So what's everyone's story on why you're here and not in a real cockpit?

[104th_Crunch]

Well, I was kicked in the head by a horse when I was young, but I'm alright neigh...ow.

[Grim_Smiles]

Pretty much wanted to be a fighter pilot since a little kid, but never ended up going that route. My callsign actually doesn't come from anyone like Ed Freeman (didn't even know of his callsign when I first started using it) but instead from what I was told by an Airforce recruiter. I must have had the only recruiter in military history who didn't want to make his quota, lol.

 

"Sorry you're too tall to fly fighters, but with your ASVAB score we'll definitely send you to flight school and instead you can fly some of our roomier options like a cargo plane". Yeah gee thanks, let me think about that. Unfortunately my ambitions were pretty much a pipe dream anyway. I have some medical issues that would have almost certainly prevented military service.

 

However, if I had thought at the time that there was a shot of being a fighter pilot, I'd have tried to go through it and if I washed out for medical reasons so be it. But with a recruiter telling a high school kid that even if he manages to overcome his other physical limitations, the one he can't do anything about will prevent him from being what he wants to be - well that didn't help the decision. Would you tell someone who wanted to be a SEAL "Naw, we'll probably make you a supply clerk instead"? Honesty is a virtue, but doesn't help get you recruits lol.

 

So I ended up in the engineering field and working in the maritime industry, though at least most of my work has involved military ships, so I still get to contribute something even if it isn't military aviation. Might some day down the road start working in the aeronautical engineering field, especially since it was mentioned by the head of my engineering department that if I added an aeronautical degree they might see about looking into work for that field.

[Scrim]

Slightly deficient colour vision, some annoying shades of green and red. Stupid colours to use, can't they go with like bright yellow and pink instead, almost no one with bad colour vision can't tell those apart :P

 

Could quite possibly be something else up ahead as well, but since I couldn't get into the Swedish military on account of my eyesight, I wouldn't know. Got a very less than subtle hint to try again after eye surgery (something along the lines of "you could come back if your vision has improved", and that was said by someone who knew my eyesight was so bad I can't even make out facial features across a room without glasses/lenses), but considering the lousy chances of getting in even with good eyesight, no way I'd spend that money on an operation that will do nothing to stop my eyesight from degrading over the years and thus leave me with both glasses/lenses and an expensive operation.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Scrim

[Jona33]

Guess I'm in the rare situation here of still having a shot at becoming a real pilot. I'm still in school but the plan has always been to join the RAF to become a pilot. I guess I'm blessed for not having any kind of physical deficiency, (well being short (I'm reminded about it daily) but I'm working on that.) If I do make it in it definitely won't be to fly fighters though. What I really want is to get into helicopter flying.

[blkspade]

Asthma. If not for that I would have signed up for the USAF. It was the saddest day of my life to find out that was a disqualifier. Had perfect vision, just squeaked by the minimum height requirement (though being short is supposedly potentially beneficial to G tolerance), just to be stopped by something that only ever really affects me around hairy animals.

[kelusk]

Well I'm only 19 and the RAF weren't recruiting pilots when I was finishing school so I'm at University at the moment to get a psychology degree and an education in heavy drinking and learning to be an adult. Hopefully into the fast jets after uni, if not then the marines. If not that then something sailing related, either teaching (which I currently do as a summer job) or delivering yachts to rich people. I don't think I could ever work in an office.

[lunaticfringe]

To those who have said health, I feel your pain.

[mr_mojo97]

Dad was in the Royal Observer Corps when I was growing up and used to bring home a weekly magazines with aircraft recognition tests in the back page so have been an aviation fan from a very young age. Unfortunately I'm mostly deaf in my left side since the age of 10 after an chronic infection. At 14 I went to see our family doctor (who was an ex RAF doctor) with my mum, my heart broken into a million pieces when he told me I wouldn't even get a front line job in any of the services. My mother says she can still see the devastation in my eyes when she thinks about. So anyhoo my job means that I can get home early to my wife, daughter and stepson and pretty much fly my beloved A-10C whenever - shame it isn't a Typhoon though - Ells - where is that damn plane?

[Chazz_BMF]

Always wanted to be a fighter pilot, but I blew my hearing during my military career. So my big dreams quickly came to an end. As luck would have it my brother-in-law is a viper pilot, so that comes with some benefits :pilotfly:

 

Maybe someday I will have the time and $$$ to go for a civilian license.

[Harpoon]

Not old enough to fly. Been heading towards the racing scene. BTW, sorry for those jokes I've rudely made that were posted a while back.

