Andrew Herd (chief reviewer at Flightsim.com):
Andrew also is the inventor of the "Armchair Aviator Award", which he introduced as follows.....
When I got around to thinking about how to do this (and I am still in two minds about whether it is a good idea, but what the hell), it occurred to me that it might be a nice thing to hand out some kind of badge, or whatever, so I turned to the best qualified artist I know - Ruud Faber, of FScene texture fame and all round good person - and we kicked some ideas around until the result you see above emerged. Why an armchair? Good question, it just kind of appealed to me, but the idea behind it is that every flight simmer likes to sit in the most comfortable chair in the house while he or she is dreaming of wings....
About FScene in 2002:
there is no doubt that Ruud, ....., has done something that the combined talent of Microsoft could not, and has made FS2002's Europe landscape look real to my eyes.
About FScene in 2004:
Andrew Herd (chief reviewer at Flightsim.com) awarded FScene in his latest Review 
.
Quote from Andrew's Review:
" Last time I reviewed FScene, I couldn't help wondering why Microsoft didn't just go out and hire Ruud to do the FS2004 textures for them.
Now I have the luxury of going back and taking a second look at them, I find I still think that way, so I guess these textures from the flying Dutchman deserve their Armchair Aviator Award.
Unlike so many addons, Ruud's textures have made a permanent home on my hard disk."
Francois is Managing Editor of
The simFlight Network.
When on his summer-base in France he flies with the Jodel on Altiport Méribel .
Ian has flown over large parts of Australia and New Zealand as a professional pilot, has spent time in Europe, and during the past 25 years has flown over over just about every part of the US.
John has been flying in Canada for 32 years and currently flies a Cessna 210 and organizes tours to the Yukon and Alaska in the summer. John Dale has been a member of COPA for thirty years, since he began to fly. Author of "Snowshoes & Stethoscopes" (Aviation & Medicine in the Arctic), he has accumulated 2700 hours on 65 types of aeroplanes and added Flight Simming to his aviation interests some years ago. He is an Aviation Medical Examiner in Nelson BC, where he belongs to the Nelson Pilot's Association. He also runs Flynorth.com, which offers aerial tours to Alaska, as well as a database of BC and northern flying tips.
Al was born in Matane, Quebec, Canada, in 1948. He served 25 years as Aircrew in the Royal Canadian Air Force, in a non-pilot role. His job centered on RADAR, Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) and radio communications. He has flown over 6,000 hours in everything from the Canadair Argus, the Tracker, Sea-King Helicopter, DC-3's and P-3's. One of the highlights, of his flying career, was being on the winning crew of the Fincastle Competition in Adelaide, Australia, in 1981. This competition involves Anti Submarine Airplanes and crews from England, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. He who finds the sub the fastest, wins! He started in Flight Simulation at the very beginning, in the early 80's and operated one of the first ever Flight Sim related web sites, back in 1990.
Already for many years Al writes his exciting "Round Robin" adventures. A real Flight Sim traditon!
