Oh noooo! My Thrustmaster Cougar is history!

[mazex]

Originally Posted by Thunderbolt56

Well, at 45, I have no delusions about becoming an Air Force pilot any longer (though I had a Congressional appointment and an academic scholarship to the Air Force Academy). At the time I was over 85% ambidextrous and could throw and write with both hands and kick with both feet. I played golf right handed AND left-handed and bowled with both hands. Then I was in an auto accident that severed my right arm just above the elbow. So I fly left-handed now.

You still think I should try to do it right-handed "because that's what they do in real life"?

I swear, I've had this conversation so many times, and as a forced southpaw for the last 26 years (and an expert at conforming), I take offense when other people, either directly or passively, attempt to force it on me again under the mask of ignorance. It's not too much separated from someone who has quit smoking and becomes the poster child for anti-smoking to toot their own horn.

I'm left-handed...and I smoke...mkay?

where's brando when I need him...

I am a pilot in real life. I just don't fly modern jet fighters. But the point is, this is a game that attempts to simulate flight in some form or another. To get the most enjoyment from it as I can, it requires me to use specially-made controllers. Luckily the only individual out there with the desire and werewithall to do it uses CH.

Sorry if I offended you - I was trying to make a joke in the "full real or nothing" style but it was not that successful obviously... Besides it was an interesting discovery for me at 18 years to realize that almost all single seat planes are simply built for right handed people... It's rather obvious if you think of it - but I hadn't done that before that. I had flown computer simulators for quite some years then so I was very used to "flying" with my left hand...

[Thunderbolt56]

Originally Posted by mazex

Sorry if I offended you...

Nah, I'm sorry if I came off a bit harsh myself.

I come from a long pedigree of combat pilots (bombers and fighters). My Grandfather, Great Uncle, Father and step Father (WWII, Korea and Vietnam). I've heard so many times about "in real life, southpaw's conform or wash out" from true pilots and all the wannabes on game/sim forums that my knee-jerk reaction is just that (i.e. sometimes not well-thought out).

I fly sims for the vicarious experiences and love of aviation. I do it for fun...that's all. I've had a Cougar and a right-handed Fighterstick (to name a few) and did just fine (relatively speaking). But the fun-factor rose exponentially when I got custom controllers that fit me instead of me fitting them.

Sorry for the shot over the bow mazex.

[brando]

Originally Posted by Thunderbolt56

I've heard so many times about "in real life, southpaw's conform or wash out" from true pilots and all the wannabes on game/sim forums that my knee-jerk reaction is just that (i.e. sometimes not well-thought out).

I fly sims for the vicarious experiences and love of aviation. I do it for fun...that's all. I've had a Cougar and a right-handed Fighterstick (to name a few) and did just fine (relatively speaking). But the fun-factor rose exponentially when I got custom controllers that fit me instead of me fitting them.

I kept quiet because I get angered by this assumption that we are all supposed to conform. I spent my early years at an exclusive & expensive preparatory school run by French Catholics.
I was born a 'southpaw', and I can still recall the indignity of having my left hand tied to my chair to force me into the 'correct way' of writing. (Protests were quelled by a sharp slap or two!) Psychological studies have since proved that this kind of coercion is damaging to a person's intellect, but I was under the influence of a group who really believed that left-handedness was a sign of "the Devil's work"!

It's ironic then, that I lost my right arm and found myself back as I started out. Oddly enough, when I recommenced writing, I found my handwriting was bolder, clearer and more legible than it had ever been.

I don't much care if people get a thrill out of being "fully real" in their approach to this game. That's fine - but I object to all this bollocks about using the "correct" hand. To me, this point is utterly pretentious and unworthy.
This is a game. Played on a PC, ffs, and all the Tarmac Ace, hydraulic feedback, simpits and UDP won't make it anything more than that. If the manufacturers of these toy joysticks can't be bothered to make a LH option that's their business. If they use the excuse that it's more "real" then I just laugh at their pretension and give thanks that there is a conversion kit available for CH flight-gear.

>rant over<



Brando

[mazex]

Originally Posted by Thunderbolt56

Nah, I'm sorry if I came off a bit harsh myself.

I come from a long pedigree of combat pilots (bombers and fighters). My Grandfather, Great Uncle, Father and step Father (WWII, Korea and Vietnam). I've heard so many times about "in real life, southpaw's conform or wash out" from true pilots and all the wannabes on game/sim forums that my knee-jerk reaction is just that (i.e. sometimes not well-thought out).

I fly sims for the vicarious experiences and love of aviation. I do it for fun...that's all. I've had a Cougar and a right-handed Fighterstick (to name a few) and did just fine (relatively speaking). But the fun-factor rose exponentially when I got custom controllers that fit me instead of me fitting them.

Sorry for the shot over the bow mazex.

No problem, we all get a little jumpy when it's approaching 3 month's since we last heard from Oleg. A few lines and some shots of the usual 3D models with blue background that could come from any game and we all get back to normal

/Mazex

[Boandlgramer]

Are there many left-handed people out there ?
Just for interest.