 

Gotta edit my sig :p

Edited March 20, 2014 by Harpoon

[Harpoon]

My life in three words. :D

 

This shirt speaks to me on another level.

[Yurgon]

Becoming a fighter pilot ranked pretty high when I was a kid, next to being a PI or a cop (you know, like T.J. Hooker and Sunny Crocket) or a stuntman. I lost interest in the anti-crime angle when I realized that it's long, boring work-hours, badly paid and not highly respected (that said, I do have a huge amount of appreciation for (good) cops), and apparently most stuntmen don't live a life nearly as fascinating as Colt Seavers did. :music_whistling:

 

The downside to trying to become a fighter pilot is the long term, mandatory service with no guarantees that they'll ever accept you to flight school. But the main concern was that I might have been sent to kill innocent people with no legal way to say "hell no!". But I guess my eyesight would have precluded me from pursuing that path even if had really wanted to.

 

Commercial aviation always sounded pretty boring to me, so private piloting (gliders, auto-gyros, ultra light-weights) is starting to sound somewhat interesting, but the cost to fun ratio makes it a tough decision.

 

On that note...

 

My life in three words. :D

 

Yeah, that's definitely me! :D

 

Anyways, after school I started to study engineering and planned to specialize on aviation technology, but learning at the university didn't work for me. But I got my first Internet access there and was instantly amazed about it, so today I'm working as a webprogrammer which, most of the time, is actually quite fascinating.

 

And in terms of cost to fun ratio, DCS absolutely rocks :D

[ENO]

Hmmm interesting subject. I've loved military aviation since I was about 11- thought thats what I would be. Knew I needed to get good math marks and figured English might be important too. Flunked both (too distracted by sports and girls), never got my high school diploma and chose a different route.

[Justin Case]

Bad eyesight here...

 

But I could still attend a state funded flight program and now I've been flying 737 in Europe since 2010.

I like this job but I would swap it for something with afterburner any day.

[TimeKilla]

Done bad at school had no interest in any careers ended up in the Army infantry likely would have spent time in jail otherwise loved the job and would not have swapped it to be a pilot also I did not kid myself that I would have been smart enough either.

 

So DCS and Flight Sims give me a chance to do something I would never had been able to.

 

Now I've got a great Family and a happy chappy!

Edited March 24, 2014 by TimeKilla

[kontiuka]

For some reason, I'm more interested in flight simulation than actual flying itself. Although I love military aviation history and documentaries.

[Madog]

Did not want to kill someone.

[RagnarDa]

Did not want to kill someone.

 

 

Come to think of it, that is also a deal breaker for me too even though it wasn't the reason I stated.

[marluk]

Here are some facts from my history:

 

I love flying from the day I have heard that it is possible.

 

I didn't have enough money to became real pilot.

 

According military aviation. To be honest, I don't have military type of personality but I'm technically oriented and enjoy to explore complex stuff. Also, I didn't found joy in killing people, although I must admit that flying is much more interesting when you have weapons to fire :music_whistling:. Even I wanted to become military pilot my country doesn't have decent squadron to fly in ... few old Migs-21 that are falling apart in the air and not so bad air show squadron.

 

Instead of that, I have graduated in mathematics and computer science. Now I'm working as a software developer.

 

Therefore DCS is perfect for me.

 

EDIT: Recently I started similar thread where I asked people to describe their profile briefly. Outcome was interesting to me. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=120554

Edited March 24, 2014 by marluk

[Jason S]

Canada had only ~128 F-18s and 5000+ applicants wanting to try and fly them when I attempted to sign up for ROTC out of high school. Therefore I never made it thru the second cut. So flight sim programs are the closest I'll ever get.

[Picksplitter]

So what's everyone's story on why you're here and not in a real cockpit?

 

for me, it's because in real life ya only get to die once! usually...

[Headspace]

I do more real life flying these days than I spend playing games, but that's more a function of free time than anything, and the need to stay current is a safety issue.

[slowhand]

hmmmmm....I break shit.:megalol::pilotfly:

[Darkwolf]

Eye quality not enough good.

[GripenNG]

I always wanted to be a fighter pilot, but I just had a slight eye-sight problem on one eye. But I still tried to study the courses I needed to become a pilot within the Swedish Air Force. But somehow, I felt inside I was´nt going to reach the final goal, I´m just fooling myself - so the result was low self esteem in school resulting in skipping classes and getting bad grades.

 

So yeah thats my story in life, walking with the eyes turned skyward, but missing and tripping on hinders laying before me! So now I just play DCS in SP and pretend I actually have a life ;)