Sometimes two ideas come along at exactly the right time.
When we made the decision to build AvGeekHangar, we had no idea that plans were already underway to bring a dedicated flight simulation event back to the UK.
Then a message appeared on Discord announcing FSimUK.
Our first thought wasn’t about exhibiting or selling something. It was much simpler:
What about the community?
Earlier in the year we’d attended FSWeekend in the Netherlands – our first ever dedicated flight simulation show.
It was fantastic.
There were brands, developers, new products and plenty of things to see and try, but what really stayed with us was having so many people who shared the same hobby together in one place.
Flight simulation events naturally need commercial exhibitors. They’re a huge part of the attraction and often one of the main reasons people buy a ticket.
But the people buying those tickets are the community.
So when FSimUK was announced, we wanted to know how that community would be represented.
We contacted the organisers through their central email address, introduced AvGeekHangar and asked whether there might be an opportunity for us to support a community initiative. Sponsoring something was an option. Providing prizes was an option. We may even have floated the idea of some kind of community space.
At that point, we weren’t entirely sure what it could look like.
We just wanted to start a conversation.
A few emails with Keith and the FSimUK team followed.
We discussed the Landing Challenges already being planned with some of the UK’s flight simulation groups and the possibility of AvGeekHangar supporting them.
Then came an invitation to attend the next organising committee meeting at Aerospace Bristol.
Obviously, we said yes.
Partly because we wanted to explore how AvGeekHangar could help.
And partly because we were nosey.
We wanted to see the venue, understand what was being planned and meet the people trying to bring a major flight simulation event back to the UK.
Sitting down over a coffee with the team and hearing their plans only increased our enthusiasm.
We talked through some of the ideas we’d been developing around community representation and then walked around the areas that would eventually become FSimUK, discussing how different spaces might be used.
Eventually, we walked into one particular room.
Keith explained some of the ideas they’d considered for it, looked around and then said:
“This could be the Community Hub.”
Our eyes probably lit up like Christmas trees.
Suddenly, an idea we’d been talking about became a physical space.
We started discussing somewhere visitors could escape the busy exhibition floor for a while. Somewhere that wasn’t primarily about selling something.
A place to sit down.
Charge your phone for free.
Meet people.
Discover community projects.
Talk to creators.
Share stories.
And simply connect.
“Chill, Charge & Connect” quickly became the idea behind the space.
It also created an unexpected physical version of something we’d already planned for AvGeekHangar.com.
The Hangar was always intended to be the community heart of our website – somewhere for stories, people, groups, projects and everything else happening around flight simulation and aviation.
At FSimUK, we suddenly had the opportunity to build it for real.
There was still one conversation we wanted to have before leaving Bristol.
It was going to be a five-hour drive home, and after a day full of conversations and ideas, we wanted to leave with some clarity about what the relationship between FSimUK and AvGeekHangar actually was.
So we asked Keith directly:
We’d love AvGeekHangar to become FSimUK’s Official Community Partner.
His response wasn’t exactly complicated.
“Done.”
Consider yourselves the Official Community Partner – and welcome to the committee.
Within around a day, the AvGeekHangar logo appeared on the FSimUK website with the words Official Community Partner underneath it.
Proud is probably an understatement.
This was, of course, before we fully appreciated quite how much work we’d just committed ourselves to.
The more we’ve worked with FSimUK, the more convinced we’ve become that the two projects complement each other.
Flight simulation has grown enormously, but the community surrounding it can sometimes feel increasingly fragmented.
There are established brands and new ones. Developers, hardware manufacturers, creators, affiliates, clubs, communities, virtual airlines and countless platforms. Search for information about almost any new product and you’ll probably find dozens of reviews and opinions.
Sometimes there’s simply a lot of noise.
Part of what we’re trying to create with AvGeekHangar is somewhere that brings those different parts of the community together and puts genuine, independent conversation at its heart.
FSimUK has the opportunity to do something similar in the physical world.
The FSimUK team can concentrate on bringing together the exhibitors, developers, brands and experiences that people want to see at a flight simulation show.
Our job is to make sure the community has a home there too.
We think that’s a pretty good partnership.
We’ve invested a considerable amount of time, effort and money into what we’re bringing to FSimUK, and of course we want the Community Hub to be busy.
But numbers won’t be the only measure.
At some point during the weekend, we’d like to look across the Hub and see someone who’s stopped for half an hour.
Their phone is plugged into one of the free charging points.
They’re sitting with somebody they didn’t know when they arrived that morning.
And they’re talking flight simulation.
If we see that happening, we’ll know the Community Hub has done exactly what it was created to do.
Chill. Charge. Connect.
