Kev writes:

I was shocked to notice that many, if not most, of the simmers were
gentlemen in their 60s and way above. They felt as if they were too
old or poor or perhaps frightened to take up real flying, but would
spend hours (in real time) "flying" across the world.

What's so shocking about that? You need lots of money and time and
excellent health to fly. Anyone who cannot get a medical certificate,
or doesn't have many thousands of dollars of spare cash, or can't
afford many hours of spare time, may find solace in simulation.

With the amazing sim scenery these days, it's a great way to travel
without leaving home. Especially if you have a sick spouse who
can't travel.

I've discovered things about the region where I was born in the sim
that I never knew from real life. You can fly over places to which
you cannot easily drive, and flying around the region gives you a much
better feel for the layout of the land, so to speak. I had only a
vague idea of the relative positions of many well-known spots in my
own State and the surrounding area until I actually flew to them
(well, in the sim) and discovered exactly where they were.
Unfortunately, flying to them for real is out of the question now.
But, as you say, the scenery is pretty well simulated (for flying
purposes).

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