Profile of people in the DCS World

[marluk]

Hi everybody!

 

I was always curious what kind of people are interested in flight simulations. My friend once said that average flight simmer is employed, married and has a children(or child).

 

Are you for sharing some stats here?

 

I have graduated Mathematics & Computer Science, employed as a software developer, have a son.

 

Thanks,

Marin.

 

:pilotfly:

[NineLine]

Hi everybody!

 

I was always curious what kind of people are interested in flight simulations. My friend once said that average flight simmer is employed, married and has a children(or child).

 

Are you for sharing some stats here?

 

I have graduated Mathematics & Computer Science, employed as a software developer, have a son.

 

Thanks,

Marin.

 

:pilotfly:

 

I'm married with children, but my Flight sim addiction started before all that, so I think its more about being old than being married with children lol.

[xxJohnxx]

I am currently 18 years young. Started with DCS 3-4 years ago. Still going to school. Not married and no children ;).

 

However, many of the guys I had the pleasure to fly with, fall into your described profile.

20-40 years old, married and having children, working in all kind of diffrent jobs.

[Gate-5]

Unmarried and no kids, graduated electrical engineering and working as development engineer. If they keep the stream of nice modules up for the next couple of years I'll probably fall into the said group too :megalol:.

[marluk]

Thank you for replies. I'm also flight simmer for more than 20 years although not continuously.

[Exorcet]

Aero engineer, unmarried, no children. I start flight simming around age 10, I don't think there was a point where I was not interested.

[Raven68]

Married with 2 daughters. Employed as a mechanical design engineer. 40+ years young. I refuse to grow up in some aspects of my life. I fell in love with flight sims in the era of Falcon 3.0.

[Suchacz]

Hi everybody!

My friend once said that average flight simmer is employed, married and has a children(or child).

 

Married or not, young or old, with children or not... I know all kinds of DCS pilots from our country. But we have one thing in common - endless passion for all flying vehicles heavier than air :thumbup:

 

My 3yo son

I fell in love with flight sims in the era of Falcon 3.0.

This was my first sim - "ACE" on Commodore 64 - pretty awesome, keep in mind that C64 has less cpu power than a current pocket calculators :D

Edited February 11, 2014 by Suchacz

[Flagrum]

employed, married and has a children

Thb, that is pretty generic and is true for 80% of the population. No wonders that it is true for flight simmers as well, eh? :o)

 

Is there really some distinct attribute that is "typical" for us flight simmers? Maybe when compared to other "typical computer gamers", but even there I am unsure ...

[NeilWillis]

I'm married, 53, started when computers appeared, and have no kids but I do have 4 fish and assorted invertebrates including corals.

 

Got licences to drive/pilot/crew almost anything with wheels, tracks or a hull, but no private pilot licence yet.

[Grim_Smiles]

I think for the most part the average flight simmer has to be employed, rather expensive hobby once you get into it. I'm 33, mechanical engineering (may be adding aeronautical engineering down the road) and a designer for a maritime engineering consultancy, unmarried and no kids - don't feel like doing either of the latter two at the moment, still too much to do first before I feel like settling down.

 

Been messing around with flight sims since a kid, though many wouldn't be considered sims by DCS standards now. One of the games that really got me into the genre was LHX, absolutely loved playing it all the time. Amazing when looking back at it now.

[Cornbread]

37, technically unmarried (but with the same gal for 11 years). We own and run a bar in Brooklyn. No kidz.

 

Here's my first. For the Commodore 64:

[Cowboy10uk]

Hi guys, I'm 38, Married, employed as a Womble and Now the father of a beautiful 3 month old baby girl. :D

 

Been flightsimming since the 80's, pretty sure my first sim was 747 on the BBC Model B, quickly followed by Atari, Amega and then PCs in 94 and never looked back since.

 

Cowboy10uk

[Netsk]

I'm a university student. No kids and not officially married (thank god). I started simmin with the original F/A-18 Korea, then briefly sims like MiG Alley, Super Hornet, F-16 Agressor, Ka-52 Alligator, Il-2 Sturmovik and Falcon 4.0. More seriously flew Flanker 2.0/2.5 and Lock-On when it was released. Dropped mil sims and started flying FS2004 when it was released up untill like 2007. Since that I haven't been gaming or simming at all up untill just this year when I bought a new rig :) (been an Apple fanboy in between, and still am ;))

 

[Blooze]

I am convinced that the common denominator is an addictive personality which may include:

- Impulsive behavior, difficulty in delaying gratification, an antisocial personality and a disposition toward sensation seeking.

- A high value on nonconformity combined with a weak commitment to the goals for achievement valued by the society.

- A sense of social alienation and a general tolerance for deviance.

