On Sat, 09 Sep 2006 20:15:40 +0200, Mxsmanic
wrote:

B A R R Y writes:

Sorry, but you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. The
ability to pull in a signal is important enough that radios
incorporate a squelch defeat feature to open the squelch all the way.

That is common for all sorts of radios.

If you ever decide to learn to fly an actual airplane, which is much
more fun than any simulation, you'd see what I mean.

I prefer simulation, for a number of reasons.

Simming is enjoyable and I do a fair amount of it as time and other
constraints prevent me from flying as much as I did in the past, or
would prefer to do.


Real flying is fantastic, exponentially better than simulations (real
is better than virtual in everything I've ever done), so I genuinely hope
that you will!

The parts of flying that I like can be mostly simulated with 100%
accuracy, at much lower cost and much higher convenience than a real
aircraft. For example, I like to fly IFR, and I scarcely need a real
aircraft for that; even a full-motion simulator isn't required,

Although the sim can do a very nice job of ... well... simulating an
IFR cross country and even approach there are a number of things
missing, part of which are psychological and part physical. I love
rolling into a steep turn and feeling 2Gs pulling me down. I love
doing a loop (not in the Deb) while maintaining positive G forces all
the way around. It's almost as if the earth makes a loop around me.

I have a great respect for the airplane, the weather, ATC, and a
certain amount of unpredictability in all. I've had ATC give me a
vector for traffic avoidance and then forget me. I've had them clear
me for a circle to land right in front of departing traffic, and I've
had them tell me to follow the plane ahead when I couldn't see the
wingtips on the Deb. I've also flown directly over automated stations
reporting clear and I was in solid IMC.

It's difficult to describe the feeling of breaking out of the clouds
just above MDA in rain to find the runway right where the instruments
said it would be after a long cross country. The knowledge that if
the runway isn't visible at the MAP I will have to "go around" and
either try again, or go to some other airport is a part of the
challenge I find exhilarating.

Also IRL (for those who don't sim that is sim language for "In real
life") ATC makes mistakes, pilots make mistakes and it's up to you to
maintain situational awareness. You have to know if what ATC just told
you is correct, or what you just told ATC is going to tell them what
they want and need to know.

I love flying VFR on clear days when it seems you can see forever, but
those days are rare here in the central Great Lakes. One of the most
beautiful trips I ever took was IFR where I ended up between layers.
It looked like a scene out of a sci-fi movie with the clouds above and
below tied together with randomly spaced columns of cloud, Then there
were the random small clouds floating around while the whole scene was
lit with a fluorescent green light.

although it would be nice.

I guess the easiest way to sum it up: I like siming, but I love flying
IRL.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com