[ Club Chachapoya ] 2024 Annual Meeting, 01-04 April, Meigs

[TomPenDragon]

Hello and welcome, my esteemed friends, to our Club's Annual meeting for 2024, and the inauguration of our new Home Airport, Merril C. Meigs, KCGX.  To those who have been flying with us since the beginning and those who have joined us along the way for one or more of our Challenges, it's great to see you all again!  To those who are flying with us for the first time and who are showing us the wonders of MSFS2020, welcome!

 

Last Fall, ViperPilot2 had the wild idea of doing a flying event for some of the older sims.  A few people decided to take him up on it.  That became the Bendix Challenge.  Some wove elaborate fictional narratives about their sim flights.  And the weirdest thing happened: After spending October flying one event, we wanted to do another, which became the Route 66 Challenge, which saw us all spending Thanksgiving together on a California beach.  And what did we talk about between Thanksgiving and New Year's?  Doing another Challenge, this one so big and convoluted, with three different routes, each with its own character and rules set, that participation at times felt like it fit the legal definition of insanity.

 

In this time, we've told a lot of stories, running a gamut from murder mysteries to science fiction.  We've told a lot of jokes.  We've packed our logbooks with a lot of flying hours.  And we've consistently had the most active threads on flightsim.com.  We've also seen each other through illnesses, major surgeries, and health scares to our spouses.  To repeat a comment I made early on: Sometimes it's more than just pushing pixels around screens.  There are real people behind the screen names.

 

And we're still here, and more people are flying events with us each time.

 

So, to paraphrase Microsoft, Where Do We Want To Fly From Here?  And, what will it take to get us there?  That's the purpose of this meeting.  Or to put it in business world terms, what are our goals for 2024 and what is the minimum structure necessary to facilitate their achievement?  The fact that we've been flying together for six months now, doing it all by the seat of our pants, and we're still together is amazing.  It's time now for a little more formality, so that we can all be together to do this again next year.

 

To support this, we'll be using a four-phase process:

 

1. Preliminary: A simple, broad questionnaire was posted on Friday, with the request to consider our answers in private.  The purpose of this is twofold: To ensure that all responses are exclusively the yours and not built on someone else's, and to allow you to post your answers with a minimum of time and effort.  This step is now complete.
2. Individual Ideas: The second step is the posting of responses.  Have your say about any of the questionnaire items that is important to you, and more importantly, consider what everyone else has to say before we start discussing it.  This step begins now, and ends the earlier of all members having posted their responses to the questionnaire, or 12:00 CDT on Tuesday.  Getting all responses in quickly will allow us more time for discussion.
3. Discussion/Consensus Building:  The third step starts when the second ends, and ends at end-of-day Wednesday, or earlier by agreement of the attendees.  This one presents the logistical challenge of having to take place across the globe, while still finishing in a short amount of time.  Individual Ideas will fall into one of three categories:
   1. Agreement: We've been flying together for a while and know each other's styles and capabilities, so all answers to a given question say much the same thing.  These will boil down to simply formalizing what we're already doing.  Easy!
   2. I Don't Agree, But I Can Live With It:  Answers that differ sharply will need a negotiated solution.  While the goal is to include everyone's ideas to their satisfaction, sometimes that will not prove possible.  Consensus isn't about pleasing everyone, but rather about each of us conceding just enough to keep the others happy without our concessions becoming issues for us later on.
   3. Adamant Disagreement: Some things just cross a line.  If you search your heart, are not just being petulant and trying to get your own way, and the move toward consensus is taking us somewhere that you are just unwilling to go, say so and we'll take a step back.  What doesn't work for all of us doesn't work for any of us.  Hopefully, these will be few and far between.  These are the ones we most need to catch and resolve in the broadest, most imaginative sort of way, lest we start losing members.
4. 2024 Club Bylaws Publication:  The final step starts when the previous one ends.  Ideally, we will have developed the text during the Discussion phase, and will only have to compile it into a cohesive document.  From the moment of the document's publication, we will have 24 hours for edits and comment.

