vcaptmattsmith
01-07-2005, 09:45 PM
Hi folks!
The time for this year's Flight Simulator Around-the-World Race is drawing near. In this race, online forums race to complete and authenticate a series of flights in Microsoft's Flight Simulator circumnavigating the globe and touching all 6 continents with airports. Please consider this to be your official invitation to participate as a forum in this year's race. I'll be posting the official rules in an announcement in the next few weeks. Here, however, are a few announcements about this year's race.
The race will begin on February 20, 2005, at 1700Z (12 Noon US Eastern Time). The start/finish airport will be announced at the start of the race.
The Thunderscreech aircraft used by flightsim.com last year is out of the bounds of this year's rules. The Lear Fan is also out of the bounds of the rules. There are provisions in this year's rules (still being finalized) to limit eligible aircraft to production aircraft equipped with realistic flight models.
There will be three teams in this year's race: AVSIM.com, Flightsim.com, and Sim-Outhouse.com. This should add to the competition and make things more fun and interesting for everyone.
Any questions, comments, or suggestions about the race should be sent to me at mattsmith19@adelphia.net.
I'd like to offer a few words of advice to each forum. Teamwork is encouraged, but I want to be sure everyone realizes that any plans that the team makes are entirely up to each pilot to execute. The spirit of adventure has always been a big part of this race, and it's important that each pilot be able to fly where and how he wants. An offshoot of this is that “reserving the baton” is not allowed. Asking for it in advance is fine, and it would be nice if everyone respected requests for the baton, but no one is required to do so.
The most important factor in this race is, by far, having enough pilots to fly the entire thing without stopping. Time spent on the ground with the baton not moving has been what has made the difference in the past two years (though less so in the last race). I would suggest having pilots plan in advance to fly – as I stated ahead, no plans are binding, but I think people will probably be respectful of them and they will be beneficial to the team. Also, publicity for each forum is an important part of having a good showing in the race. Forum members, webmasters, and site administrators can all help their forums by publicizing the race and encouraging others to watch the race and fly.
A second important factor is the route taken. Though I'm not announcing where the race will be starting, planning can be done. Having a plan for the direction of flight around the world (very important!) and the actual route, taking into account the requirements that must be met to win the race, would be an excellent idea. A route could be mapped out and then adjusted as needed to fit the starting city of the race. Again, just a suggestion, but one that I think is worth considering.
The final important factor controlled by the pilots on each team are the aircraft used. A wide variety of aircraft is expected and encouraged. It is a good idea, as a pilot, to pick a few aircraft that you are comfortable with to set up for use in the race. Make sure you have a good panel, a realistic flight model, a nice exterior model, and good sounds so that you'll be able to enjoy each flight. I personally strongly encourage the purchase of payware – it's an excellent value and probably comes ready for flight in the race out of the box. No matter which route – freeware or payware – that you choose to go, I would encourage you to fly a few practice flights to familiarize yourself with the aircraft you are going to be flying. I would do this in a wide variety of conditions – day, night, good weather, bad weather, etc. This not only helps to ensure you don't crash as a pilot during the race, but also might catch any bugs that could crash your computer during the race – this has happened in the past quite a few times. Speed is an important factor, but not as important as some have made it out to be. A team that consistently flies in medium-speed aircraft will probably beat a team that flies high-speed aircraft with poor planning, crashes, and time when the baton isn't moving. Finally, I would suggest preparing yourself as a pilot if you'd like to fly in the race. Part of this is aircraft familiarization, as mentioned above. Another part is familiarization with flying and the Flight Simulator environment in general. Taking the flight lessons in the program might be a good idea, if you haven't already. Also, be sure you know how to take and post a screenshot so you'll be able to authenticate your flight when the time comes.
So, there you have it! The objective of all this is to have fun. Everyone's welcome to participate on any team. This year's race looks to be the most competitive yet. I think this can only increase the enjoyment of everyone who participates. I'll be watching each forum, answering any questions I see, and taking note of suggestions as race day approaches.
