(Personal recommendation)
I own a book that some of you may have read before: Blue Collar Pilots by Canadian author Garth Wallace, originally published in 1996. The book has the subtitle “A humorous tribute to the real pilots in aviation”.
What’s a blue collar pilot, you ask? The description on the back of the book describes them thusly:
Blue collar pilots are the last true romantic heroes in aviation. They are the rough-edged super pilots who don’t stop until the forest fire is out, the bugs are dead or the lost are found. They are the low-profile, non-airline cockpit grunts who dress badly and fly aircraft that don’t fly themselves. Blue collar pilots are bush pilots, agricultural pilots, cargo haulers, helicopter pilots, fighter jocks, search and rescue pilots, flying instructors, test pilots, medevac pilots, survey pilots, ferry pilots, tow pilots, bird doggers, and water bombers.
It’s a fun read and does a great job of showcasing the exploits of a really diverse group of professional aviators beyond the world of white collar tubeliner pilots. I’m not sure if it’s still in print, but if you can find a copy, I suggest many of you should check it out.
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I had the pleasure of reading “Blue Collar Pilots” and I must say, it was a delightful and humorous tribute to the unsung heroes of aviation. the book captures the essence of the real pilots who work tirelessly behind the scenes. What I particularly enjoyed about the book was Wallace’s ability to inject humor into the everyday lives of these blue-collar pilots, shedding light on their unique experiences and challenges. The author’s witty writing style and authentic portrayal of the aviation industry made for an entertaining and insightful read. “Blue Collar Pilots” is a must-read for aviation enthusiasts and anyone looking for a lighthearted glimpse into the world of these remarkable individuals
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wait?! I can do something else other than fly commercial and still feel nerdy? And it’s still rooted in realistic jobs?
It’s almost as if they’re is trying to market to more than just GA enthusiasts, biz jet wannabes and pretend airline pilots…
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Skies are deep as oceans, blue as blue, we can get oil & energy from ocean, diamonds and jewelry 
Some odd people think that crucial aviation jobs like this are too arcadey or don’t belong in a simulation game…
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I think you are sort of missing the meaning:
arcadey as in short duration catering to short duration play, consoles and PC users who are less interested in longer duration content or conceiving notions of what to do in a sandbox and thus looking at quick-fix canned content, or relative to the notions of MS providing an extensive user generated mission system so people can create longer duration more complex missions anywhere they choose.
So flight simulation of 3hrs+ flights are the only acceptable form allowed in the sim?
The point is to give a wide range of interesting aviation roles, short or long. Some aviation roles are quicker than others. Some are more complex than others. Shown in the trailer with things like large cargo transport, airship travel, hot air ballooning, charter flights, SAR etc. It’s Microsoft Flight Simulator, not Microsoft Airline Simulator. MSFS 2024 isn’t taking away people’s ability to do what they have been doing in MSFS 2020. It’s adding far more potential, for simmers who want a variety of flight simulations.
Some of the missions in FSX were a couple hours long, some were 45mins, some were 10mins & some were much more complex then others. One day i fancied gliding around the alps in a mission that took 90mins… another day i fancied flying an airliner demonstration at an air show for 40mins… another day i used a helicopter to repair an antenna which took about 15mins. All of this with a flight simulator that didn’t have anywhere near the graphical ability or flight dynamics of what we’re able to use these days.
Third parties have been limited to what mission content they can create so far as the mission SDK in 2020 is well known to be severely underdeveloped. With 2024 the possibilities for third party missions of any kind will be much more advanced.
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as I said I think you are sort of missing the meaning of “arcadey” when people say that, as in quick-fix content aimed at mainly attracting people for whom sandbox games hold less appeal, like attracting more console players for whom more “arcadey” games as opposed to outright sims tend to be more par for the course.
I’m thrilled that MSFS 2024 will represent more aspects of aviation, that just makes it a better sim in my book. It’s mind-boggling how it can be seen as something negative…
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Barnstormers would be cool.
Inverted loops with a wing-walker in front of a roaring crowd.
In air plane-to-plane passenger transfers.
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