But anyhoo, I've recently discovered some oldies but goodies that have managed to make a reappearance in my hangar. For the longest time, I've been a "If it 'aint Boeing, I 'aint going" type of person. I have been fortunate to become a beta tester for a developer who is working on an Airbus series, and with all of the fiddling I've been doing, I've rather acquired a taste for things Airbus.

Show of hands here. How many of you have taken the time to sift through the folders in which you've lovingly stored your download receipts? I had nothing to do the other day (other than the couch workout - see above) and so spent the morning meandering down my papered memory lane of payware. Funny how these things add up in our quest for virtual nirvana, no? I swear, had I known then what I know now, there is a very good chance I'd have kept up with the guitar and not chosen to pursue my interest in flight simulation. By now I'd have that Gibson hollowbody and a real Fender Strat circa 1962. Instead, I've got reams upon reams of paper dedicated to my spendthrift ways. And, something tells me I'm in a rather crowded boat when it comes to this dirty little secret of ours.

So, I'm finding the Airbus series to be a good deal of fun to fly! And after spending the hours I did finding and reinstalling everything from a 310 to a 340, I find myself with a nicely renewed enthusiasm for my saved flights. After all, there are only so many Boeing simulations out there that are really worth the investment of one's time and hard-earned cash, and frankly, I've got them all. I've managed to become more or less comfortable with each one of them, even if I'm still pondering the intricacies of an NDB approach in the Level D 767. OK, I admit it, I'm a glideslope junkie. An ILS lover from way back. The way I see it, after a perfectly lovely flight from wheels up through descent and approach, the last thing I wish to do is bounce my passengers to the stand.

And, having become comfortable with the Boeing series in my hangar, I've developed a certain FSMelancholy of sorts. "Oh, we're doing the Miami to JFK run again today. Guess I'll just enter the Company Route in the FMC..." blah blah blah. Were it not for the fact that you real world flyboys have not only your own life, but those of a couple hundred paying customers behind you on the line, I imagine you may experience something of the same thing. Perhaps you do, but if so, do keep it to yourselves, OK?

Now, let's take a peek under the skirts of the old hangar, shall we? There's this new Airbus being worked on that I'd mentioned, by FeelThere. She is a beauty, by the way. And I've been enjoying the PSS series, which encompasses the A319 through the A340. They are something of a challenge until you realize that there really, really is a difference between Airbus and Boeing. I've just resurrected the SSW "Masters Edition" A310-300. This little beauty boasts the most accurate and complex panel work yet developed for the Airbus series. Then we have the Aerosoft Eurowings Pro, which has an awful lot of goodies attached, but a mostly non-functional FMC (they call it something different, but I'm far too lazy to look it up - live with it). This group of birds is good for those who don't wish to study before flying, and spend time on the tarmac in pre-flight chores.

Just a word about the SSW beast. She is an older bird, and they're not kidding when they tell you it's an intricate piece of software that takes some studying in order to get it to do what its been designed to do (especially if you're of the mindset that the developers were sadists who enjoy watching their customers pounding their keyboards in frustration). If I may take a moment to toot my own horn, I installed it and successfully went from KALB to KISP whilst following procedures in less than 24 hours (that's installation to taxi to the stand, not just the flight itself - geesh), most of which was spent in sleep and my perpetual Oxy-haze. I tried to impress my family with this grand achievement, only to be met with a rousing chorus of "Mmm Hmm" and "That's nice, dear". Hardly the ovation I felt was merited for the accomplishment. Truth to tell, the new puppy garners more accolades for defecating on his pee pee pads than I get for my flights (let me describe Yorkshire Terriers - take an engine out of an F-14 Tomcat and stick it in the butt of a Cessna 152 and light it. THAT is a Yorkie). Ah, well, such is the lot of a Sim Pilot!

The point, my fellow pilots, is to embrace this New Year with enthusiasm! Look to your hangars for birds that you've managed to ignore for whatever the reason! You real world flyboys, just keep doing what you're doing. Maybe just once at V2 whistle the first few bars of "Alice's Restaurant", and see how your First Officer reacts. Whatever it is, do it. For many of us, this is as close as we'll come to aviation (and for most of us, this is probably a good thing).

And just one small word of advice. The most sophisticated flight sim add-on costs a fraction of a puppy, and will not leave a puddle in the bathroom in which you'll step on one of your midnight sojourns to the loo ...

Three Green!

Chip Barber
rfbarber2@verizon.net