- A sense of heightened stress, often associated with drug and alcohol problems.:drink::smoke:

 

 

But what do I know?

[Devrim]

I'm at 38, an academic personnel in university and married with children; a daughter (11-month).

 

While I fly, she pulls the headset's cable, looks carefully at my headtrack's red LEDs (you must see her face! :D), tries to hold the collective and push down (like she wants to do this especially when I'm in Ka-50)... So funny...

 

I have good system for DCS Wold. As I said I'm at 38 and although this I have intention to make home cockpit in next year. :)

 

If I were at 68, I'd fly and make cockpit again. Nothing would change... :)

[Lizzard]

I am 35, married, no Kids (yet) and work for a Computer Company (doing network stuff)..my first Flightsim was Microprose Gunship..ahh good Days..

 

 

I am not a hardcore Simmer..I mostly just like flying arround in DCS..

Edited February 15, 2014 by Lizzard

[marluk]

It appears that there are no rules.:music_whistling:

Only common thing is passion for flying. Although I must mention that I haven't found such friendly internet community till now. I feel here as a home. Thank you guys! :thumbup:

 

But we have one thing in common - endless passion for all flying vehicles heavier than air

My 3yo son

 

Suchacz, thank you for sharing the picture. You have beautiful little pilot. My son have just turned two. For a little while I will show him fs too ;).

 

My first sim was Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0 that was in use at late eighties. My parents couldn't afford expensive PC but I had neighbour whos father owned computer company so I was often his guest:). Anyway, I had Spectrum ZX 48k and Commodore 64 at the time.

 

[Revan]

I am 17, and i stared flying DCS last year.

 

My first flight sim was Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004

[Extranajero]

Late 40's, married, no kids. Worked until recently as a gunsmith and as a much tamer version of Yuri Orlov.

My nationality is Spanglish :)

Biker, fascinated by anything mechanical, especially weapons. Military technology and history geek.

Done some real world fixed wing flying but gave up as the cost\enjoyment ratio didn't work out for me.

First flight sim I cannot remember, but it would have been on an 8-bit micro like so many others.

[SkateZilla]

Single, with no children, unless you count pops, who acts like a child due to stroke.

 

I was Flyign Flight sims when I was 5, so 1989ish, by time i was 10 or so I had Top Gun: FAW on PC, with a Topgun Joystick sitting on a box between my legs... and I thought it was the most realistic sim ever, along with Jetfighter II and III, Falcon AT, Falcon 3.0 and Falcon 4.0, I have pretty much every Jane's Sim, and a bunch from Novalogic, Everything from Thirdwire, etc.

[docfu]

Born in Wisconsin. 35, married, child on the way. Saved up money one summer when I was 12 to go flying but for $100 for 1 hour in a Cesna was way too expensive. Switched to motorcycles.

 

Now I have a Harley and run my own English school in Japan. As for flight sims, started with the C64 and was a huge space simmer until recently. Dumped the entire genre because I don't like the mentality of people producing those games anymore.

 

Looking back now...I did what I had to do to get here and I'll do what I have to to stay...

[Deadband]

24, unmarried, electrical engineer. Started with Combat Flight Simulator 2.

[rassy7]

So great to read about everybody. I won't lie, I feel a little better now. I was a smidge down because I turned 29 last week and realized that's almost 30 and felt old, ha ha. But anyway, I've been married for almost six years, just moved for the third time in five years. Settled in North Carolina. Love it!

 

First flight sim I can remember is Jet Fighter, on floppy, but the first one I really wore out was Strike Fighter. Been on the MSFS train until I dicsovered DCS early last year.

 

Keep 'em coming ...

[streakeagle]

Grew up absolutely loving aerospace, especially fighter planes. My eyesight ensured I could never be a professional pilot of any kind despite being fully correctable to 20/20. As soon as I had access to a PC capable of playing flight sims, I spent as much time as I could playing them.

 

At this point, I am married with a son, but I played flight sims dating all the way back to the 9th grade on my Timex Sinclair 1000 (black and white with a very basic flight sim) and Timex Sinclair 2068 (color with flight sims like Fighter Pilot -- F-15 Eagle and Tomahawk -- AH-64).

 

So, I propose that flight simmers can be simply described as anyone who:

1) Loves flight/aircraft

2) Is aware that PC simulators exist

3) Has access to hardware that can run PC simulators.

 

The fact that a lot of simmers are married with children is most likely a byproduct of the fact that most people with the access to decent hardware (i.e. the cash flow to buy HOTAS, video cards, etc.) are probably adults, who in turn are most likely married with children.

 

Modern youth also tend to play the modern action games with little patience or dedication for learning intricately detailed flight sims. Aviation fanatics willing to spend time and money on flight sims appear to inevitably be a small minority regardless of age.