Pilot Introductions

[Rauerb3]

Hello everyone,

My name is Roger Auerbach. I've been simming seriously for around a year now in conjunction with working on my PPL. I'm an international business major at Hofstra, plan on getting my MBA next year and then getting my ifr/cfi/atp etc ratings.

Mike, I still have a running Apple IIe, what a machine

Peter, I'd love to talk to you at some point about your experience working at a flight school, as i suspect i will following that path soon.

Cheers,

-R

[jimpdx]

Hey guys. Jim Thompson in Portland, OR (PDX). Have worked with some of you on VATSIM. Real PPL (working on instrument). Former DATM and Webmaster for ZOA and ZLA before that. Started with VATSIM about 2002. Looking to help any way I can, haven't logged onto VATSIM in about a year now. I am co-founder of a software startup serving the Beverage Alcohol industry (wine, spirits and beer companies) called "GreatVines" http://www.greatvines.com. It keeps me fairly busy as we are growing quickly but I need a non-work distraction so I am re-installing XP9 right now. Hope to see you guys online.

[Daddy O]

My name is Adam Celaya.

I got my PPL when I was seventeen (28 years ago orr so?) and have been flying as much as I can since. I am a VFR pilot teaching myself to fly IFR.

I have logged a little rotary wing time, and get into the simulators at FlightSafety whenever I can. I like to fly almost anything including Helos, jets, props, rockets, and have even gotten pretty good with exoatmospheric flight ($@#%@ Vatsim disconnected me for doing it.)

I started sim-flying with Strike Eagle on my Atari800 and have flown almost every piece of flight sim software since. I have 8 or 9 different packages on my system now. At home I have an 8 foot long simulator, powered by 3 PCs and a projected screen (the hi-def projector is in the mail I would love to start a forum on building a home simulator, I have a great interest in the topic.

I joined PilotEdge because I did not care for the caste-system mentality of VatSim.

My current project is building scenery packs for the areas covered by PilotEdge. By adding airport detail, pilots can practice real world things like parking, negotiating taxiways (at night,) finding your flight center, helipad landings, and even aircraft carrier landings. I was going to make them available via PilotEdge.

She's a little messy. Waiting for Christmas to rebuild the frame to a 2 seater. Yoke on the left, choppers on the right

simulator1.jpg (195.94 KiB) Viewed 20819 times

[GaryMillsaps]

Hi all, First off, thank you for the welcome Keith!
As the name says, I'm Gary and from the sound of things, I may very well be the "old man" of this motley crew. Like many have said, I too have always had a deep love for all things aviation...comes from my Dad I think, he flew B-17s, 29s and was a test pilot on the old B-36 Peacemaker. My first sojourn into aviation was my after-school job driving a fuel truck around the Morgantown-Lenoir Airport in North Carolina...before I had my driver's license. Not much pay in that one but I got to fly! I still have fond(?) memories of getting to right-seat an old BE-18 that always stunk of chicken-shit...it was used to fly baby chicks from farm to farm.

I moved into professional aviation via the USAF...starting at the Academy...spent 8 years wearing the blue as an Air Traffic Controller culminating as a Crew Chief for the USAF equivalent of Flight Check...we more or less evaluated and certified USAF ATC installations met all the requirements necessary. That gig took me around the world several times. After my discharge, I applied for the FAA and was assigned to the KLAS TRACON...then came Reagan (and you know the result).

From there, it was on to Denver...landed a coveted position as Asst Operations Manager for the old Stapleton Airport...most significant incident there was being on duty during the Continental Flight 1713 accident...not the fondest of memories for me. Well, the next 15 years or so turned out much better; I was asked to take on the job of Airport Planner for the Denver Intl Airport...I consider it the biggest "thumbprint" of my professional life. It was a great opportunity and I thoroughly enjoyed it. After opening, I moved back to the ops side and became the Airport Operations Director for the airport. After having my fill of the airport-side, I took an early retirement from Denver in 1999; bought a motorcycle and spent the next two years traveling across the US & Canada.

Through a quirk of fate, I was approached by two engineering firms from the KDEN project - one to work on a project at KLAX, and one to work with NASA on several projects for the US NAS. I took the NASA gig. That evolved with me joining NASA and becoming one of the core members of the group that generated the NEXTGEN program...congressional sub-committees can be SO much fun! Ah well, our little group was disbanded when President Bush decided he wanted to go to Mars and NASA had to adjust funding priorities...we got riffed. (What's with these presidents anyway?)

Ah well, thoroughly disenchanted with government service, I moved to my current locale (AJ's birthplace) and opened my own business in art conservation and restoration. Having spent my professional career with my feet on terra firma, my airborne side has been indulged via simulator. I started with Bruce Artwick's earliest products (before the Miegs era). It was my one and only foray in Apple computing. (I actually met Bruce once at some simulation conference.) I joined VATSIM in 2001 but took a few years to get really active mostly on the controlling side. This has culminated in my working at vZBW as controller, instructor and TA...working for VATUSA as Regional Director...and finally my second term as Division Director. I know I MUST be a masochist at heart.

I'm thrilled to be here amongst friends (Paul, Dan, Shawn, Mike, and Keith) continuing the pursuit. For those who may not know me yet, I look forward to working with and getting to know you. So the ride continues....

Gary

[Charlie]

Hello, everyone. My name is Charlie and I'm from Concord, California up here in the Bay Area. I started on Flight Simulator 2004 in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when I discovered the game at a teen club onboard the Disney Magic (Disney Cruise Line), that was in 2005. When I got back home, I went to Fry's Electronics and bought Flight Simulator X for $60.00 once it came out that October. From there, I started flying around and getting used to the game. I connected to the Multiplayer Server and flew around on there for a while. I remember I joined Vegas Air, which was run by our friend Kevin Meyers and I had some fun times, but since I was only a kid, I had trouble adjusting.

