Get A Life? Already Got One, Thanks!

By Brad Quiring (13 April 2006)

But at least you don't hear "Get a life" from the fellow simmers. In reality, we HAVE one. Chip Barber hit the nail on the head with his last installment of "The Corner". I sent off an e-mail to Chip saying that I hear the "get a life" line enough times from many, especially my dearest co-pilot for life. But on the other hand, she DID buy me the CH Rudder pedal set a year ago and last week for my birthday she opened up the Net navigator, pulled out the credit card, and said "pick something for your silly simulator". I guess she realizes I have a life, or at least that I'm staying out of trouble.

Thinking about the "life" we have and enjoy, I can think of how simming has made things a little more interesting in my real-life experiences. A few months ago I accompanied my co-workers to the airport. We sat there looking at the fog and I told them, "your flight isn't leaving. In fact, it won't arrive". The airline representative, with her pasted-on professional smile, said, "of course, all is well". I went to a neighboring airline's counter and asked for a copy of the latest METAR. A pilot came out with a printout and a surprised look on his face. The METAR confirmed my diagnosis and ten minutes later the announcement came that all flights were suspended. My co-workers were looking at the string of letters and numbers and wondering how in the world I translated the "gibberish" into a cancelled flight. My answer: "flight simming".

The fun then started. The pilot who brought me the print out asked me how I knew how to read a METAR. I explained my hobby to him, and pretty soon we were talking "shop", conversing like two pilots, comparing aircraft characteristics, airfields and techniques. Yes, I have a life with FS.

When I step into my virtual cockpit my teen-age son sits in on the session, too. He's not into flying, but he is interested in seeing what aircraft I am flying and my destinations. As we home school him, I'm taking advantage of using FS2002 as a teaching tool for geography, and it has become a very handy teaching tool. Yes, I have a life with FS.

On one trip in Canada, I popped open the Dell laptop on the flight (at the correct time, don't worry). Loaded up the exact plane and livery, lined up on the same runway with approximation of the weather of the day, and followed the flight. My seatmates, the flight attendant, and other assorted passengers all became friends and I wasn't short of conversation. One person was convinced I had some way of seeing the actual flight we were on and more than once expressed concern about some sort of potential conspiracy underway at seat 8A. Yes, I have a life with FS.

As a member of the Flight Simulator Flight Club at www.toomuchfs.com I have contact with some very interesting people from different points on the globe, and I'm having more fun than ever with my simulator. Yes, I have a life with FS.

The next time someone asks if I have a life flying around the world without ever leaving my office, I say, "Yes, I do. And it is very satisfying. And I'm very much in touch with reality. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a visual approach going into SPQU with a low ceiling and mountains all around. I need some silence, please."

Brad Quiring
brad@thequirings.com

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