Flying online
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No worries mate, my post has nothing to do against your personal opinion or everyone experience, it’s rather a glimpse of the other side for maintaining the balance.
I’m sure the experience can be fun and rewarding as well on these Discord channels. My point was more geared on the long term activity.
You see in a VFW you mostly fly with the same guys and that makes you more and more efficient as a team you can read the mind of your fellow at some point.
in a VFW you share tasks, instruction, TE creation, admin stuff and you make friends for life. Even those who drop out for some time for real life stays close and stays very good friends
Sure it’s not easy and demands sacrifice to give in return what you have been given first and yes it requires investment, but those who can handle it are rewarded with social activity within a non social hobby; good friends, good fun and great flying.I love my VFW, it’s not easy everyday and there are frustration but globally it is a hell of a ride.
and that’s my personal opionion as well -
Couldn’t have said it better Red Dog.
Just returned from a long BMS squadron LAN weekend with 13 of our pilots. Friends, Fun, missions, tactics, briefings, gear, beer, pizza, …
… sharing your passion its just the best thing!
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@Red:
TBH, doing that you miss quite a lot
Forgive my wording but doing that is the easy solution to get your fix, but in the long term it will probably not give you much reward
Joining a VFW on the other hand will be more complicated but will probably give you much more reward in the long term if you are able to take and give back at a later time.I understand to each his own, but I constantly see guys advertising discord and a kind of solo Mp where no team spirit is really maintained
So I’d figure i’d give the other side of the coin aspect advertising the spirit of the VFW
This is true.
Discord is not so great, regardless of which server you are talking about, its a place more in line for timewasting.
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This is true.
Discord is not so great, regardless of which server you are talking about, its a place more in line for timewasting.
Disagree I don’t feel wasting any time when on Discord. It’s way more active than compared to the forums. Sure there are no SOP but at least in all MP I have participated we agree to a standard set during Flight briefing.
And as the OP asked for places to meet other pilots to join MP Discord channels and servers are just a valid place to do so
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Aside from the discord and personal concern it can bring, Falcon Lounge is a nice place to start as well…
We helped on the TvT with BadBoy, we have regular flight with at least 8 pilots (several times a week) from everywhere in the world.The Falcon Lounge has helped so many people over the years that it is putting discredit to the community efforts I have been investing so far…
And by the way… Many of the BMS team are already in there…
Cheers
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Falcon Lounge is one the best place BY FAR to start your BMS journey.
You will always find support there for any question you may ask
You will find real BMS core developers (NOT community managers ) that will bring insight and will avoid many people to loose time by bringing real answers that you won’t find in any manuals
It is also a place of friendship around our baby and is certainly the best place to make contact for MP and fly with extremely competent people .
As a matter of fact , I use to regularly watch the streaming from falcon Lounge for spotting bugs since
- the people flying there are serious about SOP and BMS recommandations so I know that what I am watching is reliable
- the level of people flying there is very high so I know they don’t do much user errors
VFW are things of the past IMO , too many constraints and not enough people in there to really practice on a regular basis
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VFW are things of the past IMO , too many constraints and not enough people in there to really practice on a regular basis
I disagree that VFW are a thing of the past. IMO, both VFW and Discord have a place in our community, and they each have benefits and disadvantages.
The biggest advantage of a VFW is the ability to set Standard (Tactical) Operating Procedures, to get everyone on the same page (knows the manoeuvres, tactics, flows etc.), often without having to brief or communicate anything. By often flying with the same people, you know exactly what their capabilities are, what they can and especially what they can not do, what to expect when SHTF, …
On the other hand, the biggest advantage of Discord is that there are a lot more (at least dozens, if not hundreds more) active people in there. Because of that, you get a 24/7 active community which makes it extremely easy to set up a random flight if you have a few free hours, ask a question and get an answer in max 2 - 3 hours instead of 24 - 48 hours. Especially if you’re running lower numbers, that is harder to do in a VFW when people work, have kids to take care of, …
That said, not all VFWs suffer from low player numbers. I know at least one VFW that has 20+ active pilots on a (semi-)regular basis.
But even with lower numbers, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything… E.g. in the BVT, we have 11 members, of which about 5 - 7 are flying regularly (at least twice a week), but those that can’t fly stay active in our group chat, we organise a LAN every month, for as long as I can remember we have been invited to multiple public events during the summer months, … That, in combination with what I said earlier about knowing what to expect from your wingman, is a level of commitment, familiarity, and even friendship you can’t really get on Discord. -
The problem with many VFWs is they have activity requirements not based upon any reality for many adults with kids, job, wife, home to juggle. Ive been in a few so know of what I speak. Falcon Lounge is your best option if you have this thing called life on the go.
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IMO, both VFW and Discord have a place in our community, and they each have benefits and disadvantages.
I absolutely agree with this. I am joining a VFW that has a regular flight time every week (plus other flights when possible), but I am on Discord most of the time (app open in the background while I work) for the 24/7 activity. I don’t see myself flying with people on Discord because my family life doesn’t allow for unplanned flights.
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Lucky for us we have the best of both worlds. Join a VFW if you wish to reap the benefits of operating within a VFW and Discord such as Falcon Lounge and take advantage of those opportunities. I’ve been with a VFW for 6 years and with work and personal life I can’t make the flight nights however with Discord the pickup flights are plenty and at the Falcon Lounge it’s a learning vibe for the new guys and the old Hats are trying to do it as close to the book as they can, if that’s their thing.
Win Win