[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":378},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f73f7decmwM3zpmyGWxmHQylLvmxZ8s39UxSkhEgCVhs":3},{"success":4,"data":5,"count":377},true,[6],{"id":7,"title":8,"slug":9,"content":10,"category":375,"createdAt":376,"updatedAt":376},"7rwSGgAldFH1rltrPtpc4W","How it started","howitstarted",{"nodeType":11,"data":12,"content":13},"document",{},[14,23,31,49,66,73,89,105,112,146,153,160,176,183,190,197,204,211,218,234,241,257,273,280,296,303,315,322,338,345,352,359],{"nodeType":15,"data":16,"content":17},"heading-1",{},[18],{"nodeType":19,"value":20,"marks":21,"data":22},"text","✈️ How a 14‑Year‑Old Kid Became the SimFlyingDutchman",[],{},{"nodeType":24,"data":25,"content":26},"heading-2",{},[27],{"nodeType":19,"value":28,"marks":29,"data":30},"My Journey Into the World of Flight Simulation",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":33,"content":34},"paragraph",{},[35,39,45],{"nodeType":19,"value":36,"marks":37,"data":38},"Some passions start with a spark. Mine began when I was a 14‑year‑old kid who stumbled upon ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":40,"marks":41,"data":44},"Flight Simulator 2002",[42],{"type":43},"bold",{},{"nodeType":19,"value":46,"marks":47,"data":48},". Our family computer was anything but powerful, yet somehow it managed to run MSFS 2002 just well enough to pull me into a world I had no idea would shape decades of my life.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":50,"content":51},{},[52,56,62],{"nodeType":19,"value":53,"marks":54,"data":55},"Back then, we didn’t even have proper internet at home. So there I was, sitting in my room, flying offline with zero knowledge of procedures, checklists, or aviation theory. I didn’t know what I was doing — but I ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":57,"marks":58,"data":61},"did",[59],{"type":60},"italic",{},{"nodeType":19,"value":63,"marks":64,"data":65}," know I was having the time of my life.",[],{},{"nodeType":24,"data":67,"content":68},{},[69],{"nodeType":19,"value":70,"marks":71,"data":72},"From Keyboard Pilot to Joystick Hero",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":74,"content":75},{},[76,80,85],{"nodeType":19,"value":77,"marks":78,"data":79},"Like many simmers, I started with the basics: keyboard and mouse. Eventually, I upgraded to a cheap Trust joystick — a brand many Dutch readers will recognize. That joystick opened up a whole new world. Suddenly I could fly helicopters, small planes, and of course… the legendary ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":81,"marks":82,"data":84},"Learjet",[83],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":86,"marks":87,"data":88},", which completely stole my heart.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":90,"content":91},{},[92,96,101],{"nodeType":19,"value":93,"marks":94,"data":95},"I played MSFS 2002 for years before moving on to ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":97,"marks":98,"data":100},"MSFS X",[99],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":102,"marks":103,"data":104},", still using simple hardware and a tiny screen. But none of that mattered. I was hooked.",[],{},{"nodeType":24,"data":106,"content":107},{},[108],{"nodeType":19,"value":109,"marks":110,"data":111},"Leveling Up: My First Gaming Laptop",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":113,"content":114},{},[115,119,124,128,133,137,142],{"nodeType":19,"value":116,"marks":117,"data":118},"When my old PC finally gave up, I bought a gaming laptop. Not ideal for flight simulation, but it worked well enough. This was my first encounter with the ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":120,"marks":121,"data":123},"Airbus A321",[122],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":125,"marks":126,"data":127},", and the ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":129,"marks":130,"data":132},"Beechcraft King Air",[131],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":134,"marks":135,"data":136}," which quickly became one of my favorites. Later, I bought ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":138,"marks":139,"data":141},"Flight Simulator 2020",[140],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":143,"marks":144,"data":145},", which gave me countless hours of joy.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":147,"content":148},{},[149],{"nodeType":19,"value":150,"marks":151,"data":152},"And then… everything changed.",[],{},{"nodeType":24,"data":154,"content":155},{},[156],{"nodeType":19,"value":157,"marks":158,"data":159},"The Announcement That Changed Everything",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":161,"content":162},{},[163,167,172],{"nodeType":19,"value":164,"marks":165,"data":166},"Microsoft revealed ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":168,"marks":169,"data":171},"Flight Simulator 2024",[170],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":173,"marks":174,"data":175},", and I was sold instantly — especially because of the mission system. By then, I had already upgraded to a Saitek Pro Yoke and throttle.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":177,"content":178},{},[179],{"nodeType":19,"value":180,"marks":181,"data":182},"But my laptop was struggling. Badly.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":184,"content":185},{},[186],{"nodeType":19,"value":187,"marks":188,"data":189},"So together with a colleague, I selected all the components and built my own gaming PC. That alone was an adventure — from choosing parts to assembling everything myself. The moment the PC didn’t turn on was terrifying, but luckily it was just a RAM stick that wasn’t seated properly.",[],{},{"nodeType":24,"data":191,"content":192},{},[193],{"nodeType":19,"value":194,"marks":195,"data":196},"Release Day: A Rollercoaster",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":198,"content":199},{},[200],{"nodeType":19,"value":201,"marks":202,"data":203},"November 2024 arrived. I took two days off work to enjoy the release… and it turned into a huge disappointment. Server issues everywhere. In the end, I only used one day off and went back to work.