How many of you have flown real aricraft?
 

Just curious how many of you sim fans out there have actually flown a real aircraft?

By this I mean actually flown, not been a passenger in.

Personally I've had 3, 1 hour trail lessons in a light aircraft, 2, 1 hour lessons in a helicopter and finally I have logged 14 hours in gliders.

For those that have, what do you find is similar and what do you find is different?

+/- 130 hours in gliders, and +/- 130 in small single-engines. The main difference is the lack of feel for the airplane, and outside forces like turbulence.
But ofcourse the Cessna is in no way comparable to a Spit or La :P. It's like comparing a Fiat 500 with a McLaren F1.

True, although there is the fear factor to take into account as well, I'm pretty confident pulling a 6G diving turn on BOP, not so ballzy in real life though!

While in the Air Force in the 1970s and 1980s, I was an aircraft electrician, but was studying to get my privates pilots license. However got to where all I needed was my solo flight to qualify for my full single engine license, but stopped short there when I got married and started having a family. So, yes, I few real airplanes for a short while, but never solo'd. Only with an instructor. And yes, I actually flew with the instructor next to me.

I also flew RC aircraft for years, and had lots of fun with that. Not the real thing, but does teach allot about aircraft control, and aerodynamics as well.

I am retired, and disabled now, so I am having a blast with BOP, since I can not fly for real any longer.

Haha, agreed. Although experienced pilots know what they can and can not handle, and by practicing you'll reduce this 'fear factor'. Still, you need balls of steel :P.

I got a few hundred hours logged on RC aircraft (plane and heli,) but alas I crash them as much as I crash in BOP so I dont buy nitro, just the cheaper electric models.

I've been wondering this myself. I've logged a little over 4000 hours total time. About 900 ours of it is as pilot-in-command and a flight instructor. I am a commercial pilot for an airline and the rest of the time is in the First Officer position. (Hoping to upgrade soon to Captain after the recession). I like to think I know a little bit about how aircraft handle. However, I know there are plenty of ppl on here that know WAY more than I do about aviation history and world war 2 in particular. I find those guys to be pretty interesting.

Another RC pretend pilot here, I have a healthy fear of dieing and if youve seen me fly BoP on Sim you'll understand why that means I wont hold a real joystick.

does RC aircraft count? 1/4-1/3 scale?

For a number of years I played Combat Flight Simulator. Several years ago for my birthday, my wife gave me an hour flight in a North American AT6 fighter trainer (WWII). I had never flown a plane before. The flying experience did not seem entirely new because of playing CFS. However, after doing several rolls and a loop I felt nauseous!:grin: I wanted to do other maneuvers but, unfortunately, I didn't have the stomach :rolleyes: for it. Playing sims is great, but it is entirely different when you experience the g forces. It was a great experience that I would heartily recommend to any sim pilot. You have a better appreciation for what pilots endured flying these machines.