Anyhow, in August of '06, I started up a "Virtual Airline" called West Side Airways. Yes, I was the little annoying kid running it. It was pretty ghetto, I must admit, but I definitely had a lot of fun doing it. I met Lucas Dziesinski through that, and we've been friends ever since, flying and hanging out in the real world as well. In 2007, Lucas introduced me to VATSIM!... He introduced me to the Oakland Artcc, where I met a lot of cool people. I never made it above San Francisco Tower, but that was because I had no further desire to persue a higher rank. (I loved controlling ground and tower because I loved talking to people and helping them start out.) So, I was there for a while.

I have a career in the Music Industry, so I wasn't able to control as much as I wanted. So, I sort of faded away, but then came back around 2008. I had lost all my ranks, so I never made it past ground, but I never controlled on the network on ground, even though I was trained for ground... haha. (Didn't have time, of course!) So, around 2008 or 2009 I believe it was, there were a lot of changes for OAK ARTCC, so, I made a somewhat childish departure, but that was a while ago. Ever since, I flew a little bit on the VATSIM Network. While I was very active in the community, however, you would always find me flying as SWA1288 or UAL1288, which I would usually be flying from LAX to SFO to LAX to SFO, with the occasional flight to Houston or Orlando. Don't know why, I just loved those flights.

Now, I spend a lot of time on the road since I am always traveling for my career. I do Independent Study through National Univeristy Online, so I have a lot of time on my hands. I've wanted to get back into controlling, but I just haven't found that hook yet. But if you need a ground or tower controller at Oakland or San Fran, I'm your guy! The Bay Area is my favorite place to control. A lot of friendly people fly around there on the network.

So, with my story in a nutshell said, I think it'd be cool to be a part of the PilotEdge Community. Hope to talk to or see you all soon!

Blue Skies,
Charlie.

[Lucas Dziesinski]

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[Ted Laux]

Though I have no real-life piloting experience, I have been dabbling in flight simulation for a very long time. My first flight simulator was by SubLogic for the TRS-80 computer. The TRS-80 had a magnificent 128X48 resolution and the simulated world was a 10 mile by 10 mile grid. However, the northwest corner of the grid was occupied by German WW I fighters who would fly up and shoot you down if you got near their territory. All in all, I don’t recall learning a whole lot from that program except not to fly too close to German fighter territory.

For many years, I intermittently used the Commodore and Microsoft FS simulators. Typically, I would fly intensively for a while, then real-life requirements would come along and I wouldn’t get back to flying for months or even years.

I started using X-Plane about seven years ago. Shortly thereafter, in 2004, I joined California Air (CAX) virtual airline. Overall, being a CAX member has been a great experience. In fact, I met Keith at CAX and started asking him thousands of flight-related questions.

Keith has been a fabulous mentor for many years, patiently explaining the basics of flying, navigating, and ATC interaction. I couldn’t have functioned at all on VATSIM without him, and I have managed to complete most of the KZLA ratings with his help.

When you see me flying on the network, keep in mind that everything I know about flying, I learned from Keith. You’ve been warned.

[jollyroger]

Hello I'm Jeffrey,

I found out about this place on the AOPA forums. First short experience last night was pretty positive. Although I have to often fly pretty late due to other commitments. I enjoyed the first run.

I'm a private pilot with Instrument and I fly out of Watsonville Muni. KSMO is as far south I've gotten so far. I do fly on Vatsim but not as often as I like. I really enjoyed the drone flights and requirement for frequency changes. I especially like the fact that you actually have ground control!

[lwilliams]

Hey folks!

My name is Lee and live in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. I came across this opportunity to make you guys (new friends) at my VA which is Air Northwest. The concept of developing my radio communication and other flying skills was very appealing.

I am a sales manager for a truck tire firm and find that it keeps me incredibly busy most of the time. Virtual flying is my therapy, if you will, and I can't seem find enough time to do as often as I would like. I look forward to talking and interacting with everyone and hopefully I can suck more knowledeg and fun times from everyone! Better yet, maybe I can find things to share with everyone else too!


Lee

[SteveWilson]

Hello All -

I'm Steve Wilson and I fly out of Tucson mostly - mainly 'cause that's home and I live right under the approach to runway 11. I'm former USAF, and have had many walks in my over half century of walking this fine planet, currently calling the local aviation museum my professional home since I've got an addiction to winged things made from aluminum and such.

In the coming months I will be putting the finishing touches on my flight sim cockpit based on an X-Plane of my own design. It should fit in well with the usual GA twin-jet movement, although it's anything but a "business jet." I haven't used a general aviation radio since my financially aborted attempt at a powered PPL in 1980, but have since acquired a PPL to fly sailplanes, a ticket that has been gathering dust since 1986. Hence the need for a cockpit in my den to satisfy the ever present need-for-flying yen. I yammered at fighters as a "Weapons Controller" behind a radar scope for many years while in the USAF, and managed to spend at least some time in the cockpit whilst managing to foil my military aviation aspirations in UNT. So I don't expect I'll "heavy breathe" all that much as I return to the world of "controlled" flight....an experience that will likely begin in a month or so after I get the commo situation sorted in my pit. If So and Nocal are going to be busy, it will be good to lose that post-apocalyptic feel that X-Plane gets after a while. The skies are just a bit too friendly by being empty. Here's hoping Real Scenery gets their photo-overlays of sunny CA done soon!

Cheers!