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":205,"content":206},{},[207],{"nodeType":19,"value":208,"marks":209,"data":210},"Thankfully, after a few days the problems were fixed, and I could finally dive in. I spent hours earning all the MSFS certificates — and for the first time, I truly began to understand what I was doing in the cockpit and start to know the basic procedures in aviation.",[],{},{"nodeType":24,"data":212,"content":213},{},[214],{"nodeType":19,"value":215,"marks":216,"data":217},"Enter the SimFly Community",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":219,"content":220},{},[221,225,230],{"nodeType":19,"value":222,"marks":223,"data":224},"This was the moment I rolled into the real sim community. I created my Instagram account, ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":226,"marks":227,"data":229},"Simflyingdutchman",[228],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":231,"marks":232,"data":233},", and started sharing my flights. Through that account, I discovered an entire world of sim pilots just like me. I wasn’t alone — far from it. And that felt amazing. One of the highlights was the FS weekend in Lelystad earlier this month where I went with Mike, an aviation enthousiast like me. ",[],{},{"nodeType":24,"data":235,"content":236},{},[237],{"nodeType":19,"value":238,"marks":239,"data":240},"Hardware Evolution: From Saitek to Honeycomb to WinCtrl",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":242,"content":243},{},[244,248,253],{"nodeType":19,"value":245,"marks":246,"data":247},"When my Saitek yoke died, I upgraded to the ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":249,"marks":250,"data":252},"Honeycomb yoke and throttle",[251],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":254,"marks":255,"data":256},". A massive improvement, and it allowed me to fly the Cessna 172 and the Airbus more realistically. But something still felt… incomplete.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":258,"content":259},{},[260,264,269],{"nodeType":19,"value":261,"marks":262,"data":263},"Then I discovered a Chinese company now known as ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":265,"marks":266,"data":268},"WinCtrl",[267],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":270,"marks":271,"data":272},".",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":274,"content":275},{},[276],{"nodeType":19,"value":277,"marks":278,"data":279},"It started with a simple MCDU on my desk. Then I added a portable LCD screen which I used as a MIP screen. Then the I bought the autopilot panel followed by the sidestick. Piece by piece, my setup grew — and so did my excitement.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":281,"content":282},{},[283,287,292],{"nodeType":19,"value":284,"marks":285,"data":286},"But there was one problem:\n",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":288,"marks":289,"data":291},"My desk was way too small.",[290],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":293,"marks":294,"data":295},"  \nEvery time I needed to work, I had to move everything aside. It drove me crazy.",[],{},{"nodeType":24,"data":297,"content":298},{},[299],{"nodeType":19,"value":300,"marks":301,"data":302},"The Birth of a Home Cockpit",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":304,"content":305},{},[306,310],{"nodeType":19,"value":307,"marks":308,"data":309},"That’s when the idea hit me:\n",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":311,"marks":312,"data":314},"What if I build a pedestal?",[313],{"type":60},{},{"nodeType":32,"data":316,"content":317},{},[318],{"nodeType":19,"value":319,"marks":320,"data":321},"I could mount part of the setup on it and simply slide it away when needed. It was a clever solution — and also the beginning of my home cockpit journey.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":323,"content":324},{},[325,329,334],{"nodeType":19,"value":326,"marks":327,"data":328},"I’m not building a full‑scale cockpit like some simmers do, but I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve created so far. I even have the ",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":330,"marks":331,"data":333},"FO side of the Airbus A320",[332],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":335,"marks":336,"data":337}," now, and I can still move everything aside when I need to work. Perfect balance.",[],{},{"nodeType":24,"data":339,"content":340},{},[341],{"nodeType":19,"value":342,"marks":343,"data":344},"Looking Ahead",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":346,"content":347},{},[348],{"nodeType":19,"value":349,"marks":350,"data":351},"I can’t wait to share more stories, experiences, and behind‑the‑scenes moments with you. And of course, I’ll give you a detailed tour of my setup soon.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":353,"content":354},{},[355],{"nodeType":19,"value":356,"marks":357,"data":358},"Thanks for being part of this journey.",[],{},{"nodeType":32,"data":360,"content":361},{},[362,367,371],{"nodeType":19,"value":363,"marks":364,"data":366},"Vriendelijke groeten,",[365],{"type":43},{},{"nodeType":19,"value":368,"marks":369,"data":370},"  \n",[],{},{"nodeType":19,"value":226,"marks":372,"data":374},[373],{"type":43},{},"Blog","2026-03-29T18:55:06.253Z",1,1779471936103]