Peter gets the trusty FlightSim.Com Corporate Archer ready for the 100nm journey to Western MA.

his is Peter's first FlightSim.Com Roadtrip and he wasn't going to take it in a car! Roger Wilco 's headquarters is located in the Berkshires of MA, about a 2.5 hour car drive west, all the way to the New York State line. Too close for airlines, too far to drive.

"Hey Nels - can I have the keys?" Well, I don't actually have to ask, I have my own keys to the corporate Archer, but it's always good to ask the boss if I can use his toys. After speaking to the team at Roger Wilco and learning about their great new voice recognition software that could be used for any flightsim; we just had to go out there and do an interview. If you want to view Peter's flight, go here.

Roger Wilco is a free service using the web as a base for free flowing live voice communication between you, and one or more friends. Most other voice software is client based, meaning a central computer relays the communications. Roger Wilco runs directly from yours to another's computer, eliminating this boondoggle. If you have a Windows based microphone, you have all you need to use Roger Wilco.

Most of the users of this great service are from the "other" realm of the gaming world. The one where death, dismemberment, and gunsights all come into play. However, the military and civilian aviation simulation realm is catching on and holds about 20 to 30% market share. There is even some "unofficial" rumors that some real Navy warships are using Roger Wilco to have open channels via computer to other warships. And then, there are those who just use it as a great way to avoid long distance telephone charges. To date, the free software has been downloaded over 407,000 times since its release back in May of 1999.

Some facts about Roger Wilco:
* it's made just for gamers
* it works right along with your game's sounds and blends perfectly with them
* it's all group oriented and multiple users can talk together while flying
* 28.8 modems work fine and anything faster is really icing on the cake
* performance hit on your computer is about 5% of the total system performance when running the software (which you should know is very low)
* using Roger Wilco for Internet voice only taxes your computer only 3%
* on a 28.8k modem, Roger Wilco takes up about 8k of the bandwidth
* works great with the SATCO / ProController system for FS
* is fat free!

The idea of having a great new way to communicate with fellow gamers that didn't involve typing on the keyboard was the purpose behind this venture. The three roommates of Princeton who fought in the virtual trenches made their dreams come true by moving to North Adams, forming the company out of nothing and bringing it to the level it is today. Today, Roger Wilco is now part of Mpath / Mplayer. The enthusiasm, dedication and fun these guys are having there is the key to Roger Wilco's success. After spending a couple of hours with them, I had a very good feeling that the team they have is there to stay. I must hand it to anyone starting out today to become their own bosses and wish them greatness for the future. It would be a fun place to work and I think small startups are the way to go. The old "has been" way of work - taking orders from grumbling managers who don't care - is finally going out.

The office is located in an historical old mill building that houses a conservatory and art museum. The Roger Wilco team has made it their second home and it's furnished with comfortable couches and sports a nice view from the windowed wall.

So visit Roger Wilco and give their software a try. It's absolutely free and is only going to make your flights more realistic, entertaining and FUN!

Let's meet the masters behind the product (and the face of the wallpaper!).