 

Let me end this introduction with a preliminary Code of Conduct, to both govern this meeting and as my proposal for a more permanent Code:

 

• Disagree without being disagreeable.
• Be slow to anger, quick to forgive, and leave pursuing grudges in the box in the attic with all the rest of the things from our childhoods.
• Express ourselves, perhaps even insistently when a point's very important to us, but put finding a liveable consensus over winning a point.  Let's all get on the same side of the table here and come up with answers, rather than going round and round in pointless arguments.
• This is a single-level group.  No one's opinion has any more validity than anyone else's here.  Whatever else we've been in the past, here we're all just fellow fliers, trying to have fun together.  Whatever skills and knowledge that we've acquired throughout our lives only matter to the degree that we lay them on the table and use them to help our brothers-in-wings here.  Leadership is a service here, not a position of privilege, and shall be undertaken only with the intent of improving our fellow fliers' enjoyment of the group.
• When something offends us, let's take 5 or even wait a day or two and make our response a considered Action, rather than a brute Reaction.  As I used to tell my clients, "The one who unconsciously Reacts rather than consciously Acts. loses."  Save Reacting for when you're on final into KCGX, past decision height, and that nice, 30-knot headwind suddenly drops to 0.
• We all have different skill and knowledge sets.  Never ridicule a question, just because it seems too basic.  Let's put ourselves in the other person's shoes, lace them up, and go for a nice, long walk.  A lot of us are prideful people.  Many of us have done a lot over our lifetimes.  When we find ourselves with a group of other similarly-accomplished individuals, who are all talking about something we don't understand, we tend to not ask the million-and-one questions we have because we don't want to seem dumb.  When we finally do screw up the courage to ask something, the worst thing that can happen is that someone laughs at us for it.  All that does is confirm our feelings of inadequacy.  When will we ask them another question?  Never.  When will we feel safe and confident around that someone or enjoy spending time with them?  After we ask another question and receive a decent, honest response from them.
• English is the language for our interactions.  We all have different levels of it.  Even those of us who are native English speakers have vast national/regional/cultural differences in how we express ourselves.  Let's not assume that a question or comment is understood by all - in fact, a more valid assumption is that at least one person here will not understand what we've said in the way that we intended it to come out.  Ask. Clarify. Above all, let's be patient with each other.
• Any proposal for a route, Challenge, Fly-In, or any other activity that will require Club members to take action, is a commitment on the part of the proposer to both participate in the activity and to administer it.  In other words, if it's your baby, you change the diapers.  You may enlist help from other Club members, but this is strictly voluntary.

[PhrogPhlyer]

For those who may have missed seeing this, below is the questionnaire. 

 

The Questionnaire

 

Please answer any of the questions on which you have strong feelings.  You do not have to answer them all.  Any answer that  would require the rest of the members of the Club to take a particular action is a commitment on your part to carry out that action yourself, if adopted by the rest of us.

 

1. How can the Club best serve you?
   1. As a (sim) pilot?
   2. As a creator (writer)?
   3. As a person?
2. Events:
   1. Majors:
      1. General parameters (length, scoring, reporting, participation by routemakers)?
      2. How many per year?
      3. Timing?
   2. Minors:
      1. General parameters?
      2. Frequency?
3. Branding and Publicity:
   1. [Club Chachapoya] as visual tag in all Club thread titles.  Thread structure?
   2. How can we increase our popularity and membership roll?
   3. How can we leverage our strengths to get flightsim.com to make accommodations for us?
4. Club Bylaws, Duties, and Staff:
   1. A basic rules/conflict resolution/disciplinary process set?
   2. What needs to be done?
   3. Who's going to do it throughout 2024 (primaries and alternates)?

[TomPenDragon]

Thanks, PhrogPhlyer!  May I ask two additional things of the group?

1. Please keep this thread strictly meeting-related, and post everything else in Meigs or Bust.
2. What would everyone feel about using their real first names here (first names only)?

[PhrogPhlyer]

I'm good with being a bit more personal as a group.

Either way for each person to their level of comfort.

Dick (PhrogPhlyer)

[Sirrus]

2 hours ago, TomPenDragon said:

new Home Airport, Merril C. Meigs, KCGX

Who decided this?

