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Where has everyone gone?

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chrisy View Drop Down
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    Posted: 10 Aug 2014 at 11:03am
I used to enjoy this forum a few years ago as it was very busy with interesting posts on aviation topics.  It now seems very quiet with few posts.  Is it just the real keen posters have moved on into the real world of aviation and forgotten the forum?  I know many were hoping to get jobs in commercial aviation and it would be nice to think they are now flying the world or controlling air traffic.
 
Why are there so few new posters to replace them?  Is it that interest in flight sim has waned so that there are fewer members accessing the site?
 
Chris
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hifly View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hifly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 2014 at 11:56am
It does seem quiet here compared to a year or so ago. It's maybe that the regular posters have exhausted topics such as global warming and other issues or have run out of war stories.

As someone pointed out here recently that people are using other forms of social media and being summer here in northern latitudes we don't spend time in front of a PC.

Perhaps I should ponder on a subject that would put a cat amongst the pigeons.

Mmmm...
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MarkH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MarkH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 2014 at 12:20pm
Do it Geoff  Evil SmileWink
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Jim View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jim Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 2014 at 5:15pm
Everyones gone to the moon.
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hifly View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote hifly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Aug 2014 at 7:02pm
Well what else is there to do on a wet & windy Sunday afternoon than buy a new plane and learn, or rather try to learn how to fly it while the smell of the Sunday roast and the thought of a glass or two of wine has erased any idea of posting anything other than saying this.

Life is Good.   
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johnep View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote johnep Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2014 at 7:30am
The young more interested in mobiles and tablets. PCs are becoming extinct and with them so is Flight Simulation.
Sorry, but a hard fact, A US forum often has no posts at all for days. The only hope is a cloud based FS
johnep
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MartinW View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MartinW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2014 at 9:10am
There was a time when the forum was a hotbed of activity. Science technology, our pet cats, even politics and religion were debated. The forum was jam packed with posts.

Seems no one can be bothered to post anything interesting to debate. Gave it some effort myself, tried to post interesting stuff to debate, but no, very little response. Nobody else could be arsed, so I gave up.

I blame the aliens. I think they have been subverting us with their mind altering rays. Or perhaps the cybernetic life form, infamous for his controversial topics, known as Vulcan B2 [Pointy] has been called in for a full service.

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hifly View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hifly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2014 at 1:05pm
Originally posted by johnep johnep wrote:

The young more interested in mobiles and tablets. PCs are becoming extinct and with them so is Flight Simulation.
Sorry, but a hard fact, A US forum often has no posts at all for days. The only hope is a cloud based FS
johnep


Maybe that the market is biased to older folk. I always check the birthdays at the bottom of the forum and the demographic seems that middle to upper age groups are the majority. However there are a few younguns about and the market for add ons appears quite healthy. (Perhaps Just Flight would back that up).

I fear that a lot of kids are hooked on ever increasingly violent games, the consequences of that remains to be seen.

To be honest I have defected over to Mutley's Hanger, a non commercial forum, where the topics are more varied than here lately but out of loyalty to JF I check in here daily.

I do miss the MartinW versus Vulcan B2 mud fights and other contributors here but as I say I think we've used our best stories.

Now if JF would have a Suggestions for our next project thread, that might get the ball rolling.

Anyway. Who's going to Cosford in October?
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Rich View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rich Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2014 at 1:51pm
It's all about social media these days. I spend more time on our Facebook page as we have 300,000+ fans and threads often have hundreds and hundreds of replies. Forums are getting a little long in the tooth unfortunately. That said, I check in here at least once a day and will continue to do so. 

 
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SkyFly View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SkyFly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2014 at 4:50pm
I still check too but have been leaning towards R/C aircraft these days, wouldn't mind a section for that if other people are involved!
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johnep View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote johnep Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2014 at 5:51am
My son just bought one of these quadricopters with camera and return to base GPS. Viewing the transmission on his tablet he says really feels as though he is flying around his area. The Click prog on BBC shows how far we have gone.
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MartinW View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MartinW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2014 at 9:31am
Quote I fear that a lot of kids are hooked on ever increasingly violent games, the consequences of that remains to be seen.


I wouldn't agree with that. Games are no more violent than they were in the past. Remember Soldier of Fortune from years ago? Arms being blown off, heads exploding. If anything FPS games are less violent, or at least, not as gratuitous. Play BF4, and there's very little gruesomeness.

Personally, I don't think there's any way a violent PC game will turn a rational human being into a violent monster. I've played violent PC games since computers were first available, and I'm not a violent nutter. Same applies to both of my kids, both non violent.

If you happen to have a predisposition for violence, then yes, a violent game may act as a catalyst, but then so could a violent movie, or anything else with violent content.

