Simming while flying in a real bird....

[saturn05]

Here we go again (my third and last one for the day I promise.....)
There is any of you so addicted to flight simulation like me that when I travel I bring with me one of my joysticks (the little one non force feedback.... :-) ) and i play on my laptop when I cruise on a real flight???
Normally I fly exactly the same kind of plane I'm travelling (same livery if possible) and same route...
Before 9/11 sometimes boarding I asked some "technical question" to the captain in the cockpit and I got an invitation to join the ride on the jumpseat......
It happened couple of times (more recently) that the travel attendant serving drinks had a very worried expression in her/his face when saw the screen of my laptop (on purpose I switch back and forward between external view and cockpit...ehehehehe)..thinking that I was some sort of remote-controlling the plane....

[Bruce]

ooh you wicked sod you ;) you wanna be careful there you may get jumped by one of those "sky marshels"

[mrpoo]

have been doing this for a few years myself and you do get some odd looks from fellow passengers- best one was when we went thro turbulance and i shook the joystick my next seat companion nearly had a heart attack

[rservice]

Did he/she tell you not to do that

[chuckryan]

And I thought I was the only one that weird! I add a step. I have a garmin Etrex I stick in the window (have to use your shoulder to hold it in place). Then I have the moving map program to show me where I should be, and the current altitude. This lets me adjust my cruising speed to match the flight. I should probably download the winds aloft prior to the flight to get a better speed match. In the good old days prior to 9-11, the off-duty crew members were always stopping by to chat (I fly a lot of NorthWest 747 flights to Asia through DTW). That way I could get the wind info from the crew, and any weather info they received in-flight.

I stopped simming on flights due to my Companies new "cost-saving" decision to stop flying Business Class on any flight over 10 hours. Now we have to fly coach everywhere, and it is a real pain to try to use a laptop unless the seat next to you is empty. I have a flight to India coming up. The only time I ever made that flight it was KPVD-KIAD-EGLL-VOMM-VOBG. Took forever, but it was Business class that time. (Heathrow has a nice Business Class lounge with a shower and they pressed your clothes while you were showering)


Not looking forward to the trip in Coach, let's hope the bird is empty and I can spread out.

[lsdunch]

ten hours? Anyway, I wouldn't hold my breath on the IAD-LHR flight. This is the time of year when they practically give away the tickets, and I imagine the coach class will be full. If you are on UA (and I'm sure you must be an Elite level on whatever airline you use!) just get one of the good Economy Plus seats. If it's BA again, and you're 'elite' enough, you might be able to beg an upgrade to World Traveller Plus. Good Luck!


Oh, and Saturn, I've just received my first laptop and installed FS2k4. I am looking forward to doing exactly what you described on my next trip ;-). Assuming I won't have a joystick, how do you fly the plane with no number pad??

[bostona1]

I would rather see someone doing what you do than the woman who sat in front of me on a flight and decided to paint her nails. One of the smells I hate most in life is fingernail polish.

Paul

[lsdunch]

Yeah, I had that happen to me a few months ago. Very inconsiderate in such an enclosed space, I thought.

[stryder]

Well I take my ch yoke and footpedals in my suitcase... It gets the second eye by TSA everytime. I am a little weird I suppose....

Jeff


>Here we go again (my third and last one for the day I
>promise.....)
>There is any of you so addicted to flight simulation like me
>that when I travel I bring with me one of my joysticks (the
>little one non force feedback.... :-) ) and i play on my
>laptop when I cruise on a real flight???
>Normally I fly exactly the same kind of plane I'm travelling
>(same livery if possible) and same route...
>Before 9/11 sometimes boarding I asked some "technical
>question" to the captain in the cockpit and I got an
>invitation to join the ride on the jumpseat......
>It happened couple of times (more recently) that the travel
>attendant serving drinks had a very worried expression in
>her/his face when saw the screen of my laptop (on purpose I
>switch back and forward between external view and
>cockpit...ehehehehe)..thinking that I was some sort of
>remote-controlling the plane....

[fallout01]

Pre 9-11 I used to carry my Sony hand-held scanner with an ear piece and listen in on the radio transmissions. When I was flying every week on J31's, I got to know the crews pretty well since the airport near my house was a crew base, and I'd bring my DC headset along. They'd let me sit in the front most seat and plug me in. THAT got some quizzicle looks from my fellow PAX.

As far as inflight smells, NOTHING beats the time I was on an F100 and some woman back in coach changed her baby at her seat. You could tell something was up by the sounds in the cabin behind us that seemed to be getting closer and closer...and then the smell reached 1st. :-irks

Jeez! People without brains shouldn't be allowed to breed...

Regards,

Dave