FSwhat after winning the Powerball

Assume for the sake of argument you win the $1.5 billon Powerball.

How would that affect your Flight Simming experience?

Would you quit simming in favor of real life flying?

If you didn't quit simming, what flight sim system/program would you move to or stick with?

Would you build, buy construct the ultimate flight sim system/cockpit? If so, what aircraft would it be?

What hardware would you buy to run the new system?

There are obviously other, related questions.

Take this and run with it if you care to.

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My own answers: I'd both continue simming with FSX and go for my PPL. I'm pretty sure I'd eventually move to P3D but don't know enough about it technically to say when that would be - or exactly why. (I do think P3D still has a ways to go addons-wise.) Obviously, I'd get the latest, greatest bestest PC money could buy - again, I don't have a clue what that actually is, but money can buy a lot of pc power and the tech nerd expertise to advise me about what that "latest, greatest" system would be.

I'd buy a new house and set aside a room, possibly two, for 2 cockpit builds - one probably for a Turboprop twin and the other for my real-life dream luxury purchase, a T-38 (or better yet, an F-20 Tigershark). A few thousand or whatever for a motion-enabled simulator for these planes would be worth the micro-pittance this would represent of my newly acquired, hard to get my head around it, massive financial worth.

And just for fun, I'd try to hire a group of the best freeware scenery developers to create some awesome packages for my favorite areas - not necessarily airports per se, but places I like to fly in/see as well as some airports that I think deserve attention. Then I'd upload those sceneries here and elsewhere for the community to share.

Just a few off the wall thoughts as I dream about the lottery I likely won't win tonight - but, one can dream, right?

Hmm ... assuming you are the only winner, -50% taxes, -30% insta-payout clause, you still prob walk away with somewhere north of the high $500,000,000's +/-.

If it was me, establishing a Flightsim Foundation with a 50million endowment concentrating on a new state of the art AAA Class flight simulator would probably happen. I would explore government/private sector matching funds for parallel LIDAR mapping, drone development and pilot training.

I wouldn't expect to make a dime off it. I'm thinkin I'll desire a tax haven. ;)

Well, don't look at me. I didn't win it. But simming would be the LAST thing I would be 'involved in'. What with the new houses (1 in Montana and 1 in Florida), the new Yacht and the new log cabin in Montana. Flying? Too dangerous. Amtrac? Sleeper bunk-ahhh. Party!!

But I did get 2 nos plus the Powerball. 19 came out and I had 12. 34 came out and I had 32. So I was 'in the area'. No prize payout yet so don't know what prize is going to be but I spent it already! Ha.

Chuck B

Well, I "threw away" $20 on 10 tickets/lines. Not really "threw away", I did win on 3 lines - total $12 recouped.

Otoh, it was fun dreaming - and as I tell my elderly Dad, dreaming but not buying a single ticket is just not the same as having a chance to win because you actually bought a ticket. (Plus, it was my birthday present to myself to really dream this week.)

Assume for the sake of argument you win the $1.5 billon Powerball.

 

How would that affect your Flight Simming experience?

http://www.doomsteaddiner.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/pinky_brain.jpg

I shouldn't talk about this because I'll just jinx myself and not win one damn dollar. Actually, that's all I ever won from the lotto and I buy a ticket here and there. I too bought ten tickets, had five tickets a few days before for a total of 15 tickets, not one damn dollar was won. Last time I play Powerball. The numbers they added make it not even worth playing. Your odds are waaaay up there now. Honestly, after being screwed so much with Lotto, I might try scratchers. I could use just $1000 for my new computer build. Hell, even $200 would be nice.

With that said, if and IF I were to win I have been following a $50,000 simulator in a trailer on ebay that I more than likely would buy. Nice thing is he's in Denver and I'm just 50 miles north. So yeah, I would continue to Sim. I would also keep my current 50 GB FS2004 install as well. I have that backed up three times. LOL As to real flying I'm a little SOL. I have a medical issue that according to current FAA rules preclude me from flying. And even if I could I may never be able to pass the color blind test. I did read about that test and there are a few that are easier to take and then there's the signals test which I might be able to pass.

Beyond that, I would just buy a nice half million dollar home. I seen a really nice one in town with a full balcony stair case that was just awesome. I'd have that house wired for networking, networked cameras, etc. I was talking to a guy on YouTube about a Longlines? bunker he was selling for half a million that I would love to own. Or I'd buy a missile silo that I see is up for grabs near Denver. I'm kinda a prepper myself and I just think one day that damn Yellowstone super volcano is going to erupt. It would in deed be every man for himself. Make no mistake about it. Also, I don't have much faith in the USD so I would buy a million or so in gold & silver. I have plans on its placement.

I'm also into radio communications, police scanners and the like. So I would have a fair amount of that stuff.

I was also thinking a 4-6 million dollar island off the coast of Fiji would be nice. I would even pay the 10 or so million to run a trunk to the island from a fiber cable for Internet. Hell if I would want a Sat connection. LOL!

So what's that leave me? 450 million at the least minus making my family happy and work free for the rest of their tax paying lives? Not too shabby.

Edit- Not to make this all about my self. I would give a million or two to the Fisher House, Wounded Warriors, Saint Jude and the crippled children's fund that my brother and I benefited from. Also thought about construction of a huge no kill animal shelter and/or a homeless shelter. We don't have a real homeless shelter here in town. I would just need the city to maintain it and I'd front construction costs.

Money is one powerful thing indeed. You can do some fantastic and good things with it. Not to mention make your life a hell of a lot better. Providing you're not an idiot.

Did you guys hear about the 200 something real estate tycoons in Tampa Bay Floriduh that got together and bought 73,000 tickets? I guess their odds went from 1 in 230 million something to 1 in 14,000. LOL! Not sure if they won anything, but my dad did say someone in Tampa did win a million I think.

Just proves even 73,000 tickets won't even guarantee you the jackpot. After years of playing Texas holdem, I'm a firm believer in luck. I've seen it first hand. I mean anyone that won that giant 1 and a half billion kiss my butt payout is one lucky person.