OT: The Average Simmer's Age...

[jmig]

I don't know ....
I don't remember ......
I don't ....... what was the question ???
:ernae:

Italo

Love it!

[huub vink]

I'm only 51 years old, but sometimes I still feel 16

Started with Red Baron and F29 Retaliator, switched to European Air War, tried CFS but preferred EAW, but when CFS2 was released went there, disliked and abandoned CFS3 and switched quite a while to IL2, moved to FS9 simultaneously, I fly FSX as well and made a switch back to a WW-I combat flightsim, but now Rise of Flight.

Cheers,
Huub

[hobofat]

Commodore 64 for me, though the first flight simulator I was truly obsessed with was on an Amiga 500. Forget the name of it though... I'm only 26 now, so must have been about 8 or 9 at the time. Growing up an Air Force brat was really nice though...lots of real planes to go see.

[viking3]

A friend loaned me FS2000 when I bought my first home computer 7 years ago, within weeks I had purchased FS2002 and have not looked back(CFS3, LOMAC, FS2004, FSX). I have worked in aviation as an avionics technician for 20+ years but now am off on long-term disability so the sim really helps me stay engaged in my favorite interest, aircraft of all shapes and sizes.

Regards, Rob:ernae:<-that's root beer for the young fellers.

[Alan_A]

Started in 1986 at age 26 with MSFS for Macintosh (the "fat" Mac, top-end model with 512k of RAM and an external floppy drive). Was thrilled to see that red package on the shelves - there was no warning about its coming out and I was convinced there'd never be a version of FS for the Mac.

I joined AVSIG at CompuServe and got together with another member on what might have been one of the early "networked" flights. By agreement, we entered local weather (by hand), then flew from our homes to Martha's Vineyard, met in CompuServe chat, then logged out, relaunched FS and flew home.

You could barely get the real pilots at AVSIG to talk about FS then. I once suggested they create a section for sim pilots and got turned down - they were afraid it would draw too many nonpilots into the forum.

Switched to the PC with FS 4.0 in 1989. Been simming in one form or another ever since, except for a brief hiatus around FS 2000.

I'll turn 50 in February and will probably celebrate with a Cub flight someplace, probably in the FTX Pacific Northwest.

[IanP]

My first "civvy" flight sim was Solo Flight on the C64... 1985 or thereabouts? I also had Dambusters on 5.25" FD, F-19 Stealth Fighter on two C90 cassettes (AAARGH! Finding a mission was hard with a tape deck counter to work with!!!!), Gunship, etc. Finally worked out what an ILS was using Thalion's A320 series on the Amiga and joined the MSFS world with FS4 and 5, pretty much within weeks of each other. Tried to make the paper plane when Flight Sim Flight Shop was released. Failed. Tried to make a Jet Provost when FS2002 was released. Failed. Gave up trying to make aircraft.

But I made a church over the last week! (Mainly on Monday because it was the day after my birthday and I refused to get up for work, so booked it as annual leave...)

Got my PPL about twelve or so years ago, medical ran out about four years ago, got my license signed back off about two months ago. Currently wondering what the blithering flippitts to do with it, other than go around in circles for an hour in a hired C152, because that's about all I can afford.

This dratted sim keeps stealing all my money!

[Bjoern]

First sims: Top Gun: Fire At Will, Grand Prix 2, FS4 in 1996.
Then FS98, FS2002, FS9, FSX plus some military sims.

Age: See left. 1986 was a "shining" year. Ha.

[Cazzie]

I'm only 51 years old, but sometimes I still feel 16

Cheers,
Huub

Careful how you do that Huub, the last time I tried to find my youth, I dang near lost my old age!

Happy Birthday Heywood!

Caz

[ryanbatc]

Started with FS5.0, kept upgrading from there. Obtained PPL ASEL @ 20. Became air traffic controller at 24. Now 26.

[robcap]

I'm like Dain Arns

I also started with FS3 or FS4. Even earlier, with the B/W WW1 combat theatre in FS. Heavily played Aces over Europe, B17 Flying Fortres (big time), Apache, Falcon 4.0 and GP 1 and 2.

