So in your opinions, what makes a "Hardcore" simmer?

[CUJO]

Frankly I think it's

1. You spent enough money on FSX, add-on software, and computer upgrades that you could of gotten a real pilot liscense and a few hours or real flying.

2. You don't fly VOR to VOR, but can actually fly between them and know how to plot an intersect and adjust your heading for wind drift.

3. You fly a plane down the highway from your city to go somewhere else in tru vfr.

[Kurtvw]

I think its more to do with passion than skill...

I think if you have bought or built a system with the primary goal being to run FS as fast as a frightened gorilla - forgetting all other uses for a computer, thats one sign...

If you have to type around your flight controls, or people ask you about the pedals under your desk...

If your computer monitor is as large as, or larger than most of the T.Vs in your house.

And probably the biggest sign of all... You see a news story on TV and you have to go fly over the area in FS to get the lay of the land.

You're more likely to buy a computer upgrade, or a FS add-on then to buy food.

[Kimber]

If you:

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/8373/dscf0698ni8.jpg

[jlongstreet]

I think its more to do with passion than skill...

I think if you have bought or built a system with the primary goal being to run FS as fast as a frightened gorilla - forgetting all other uses for a computer, thats one sign...

If you have to type around your flight controls, or people ask you about the pedals under your desk...

If your computer monitor is as large as, or larger than most of the T.Vs in your house.

And probably the biggest sign of all... You see a news story on TV and you have to go fly over the area in FS to get the lay of the land.

You're more likely to buy a computer upgrade, or a FS add-on then to buy food.
Kurt,

You just described ME to the letter!!! The part about seeing a news story then firing up flight sim and flying there..........that's me. And I thought that I was the only fanatic who did that...........................:)

Happy flying.

[Paxx]

If you:

Insert large pic of setup (see above)

Press P to continue Kimber :)

[Kimber]

Press P to continue Kimber :)

I have to pause and take a picture with the camera because
screen shots look like this:

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/2378/30123333db7.jpg

[Paxx]

I meant carry on, looks great :)

[Tim_A]

Frankly I think it's

1. You spent enough money on FSX, add-on software, and computer upgrades that you could of gotten a real pilot liscense and a few hours or real flying.


I went out and got a real pilots licence because my FS landings were so poor.... :rolleyes:



(my landings are better now! ;))


And real flying is so much more addictive than simming! :D


so I'm *very* poor!

[Captain America]

I think its more to do with passion than skill...

I think if you have bought or built a system with the primary goal being to run FS as fast as a frightened gorilla - forgetting all other uses for a computer, thats one sign...

If you have to type around your flight controls, or people ask you about the pedals under your desk...

If your computer monitor is as large as, or larger than most of the T.Vs in your house.

And probably the biggest sign of all... You see a news story on TV and you have to go fly over the area in FS to get the lay of the land.

You're more likely to buy a computer upgrade, or a FS add-on then to buy food.


Been There, Done All Those Things.
And More! I'm Addicted.

I'm going to hang a sign over my Flight Sim Computer:
"Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here."

[CUJO]

Ya, my wife was wathcing "The Hills" and the flew out of Van Nuys to Vegas. So what did I have to?

I did have to give up everything I do on the computer and buy a laptop because I was tired of having to type around the flight yoke.

[Kimber]

Our Grand daughter, 8, loves FS and often uses it to check
out places they study at school or she hears about on the news!!
Yes, she watches the news!!

Northwest Africa is her favorite place to fly!!

Her favorite aircraft is the L10 Electra!!

[lungho]

I did have to give up everything I do on the computer and buy a laptop because I was tired of having to type around the flight yoke.

I use my laptop for surfing too because typing around the yoke is just awkward. The laptop also comes in hand in the middle of a flight when I need to pull up a chart or anything else that would require me to ALT TAB out of FS.

[rhodges]

Love and joy of aviation (In your blood) + achievement as close to reality as possible + time spent + $$$$$ spent.

Happy flying:
RTH

[Kurtvw]

The laptop also comes in hand in the middle of a flight when I need to pull up a chart or anything else that would require me to ALT TAB out of FS.

Geez I'm dumb! All these years and I never even thought about just setting my laptop up like that for charts...

Well, looks like my laptop is going to be spending a lot more time in the computer room!

Thanks for sharing that, it should have been obvious, but I just never thought of it.

[FlyinBryan]

As a hardcore simmer I spend alot of $$$ on my system - here's a list.

(2) more 21" monitors
(1) Matrox Triple Head2Go (digital)
(1) Nvidia 8800GTS - 640MB Ram Video Card (though I may change to the 512Mb)
(1) Yoke & rudder pedals
(2) more gigs or RAM
(1) Trackir IR4 (due in today - not yet installed)
(1) MS headset

This isn't too out of the ordinary I realize, however, it does take cash. I figure I've invested close to $1700 or more for this so far.

I'm still not done. This all has to be set into some kind of a full sim-module that I am yet to design and build. The plans are in my head - just not ready to act on it just yet.

I have to fly at least 3 times a week or I go crazy. It helps me to stay focused, it relaxes me, and helps just to just kind chill out. It's a big time hobby for me - that's for sure.

