Everyone should really check out this interesting read over a Popular Science's Website. About the maker of X-Plane(Austin Meyer) and his 1 man show holding his own against Microsoft.http://www.popsci.com/popsci/aviation/arti...,463052,00.html

I read the article and tried the demo a while ago.I found X-plane to be incomprehensible and devoid of documentation. (Must appeal to Linux users.)I also searched a lot of sites for screenshots but found them to be few and far between.

Yeah, cool article. Microsoft could take some lessons from Austin Meyer's focus on innovation and responsiveness...I have one of the earlier versions and enjoyed it to some degree, but am too hooked on the FS externals and scenery, and X-Plane seemed more crash prone than FS has ever been.I'll probably try the newer version again later. Wish FS had the flight dynamics X-plane has...if you could combine that with the FS scenery generator and worldwide apt and terrain database, you'd have an amazing sim.Firmly in the FS camp but a belated X-plane fan...

Yes, I agree if FS could incorporate the realism level of X-plane we would have one hell of a flightsim.

Thanks Bob. Although it may be a bit harsh, for me the quote of the piece was: hardcore X-Plane enthusiasts tend to sneer at their Flight Simulator counterparts as mere game players. And the ill feeling is reciprocated. Like neighboring tribes who have lived at odds for so long they cannot see their similarities, only their differences, the X-Plane and Flight Simulator crowds exist in a state of perpetual enmity. "The majority of people who use X-Plane are very hostile toward Flight Sim," says Roberts, "and people who use Flight Sim are very hostile toward X-Plane. The two rarely meet."