Recently, I graduated from U.S. Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training, and was awarded the aeronautical rating of pilot.
Having been a member of this community for ten (10!!!) years, almost half of my life, this was a moment I wanted to share with all of you. I started using Infinite Flight to pass the time on car rides. I’d make laps between KLAX and KSAN with the occasional flight to KNUC.
That turned into progressing through the live servers, which eventually brought me to the community. The community opened my eyes, and I started to learn a whole lot about how things are done in the real world. While not a substitute for real life, this simulator built my fundamental knowledge of flight. Even today, there are certain things that I do every day that I can say I learned from Infinite Flight and its community. Both spurred me to pursue the interest in the real world.
With time, I tried to get more into flying. I had some real world flights here and there, and the community continued to be a great resource for learning. Although it came along with light heckling, I was able to learn with community members through the forum and VAs.
Some of you had the pleasure of knowing @Maxmustang. His “MaxFacts” series was my go-to for learning. I consider this the most important post that I ever read on the community. Reading the PHAK launched me even further into real world knowledge, and wanting to do the real thing.
And long story short: that’s what I did. I continued to get into civilian aviation, followed by military aviation. It’s been about 7 years in the making from when I first set my sights on wings, and I’m thankful to say that Infinite Flight had a role in getting me there. So, to everyone involved in making this simulator what it is and to everyone in the community, thank you.
