Guys and Gals, need your advice.I have read lately and am very concenrend about the debate regarding the apparent reduction in flight modeling of aircraft in FS2004.My primary interest in Flight Simming is replicating real world flight as accurately as possible. That means I'm primarliy focused on the flight model and panel. If FS2004 is a downgrade in the area of flight modeling....this is a serious concern to me!I'm also thinking of looking into X-plan since many real world aviation magazines are noting that flight school motion sims seem to be using X-plan since they seem to offer the best flight modeling in the flight sim world. I know they are behind in the other areas like scenery.What does everyone think?Thanks very much for your help.Greg

Bump...More to the point...X-plane or MSFS2004?I'm hearing the flight model in FS2004 is more limited than the FS2002!!Thanks all.

If it is more limited-it sure fools me-because it feels a heck of lot better in a lot of areas. I personally think that is a bunk rumor-things have been changed in this fm in how it works, but I think it is an improvement. As for xplane vs. fs-there is no real answer for this. Like all flight sims-each addresses certain areas of flight models, while leaving out others. My vote would be fs, but if you can why not get both and support flight simming! :-) http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/Geofdog2.jpg

Thanks for the reply and I know you are a real world pilot so your opinion is highly respected.So you think it has a better feel?? That is very good to hear...I thought it may have been compromised as I tried to follow very technical examinations of flight modeling under FS2004.Thanks again.

The flight model for a particular plane is as good as the author wants to make it, regardless of the sim. Sure flightsim has limitations, but quality planes fly very well in fs2004. I hear a lot about x-plane flight models, but I can't say I have flown the newer versions. Honestly the lack of a time acceleration function pretty much killed x-plane for me. I really don't have time to make a short-haul airline route in real-time. Don't even bring up trans-atlantic flights :)I agree that the general avaition planes just "feel" better in fs2004. The heavier airliners fly a little differently because of the flight model changes. Once authors figure out the differences, I'm sure airliners will be flying even better than they did in 2002.

Geoff has a good point about supporting both simulators. It's not like there are a lot of alternatives out there, and if either should disappear from the market, we all loose.The change in flight models, from what I have read, seems to be an issue with older planes that are moved into FS2004. Planes designed for FS2004 are not an issue. That being said, not being a flight dynamics expert, I wouldn't know what the problem is with planes moved over to FS2004. The few I have tried work fine by me. The better supported planes are being upgraded for FS2004. Though there are some dissenting voices, several designers have said the changes in FS2004 are no big deal, and they just have to adapt to them. Geoff is a real world pilot and he has says it works just fine. For what it's worth, X-plane has a demo you can try.Tony

FS2004 seems a Jekyll and Hyde to me. On the one hand, some of the flight models feel to be the very best of any sim I have ever tried. On the other hand, some aircraft feel so bizarre and synthetic, I have to wonder whether MS had more than one person designing the flight models. I have been extremely impressed with the Ford Tri-motor and Piper Cub, for example, and decidedly unimpressed with the Comet and DC3. Where I do think the new sim excels is in the way an aircraft reacts to the movement in the air surrounding it - whether it be wind, turbulence or whatever. For me, this is what has really been improved since FS2002. Just my opinion though, and I am not a pilot.

Hello,I have to agree with JonP01. Some of the flight models do not feel right while others are improved, and seem great. For what it's worth, if you are a fan of the DC-3, Trev Morson is working updating the Flight Dynamics to it due to the anomalies he has noticed in it. He has access to a real DC-3 and gets to operate it on rare occasion, the lucky devil. He made a panel and sounds for the DC-3 for FS2004. Check out my post of the panel and the filenames to grab it and the sounds(which are great) if you are interested.Jimhttp://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...4&mesg_id=81814

Thanks for the responses guys.I am glad to see it may simply be adaptation for airplane designers and not a change that in FS2004 that could not be un-done, so to speak.How does the Lear fly in FS2004? I really enjoy the corporate jet types..an area that has very limited success in the past except for Yannick's Falcon.

>Thanks for the responses guys.>>I am glad to see it may simply be adaptation for airplane>designers and not a change that in FS2004 that could not be>un-done, so to speak.>>How does the Lear fly in FS2004? I really enjoy the corporate>jet types..an area that has very limited success in the past>except for Yannick's Falcon.Although I am normally a GA piston flyer, I have to say the Lear is, imo, a big improvement over previous versions. I take it for a spin occassionally if I wish to get from "A" to "B" 5 times faster than normal :-) I consider the Lear to be one of the better flight models in FS2004, but my experience in jets is somewhat limited in comparison to props.

That sounds neat!Thanks.