First thing I built was for FS2000: a panel including an updated plane, gauge set and flightmodel for the DC2 UIVER in 2000 (Not all by myself, I must add, I had a lot of help from some great FS folks).
I wanted to fly a DC2 from Londen to Melbourne. What a heroic and historic tale that race was, as was the history of the developement of air travel between the 2 world wars. Actually , it's history that really got me started on FS.
I continued to work on the DC2 for FS9 and recently for FSX. Ofcourse with a great team I can call friends now.
I have to say, I didn't make it to Melbourne yet

Cheers, Rob

[Navy Chief]

56 here...

NC

[modelr]

Started plastic models early teens, then on to U-control, (roundy-rounds.) Moved up to Radio Control in '81, then got my ultralite, an Eipper Quicksilver MX1, like Dairn's, loved that bird. Learned about computers and started simming in '95. Bought 'em all. Just have FS9 and FSX loaded, now, along with my R/C simulator, Real Flight G4.5, which I use to train new R/c Pilots and learn new maneuvers on. I'll be 61 in three weeks.

[dhl1986]

I'm 23. Aviation has been the only thing I have cared about since I was old enough to know what a plane was. I am currently working on my PPL at KLZU. I started FSX to help ease the pain of time between flights, and I have loved every second of it. It is excellent for certain aspects of training, and overall I think it has made be a better student pilot.

I am thinking of continuing my flight training after I get my PPL, possibly going for a CFI rating and making a career out of it.

[heywooood]

Thanks to Texnet, Boom and Cazzie...

[Sixghost]

25 here, started at the age of 6 with F29 Retaliator from Ocean with my first pc. As time went by I played mostly everything but I have fond memories of CFS1/2/3, F15 Strike Eagle II, EF2000 by DID, TAW, Comanche 2/3, USNF '97, Chuck Yeager Air Combat...aaah those were the days!

I now build neverware for FSX and fly in Il2 46 as a member and server admin of one of the biggest squads of the lobby.

Desperately looking for something new, SoW:BoB or FighterOps, whichever comes first.

[b52bob]

many years and pounds ago on the Atari 800 and then the Amiga (one of the best computers ever made)

Bob

[paiken]

Started in 1984 with FS2 for the Apple IIc. Still have the computer and dot matrix printer. Flew off and on until the late 80's, then got caught up in child rearing. Picked up again with FS 95, 2000, FS9, and FSX. 49 years old.

[Wingmate]

16 started around 5

[moore1018]

Cool thread. I just turned 40 this year (ouch). Does Atari Combat (1980) count for a first flight simulator? I used to take both Atari controllers and try to fly the planes in formation. Now with FSX and FS Recorder I'm still doing the same thing nearly 30 years later. Looks alot better now though.

[kilo delta]

Cool thread. I just turned 40 this year (ouch). Does Atari Combat (1980) count for a first flight simulator? I used to take both Atari controllers and try to fly the planes in formation. Now with FSX and FS Recorder I'm still doing the same thing nearly 30 years later. Looks alot better now though.

Are they the REX HD cloud textures?

[moore1018]

Are they the REX HD cloud textures?

Yes, but apparently I forgot to turn anti-aliasing on.

[HeyChief]

68 here, I always wanted to be a pilot, but my eyes weren't good enough for the service.
Was extatic when I bought my first computer and found out there were flight sims for it. Mostly combat flightsims.
Started out with CFS & CFS2, then all the FS's till X. So, now I'm a pilot, virtually.

[crashaz]

42 here... been simming since I was 17.... when flying over 2D WWI airfields and hiding behind the 2D mountains from the AI.

[Ferry_vO]

On my Commodore C64 I had F-15 Strike Eagle when I was about ten or twelve IIRC.. Blue was the sky, green the ground and any black specs you had to shoot!
When I got my first PC I got DID's EF2000 from a friend and Later I bought Jane's ATF and USAF. I got into civil simming in 2000 after visiting my first airshow. Just out of curiosity I searched around a bit on the net and found it was possible to fly a lot more than Boeings and Cessnas in FS!
Got Fs2000, '02,'04,CFS3, IL-2 and FsX since and have recently purchased Rise of Flight.

When I'm not flying high, I'm flying low in GTR2, GTR Evo or rFactor.

[flyinjake]

43 and still loving it... when I get a chance to fly.