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I don’t know about you, but I can no longer count the hours during
which I’ve found myself between flights (in the quasi pilot’s
lounge, if you will), pondering the great “What’s Next”.
There are multiple avenues towards self-satisfaction in this regard,
almost exclusively by virtue of that great hybrid piece of
hardware/software we all worship (to one degree or another, depending
on the depth of our devotion, or as my wife puts it, childishness to
the nth degree), the PC. Just how long is your (don’t even think
of going there…) Favorite List? And of that, what is the
percentage of flight simulation web sites? To go even further, how
many of those are sites which will ultimately require your input of a
series of numbers which will earn you a good talking-to by the Boss
at the end of the month? I thought so. Me too.That’s right, those dreaded websites which hawk all manner of add-ons. Were we to extrapolate back, say, one hundred years, these sites would be fronted by a man with a megaphone… “Hurry, hurry, hurry. Step right up and be the first to experience the latest advances, guaranteed to leave you breathless, and giving you an experience unlike anything you’ve ever had before!” Back to the PC, I’m certain you can recognize the transformation of those words, this time complete with JPEG’s, WAV files and streaming video images guaranteed to fire our imaginations, and bring us just that much closer to digital piloting nirvana.
Who can resist? The way I figure it, if one is able to afford the machine and the software to pursue this hobby to any significant degree, then one will inevitably feel the pull from the trouser pocket that contains the wallet that contains the charge card. They know this, and we know this. It’s part of the game. And, have you noticed? More and more often, the websites at whose altars we frequently find ourselves genuflecting include a simple, tiny little click spot to yet another site, with even more goodies. I swear, it’s a wonder I still have a house! (The VISA people have started sending me Christmas and Birthday cards. Is that bad?)
I have a confession to make. (Is the Boss here?) I just bought the CH Yoke and Pedals. No, it’s true. A gentleman in Florida wrote to me, and during our exchange he happened to mention them, and when asked, explained he (who has a PPL) would not fly without them. Well, that was the proverbial last straw. The trusty Favorites list opened, I spent a good half-hour reading up and down the list, and finally found the website (Yes, I know. I could have used Google, but dammit, I needed the time to come up with a few valid reasons why I was making this investment that would fly with the Boss).
The rest is, as they say, history. They came the other day. Have you ever seen these things? Now, buying a piece of software on the sly is a relatively simple thing to pull off. Sneak it in, open the wrapper carefully and quietly (I have a box cutter in the drawer in the computer table just for this purpose), install the program, and deep six the box. Oh yes, I’ve found downloading a demo and acclimatizing the Boss to its presence for about a week goes a long way in smoothing this process. With luck, the assumption will be made that the game being played remains the demo.
But where was I? Oh yes, The Hardware. Think of Mike Tyson. For those fortunate enough to be blissfully ignorant of the name, this is a professional boxer who succumbed to some whim, and now sports a tattoo on his face. A big, hulking blight of a tattoo (Mike, if you’re reading this, it’s very nice and I like it a lot) right there. Now, imagine trying to come home sporting one of these, hoping the Boss won’t notice. Same thing with The Hardware. But, to her endless credit, she simply rolled her eyes and went back to playing Spades online. Bless that woman! She’s married to a child, we both know and accept it.
Lost my train of thought again. I was thinking of that PIC 737 that has got some pics up in their forum. Can feel that tug already starting. Oh, OK. Inspiration. There’s one now! The CH Products were an inspiration, helped along by my Floridian friend (here’s to ya, Norm). This 737 (as if I need another FLUF in my hangar) is an inspiration that is being carefully stoked by the developers in close coordination with the web site guys. Hurry, hurry, step right up …
So, I’m between flights at the moment. Got just a ridiculously long Favorites list, not quite exclusively devoted to flight simulation, but enough to perhaps indict me when the bankruptcy police finally catch up to me. What to do? I could go over to my shoot-em-up, but that just isn’t doing it for me right now. Inspiration. Hmmmm. They say that good things come to those who wait. So, while I wait, I think I’ll just browse this list of websites here. Been a couple of hours, and you never know when something will appear, and be just the thing you’ve been waiting for!
Three Green!
Chip Barber
rfbarber@optonline.net
