Verslag door Alexander Schmidt (TCA-piloot)
van het
FS weekend in de Aviodome op 16 en 17 oktober 1999
Van:
Bert van Halteren <b.van.halteren@worldonline.nl>
Aan: fs-dordrecht <fs@hinttech.com>
Datum: zondag 24 oktober 1999 12: 13
Onderwerp: over het
fs-weekend
Hoi Allemaal,
Hieronder een bericht dat Alexander
Schmidt schreef aan de TCA mailinglist over het FS-weekend van 16/17
oktober j.l... En nu niet allemaal tegelijk naast je schoenen gaan
lopen!
Groeten, Bert.
P.S. Wat zo’n FS weekend al niet los
kan maken … het schijnt dat Bob binnenkort een contract gaat tekenen
voor een nieuwe carrière in Duitsland! Hoe moet dat dan met de DFSO?
Hi Crew,
This might be a little
late, but I have been asked by several persons to give you all a
report about my travel to Amsterdam last weekend. Well here it is:
You may have noticed at
simFlight or anywhere else in the net that at 16th/17th were
the national flightsim days in the
Aviodome Aviation Museum
near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
And I wanted to visit this event. Mostly because there is no
comparable FS scene here in Germany and therefore none such events.
There are some FS World celebrities from Germany - Hallo Rainer - like
Manfred Moldenhauer and Enrico Schiratti, but compared with the amount
of the population, the Netherlands are a FS World Superpower. Names as
Johan van Cranenburgh, Mathijs Kok, Jan Visser, Enno Borgsteede -
don't you dare to become megalomaniac about this, Enno :-) -, Marty
Bochane, just to name a few, are known even to the rookiest FS rookie.
Excuses to all I've Ieft out ...
Well, I contacted Enno,
telling him that I wanted to travel to this meeting and that I was
hoping to meet him there. He responded that he was participating there
anyway and presenting something he didn't even know about. But it had
something to do with the Uiver... <vbg> more of that later ...
In one of the next mails,
Enno let me know that, when inviting him to dinner, he would provide
me with bed 'n breakfast. What a nice invitation, of course, I agreed.
So Saturday, 16th, found me on my way. Had to get up early in the
morning at 5 o'clock to get my train and arrived at about 12:00 at
Schiphol. The Aviodome Museum was easy to find ... and the whole place
was crowded with visitors. As the name indicates, it is an Aviation
Museum and at first I walked around, admiring the fine AC
exhibition. And within this exhibition, some retailers sold their
stuff and, of course, flightsimmers were performing MP (multi-player)
flights.
After that, it seemed to
be time to look out for Enno ... Just one problem though, how does he
look like? I only knew his face from blurry pictures somewhere in the
net, but reality, my friends, is always a little bit different. How
does he really look like, could it be this one? No, another name on
the nameplate some of the participants were wearing. Well, back to the
entrance, asking one of the guys, where the Uiver is presented
:-). Unfortunately - but, hey!!, no one informed me how it is spelled
in Dutch. I spelled it like I would in German, so nobody could
understand me. That's where 1 had my encounter with the Dutch AKM,
discussed in this mail area earlier :-) ....
Humiliated, I stole
myself away .... <g>
But hey, that must be
Johan van Cranenburgh, why not ask him if he could show me Enno. Guess
what, he could :-). Eventually everything came to a lucky ending. Enno
introduced me to a lot of people, always raising laughter, when
telling my little misfortune with that Uiver spelling thing :-). Now I
know, how it's spelled, but to all of you who are not of the Dutch
tongue, I’ll leave it to you, finding out <vbg>, or experiencing the
already mentioned Dutch AKM.
