DAVIDSTRAKA

I guess from the early days of subLOGIC, those of us interested in aviation either training to become licensed pilots or to those who wanted be but for some reason or another could not, the demand for a PC based flight simulator was born. I started flying at about the age of 13-14 years old and eventually saw myself flying for the Air Force and then on to the airlines. Unfortunately my health brought those dreams to an end. Luckily for a while I was able to fly civilian until the last few years when medicine I take slows reaction time and can cause drowsiness. So instead of potentially killing myself and/or others, my flying days came to a halt. Luckily, there was flight simulator. So is it a hobby, a teaching tool or a passion? All of the above of course. The hobby side reminds me of the train sets when I was younger. I got my first one, then had to start adding. More track, more cars, more accessories and then eventually have an entire city set up with multiple trains running. It included a large control panel with switches, lights and each one turned on different items. Yes, I even had an airport in the middle of the plywood based city. Along came flight simulator. Creative and talented individuals made 3rd party add-ons where aircraft, scenery, utilities and more made the hobby immersive and enjoyable. It is going to heights never imagined! Oh and let’s not forget multi player and Virtual airlines. Flight simulator is definitely a teaching tool. The simulator advanced to the point where you could practice procedures, checklist, accomplish navigation from Dead Reckoning to advanced instrument procedure flying. Even weather became more sophisticated. The simulators include flight lessons. The lessons are recorded by leading instructors in the field which makes realism of flying within reach of the novice to learn the techniques they needed to enjoy what the world of flying provides, with the exception of motion sickness I truly believe that real time pilots can keep their skills where they need and constantly improve on their techniques and procedures. I find it a passion personally. The chance to fly different aircraft, fly different parts of the world and thousands of airports is beyond what we could have imagined 40 years ago. The amazing side of the passion is the number of web sites out there to host the results of a flight simmer’s passion. I can visit every single aspect of flight simulator that makes this hobby work. You can tell the number of hours that folks have put into taking flight simulator to a new level. There are so many different forums available to post one’s work and make new friends that enjoy the passion of flight simulator all over the world. To top it off, you learn about their cultures and traditions on top of everything else! I can close this blog by saying there is much more to the world of flight simulator that is to come. I will definitely be visiting those in the near future as well. Enjoy my friends as I do and as my late Dad would always tell me, “Keep your nose on the horizon.â€

Definitely a cold day for flying there! Very well done as always :pilot: