Originally Posted by g wheels

I worked for Goodyear Aerospace, Loral and Lockheed Martin and retired from all of them. Goodyear Aerospace had a few change of owners from the late 1980s but continued to produce the same products until it was split - where the defense division was acquired by Lockheed and the other half eventually became Meggitt Industries.

I entertained getting a private pilot's license and took the first step but getting a license was just too expensive for someone with a young family. Besides that, if you don't fly enough you're just dangerous when you do. I did get enough experience to understand what you mean about paying for "landing lessons". Under ideal circumstances anyone can take off, ascend, turn and descend. Landing is a whole different skill set with the pucker factor included.

I bought all the parts and assembled my first PC (a 10 mhz AT) around 1985. Microsoft marketed their flight sim series shortly before then where I learned to fly a Cherokee Archer II from their complete simulator on an Atari. My cousin had a license and rented that very plane one Sunday morning. I went up with him, told him I was familiar with everything in the plane including the VOR navigation. He told me to take control; I declined. A simulator just doesn't quite train you to overcome that "fear" factor. As for other simulators; the king of them all in my humble opinion was Falcon 4.0 from Microprose. It was so complete in its essence that a software engineer for the actual simulator remarked on just how close to the real deal it was..My dad flew in a B17G as a radio gunner during WWII, flying 51 mission over Europe including 7 missions bombing the Ploesti oil fields. When discharged he got a single engine pilot's license. His stories and enthusiasm left a lasting impression on me. Hence, I was just now energized to do all this typing.