Surely this should be a decision made by the membership?

[PhrogPhlyer]

2 minutes ago, Sirrus said:

Who decided this?

Surely this should be a decision made by the membership?

Several participants of the various events have been discussing this for some time.

Hence the mini fly-in to Meigs for the meeting.

Meigs has significance for all Sim variations and has deep memories for many of the legacy users.

With that being said, add your thoughts on a home field location when you submit any responses to the questionnaire.

That brings your thoughts to the group discussion and consideration. 

[TomPenDragon]

5 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

Several participants of the various events have been discussing this for some time.

Hence the mini fly-in to Meigs for the meeting.

Meigs has significance for all Sim variations and has deep memories for many of the legacy users.

With that being said, add your thoughts on a home field location when you submit any responses to the questionnaire.

That brings your thoughts to the group discussion and consideration. 

By all means!  Nothing is set in stone.  If there is an issue that is not on the questionnaire, please raise it, and if someone does not wish to follow the questionnaire format, feel free to have your say however you wish.

[Bossspecops]

OK here goes with my answers to the questions, as well as I can anyway.

 

(Why am I the first to answer? Maybe as I'm a few hours ahead of most of you over the Pond?

 

How can the Club best serve you?  

 

As a (sim) pilot?  To teach me to fly better and more realistically through watching how other members fly.

 

As a creator (writer)? To read how others write, to see their styles and methods.

 

As a person?  To relate to a very varied and talented bunch of people better than I can now.

 

Events:
Majors:

 

General parameters (length, scoring, reporting, participation by routemakers)? I liked both the Route 66 and the Oz event, but I found the Oz event, while very interesting geographically, to be hard work keeping up with everyone else, even though I was often a front runner.

 

The aggregate duration based scoring we used on the Oz Rally worked very well I feel, and I'm not sure if it could be improved. I felt the reporting of both the Route 66 Rally and the Oz Rally worked very well too. 

 

Why shouldn't the route makers participate if they want to? The tasks are the same for everyone and prior knowledge wouldn't be any advantage for the time based scoring system.

 

How many per year? 3 would be ideal for me, but they're not compulsory of course anyway.

 

Timing? It matters little to me. The rest of my life will go on as usual, and I'll be able to fly some events and not others in reality.

 

Minors:

 

General parameters? The Mini-Meigs was good, and fitted in nicely with my homeward bound ferry flight from the Oz Rally, Others like that would be good, just not too many of them.

 

Frequency? See above, maybe one between each major Rally?

 

Branding and Publicity:

 

[Club Chachapoya] as visual tag in all Club thread titles.  Thread structure? I think that works, and eventually will get well known through the FS.com community, hopefully anyway.

 

How can we increase our popularity and membership roll? Get the word out in the FS.com world. I'm not sure how it would go down if we advertised on other sites, like Avsim for example, their operators may think we're poaching. In reality most simmers frequent ALL the sites there are!

 

How can we leverage our strengths to get flightsim.com to make accommodations for us? Good question, but I don't know FS.com works internally to be able to answer it.

 

Club Bylaws, Duties, and Staff:

 

A basic rules/conflict resolution/disciplinary process set? Maybe, maybe not, Having too strict a rule base may put some people off. I've had experience of running and starting clubs in the UK, mainly in the classic car field, and while we HAVE to have firm rules for clubs like that here, it's the law, I found that too many rules and regulations didn't keep the membership on-side properly.

 

What needs to be done? Produce a basic set of rules etc, and see what members think?

 

Who's going to do it throughout 2024 (primaries and alternates)? THE question of the event, I'm sure! I'm not sure I'm up to it, but there are obvious guys I've met during the two Rallies I flew to say they're doing fine so far. That'd be Tom, PhrogPhlyer and VP2 of course.  

 

 

[TomPenDragon]

Thanks, Kit!  Next?

[PhrogPhlyer]

For what its worth, here are my two cents, and remember... Have Fun!

