Topic: I'm gonna be a pilot. Best in the Galaxy.

[JDeck]

   I'm finally going to commit to getting my pilot's license/certification. It's something I've been wanting to do my whole life. My grandpa and my aunt were both pilots, so I'd be third generation pilot, the flying bug skipped my dad and brother. It's going to be expensive and time consuming, so my customizing and collecting will suffer. I need to turn my customizing workspace into a study, but I think I can work on a project here and there. Actually getting more organized might end up making customizing easier.

My plan is to first buy flying textbooks. I already have a basic understanding of the mechanics of flight, but there are things I struggle with like reading sectional charts, headings, mostly navigational things. So while I'm saving money for flight school I'm going to basically self teach, learn everything I can "free" and that will lower my instruction time therefore making the whole process cheaper.  In addition to textbooks I'm going to use Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, to practice what I've learned.  My goal is to have my licence within two years from now, as it'll probably take a year to save enough to get started.  Im going on a roadtrip in a couple of weeks, but when I get back I'm going to start getting things ready. I need to invest in a gaming laptop. They're expensive, but they're pretty incredible. I'm looking at a Mytrix Strix G17, which is top of the line really, it might be overkill but I can definitely run any flight simulator on the market. Besides that I want to play Star Wars Squadrons too lol. So we'll see how it goes. I'll update as I progress through the process.

[Darth More]

This is wonderful news, JD! I'm really happy for you and will be excited to follow your progress.
I love watching videos of flight simulators on YouTube. They might be helpful for you as well since they're so realistic nowadays. DCS World is a combat simulator as you probably know, but there are so many others that have improved in lightspeed over the past couple decades.

I wish you most success for your life-long goal. Looking forward to seeing your dream finally come true and wish you all the best for it.

- Philipp

[JDeck]

  Thanks man. The fs2020 is incredible, it uses Bing Maps as it's arial view and you can pick from dozens maybe hundereds of different private planes.

here's a video of the comparison between the simulator and the actual real thing. Outside of fog and some lighting it's hard to tell the difference.  I think it'll be mostly helpful for instrument training. Maybe takeoffs and landings. I can pick a cessna 172, most likely the plane I'll be training in, and learn the aircraft before ever getting in. 

[Tamer]

That is one awesome goal. I am glad you are going for it.

That is how this site is made. I was just tired of the flaming I saw in other places and said you know what, I am gonna make a place that doesn't have that.

I know I don't know everything now, but enough to get into all kinds of trouble and enough to keep the lights on here.

I bet flying would be one of the greatest ways to drive anything. Good luck! I like your plan and how to make it cheaper.

[JDeck]

That is one awesome goal. I am glad you are going for it.

That is how this site is made. I was just tired of the flaming I saw in other places and said you know what, I am gonna make a place that doesn't have that.

I know I don't know everything now, but enough to get into all kinds of trouble and enough to keep the lights on here.

I bet flying would be one of the greatest ways to drive anything. Good luck! I like your plan and how to make it cheaper.

It'll be an experience. That's the way I look at my breadtruck. If I can drive a breadtruck i can drive anything lol. Like that guy on Dodgeball, if you can dodge a hammer you can dodge a ball.  I had 3 options, get a CDL, a racing certification or a pilots license. CDL would have been a good fallback, they make decent money, but everyone is talking how truck drivers will be obsolete due to self driving trucks, but I'm doubtful at least anytime soon.  A racing certification would be a fun weekend, but outside of that, not very useful. A PPL, will be a nece challenge, and accomplishment, and I can fly for as long as i can pass the class 3 medical.

Yeah I really like this site, I've been on others, but there's something missing. They don't have the ISY charm i guess. Unfortunately we've lost guys to Facebook and Instagram. I was just thinking about Goldleaderone, wondering if he was playing Squadrons, he was big into pilots and ships, he doesn't even post on YouTube anymore. I have a tendency to be opinionated and stir the pot a little, but I try not to on here as much lol. 

   Im still going to make stuff. In fact i got this rad idea to take a TBS X-wing helmet and intergrade a gaming headset into it. I gotta figure out how to do it though. I'm not an electrician, and I don't want to like electro shock my head lol. I got a lot of stuff cooking.

[Tamer]

Awesome idea on the gaming helmet. I hope you post on that.

I do agree with you on social media taking away from the forums a bit. I do like the quality we have here though and the work the artists here show me daily continue to inspire me. Customizers just don't get enough limelight and credit for their work.

And I like opinions, just not those who nastily try to force theirs on others. How folks think anyone will even remotely listen to them when they act like that just flabbergasts me. Another reason to keep the lights on here. With social media sites you just can't get away from it.

[JDeck]

Awesome idea on the gaming helmet. I hope you post on that.

I do agree with you on social media taking away from the forums a bit. I do like the quality we have here though and the work the artists here show me daily continue to inspire me. Customizers just don't get enough limelight and credit for their work.

