every 737 prior to delivery?Travis Menard

Hey guys,I did a search through the forum and could not find a clear answer to my question. So if there already is one and I missed it I am sorry for double posting.Do you guys plan on doing military variants of the NGX such as the Poseidon, the Wedgetail, and the C-40. I saw a pic of a navy C-40 that hada second airstair built into the rear left door that was pretty neat.Travis Menard

Can anyone help me out? Please!Travis

Everyone,I need help in creating a livery, I do not have the software and most of all the skill to create my own liveries.I would like a fictitious FedEx livery where the the orange is replaced by the Custom Critical blue and the "Express" subtitle is replace with "Custom Critical". Attached is a picture for color and script comparison.Many thanks in advance,Travis Menard(photo source is from Webshots.com uploaded by militaryman4)