1. How can the Club best serve you?
   1. As a (sim) pilot? Observing the various aircraft, planning and navigation add-ons used by the participants.
   2. As a creator (writer)? Developing repaints or scenery in addition supporting events and soliciting assistance from group members before going to the greater sim community.
   3. As a person? I enjoy learning from the experiences of the members and learning of so many shared real-life experiences.
2. Events:
   1. Majors:
      1. General parameters (length, scoring, reporting, participation by routemakers)? The guidelines used for Rt 66 and the AAR appeared to work well for all. As for routemakers, if a group member suggests and champions for a route or major consideration for an event then they should do the courtesy of actually participating in the event.
      2. How many per year? Two or three times a year. The last two events, Rt.66 and AAR, both significantly exceeded the expected initial timing, especially when you consider geographic scope of the route and pre/post-route adventures.
      3. Timing? Even taking real life distractions into consideration, I feel that we should aim at no more than four weeks from the start to the final destination. The event will take on a life greater than that by necessity due to the pre/post-route adventures.
   2. Minors:
      2. General parameters? Shorter distances with one or two intermediate waypoints/airports. Route to historical or current event point of interest (Kitty Hawk, Kiev, Fransis Scott Key Bridge collapse, Beaujolai in the fall, etc. etc.).
      3. Frequency? These could be between monthly to quarterly. AS long as two or more wish to run the rount, do so. Keep it simple and informal,
3. Branding and Publicity:
   1. [Club Chachapoya] as visual tag in all Club thread titles.  Thread structure? The bracketed brand works well. I think that whomever is determined to be the administrators should be the ones to post a Club thread. If a member would like a club branded thread, discuss it through PM with the administrator(s) and they should make the initial posting for that thread.
   2. How can we increase our popularity and membership roll? The onus will be on the members to reach out to their friends and other groups to inform them of the group and its comradery. The administrators should take this same tack with various flight simming sites and communities. This is currently being done with a major event being planned for after the summer that will include groups outside of FlightSim.
   3. How can we leverage our strengths to get flightsim.com to make accommodation for us? This is a difficult task. I believe that maintaining group activity, especially with bringing members to FlightSim, will allow some level of import with FlightSim admin.
4. Club Bylaws, Duties, and Staff:
   1. A basic rules/conflict resolution/disciplinary process set? The fewer “rules” the better. However, adherence to the suggested guidelines (once agreed upon) should be taken to heart by all members. Should a dispute become distracting to the overall membership, this should be taken into PM with the administrator(s) and resolved at that level. Keep these things off of the threads to the max extent possible.
   2. What needs to be done? This really will become clear after everyone posts their questionnaire responses.
   3. Who's going to do it throughout 2024 (primaries and alternates)? We need to make a distinction between the administration of “club” or “event” activities. Then see who offers to take on administrative assistance for these.

[TomPenDragon]

Great stuff, Dick!  Next?

[Melo965]

Here are my responses:

 

How can the Club best serve you?  

As a (sim) pilot?  I am enjoying seeing the different aircraft and helicopters, etc. in use.  Quite a good variety of machines in use.  Fun to watch other peoples methods and learn to be more realistic in my flying from them.  I am very much a seat of the pants flyer usually, so it would be good to learn more about SIDS, STARS etc. for example.  Learning more correct routings and procedures would be a plus.  I am already using Real Weather much more than I used to, so that is good progress so far.

 

As a creator (writer)? It is cool to see the various creative stories that others produce.  My style is pretty simple and will probably remain that way, mostly telling my flight stories with pictures.

 

As a person?  I am really enjoying the interaction with old and new friends.  And club members from all over the world makes it more fun and interesting.  Also learning new skills, did my first ever aircraft repaint for the Australia Challenge.

 

Events:
Majors:

 

General parameters (length, scoring, reporting, participation by routemakers)? Both the Route 66 and the Australia event were enjoyable.  But the Australia event was a quite larger time commitment.  In future shorter or simpler events would be preferrred.  The more exacting scoring for the route 66 event was a fun challenge, but I much preferred the Australia event scoring system.  That, or something similar would be my preference.  The reporting by participants for both events was very good.  Enjoyed reading the creative and informative posts.  For future events I would prefer if the route makers also participated as fliers.  The main purpose here is to fly, and it would be a shame if someone was too busy with other related duties to fly.  Still fine if someone wants to fly near the route and not exactly on it (the free flight category).

