Jay Honeck writes:

There are a couple of "regulars" who are older pilots on fixed
incomes. They may have lost their medicals, and almost certainly have
no discretionary income to **** away on "$100 hamburger" flights.

Are they guests of the hotel, or do you allow anyone to come in and fly the
sim?

The Kiwi is a terrific outlet for these guys. They get their flying
"fix" each week without spending a nickel, and the rest of us get to
enjoy their company.

How does it compare to real flying for them? If zero is nothing and ten is
real flight, where does simulation rank?

Is it as good as flying to Janesville for brunch? Hell, no! But the
price is certainly right.

That's one of the huge attractions to simulation: the cost is essentially nil.
Personally, I would not trade my 900 or so hours of online simulation for the
half-hour or so of real flight that I could get for the same money. You have
to draw the line somewhere, and it's a bit surrealistic to insist that even a
few minutes of real flight trumps days, months, or years of simulation.

Additionally, since a lifetime on the ground is only one failed medical away
for every pilot, it would be wise for pilots to familiarize themselves with
simulation, just in case. Playing on a simulator is a lot more fun than
sitting in a recliner pining for unattainable experience in a real aircraft.