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PaperclipPerfector  11mo ago (text post)   3185 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 18, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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My incredibly off-topic comment justifiably saw no response, but it reminded me of one question.

Imagine you’re on a flight where somebody tried to smuggle murder hornets and they got loose. Only three people were immune and survived: you, and a basement dweller who spent thousands of hours in MS Flight Simulator including the plane model you’re on, and a real fighter pilot who has never flown a commercial plane ever. They look at you to decide who will be landing the plane. Which one do you choose?

Fighter jock, so very hard. There's a reason "flying by the seat of your pants" became an expression. Even the very best simulators don't match the actual experience of putting a plane back on the ground safely. Also a commercial jet is much much harder to crash than a fighter jet which, by design, trades stability for agility.

The biggest issue would be a lack of familiarity with the controls. Put simulator guy/gal in the co-pilot's chair so they can point out where the appropriate dials and buttons are and you should be fine. Aside from being in a plane full of corpses and murder hornets anyway.

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I'm not sure why you'd consider the very real performance difference between a fighter and commercial jet to be prohibitive but think the much, much larger difference between a sim and real life is just fine.

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Yes, larger. Try doing a loop in a simulator then do one in real life. Even the very expensive sims that airlines and the military use can't 100% replicate the feel of real flight. A PC and desk chair certainly aren't going to do it.

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You also try to avoid killing off the entire flight crew yet here we are.

Regardless, the point was that physical sensation is an integral part of the piloting experience and it's not one you'll get from a desktop sim. Replace looping with strong turbulence if that makes you feel better.

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