Kindest Regards-
Matt Smith
Organizer
Microsoft Flight Simulator Around-the-World Race
The time for this year's Flight Simulator Around-the-World Race is drawing near. In this race, online forums race to complete and authenticate a series of flights in Microsoft's Flight Simulator circumnavigating the globe and touching all 6 continents with airports. Please consider this to be your official invitation to participate as a forum in this year's race. I'll be posting the official rules in an announcement in the next few weeks. Here, however, are a few announcements about this year's race.
The race will begin on February 20, 2005, at 1700Z (12 Noon US Eastern Time). The start/finish airport will be announced at the start of the race.
The Thunderscreech aircraft used by flightsim.com last year is out of the bounds of this year's rules. The Lear Fan is also out of the bounds of the rules. There are provisions in this year's rules (still being finalized) to limit eligible aircraft to production aircraft equipped with realistic flight models.
There will be three teams in this year's race: AVSIM.com, Flightsim.com, and Sim-Outhouse.com. This should add to the competition and make things more fun and interesting for everyone.
Any questions, comments, or suggestions about the race should be sent to me at mattsmith19@adelphia.net.
I'd like to offer a few words of advice to each forum. Teamwork is encouraged, but I want to be sure everyone realizes that any plans that the team makes are entirely up to each pilot to execute. The spirit of adventure has always been a big part of this race, and it's important that each pilot be able to fly where and how he wants. An offshoot of this is that “reserving the baton” is not allowed. Asking for it in advance is fine, and it would be nice if everyone respected requests for the baton, but no one is required to do so.
The most important factor in this race is, by far, having enough pilots to fly the entire thing without stopping. Time spent on the ground with the baton not moving has been what has made the difference in the past two years (though less so in the last race). I would suggest having pilots plan in advance to fly – as I stated ahead, no plans are binding, but I think people will probably be respectful of them and they will be beneficial to the team. Also, publicity for each forum is an important part of having a good showing in the race. Forum members, webmasters, and site administrators can all help their forums by publicizing the race and encouraging others to watch the race and fly.
A second important factor is the route taken. Though I'm not announcing where the race will be starting, planning can be done. Having a plan for the direction of flight around the world (very important!) and the actual route, taking into account the requirements that must be met to win the race, would be an excellent idea. A route could be mapped out and then adjusted as needed to fit the starting city of the race. Again, just a suggestion, but one that I think is worth considering.
The final important factor controlled by the pilots on each team are the aircraft used. A wide variety of aircraft is expected and encouraged. It is a good idea, as a pilot, to pick a few aircraft that you are comfortable with to set up for use in the race. Make sure you have a good panel, a realistic flight model, a nice exterior model, and good sounds so that you'll be able to enjoy each flight. I personally strongly encourage the purchase of payware – it's an excellent value and probably comes ready for flight in the race out of the box. No matter which route – freeware or payware – that you choose to go, I would encourage you to fly a few practice flights to familiarize yourself with the aircraft you are going to be flying. I would do this in a wide variety of conditions – day, night, good weather, bad weather, etc. This not only helps to ensure you don't crash as a pilot during the race, but also might catch any bugs that could crash your computer during the race – this has happened in the past quite a few times. Speed is an important factor, but not as important as some have made it out to be. A team that consistently flies in medium-speed aircraft will probably beat a team that flies high-speed aircraft with poor planning, crashes, and time when the baton isn't moving. Finally, I would suggest preparing yourself as a pilot if you'd like to fly in the race. Part of this is aircraft familiarization, as mentioned above. Another part is familiarization with flying and the Flight Simulator environment in general. Taking the flight lessons in the program might be a good idea, if you haven't already. Also, be sure you know how to take and post a screenshot so you'll be able to authenticate your flight when the time comes.
So, there you have it! The objective of all this is to have fun. Everyone's welcome to participate on any team. This year's race looks to be the most competitive yet. I think this can only increase the enjoyment of everyone who participates. I'll be watching each forum, answering any questions I see, and taking note of suggestions as race day approaches.
Kindest Regards-
Matt Smith
Organizer
Microsoft Flight Simulator Around-the-World Race