Buyer Beware.......................

30th January 2002

Last week I received this e-mail:

    "A friend gave this CD program to me for Christmas.  I can't get it to
load--at all.  I have FS 2000 with Update Two, Version 2.0b installed. I put
the DC-3 CD in and nothing happens. I tried to follow the instructions on
the installation page to no avail. I did a find and couldn't find r4dnatsv4
folder. I also can't "copy the Panel folder to your favorite Gooney Bird,
overwriting all files there" because I have NO Gooney Bird installed! That's
why I want to install this one.  What gives?
Larry"

There are several inconsistencies in this that did not ring true.  After
exchanging a couple more mails with Larry, and eventually sending a picture
of our CD label, he confirmed that he had a pirated CD, not the MAAM R4D CD
at all.  His friend bought it for $10 at a radio control swap meet, he said.
I told Larry I would send him and his friend free, genuine R4D CD's if they
would mail me one of the pirated CDs so we could try to track it down.  I
have yet to get a response from him.

Everyone should be very careful about buying these "bargain" compilations of
"freeware" FS aircraft.  Almost always, as is certainly the case with the
R4D, the authors have not given permission for their products to be included
on these CDs.  In our case, this is to protect the donations to MAAM we are
trying to collect.  Also, as in this case, they may not even work.  You can
not expect the authors to give you support on a pirated product.  He has no
idea of what files are there and what has been done to them.  Certainly this
is the case here at RCS.  So, caveat emptor -- let the buyer beware!

This pirated CD is reprtedly called "Douglas DC-3 Microsoft Flight
Simulator'.  So keep an eye out.  If anyone else runs across it, I'll make
the same offer--a free, soon-to-be-released 7th Edition of the MAAM R4D CD
to the first person to mail me any CD with a pirated R4D package on it along
with the details of purchase.  Contact me at bill.rambow@verizon.com

Thanks for helping out.  Piracy of software hurts all Flightsimmers.
Developers quit because of it in frustration.  It also hurts our cause --
getting the R4D airborne again.  Let's put these scum out of business.

BILL RAMBOW