I admittedly have a small sample set of two commercial pilots, but they're much like any other corporate workers.

Once they're home they crash-out and relax. Make a meal, have a shower. Check Facebook.

Their day job is pretty boring* and they're not particuarly interested in replicating it on a computer.

* where did you fly today? Oh, a runway in Portugal and another one in Malta.

This particular pilot made instructional flight videos for YouTube on his home flight simulator. Not everyone hates their job.

My sample is clearly biased, but a lot of people in my flying club fly for a living with airlines or the military, then come fly some more in a recreational capacity with the club.

Is it common for developers to have compilers at home?

Is it common for surgeons to have scalpels at home?

Sure. At one time every doctor had a medical bag with scalpels, sutures, basic medications, etc. that they carried with them everywhere they went. I think it's still pretty common (though maybe not as common as it was in the days when doctors made house calls).

Unfortunately I'm not finding anything via Google to back me up, but in my experience, yes, it is.

http://www.amazon.com/Scalpel-Blades-10-Box-100/dp/B0008FUQ2... It's not like it's at all expensive either.

Every single surgeon, nurses, PAs, PTs and med students I know does (and since my wife is in the business, that's a lot).

She's an internist, not a surgeon, but my wife has no shortage of simple medical equipment in our home.

A friend of mine who's an ER doctor removed a mole for me at his kitchen table with kit he had in the house.

And suture packs, too.

I'm a developer, but I don't go home and simulate programing. You seem to be answering a different question: is it common for professional pilots to fly recreationally?

Yes, every reasonably tech-savvy pilot I know has at least a minimal flight simulator setup to play with.