[myocardia]

Your FSX computer is worth as much as your car, or you haven't had time to work on your car, because your new computer parts came in. Priorities, you know.;)

[Gunner_CAF]

And probably the biggest sign of all... You see a news story on TV and you have to go fly over the area in FS to get the lay of the land.

Don't tell anyone, but one night I was watching the History Channel and there was a show on about the making of Pacific Highway, so I did a flight in FSX to fly up the coast following HY 1 while watching the show :)

Your flight controllers cost more then your PC.

You have NO productivity software cluttering up your hard drive.

Gunner

[vortiz56]

I think it is sitting in the seat of the next commercial plane ride and remembering/going through the motions of the simulated version you did of it the week before while listening to the pilot and ATC on Channel 9.

[paulhigg]

A hard core simmer is one who thinks about it all the time, plans his next flight in his head when he's away from his computer, constantly thinks of ways to improve performance, spends more on a high performance PC for it than his car, and generally has his head in the clouds and sky more than in real life. Now THAT'S me.

[Kurtvw]

A hard core simmer is one who thinks about it all the time, plans his next flight in his head when he's away from his computer, constantly thinks of ways to improve performance, spends more on a high performance PC for it than his car, and generally has his head in the clouds and sky more than in real life. Now THAT'S me.


I dunno, your avatar is a picture of a vette in your driveway.

Seems like maybe some of your money is finding another way out of your wallet?

You can't have both, you have to choose... either sell the vette or stop calling yourself 'hard core' :D

[paulhigg]

LOL! My Vette is paid off. Sooooo, that gives me money for my, how would you say, obsession?

I used to fly the real full motion sims in my job, now I would GLADLY give up my Vette for a full motion 767 sim!

[lungho]

LOL! My Vette is paid off. Sooooo, that gives me money for my, how would you say, obsession?

Heh, you might want to save that money for gas so you can still drive that baby.

[paulhigg]

Actually it gets 22 MPG, better than my 6 cylinder Ford Ranger. For two reasons, one, it drives at 60 MPH at 1500 PRM's and two, it is as sleek as a plane, not a box like my truck. I have wanted a Vette since I was knee-high to a paramecium an' I anin't givin' it up now, I don't care if gas is $10.00 per gallon. I like it.

[lungho]

Wow, that's pretty impressive. Trucks are always geared lower anyway plus they don't have any aerodynamics....as you've already pointed out.

Better end this one here before I get accused of highjacking the thread. :D

[paulhigg]

What do you mean by "hijacking the thread"? I really don't understand. Please explain. I do not want to get in trouble. We're just having a conversation right?

A Corvette is designed like an airplane. It is very aerodynamic like a jet so it offers very little wind resistance. Hence the better mileage. Aircraft designers have it right. They design planes to be very low drag (if they can) and the plane literally glides through the air which is a fluid when you really think about it.

[kingnorris]

What do you mean by "hijacking the thread"? I really don't understand. Please explain. I do not want to get in trouble. We're just having a conversation right?


You won't get in trouble. "Hijacking a thread" just means that it's going off-topic is all...

[paulhigg]

Oh, thanks. I understand now.

By the way. I was reading the very interesting contest they were having and they talked about Machu Picchu (sp?) and I can't for the life of me find it in the database. What is the code for that airport? I would like to fly from it.

[joejam2]

Our Grand daughter, 8, loves FS and often uses it to check
out places they study at school or she hears about on the news!!
Yes, she watches the news!!

Northwest Africa is her favorite place to fly!!

Her favorite aircraft is the L10 Electra!!

I would do the same when I was 8-9 when we had FS95. Although, now with the advanced terrain mesh and stuff the places actually look more like real life.


I think its more to do with passion than skill...

I think if you have bought or built a system with the primary goal being to run FS as fast as a frightened gorilla - forgetting all other uses for a computer, thats one sign...

If you have to type around your flight controls, or people ask you about the pedals under your desk...

If your computer monitor is as large as, or larger than most of the T.Vs in your house.

And probably the biggest sign of all... You see a news story on TV and you have to go fly over the area in FS to get the lay of the land.

You're more likely to buy a computer upgrade, or a FS add-on then to buy food.

LOL that is me. (as I pull my keyboard out further to type this because my flight yoke is in the way)

[paulhigg]

So what is the code for Machu Piccho and how do I get there, do you know off the top of your head?

[Kurtvw]

So what is the code for Machu Piccho and how do I get there, do you know off the top of your head?

You're not going to find a code for Machu Picchu. It's an ancient city on a mountain top in Peru. I assure you there is no airport there.

Do a little google searching and you can easily get its coordinates. But its at about 12k feet in the Andes mountains, and there is no airport (Airplanes having been invented some time after the city failed).

[MongooseMike]

The closest airport is Teniente Alejandro Velasco Astete Intl., SPZO
That's at about 12000 ft so fly a turbo prop.
According to Google, the ruins are about 45 miles North West, about 45 dg.
I couldn't find them so I don't know if FSX even put them in.

[Kurtvw]

I couldn't find them so I don't know if FSX even put them in.

I doubt they put it in... there are much larger ruins, and in fact structures that are not ruins that are not in FSX..

I should point out that I haven't overflown the area in FSX, so I'm guessing.