Bristol 2005
This years venue was the Beeches Hotel and Conference Centre in Bristol UK. RC Simulations are the company who have been organising this event now in its twelfth year.
Bob Sidwick is the man behind the show, and this years event was a step back to the old days, a downsized event taking much of the commercialism out and giving the ordinary flight simulator fan the freedom to move around and banter in a relaxed atmosphere. Bob said “Although the Birmingham shows were great, they were getting to the point of manic, competitive and stressful to organise” he goes on to say “We wanted to take a step back, create some space and allow somewhere for people to go where they could enjoy what they see”. It was more like a club meet, then a show, with people very happy to sit and do what they enjoy doing, flying aircraft. But the whole atmosphere was indeed very relaxed and as Bob had envisaged.
There were still 25 companies presenting their wares including RC Simulations, PC Pilot, Aerosoft. Along with the sale stands we also had the opportunity to listen in on some very interesting talks, these were presented in the main house.
On entry we were greeted with all the information required and walked through into the main hall where most of stands were available to see.
At the centre of all the activity were the 185th Squadron with what can only be described as the biggest “dog fight” to be witnessed in one virtual scenario.
Tom our roving reporter went to check out the action!
These guys have adopted the Falcon 4 Allied Force as their chosen weapon of war so to speak, and while all looked calm around this centre spot, all hell was being let loose as dog fights rocked the hall to its foundations ( no harm came to any flyers or spectators in the making of this production! )
So we moved on, Air supply provided a host of flying goodies from books to DVD and radio sets, just about everything for the real world and virtual world pilot to enjoy.
Alpine were also on hand with a very large plasma screen, showing just what can be achieved on a home system, serious money for top of the range graphic cards. But it looked excellent and well worth the spend.
AVSIM the flight simulator enthusiasts site were hiding in a corner, around to the RC stand and then in the opposite corner Horizon Simulations had their stand displaying the new Falcon 4 on a large wall screen.
It was hard to know where to look next, but we steadily made our way round, all the time Tom asking about the Saitek X52, which seemed to be in use on most of the flying sims present. His infatuation with the Saitek joystick and throttle go back to the IFC convention in Blackpool earlier this year.
Aerosoft held a small stand with all their latest products on show. PC Pilot after it’s change of hands in the publishing world were also here displaying the latest magazine of which every pilot should not be without. By the way, they did not pay me to say that!
We moved through the main hall into a smaller room to see the Cyberseat, claimed by its makers as the “worlds biggest USB device” and looking at it, it probably is the case. We saw this earlier in the year and it is a very impressive piece of kit, if flying around your virtual world sat on your kitchen stool is not what you planned when taking up flight sim, then a look at this beauty may well change your mind. Beware technology like this does not come cheap and you may need to reorganise your dining room to get it in. To top it all an explanation to the wife is one, long conversation. You just need to persuade her it’s time to move to a bigger house!
To the left of the Cyberseat were the staff of FSUG better known as Flight Sim User Group.
Tony Volante set up a great site which can be found on our links page here With many members around the UK and also Worldwide now, Tony has brought this club to the fore with a Bi-Monthly Magazine “Micro Aviator Journal” FSUG started way back in 1994 Tony says “We have many professional pilots as members, a few of them are flying instructors. Many are ex-RAF pilots or ex-professional/hobby pilots. We even have a few lady PC Pilots.”
The magazine is full of interesting articles with just about everything covered to enable the virtual pilot to get maximum enjoyment from the program.
Across in the main Hotel building itself were the guys from VATSIM, although their day was confounded by the fact that no internet connection was available even after arduous efforts from the technical staff on hand “Bit of a washout” was one verdict from one member. However it still gave opportunity for the guys to chat with guests at the show instead of virtual flyers online. VATSIM also produced a very handy guide to anyone wanting to know all about online flying and as their slogan states “VATSIMmers do it online!”
A new virtual airline was on show, UNO airways. Jim Smith who is the director of human resources said “realism is the key to success in the virtual world” while the Chairman & CEO Jon chambers outlined more detail in a talk held at the show. Other speakers on the day were Rob Young, Capt Ben Anderson and Peter Smerdon on the Vox ATC system.
With much to enjoy throughout the day, the 12th annual flight sim show was a treat for all who attended, although smaller than previous occasions it brought flight simulation back to the fan. The ordinary gent or lady who likes nothing more than to enjoy an hour or two flying around their own little piece of airspace in a friendly virtual environment. The hotel facilities were very good and the layout of the show helped in spreading the load evenly throughout the buildings for all who attended.
We imagine most people went away with a smile on their face, I know one little chap who certainly did Tom got his Saitek X52 the biggest moan was he would not be allowed to touch it until Christmas! Harsh, nah. He was happy really and so was I.
So what about next year, 13 is usually considered unlucky by some folk, for Bob and his team I do not think this will be the case.
