I like that kind of openess!
That’s the way I would like to discuss here. Without prejudice and pride, and it would be even better if each one of us had his full name in the profile.
I post so much, because I mostly live in front of a computer, and I am used to having many windows open at the same time … Mail, Browser, Google Earth, a PDF or two, a text editor. While I try to get my work done (at the moment writing two stories for a book) i need many breaks to think over what I wrote, to get a cookie, a new coffee or a banana … and for a writer any excuse is good enough to not write the next sentence (writing can be a painful job …) … so in the breaks between the one and the next set of three or four sentences I click “Active threads” and see what has happened in the meantime …
I know many people, who would simply never attend an intenet forum, and I can understand somehow. It’s addictive and it consumes a lot of time …
(back to work) …
Cirrus_Man wrote:
sometimes it feels like the threads are kind of a “private” session between a small group and when someone else (me a few times) contributes, you get jumped on and made to feel silly
The clue is to jump first and make them feel silly 
He he. I only post when I find things interesting or relevant somehow, and I read maybe only 10-20% of the topics. And I still spend way too much time on this site 
I find in EuroGA a very useful source of information, but to be honest, my reason #1 is the language barrier.
With a simple level 4, if I understand the majority of the differents posts and comments, I admit that I have difficulties to elaborate on details when posting, especially when things get technical (moreover when I don’t even know those technical terms in my own native language).
Reason #2, I don’t have the experience some of you (if not a majority) have, then I feel sometimes like the ‘local airport idiot’ with my non-pertinent comments.
The forum has a strong IFR international flying contingent which tends to preclude posts on many topics from the more modest achievements of the burger run VFR flyers.
Eammanuel, you know … the language barrier actually IS very frustrating, many times, for others too. Many times, especially when it’S about controversial issues I wish I could reply in German. It’s terrible when you know that you could express something in a much more convincing way in your mother tongue … and then can’t.
Many times I have the feeling that native English speakers don’t realize that this is a real handicap for us. I can only, maybe, express 50 percent of what I really think in English … and i think my English is fine.
If anybody here speaks “ok German” … make a test: discuss a simple topic with me in German. You will see how hard it is.
I would need to live in the UK or USA for 5 years until i could express in English what i can express in German.
Not long ago I had the idea to translate one of my (flying) books into English myself. Of course I could, somehow. But it lost a lot of the style and quality, and I gave it up.
flybymike wrote:
The forum has a strong IFR international flying contingent which tends to preclude posts on many topics from the more modest achievements of the burger run VFR flyers.
But that comes as a consequence of interests of people who actually post. If there were more VFR posters it would mean more VFR content – simple as that. You can’t ask somebody who files business jet as a daily job to write about changing oil in SEP if he has flown SEP last time during his basic training. Nobody stops anybody in opening any topic.
+1
I also don’t see why we should distinguis so much … many topics are relevant for both IFR and VFR. Fuel Totalizer? Cost of Ownership? Maintenance?
One the reasons why so many “advanced” topics (IFR, oxygen, long trips, …) are being discussed: it is because we are a bunch of passionate pilots who keep flying as a hobby for years and years in a row. And when you are passionate, and you gather all this precious experience, you end up doing IFR, oxygen etc … - We are a self-selected bunch !
And people with less experience, they tend to passively lurk more, but they pick up solid information & experience. So I am not surprised with the demographic & behavior that Peter highlights.
For me, this forum is a great source of information, and I lurk 90% myself for every 10% I contribute.
In my opinion, this is the best GA forum I have experienced.
However, as a newbie I do feel a bit shy or intimated by the knowledge of some of you guys. So, I tend to come here, read your posts, learn (a lot) and grow as a pilot.
Posting in the topic “Learning & Starting Out” makes me feel more at ease…
what_next wrote:
but I find typing on tablets and especially smartphones (which I both carry with me all the time) more and more annoying.
Have you ever thought of buying one of those little Bluetooth keyboards? There is even one that is essentially a light keyboard that projects the keys onto any surface and you type there. Terminally cool…..
