Do you fly in your own neighborhood?

When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
you've never seen before?

It seems like it would be a trade-off between seeing the same things again and
again but being able to plan a flight easily (since you'd know almost
everything by heart after a while), and seeing completely new things at the
expense of having to work out a detailed flight plan and following it so that
you don't get lost. A cross between adventure and convenient comfort.

A constraint unique to the real world is the need to physically get the plane
from airport to airport. If it's 200 nm to your destination, you'll need to
fly 200 nm back at some point. Fortunately that is not an issue in
simulation, although the serious simmer forces himself to start at the same
airport at which he landed during the previous flight.

--
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On Feb 12, 10:08 am, Mxsmanic wrote:
When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
you've never seen before?

It seems like it would be a trade-off between seeing the same things again and
again but being able to plan a flight easily (since you'd know almost
everything by heart after a while), and seeing completely new things at the
expense of having to work out a detailed flight plan and following it so that
you don't get lost. A cross between adventure and convenient comfort.

I prefer new places. Making a flight plan and seeing it come alive is
part of the fun. Getting lost is a non-issue. I prefer adventure.
Convenient comfort and knowing everything by heart only set you up for
complacency.
--
Gene Seibel
Tales of Flight - http://pad39a.com/gene/tales.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

Mxsmanic wrote:
When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
you've never seen before?

It seems like it would be a trade-off between seeing the same things again and
again but being able to plan a flight easily (since you'd know almost
everything by heart after a while), and seeing completely new things at the
expense of having to work out a detailed flight plan and following it so that
you don't get lost. A cross between adventure and convenient comfort.

A constraint unique to the real world is the need to physically get the plane
from airport to airport. If it's 200 nm to your destination, you'll need to
fly 200 nm back at some point. Fortunately that is not an issue in
simulation, although the serious simmer forces himself to start at the same
airport at which he landed during the previous flight.


No I do not, but many do.
I will fly across country or from top to bottom in a matter of a day. I
regularly fly 500 miles a day. Of Course I fly for living.

Michelle

When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the area
around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
you've never seen before?

Personally, I prefer long cross-country flights to new realms. I am
never happier then I am whilst over-flying areas of this continent
that I've never before seen.

Reality, however, is inconvenient. Unlike the sim world, I am
constrained by finances, weather, and time. This means that most of
our flights are within 200 miles of Iowa City, since we (at most)
usually have 4 or 5 hours off at a time. After flying twice a week
for 12 years, simple math proves that most of our flights will be to
areas we've visited multiple times before.

Luckily, partially because of the seasons in the Midwest, it's hard to
get bored with flying. For example, flying into St. Louis in January
is NOTHING like flying in July, and the fall colors along the
Mississippi River in October are hard to beat.

Ultimately, three or four times each year, we launch ourselves toward
areas unknown, comforted by the knowledge that all those local flights
have kept us sharp for the challenging longer ones.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to...

I don't like to limit my flying.

or do you prefer to fly to many different
places that you've never seen before?

I suppose that one. I like to fly either way, but it is true that the
same flight again and again (say, down the Hudson) by myself becomes
less rewarding. OTOH, taking new people on an old route is always fun.

A constraint unique to the real world is the need to physically get the plane
from airport to airport. If it's 200 nm to your destination, you'll need to
fly 200 nm back at some point.

Well, sort of. I do sometimes take the big aluminum tube to other parts
of the country, and when there I've been known to pop into an FBO and
fly. Upside down, even. So, in that case I've managed to fly in a new
area without having to get the plane there or back.

although the serious simmer forces himself to start at the same
airport at which he landed during the previous flight.

Why? In real life, pilots fly different planes, starting at different
locations, for many reasons. Commercial pilots may fly A to B, deadhead
(as a passenger) to C, and then fly from C to A (or even C to D),
depending on the airline's needs. Bugsmasher pilots who fly with a
pilot friend will often split legs. I'll fly from A to B, and my friend
flies us from B to A. Simulating, should I start my next flight at A or B?

Jose
--
Humans are pack animals. Above all things, they have a deep need to
follow something, be it a leader, a creed, or a mob. Whosoever fully
understands this holds the world in his hands.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Jose writes:

Why? In real life, pilots fly different planes, starting at different
locations, for many reasons.

I think most simmers assume that they own their aircraft, so they can only fly
them from where they last left them. I have a Baron 58, a 737-800 with custom
fittings, and my own 747-400 as well. You might be able to rent a Baron, but
the average FBO probably doesn't have too many 737s or 747s in its inventory.

In real life, I presume that the more expensive an aircraft is, the harder it
is to rent, and the more likely a pilot is to own it (if he's not a
professional pilot).

Which reminds me: I wonder how many people with the money to buy, say, a
Boeing Business Jet (about $45 million, I think) also are qualified to fly it.
John Travolta doesn't count, because as far as I know he is only qualified for
SIC on his crusty old 707.

Which reminds me of still another thing: Real 737 and 747 pilots normally fly
the aircraft with help from another pilot, but simmers fly these aircraft all
by themselves.

I'll fly from A to B, and my friend
flies us from B to A. Simulating, should I start my next flight at A or B?

You start wherever your simulated aircraft resides. My Baron is parked in
Aspen, the 737 is parked in Phoenix, and the 747 is at LAX right at this
moment (I just landed--a training flight of sorts as I'm trying to learn the
systems on the 747).

--
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John Travolta doesn't count, because as far as I know he is only qualified for
SIC on his crusty old 707.

"Only"???
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck writes:

"Only"???

If I were going to buy my own 707, I'd make sure I could fly it as PIC.

--
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Maybe it's a matter of number of hours in type?
"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
Jay Honeck writes:

"Only"???

If I were going to buy my own 707, I'd make sure I could fly it as PIC.

--
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I like both. Working out a detailed flight plan is interesting and part of
the fun.

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
When you fly VFR for pleasure, do you prefer to limit your flying to the
area
around your home base, where you know the geography and airspaces and
navigation points, or do you prefer to fly to many different places that
you've never seen before?

It seems like it would be a trade-off between seeing the same things again
and
again but being able to plan a flight easily (since you'd know almost
everything by heart after a while), and seeing completely new things at
the
expense of having to work out a detailed flight plan and following it so
that
you don't get lost. A cross between adventure and convenient comfort.

A constraint unique to the real world is the need to physically get the
plane
from airport to airport. If it's 200 nm to your destination, you'll need
to
fly 200 nm back at some point. Fortunately that is not an issue in
simulation, although the serious simmer forces himself to start at the
same
airport at which he landed during the previous flight.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.