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?

"Movie Night" is open to the public. You don't have to be a hotel
guest. In fact, most attendees are *not* hotel guests.

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?

Well, that's a totally subjective topic. Personally, I put flying
the sim at somewhere around a "5" on a 1 to 10 scale, with real flying
being a 10. For the older guys who are now unable to fly "for real",
it's something of a moot point. For them, it's all there is.

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.

I would not trade my first solo flight for any amount of money. It
was a magical mixture of joy, excitement, personal satisfaction, and
wonder that could never be duplicated or replaced. Even if I had
never flown again, all the time, money and effort I had invested would
have made that 30-minute flight worthwhile.

Until you've felt the wings get light while being in complete control,
you will never be able to fully appreciate flying.

Discovery flights (at least in America) are cheap. You really owe it
to yourself to just take a single flight lesson -- it can be a life-
changing event.

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.

I think most pilots are familiar with flight sims, although in my
experience much of their knowledge-base is pretty out-dated, being
based on what flight simulator could do years (or even decades) ago.
Many real pilots are quite amazed at what our Kiwi can do.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"