I'm writing this because I can't understand why people go so far with flightsim hardware. I remember Peter James saying that he knew someone who had a fully built flight simulator probably worth about $2 million. I've been on a pritty crap one at Duxford Air Museum in the UK and that cost £2 Million and it doesn't even work anymore!

I ask these sort of people: Why? Why go so far in the simming world when by saving the money you're spending on joysticks, rudder pedals, vibrating seat pads, avionics system, thrust lever and many more and just put all that money in a nice little bank account and actually learn how to fly at a flying school. I can understand why you do it if you're disabled but have always wanted to fly, that's fair enough, but there are people who obviously have the money to go down to their local flying school (there are many more than you may think, I never knew there was one in Hitchen until my Dad told me!) and tell them you want to learn!

Anyway, as much as I love flightsimming, the farthest I've ever gone is a joystick with a little thrust lever built-in and flightsimming can't give you the feeling of the G's as you make a turn 450 kts or the bounce as you do a 25 kts crosswind landing whether you have all this high tech equipment or not!

I do understand that there are some real world pilots who are also flightsimmers because A. They love to fly and B. They probably love to do outragious things that they would never dream of doing in their "Qantas 757" or a "American Airlines MD-88" but that is still no reason for them to go so far as to buy thousands of pounds or dolars worth of flightsimming technology.

At this point, I bet you're thinking "He's only saying this because he can't afford all this high tech equipment" and yes, you'd be right, I can't afford it and I don't want to afford it, What I want to be able to afford is a "DIY" kit for building my very own plane (Yes, they do exist, stop laughing) and some lessons with a good flight instructor. I'm still in school so I'm speaking from a very young age and I don't have a job yet, but let me tell you now, I will save every penny I ever earn and I will make this dream come true, If it's the last thing I do in my entire life, This one WILL be a success.

See you at the airport!

Rick Attfield
megarick@ntlworld.com
http://www.n227pa.cjb.net/

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