And I like opinions, just not those who nastily try to force theirs on others. How folks think anyone will even remotely listen to them when they act like that just flabbergasts me. Another reason to keep the lights on here. With social media sites you just can't get away from it.

Omg i was a member of this one star wars movie discussion forum, and it was really stupid. They had a ranking system based on likes and the promoted moderators based on rank. So their biggest problem was people creating multiple accounts and liking themselves lol. So to combat that they kicked off anyone they suspected of having multiple accounts. So it became like the crucible. If the mods didn't like you, or you were moving up the ranks too quickly, they could just say you had multiple accounts and ban you. They were trying to get me to spy on people it was crazy.  I ended up getting banned for comparing the mods to saw garrara and borr gullet lol. I just wanted to talk about star wars movies, but i somehow got sucked in the middle of some drama, that I don't even really know what it was about.  I went there the other day just out of curiosity, and no one was there, everyone got banned lol.  I've never seen so little power go to someone's head. They were mods on a stupid site but they acted like tyrants.

Facebook can have a whole nother level of crazy. The internet has some really crazy people on it, and there are no consequences because it's online. I deleted my Facebook account and I think i had Instagram, but I never used it.  A while back I created a satirical FB account caller Mister Potatohead, and I accepted every suggested friend request. I had thousands of friends by the end of the day, they were mostly fake accounts and scammers. So the next day i kept getting private messages from people trying to get my picture for some reason so i just sent them pictures of a potato with a face drawn on it. Lol. I deleted that one too.

[Tamer]

Yep, most of em are very Mos Eisley. Glad you had some fun with it and it didn't sour you on other places.

Can't wait to see where your pilot journey takes you.

[JDeck]

Yep, most of em are very Mos Eisley. Glad you had some fun with it and it didn't sour you on other places.

Can't wait to see where your pilot journey takes you.

Ironically the forum was called the cantina. A vast majority of the people were cool. I actually formed decent friendships, as much as you can online, but then they started disappearing. I was friends with a few of them outside of the site, and they had no idea why they got banned. It was just a couple of mods and these asskissers that wanted to be mods that caused all the problems. By the time I got banned I had so much contempt for them it was no longer fun.  I tried to get some of the customizers to come here, but I guess they didn't want to. I'm glad the ranks on here are meaningless lol.

[Tamer]

Sounds kinda crazy.

Once again, glad you didn't let it sour you on forums and SW Fan groups.

[JDeck]

Sounds kinda crazy.

Once again, glad you didn't let it sour you on forums and SW Fan groups.

Crazy isn't the word it was psychotic, what these people were doing. Like I said people do stuff like that because they can. They get their kicks.  I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me. But that's why I don't do social media, this is basically it for me. This is a small niche group that posts their customs and have actual lives, and everybody's pretty cool. I don't know why I'm saying all this but yeah I'm still pretty bitter.

Anyhows. I came across a snag in my flying aspirations, and that is the class 3 medical. Physically and mentally I'm fine, but I got a DUI back in 2011. It's a big deal, because the FAA assumes you have a dependency or high tolerance, and you have to prove without a doubt you don't, which is difficult. So that requires a ton of paperwork and redtape.

I can get a Sport licence without a medical, which has weight and speed limitations, no flying in traffic controlled airspace (you can be certified but its not required), no night flying, no flying outside the US. No flying in bad weather.  Honestly that's all I want or need anyway a PPL is overkill.  So that's the plan. Instead of 40 hours of training, I would only need 20, which will save a ton of money. Every problem has a solution.

[Tamer]

Sounds like you have it figured out. Glad it is still gonna work.

It is gonna be interesting to see this journey.

[JDeck]

Sounds like you have it figured out. Glad it is still gonna work.

It is gonna be interesting to see this journey.

Yeah a sports license is a lot more doable. The private license has a pretty low success rate. Also sport planes are a lot cheaper to own.  I think they're cool (pictured) and they'll do what I want them to do, they're like little sports cars. They're just two seaters less than 1,300 lbs, with a top speed of 130mph and a ceiling of 10,000 ft.  Also i can qualify for gliders and hotair baloons, but I can't tow gliders, which... why would I want to?

Im just in limbo right now, i packed all my custom stuff to build an office, but Im not building the office until after my roadtrip. So I'm pretty bored.

[Tamer]

They look pretty sweet to me.

When do you take your road trip?

[JDeck]

They look pretty sweet to me.

When do you take your road trip?

Im leaving sept.19-29. I'll be driving through WV there and back probably stop for gas at Charleston or just east at the Morton travel plaza. I'm not staying long, just gas and go.  I'm gonna do like a Cannonball Run. I hope to make it to St Louis the first day.  I do want to hit some truck stops and get inspiration for my spaceport project.

I was looking at some examples of the sport license written exam and it's so easy, multiple choice and only 40 questions. Im still going to buy the textbooks and study as if im taking the ppl.