I just spent time VR-ing around LA in the CowanSim MD500, hopscotching from one tall-building helipad to another. I must say, when I shut it all down (gotta pick up my granddaughter at school), I was grinning wider than the Cheshire cat. To lift off, hover, then move and watch the buidling sides fall away is just a thrill ride.
I finally heeded my kids’ advice to “Stop buying cheap, Dad” and upgraded to a system built around the RTX 4090 (32GB DDR5 RAM, i9-12900K CPU, Reverb G2, yada yada). I don’t mean to gloat, as I well remember the days when I had to actually scrimp to buy a RAM expander for my C-64. But I’ve reached a time in my life (70, longtime retired, kids grown, widowed, very comfy retirement) when I can splurge on myself. Some things just worked out for me in my life, and I am really grateful.
Anyway, to see this sim in full VR (sliders maxed) is really a wonder to behold. And to do it in a helicopter (I simply can’t fly one in 2D) is about as real as it gets. Can’t imagine what the future holds (But please, not too soon. I’m tired of spending on electronics.).
As the title reads, I just needed to tell someone. When I tell my cat, she just looks at me with that expression of “You humans are so easily entertained.”
Yes that’s the thing with cats. The look of disdain…
Glad you’re having fun - from a 71 year old to a 70 year old.
Just had my 72nd birthday. Glad it’s working for you!
Post of the year! Thank you for sharing and making my day a little more full of joy.
Someone once said that every man should have at least one hobby for which people look at you and ask, “Now how old are you?”
Such a great post to read after waking up this morning. VR is amazing in this sim. Thanks for sharing 
I’m also glad you youngsters are having fun … from a happy 81 year old VR flier.
Know how you feel , I am 75 now. Enjoy.
“I just a baby!” hahaha did you see that video?
Well, 53 here. I couldn’t agree more with you, and that feeling and smile, are very difficult to explain to others.
Thank you for your post, it made me smile today.
53? Hell, I was still in nappies then (diapers for our American friends).
Best line in the whole post!
The biggest and best thing is an “attitude of gratitude” - we should spend more time being grateful than whining about this or that feature not working.
Every time I fire up the sim I am grateful that we live in a day and age where we can enjoy a sim like this.
I wish my dad had lived to enjoy this too.
I bought him a copy of, (I think), FS2000, a good joystick, and a BEAST Logitech speaker set with sub-woofer for his 70th birthday. He, a long-time aviation fan, acted like a kid with a new toy!
My mom complained that she couldn’t get him off the computer to help with the chores.
I asked her what she’d prefer - him grumping around the house acting like his life was over, (he’d just gotten his car keys taken away by his doctor and that was like a stab in the back to him), or having fun on the flight simulator? As far as I am concerned, that’s a no-brainer.
Sounds like a win to me!
My mother always told me, “It’s hard to complain and be grateful at the same time.”
I too am in my 70’s and so very grateful to live in an age of technology that can provide us “old” real life pilots an avenue that brings back that sensation of flight. I must admit that although I am very grateful for this tech, I don’t think it would be at the level it is if it weren’t for constant pressure from the community to make it even better. I guess I’m grateful for that also. Mmmmm, I’m just plain grateful.
Im a 69er just having a good time ya. Best looking sim we have ever had so far. Please keep it up Microsoft please.
I love these posts - After spending a good portion of life tending to family, friends and loved ones needs over the years, why shouldn’t you splurge on yourself. An attitude of gratitude has kept me grounded even if things get tough - ENJOY FastMoney950653
Wonderful post! I am 65 and loving this sim. My son saw my enthusiasm and as surprise present put down $500 with a flight school for me to start the steps to become current again after 30 years. All that time, money, and energy went to raising him and his sister, and its gratifying to have the tables flip after all these years. Very grateful here too.
Thanks for the compliments, all of you.
I had my ticket in the late '70s during my 3 years working at a local FBO (Tri-State Aero at KEVV) after a stint in USAF working the flightline on F-111s. Ironically, I had given a speech on the 111 in high school, using a model my father had built.
Back then, 100LL was less than a dollar, if I remember correctly. I visited TSA recently only to find 100 octane is now over $6. Also, back then, our ramp was always full of GA aircraft, and we had a flourishing flight school. Now the place looks like an abandoned airfield in Kansas - no flight school, no charters or rentals, hangars empty, only the occasional corporate jet.
I stopped flying after starting my newspaper career, a family, yada yada. I’ve often thought of going back, but my hearing has gotten worse and there are no flight schools nearby.
But my fascination with aviation - beginning in the days when my dad and I would sit at the end of the runway and watch the Connies take off - still soars.
Very nice post. I just finished an hour VR flight. It becomes a near-total escape from the mess in the today’s real world. I’m still amazed at all the things going on simultaneously and in all directions to make the simulation so life-like. Think I’ll fire it all up for another flight now.
Dad Gum it … I can easily relate to this post but I had just about decided to go with a cheaper (more affordable) GPU and now I want the 4090 again !!! I have the Quest 2 and I’m brand new to VR. Guess $1000 won’t kill me. Thinking a memorial Day special from IBuyPower ???
My last machine was an iBuyPower rig. It was “affordable.” I was very happy with it. The only problem was the CPU water cooler went bad, which the PC repair guy said was very common (he showed me the stack of coolers to prove it). But having him install a new one was cheap (there’s that word again), so I stuck with the machine. However, once I started flying helos and VR, well … I figured I’d had enough. I took that machine and was going to just have them install a 4090 and new power supply. When I was told the GPU just wouldn’t fit, I cast fate to the wind and said, build me a new system around the 4090.
It made me recall what my dad always told me whenever I took my cheap cars to his house to fix them: “The problem is the radiator cap. You need to jack it up and put a new car under it.”