Complaints, Planes and Automobiles

It’s good to be home. To say that I’ve been on the road a lot lately would be a huge understatement.

With a job like mine I get to travel to some pretty cool places, so please don’t think that I’m officially complaining, but when it comes right down to it there’s no place like home.

That’s not to say I never get the travel bug when I’m home. As you may know, I’m the kind of guy who likes to have my cake and eat it too.

The good news is when I do get the urge to hit a racetrack or fly in a 747, I do it, thanks to some kick ass simulators I’ve set up in my house.

I installed the flight simulator as a bit of a test of my own mettle. Flying isn’t exactly one of my favourite things to do. I wouldn’t call it fear as much as I’d call it hate.

No, I’d call it fear. Seriously, I hate flying.

So, to get over my own worry that some pilot will choose the bit-too-warm fish sandwich and keel over during a trans-Atlantic flight, I’ve installed an uber-realistic flight simulator in my home. I can fly anything from a Lear Jet, a Helicopter, or even a Jumbo Passenger Jet. So I guess you could say that I’m fairly confident with some coaching from a co-pilot or ground control I could safely land a 747.

Driving is an entirely different story. I could insert any number of car analogy here, Greg, but let’s just say that for me it’s pure pleasure and pure adrenaline. So, to complement my flight sim, I’ve got a loaded racing simulator, which includes a full racing seat, pedals and steering wheel.

My race sim of choice is R-Factor, which I used to practice for the Ferrari Challenge at one of the best race tracks in the world, located in Mt. Tremblant, near Montreal. The Ferrari Challenge was a truly amazing two day experience where we had the opportunity to tear up brand new Ferraris – some with as little as 30 miles on the odometer – including four F430 Scuderias!

By practicing at home first I figure that my lap times and learning curve came down significantly. It’s amazing how real R-Factor is – and the tracks are very close to reality.

If you’re a racing enthusiast and can get your hands on a racing simulator I definitely recommend it (we do sell the complete kits by the way, I think around $15,000 will get you up and running with an amazing setup). …And uhhh, if you’re scared of flying – I do recommend a flight simulator, it really helps with all the weird noises, bumps, and all the other nerve-racking stuff that happens in the air – at least you know what’s going on.