Microsoft Flight Simulator X
 

Ok, I admit it. I've reached the 6th Level of computer geekiness hell.

Even the Linux users and embedded hardware programmers look down and snicker to themselves; "We at least I'm less geeky than those guys that fly airplanes on their desktops"

But here today I am not ashamed to cry out, "Yes! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and flown my ultralight to the ends of the earth (I can't do jet's just yet) or at least in tight circles around the Washington Monument.

Free am I to go where I will with no TSA checkpoints or silly altitude restrictions. Here today I say to you I am a pilot.

Anyone else care to admit their addiction as a PC Pilot?

Sure, I'll admit it. I've been flying planes on computers since a good simulator came out on the Silicon Graphics, about 20 years ago. With 3 young ones, I don't get much computer time, but every once in a while I dust off an R/C simulator. Is it even geekier if you are flying a simulation of a model airplane?

whoa!

Haha I do it as well. I actually just flew a flight the other day from LAX to MCO, following all ATC instructions, in a Boeing 767-400. I made a perfect ILS approach and everything :D

We know a charter pilot and he says a sim is just as good as the real thing. Congrats, you're all pilots! :D

I've been geekin' out on Guitar Hero 2 lately. Who knew *I* was a Guitar Hero? ;)

I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy! :blush:

How high do you have the realism set? Are you using mouse/keyboard, gamepad or a flight controller?



Guitar Hero eh? Nope. I'm afraid that has a built in cool factor so it's not geeky enough to join this thread with. Unless of course you are playing primarily Captain and Tenniel songs in which case we would give you a pass.

Hummm as good as the real thing eh? You know I'm not quite sure I'd want to book a charter with that guy but if we did could we save some bucks and have DisneyFan25863 fly it for us?

He was talking about actual sims (full motion simulators with accurate cockpit recreations).

For one plane, he literally, having never flown that model, spent a couple days in a simulator then headed to the airport to pilot the plane solo with the owner on board.

I'm checked out in a starspeeder 3000, if you ever need a pilot.

But do you know where the brakes are?

brakes? we don't need no stinkin' brakes! I bounce off the fuel truck.

*raises his hand proudly*

Im probably a bit more into the geek end of it...that is, game vs reality. Ive done hours and hours (albeit not recently) in air combat sims from Chucks original Air Combat on up.

Love it. Beta tested some air combat sims that never quite made it, some that did and died on the vine and others that just rocked. So you are far from alone.



damn...now I wanna go blast somethin out of the air :evil:

I have the realism set on medium for gameplay, and the graphics on "Very Detailed". I use a Saitek joystick with throttle control.

And the one time I actually have been in a real cockpit (on my uncle's plane), I couldn't even figure out how to raise the gear (and for the record, yes, it is a plane with retractable gear, so it wasn't because they were fixed :D), so I wouldn't trust myself in a real plane...no charters yet ;)

And Guitar Hero is pretty much the most awesome game ever created...I wish I had a PS2.