The date was April 5 and the year was 2016 when I got my act together and wrote the first blog post that would kick the Stormbirds.blog story off. I had no idea that it would last this long or go this far but here we are in 2024 on April 5 and ready to celebrate eight years of flight sim news and editorials!

When I started the blog it was all about stretching my writing skills and making myself both a better writer but also a faster writer. I think I achieved my initial goals although writing is something that I think I will always consider to be a work in progress. You hope you never reach your potential because you always want to reach for just a little bit more.

When I started, I was very focused on combat flight sims and on the IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles Series in particular. I had flown lots of flight sims before starting with Dynamix’s A-10 Tank Killer on my parents old 386 computer. Since then I’ve flown plenty of virtual airplanes. Around 2019 I started to get into the world of civil aviation flight simming and discovered that it was a huge world unto itself.

From the IL-2 series to DCS World, X-Plane, Microsoft Flight Simulator and beyond I maintain that we are living in a time that is rich with flight sim options and opportunities with growing lists of high fidelity aircraft, engaging experiences, and a new generation of hardware and hardware manufacturers… there’s more than I could possibly write about. But I will try!

Thanks for celebrating Stormbirds.blog’s eighth birthday. There’s more to fly, more to write about and more to come!

I want to send out some thanks to all of you, my readers, as well as everyone who drops a thoughtful message in the comments section. You folks help make this worthwhile! Special thanks to my Patreon supporters who not only help make this worthwhile but also help keep the lights on as hosting costs increase. Appreciate every little bit of support you’re able to offer!


44 responses to “Stormbirds turns eight!”

  1. Happy Birthday!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Many thanks Luke!

      Like

  2. Congrats on a fantastic run Shamrock! Your coverage of this great hobby (and community) of ours is always top-notch. I deeply admire the breadth of your coverage, the honesty and sincerity of your commentary and the dedication you show week after week, month after month. Thank you for all that you do! Here’s to an even better eight years on this blog and in the flight sim world!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Congratulations! I’m always happy to receive a new blog entry from you. I also like the fact that you are covering basically the whole spread of flight simming from combat to civil. Keep up the good work!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
        ShamrockOneFive

        Many thanks for the ongoing readership and your kind words! It definitely helps!

        Like

    2. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Many thanks for the encouragement and the kind words. Appreciate it a whole lot!

      Like

  3. Congratulations! You’re my ‘go-to’ for all flight sim news, as you’re comprehensive, timely, and your community of commenters all seem like nice people, which is a tribute to you also. Please keep up the great work.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Thanks Rick! Appreciate the kind words and I definitely appreciate the commenters on here. Many insightful and interesting comments.

      Like

  4. I can’t imagine a day without visiting the Stormbirds.

    Thank you for your great work!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Appreciate the kind words! Thanks for being a regular reader.

      Like

  5. daviestewart2 Avatar
    daviestewart2

    Congratulations on a job well executed, one of the very best. Thank you

    Like

  6. Reinhard Eichler Avatar
    Reinhard Eichler

    Before i found your blog some years ago i used to browse through several pages and social media profiles myself and updated my friends on what is new. But it was a very tedious work and i still missed probably much.

    Thanks to your blog i get all the relevant info on just one mouseclick. I cant overestimate how important this page became over the time. At least for me. I end up here several times a day and always enjoy the new articles. Even the civilian ones. (not at least because you always provide some great pictures too)

    So yes, you do a very good job, i congratulate to this anniversary and hope i can rely on you in the future as well 🙂

    (oh and yours is the only blog in the whole world wide web i care to comment on. … Sometimes 😉 )

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Thank you for being a regular reader and I appreciate this comment a whole lot. Thanks for the kind words!

      Like

  7. Congrats on this milestone! Stormbirds is now my most important source of flight simulator information.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Hey! Thanks for the comment and the ongoing readership. Appreciate it!

      Like

  8. Your blog is my favorite source of news from the flight sim world. Thank you!

    Like

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Thanks kz! Appreciate you being a reader and the kind words.

      Like

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Many thanks! Appreciate the comments and support over the years.

      Like

  9. Congrats! I always enjoy reading Stormbirds.

    Like

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Many thanks Greg! Appreciate the kind words. Thanks for being a reader!

      Like

  10. Raptorattacker Avatar
    Raptorattacker

    HUGE congratulations to ya! This is the most consistent and reiable place to visit to check out, well, just about anything in the flight-sim world for at least THIS little puppy!!

    Here’s to a whole lot more of it Shamrock, top-of-the-morning and of many more!!

    Like

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Thank you so much Raptorattacker! Appreciate the comments and support over the years!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Raptorattacker Avatar
        Raptorattacker

        A veritable pleasure my friend!

        Liked by 1 person

  11. (I tried saying Happy Anniversary hours ago but none of my posts were showing up. But now…)

    Happy Anniversary! You’ve done a fantastic job with this site. You’ve made it friendly, trusted, and interesting. That’s not easy. Thank you for all the great articles. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Thanks for the kind words! The friendly and insightful comments section helps big time. I appreciate every comment!

      Like

  12. Jason Williams Avatar
    Jason Williams

    Happy Anniversary Colin! You’ve done an amazing job covering this crazy genre like no other! Can’t believe it’s been 8 years! Stormbirds keeps me informed on everything flight-sim in one easy to read place! Also appreciate your fair coverage. Keep it up!

    Jason and the Combat Pilot Team

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Thanks Jason! Appreciate the kind words and support shown over the years. Hopefully many more years to come!

      Like

  13. Happy Anniversary! As so many others have already pointed out, you have done a truly wonderful job with this block. It is always a real pleasure for me to come to this place.

    Thank you for all your hard work and may there be many more years to come!

    Like

  14. nice work what a great thing you have achieved.

    Like

  15. happy birthday

    still one of my favourite/ most visited sittes

    thanks for your hard work / passion

    Like

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Many thanks Jason! Appreciate it!

      Like

  16. Happy aniversary! 🙂 This is my place to get informed every single day. Thanks for your excellent work!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Thanks! Appreciate the kind words!

      Like

  17. Oh hey! Many more to come and in good health!

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Happy eighth Colin! I appreciate the great posts and all that you do for the flight sim community. Keep calm and write on Shamrock!

    Like

  19. Urgent Siesta Avatar
    Urgent Siesta

    Congrats and thank YOU!

    Happy to be a supporter – definitely well deserved!

    Like

  20. You got a “Happy Birthday!” call out on Deephack’s podcast today. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Terrific! I’ll have to have a look!

      Like

  21. Stormbirds is my absolute go-to place for unbiased flight sim news!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Thanks for being a reader! Appreciate it a whole lot!

      Like

  22. In an online world where people (and I’m a ‘people’, so I’m far from immune) can fly off the handle and go postal at the slightest hint of disrespect or disagreement, Stormbirds is a sanctuary. The fish rots from the head, and on the flip side, the person leading or guiding a community can turn a bunch of disparate posters from around the world with a common interest into what we see here – Shamrock15 has guided this community into being a mature, helpful and polite bunch. Great job and keep it up. I don’t think I could do it half as well. HB!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Too kind! But all the same I appreciate the words of encouragement. Thanks for being a reader, commenter and being part of this community. We all make a difference.

      Like

  23. […] Stormbirds turned eight this past April and that means that in a little over four months it’s going to. be nine. Doing the same project for nine years is a long time and while my commitment overall hasn’t changed, I do feel the need to change things up a bit. […]

    Like

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