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MartinW View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MartinW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2014 at 9:34am
Quote I do miss the MartinW versus Vulcan B2 mud fights and other contributors here but as I say I think we've used our best stories.


I still chat to Pointy on Avsim, both in the forum and via Avsim PM. Not usually about climate change, or any of our other stuff, just about flight sim usually.

Quote Anyway. Who's going to Cosford in October?


Might do. But it will probably coincide with moving house, so will have to see. I'm lucky, in that both of my grown up kids love air shows.

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mutley View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mutley Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Aug 2014 at 7:20pm
Cosford in October is a flight sim show Uncle Martin and I know you will not go as Mutley's have a stand there and will you have to show your puny body to the public!
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MartinW View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MartinW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2014 at 1:27pm
Puny no, fat yes at the moment.
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Herky View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Herky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Aug 2014 at 12:57pm
Would love to get to an Air Show this year. Those two Lancs are a treat not to miss!

As to the OP.

Yes I think we are mostly older guys who look in on the forums.

As a Facebook(ache)/Twitter Luddite, I have no use for such social media. So I am still a Forum visitor.

As for the Flight Sim genre. We are in a minority nowadays.

The flight Simming I do is mostly with MCE and scripting procedure flows and checklists that conform as closely to reality as possible. So tend to look on Avsim more nowadays.

Seems to me the Flight Simmers fall into just a few categories:-

1. The Wannabees. These are mostly young guys and gals who want to become pilots and aspire towards the "dream" job. Which we all know is increasingly more difficult without ample dosh to undertake the training courses. Witness those TV shows with young pilots flying in the jungles of the world to rack up hours. The RAF has been shrunk by political maldecisions and is a shadow of its former self. The Fleet Air arm doesn't have any. Well we have Carrier on the slipway but no aircraft to fly from it since the political types sold all the Harriers! So the Flight Simulator is a good way to start the dream!


2. The Havebeens. Mostly, the older guys who have been pilots, either commercial or otherwise, or perhaps guys who have let their PPL lapse. These guys have a Flight Sim on their PC and occasionally fly for old times sake. I recently had a couple of ex 727/707 pilots who complemented my You Tube offerings! Nice to know someone watched and enjoyed the work!

3. The Flyers. These guys have current PPLs or Commercial Tickets and are sufficiently motivated to have PC's set up with the necessary software/hardware to keep their skills honed. With recent innovations in the aircraft simulation field its not difficult to see how a 737 sim can be a boon to guys wanting to keep current on type. I might also add that the wannabees find that the advanced sims offer good sim training, for that dream interview where they are offered simulation exercises! A friend of mine who flies the Embraer and was a 737 First Officer, has a 737 simulation set up in his attic. Just to keep as current as he can on his old aircraft.

4. The Couldhavebeens. Guys who embarked on other careers and could have/should have followed an avaition career. Now its too late, the atheroma has begun to build on those arteries and they can no longer apply for a dream job. Or the ex wife has taken everything and just left the bare bones, so the PC is all that's left.

Still nice to have an up to date PC with a selection of your favourite aircraft and take a trip every now and then. As someone once said the only thing that limits you in a Flight Sim is your imagination!

Best Regards
David
You Tube at HERKY231 or David Herky

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dodgy-alan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Aug 2014 at 7:02pm
I'm still here, but not as often. I spend most of my time in Mutleys Hangar these days.

The light at the end of the tunnel is a freight train coming the other way !
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hifly View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hifly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Aug 2014 at 10:51pm
David, I agree with what you say regarding the demographic here, I know which category I fit into.

Al, I'll see you over at Mutley's. Get the beers in.
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MartinW View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote MartinW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Aug 2014 at 9:35am
Quote As a Facebook(ache)/Twitter Luddite, I have no use for such social media. So I am still a Forum visitor.


I'm a science fan as you know. Twitter is great for me, following Nature, New Scientist, NASA, CERN, the LHC, and scientists like Brian Cox, Lawrence Kraus, results in links to lots of useful stuff. Not to mention all of the other individuals I follow that tweet the latest science news.

Even simply following news outlets like the BBC can be useful. You may find Twitter more useful than you thought.

Quote As for the Flight Sim genre. We are in a minority nowadays.


We were always a minority, but I don't think any more so than in the past. Avsim is still jam packed with topics.


Quote Seems to me the Flight Simmers fall into just a few categories:-


I don't fall into any of your categories. Just like aircraft, like PC's, like games, like simulation. Would never want a pilots licence.


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Matt N View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Matt N Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Aug 2014 at 7:37pm
Just Flight is still top the list on my favorites bar. Just need to wipe the dust off. Big smile

EDIT: Just seen my signature. LOL Martin - You still into that stuff?
Originally Posted by MartinW

I use mine for spare knickers when I'm traveling.
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