 

How many per year? 3 Majors per year would be good for me.  More than 4 Majors per year would be too much!  

 

Timing? Whatever works best for the majority is fine.  I will try to participate.  When I can't, I will let you know.

 

Minors:

General parameters? This Meigs Mini worked out fine for me (assuming I can get there by tomorrow) because I was already fairly close.  Fine to plan more "mini's", but other activities in my life will sometimes prevent my participation.

 

Frequency? One or two Mini's between each Major at the most in my opinion.

 

Branding and Publicity:

[Club Chachapoya] as visual tag in all Club thread titles.  This works.  And a seperate thread for each event also works well.

 

How can we increase our popularity and membership roll?  We already are the largest group posting on single threads here on the site.  Hopefully we will naturally attract more participants over time.  Beyond Kit and Alan, the FS guys I am still in touch with are few.

     
How can we leverage our strengths to get flightsim.com to make accommodations for us?  Not sure, I had a simple request for the Admins once and it took a while to get the result I requested.

 

Club Bylaws, Duties, and Staff:

A basic rules/conflict resolution/disciplinary process set?  The more small and simple the rules are, the better.  Hoping that conflict resolution (if any) could be handled individually by the primary people concerned privately.  We are here to have fun together!

 

What needs to be done? Discuss as we are now and reach a consensus.

 

Who's going to do it throughout 2024 (primaries and alternates)? PP, VP2, and Tom have done very well so far, I applaud all of their efforts.  I don't have the bandwidth to take a major role at least for now.
 

[jgf]

You'll find me quite laid back on this matter, and basically reactive.    The less "rules" the better, the enjoyment is in the shared experience and camaraderie of the flights, I'll support what promotes that.

 

People have proposed numerous flights and I'm sure can think of many others;  whoever organizes a flight should have carte blanche to decide the route, the aircraft, etc.   How often?  Doesn't matter to me;  if interested I'll participate. (Just finished my trip around England in an autogyro, now flying a DC-3 from Iqaluit to Ushuaia (predicting five fuel stops).)

 

Promotion?  Better to have a core of dedicated people than a herd of curiosity seekers.  Truly interested folks will find us.

[Sirrus]

3 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

With that being said, add your thoughts on a home field location when you submit any responses to the questionnaire.

That brings your thoughts to the group discussion and consideration. 

Why should I bother?

Every suggestion I have made in this group has been ignored from altering the scoring system in the Route 66 Challenge (to one that we used in the Australia Challenge) to not having a base at all, and having a silly name has been ignored. 

I have been abused, made to look stupid in these threads and been shouted at by those in authority in this clique. I have not received a single apology for any of it, so much so that I think the word "sorry" doesn't exist in American. 

No, I'm not going to waste any more of my time on this cliquey club.

[jgf]

21 minutes ago, Sirrus said:

Why should I bother?

Every suggestion I have made in this group has been ignored from altering the scoring system in the Route 66 Challenge (to one that we used in the Australia Challenge) to not having a base at all, and having a silly name has been ignored. 

I have been abused, made to look stupid in these threads and been shouted at by those in authority in this clique. I have not received a single apology for any of it, so much so that I think the word "sorry" doesn't exist in American. 

No, I'm not going to waste any more of my time on this cliquey club.

 

If everyone whose suggestions were not adopted were to quit no one would be here;  not being adopted is not synonymous with being ignored.  As for the rest, while I do not presume to judge how something makes someone else feel, I have seen none of that;  as probably the only non-pilot here I could be sensitive to a clique atmosphere, but I don't feel it.

 

Certainly if you are not comfortable here you should not stay.  But your rationale eludes me.

[Melo965]

4 hours ago, TomPenDragon said:

add your thoughts on a home field location when you submit any responses to the questionnaire.

 

I forgot to answer this in my above responses.  I think we don't really need a home base airport for this group.  It is kind of cool that participants are from all over the world.  It would be hard to pick one location that everyone was happy with considering how spread out around the globe people are so far.

 

[ViperPilot2]

1.

