I used a laptop from 2004 to 2009 while working overseas in USA, Europe and Argentina. It was a normal and humble Toshiba with a 15" screen with a normal and humble Logitech joystick. In fact I had two joysticks, one at work and the other at home (a Saytek X52 my sons gave me on Xmas 2007) to avoid carrying them while going home for my free week. I could only use default scenery but that was not a problem for me since I am mostly an IFR pilot. For Xmas 2009 my son, who is a Computer Engineer, assembled a high end desktop with a 22" Samsung flat monitor and I could finally enjoy the FS9 in all its extent. However, those "momentos" with my old and faithful laptop will stay for ever. And funny things also happened. The most memorable one took place on May 17, 2007 while performing the leg from Barcelona, Spain to Nice during the Formula1 Event flying a B744-F. At that time I was working in Mendoza, Argentina and I took advantage of every free time I could have. The flight was a short one for the plane, about 1 and a half hours and I took myself the right to take the F1 McLaren team cars at that time Fernando Alonso and the rookie of the year Lewis Hamilton. Just 80 miles before touchdown I had a "low battery warning". Upon a rapid and very nervous check I found out that the connecting end of the charger was sort of broken and smoke coming out of it. There I was with the joystick at my right hand side which also had the throttle and the smoking bad connection of the battery charger also at my right hand side and I was alone. After some nervous manipulation of the connection I found out that if pressing it with my right hand the charger could do its work. At this time I was about 40 miles and less than 10 minutes to land and the battery had zero charge so I had to keep pressing the connection manually. By the way, it never crossed through my mind to use the P because when you fly on IVAO it is forbidden. But I forgot about it. I am sure that if I had had that thougth I had done it. I am happy to say that nobody was taking a video of me. I had that video on my mind and always end laughing. There I was, with the rather hot charger under my right armpit, the cable between my teeth and protruding out of the rigth side of my mouth and the whole head tilted to the rigth to keep the cable connected while keeping the right hand at the joystick along with the left hand at the throttle mounted on the same joystick.
I kept that position for 10 minutes until landing. Next day I paid about US$3 to get the charger fixed and about US$10 for Aspercreme to ease the pain on my neck. But the flight was perfect with no penalties. Happy to say that Fernando Alonso got the first place followed by Lewis Hamilton. They never knew that they were at the verge of not making it.