I met many people and
watched the MP-flights. Mostly simmers were sitting in half-circles
around tables performing various flights with ATC support. Enno and I
talked a lot and he guided me around, which leads me to the real topic
of this event: the Show of the Dutch Flight Simulator Organization,
(DFSO):
www.burtech.com/~fs. Approximately 18 guys in front of their
hardware - fully equipped with all the goodies necessary for every FS
crazy: -) - plus a videobeamer where the different monitors were
displayed. All presented by one of those rare natural showtalents,
explaining to a broad audience - and I mean a broad audience :-) - the
possibilities of FS and apparently making it understood!
These guys were
performing partly a Group Flight - with Heavies! - over Rotterdam and
Amsterdam, others were landing or taxiing. And then this guy told the
people all about FS: Multiplayer, Panels, Scenery, Aircraft Design,
FMS, HDI, Aircraft Types and ... and ... and ... You could screen it
on TV and it would never. bore. Unbelievable and - sorry guys -
indescribable. Remember his name: Bob Iken. All who have ever
seen one of their performances would agree, I think. Their next Show
seems to be 30th/31st in Bruxelles. A fine opportunity for all who
missed them.
Back to the story: -).
All of a sudden, Stefaan Capelle appeared- what a nice surprise: -).
We walked around and had nice conversation, so Enno could return to
his - obscure - duties : -). But suddenly it was past 17: 00, the
Museum closed, Stefaan had. to drive back to Koekelare and Enno and I
had to go for dinner ... But where's Enno? Nowhere to find ...
Stefaan and I were looking all around ... nothing. But then an idea,
calling him on his mobile. I even had the appropriate spare-money and,
yeah, Enno's on the phone... Very good connection, as if he were
standing just a few meters away, which in fact he was :-), approaching
out of the depths of the Aviodome Museum. Bye to Stefaan - we'll meet
again : - ) - and now we only had to find the restaurant, where others
were already waiting. So now I know every detail of Hoofddorp, a small
city near Schiphol Apt. : -). Finally we arrived for dinner, where I
met Johan van Cranenburgh again, Mathijs Kok and many of the guys from
the DFSO. A funny evening ...
Then to Enno's Apartment
in Amsterdam, where I saw my first Çable modem ... whow, that's it. We
talked a lot, but I was information overkilled and exhausted, so 1 had
to go to bed early.
Next day we drove back to
Schiphol, but due to the Amsterdam-Marathon we had to drive some
detour and I was even able to see some from the city. And when you
Americans think, you are progressive with Drive-In facilities, well,
the Dutch have Drive-By facilities. So I could see the Drive-By
Rijksmuseum as well as the Drive-By Van Gogh Museum. Not to
mention-the Drive-By Gracht. An unforgettable experience :-).
Second day ... Again,
meeting many people, I had a long conversation with Mathijs Kok, where
he showed me FS Traffic and even a future add-on from Lago. Pssst.
Then meeting Ton van der Kolk (Fokker 70/100) and we had a nice time
there. Suddenly ., Enno and 1 had to leave because it was time,
driving to the Dutch Dakota Association (DDA), where he is a
member as well. Due to some Dutch regulations I could not participate
a flight, but it was as well exciting watching the Dakota taxiing,
take-off and - after 30 minutes - land. Moreover I watched the second
of the DDA-Dakotas and the Uiver, DC-2. Well, guys, a real,
flyable DC-2, whow! And I was even allowed to stand in it's aisle.
Back to the Aviodome,
where we met Ton on the leave, but he made up his mind and stayed a
little longer. Suddenly Enno appeared, bringing our fellow pilot Han
Tilroe with him. It was nice to meet you both there, Han and Ton. But
my time was running out, had to get the train at 17:00, but before I
bought a little Souvenir, the new CH Flightsim Yoke. Good Bye to all,
a short walk to Schiphol's Terminal & Train Station, Farewell
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Back home at 23.00.
That's it...
Greetings from Hamburg,
Alex
Whom I missed? At least
three guys: Marcel, Mark and Rob van der Leye. Hope to see you there
next year. Maybe with an own TCA stand ???
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