  1. Seeing all the different Aircraft and Scenery that everyone uses. Those in the know regarding Scenery Design, Repainting and Panel Design have really been a help.

  2. I'm the oddball here; for myself, Poetry seemed to be a better way for me to express myself but I don't think it went over well. Posting Screenies is not my best skill TBH.

  3. Just meeting people with like interests and swapping Tall Tales. That's what the FBO was supposed to be; where all the other stuff outside the Event happens.

 

2.

 1. Majors

  1. Whatever floats everyone's boat, with the understanding that if you propose it and the Membership decides to adopt said Proposal, you're on the hook for the Event.

  Of course, if you need help we're here. If RW (Life) interferes, that's also understandable. Just keep the Responsibility part in mind if/when you propose an Event.

 

2. As many as are reasonably possible. Again, RL can get in the way here so sometimes the Participation level may wax and wane. It's Spring now, Summer's coming here above the 0° heat line, and h*e* double toothpicks yes I want to get out and do some fishing and other stuff. All I'm saying is that if someone plans an Event and only a couple participants show up, please don't think that the Club failed and went belly up. We also have to decide a time period between the end of an Event and the start of a new one; the confusion after R66 (and the Holidays) had everyone in a conniption fit and was a factor in how AU was laid out.

 

  3. Timing... With the Bendix, it was always planned as a Timed run because the actual Race was timed. To be honest, I'm not a Fan. For me, the Timing aspect took the 'fun' out of the AU Rally; it became a matter of 'I have to Fly' instead of 'I want to Fly'. I understand the 'competition' angle adds excitement and everything, but I just want to fly and get to the Destination without kacking the Airplane. That's just me...

  

   2. Minors

     1. Just a short Flight somewhere or maybe a couple places (Mail Run, Pop and Chips run, AngelFlight). Nothing complicated. Week tops.

     2. Whenever someone gets the itch! 

 

3.

     1. Put the [   ] Tag with any Post having to do with the Club.

 

     2. SPREAD THE WORD! How many people in the 2020 Forum post wondering where they can fly? Explain what we're doing, and ask them is anyone else doing what we're doing? 

     2a. My experience is that regarding other FlightSim Forums like AVSIM or SOH there does not seem to be much interest there. The previous times I posted there about Events we were having received either no response or snark.

 

      3. Fresh out of Ideas on this one...

 

4.

      1. Discuss. LISTEN. Discuss more. LISTEN. Come to a Consensus, then Stick by the Decision. Disputes should be posed and discussed civilly. Disputes between individual Members is best handled by PM. (Caps for emphasis).

 

      2. 

     

      3. If someone needs assistance, I'll help out in any way I can.

 

We've got (I think) a good thing going here... Let's work together to keep it going. 

 

P.S. Home Field? People brought it up during AU Rally Planning... do we really need a Home Field?

[PhrogPhlyer]

2 hours ago, Sirrus said:

I have been abused, made to look stupid in these threads...

,,,doesn't exist in American

I have seen many, myself included, welcome your personal knowledge and experience during the AAR.

The type of sharing that makes these forums worthwhile,

 

This group is most likely 50/50 US/Non-US, a truly multi-national mix of participants. Maybe even more non-US than US.

 

2 hours ago, jgf said:

If everyone whose suggestions were not adopted were to quit no one would be here;  not being adopted is not synonymous with being ignored.

Concur.

 

I can only answer for myself, as I would not venture to suggest another person's intentions, but I attempt to offer fair and accurate opinion and suggestions, all in the spirit of having fun.

I have never intentionally impugned or denigrated anyone on these forums, and I won't begin now.

 

I do attempt accuracy with my responses to flight related matters, as any CFI would. Lacking voice and body language, the words may at time fall flat. For that I apologize.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

A thought just came to me concerning a home field.

Rather than "A" home field, let's utilize our personal home fields!

For example, maybe if we have a periodic "fly-in" we do it to one of our home fields (with possible suggested scenery if available).

I'd welcome everyone to visit N87, Robbinsville, only 1 mile from my house.

Those type of home field visits make this feel more personal and connected.

[jgf]

1 hour ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

utilize our personal home fields

 

Quite a selection here;  from Don Scott Airport, KOSU (formerly Ohio State University Airport), on the west side of town, or Bolton Field, KTZR (to the southwest), to John Glenn International, KCMH (formerly Port Columbus), about seven miles east of downtown, everything from gliders to large commercial aircraft are covered.  But if you're flying something really big there is Rickenbacker International Airport south of town, only one runway but it is 12000 ft (AN-225s operated from there for several years).  

[ViperPilot2]

37 minutes ago, jgf said:

 

Quite a selection here...

 

Same here; Centennial (KAPA), one of the busiest GA Airports in the US. Buckley AFB (KBKF) for the Military stuff, Rocky Mountain (KBJC), and of course Denver International (KDEN), known colloquially as DIA.

[Bossspecops]

8 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

A thought just came to me concerning a home field.

Rather than "A" home field, let's utilize our personal home fields!

For example, maybe if we have a periodic "fly-in" we do it to one of our home fields (with possible suggested scenery if available).

I'd welcome everyone to visit N87, Robbinsville, only 1 mile from my house.

Those type of home field visits make this feel more personal and connected.

 

There wasn't a 'home field' near to me in the UK. The Airbus factory field at Filton is 30 miles away, and is HUGE, and Staverton nr Gloucester is 23 miles away in the opposite direction. So I invented my own. 

 

That's Dean Forest Regional (EGDF) that Melo and I have mentioned a few times in here. I did the original version in FS2000 I think, and it was VERY basic, but Melo updated it superbly it for FSX and it works a treat. Just a pity no-one in the RW didn't take up the idea and BUILD it, there's plenty of room where we put it in the FS world, and it even has a slipway into the river for amphibians. 

 

[MAD1]

My contribution. Not per the questionnaire, sorry.

1. Using personal names. No. I prefer our nicknames. And I really don't want to meet anyone for real, think that would be a disappointment for both parties! I like the nicknames, ViperPilot2, TomPenDragon etc. I like to keep the mystique of anonymity.

2. Home field. Agree with others, not necessary, but some iconic airports around the world would be good to rotate the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to would be fun. Home1 is Meigs, Home2 might be outside the USA e.g. Canada, UK etc.

3. Happy with whatever the community decides for everything. Have only limited time to be active in the sim (and now the computer is on the blink, again!). But I do enjoy reading other's adventures.

4. One thing I'd like to try (and had thought to suggest it) is a real-time group flying event. Using our old (perhaps obsolete, perhaps not!) online flying functionality built into our sims. Not for discussion in this meeting, but a future idea, an experiment, is it still possible to get a server mounted somewhere in the world, or the servers I see listed in that server thingy app, I saw South American fellas in one a few years back, tried to connect but no luck. I'm suspicious that we, ourselves, could re-activate that functionality. Might be fun, albeit a messy thing to set up, to try a group flying thingy. Not for everything, just an occassional get-together.

6. VP2, your poetry was great, I was hoping for more, but you went quite. So please, don't hold back, more please.

7. Internationality. I'm aware that our different cultures have different forms of politeness and manners. I've gleaned that USA folk find our Aussie style a bit confronting, we don't mean it, it's just the way we talk with our friends here. So, the underlying principle, is polite courtesy, which I try to remember and restrain myself when about to make what I think is a hilarious joke, people overseas might not 'get it'.

[ScottishMike]

As Groucho Marx famously said:

"I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member"

[alanpugh]

14 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

A thought just came to me concerning a home field.

Rather than "A" home field, let's utilize our personal home fields!

For example, maybe if we have a periodic "fly-in" we do it to one of our home fields (with possible suggested scenery if available).

I'd welcome everyone to visit N87, Robbinsville, only 1 mile from my house.

Those type of home field visits make this feel more personal and connected.

Also, in out virtual worlds, we may have personal, job-related or family reasons for starting at a point closer to the fly-in destination.  We can invent any number of reasons to skip the 10-hr allnighters and still join the fly-in.  Except in the case of tracking or score-keeping.  I better keep my mouth shut until I have more experience with this club <G>.