I'll make a list for you:Aircraft:Jets: PMDG, Level-D, Wilco, Captain Sim, Ifly (covers most boeings, really high quality airbusses are still scarse)Vintage: A2A simulation (probably also one of the greatest realism in FSX with the accu-sim packages)Regional Jets: PMDG, Digital-Aviation, Eaglesoft, flight1Smaller A/C: Caranado, RealAir, flight1, aerosoftAirportsAerosoftFTX/ORBXCloud9FlyTampaTropicalSimSceneryFTX/ORBXGround Environment XUltimate Terrain XAerosoftOther visuals:Real Environment Xtreme (must have)FSGlobal (Huge download, fixes terrain heights etc.)FSgenesisTrafficUT2My TrafficWorld of AIATCPro Flight EmulatorRadar ContactVoxATCUtilitiesFspassengersX (simulates being an airline with passengers, pilots, company and some nice realism features like damage)FS2CrewVroute (for routing etc, also nice for online flying)

Thanks guys, this is really useful information. Alan

I gotta tell ya, Squishy has compiled an excellent list for you. But I see he makes no mention of compiling the $$$$ for you. LOLI use a lot of Orbix sceneries. The stuff just makes you cry it's so good.

What actually might be more useful Alan, is if you tell us what sort of stuff you like, then people could fire some recommendations your way.Al

Great info here,I'll just second a few for GA VFR Flying.OrbxA2A Accu-simRealAir Duke [Piston and Turbo]And for Military Aircraft if you "Feel the Need for Speed"VRS SuperHornet

And as a side note,If you buy your new stuff through "The Flight Sim Store http://www.flightsimstore.com/ and enter this promotional code on check out Coupon "SOCIAL 10" You will save 10% now until the end of June.Happy Flying

And as a side note,If you buy your new stuff through "The Flight Sim Store http://www.flightsimstore.com/ and enter this promotional code on check out Coupon "SOCIAL 10" You will save 10% now until the end of June.Happy Flying

Thanks for that code.As to what I like, I guess I will start simple with maybe a Cessna and get the feel for it and well as doing some IFR flights and then graduate to a twin engine jet. I want to get as realistic scenery as possible (within the limitations of my system which is pretty good right now). I'm not interested in military jets or helos. I'm going to be putting a fair amount of money and effort into creating a cockpit. I have a well equipped wood working shop so will be building my own. I intend to add real gauges (probably from Flight Illusions) or a small monitor for a glass cockpit.Alan

And as a side note,If you buy your new stuff through "The Flight Sim Store http://www.flightsimstore.com/ and enter this promotional code on check out Coupon "SOCIAL 10" You will save 10% now until the end of June.Happy Flying

Thanks for that code but that store is in Australia. Have you ordered from them?As to what I like, I guess I will start simple with maybe a Cessna and get the feel for it and well as doing some IFR flights and then graduate to a twin engine jet. I want to get as realistic scenery as possible (within the limitations of my system which is pretty good right now). I'm not interested in military jets or helos. I'm going to be putting a fair amount of money and effort into creating a cockpit. I have a well equipped wood working shop so will be building my own. I intend to add real gauges (probably from Flight Illusions) or a small monitor for a glass cockpit.Alan

So get one of caranado's cessna's, they're pretty good

Thanks for that code but that store is in Australia. Have you ordered from them?As to what I like, I guess I will start simple with maybe a Cessna and get the feel for it and well as doing some IFR flights and then graduate to a twin engine jet. I want to get as realistic scenery as possible (within the limitations of my system which is pretty good right now). I'm not interested in military jets or helos. I'm going to be putting a fair amount of money and effort into creating a cockpit. I have a well equipped wood working shop so will be building my own. I intend to add real gauges (probably from Flight Illusions) or a small monitor for a glass cockpit.Alan

I recommend the free ORBX demo scenery areas (Tasmania and Pacific North West). They will get you hooked though and you will want to buy the full versions!Frog

If it is GA aircraft you are into, I would certainly take a look at the Aerosoft Diamond DA-20-100 Katana. It's a very in depth simulation of a small GA aircraft, even going to the extent of you being able to change components on it, top up the fluids and perform a walkaround check. And since it has probably one of the best simulations of icing ever done for an FSX aeroplane, it is ideal for trying out flights in IMC, the only downside being that it isn't particularly fast, but it does have the advantage of already being set up to allow easy integration of Reality XP's far more realistic GNS 530 GPS, which is a good thing to have if you like doing IFR. I'm sure plenty of people will recommend Caranedo's aircraft, but personally I think their flight models can be a bit hit and miss sometimes, although the 3D modeling is always worthy of note, so although I too would agree they are worth checking out, I'd also recommend reading reviews of them, as some are better than others when it comes to flight modeling. Note too that - since you have your eye on a twin - they have a Cessna 337 Skymaster in development at the moment, which looks like it could be quite good.I also thoroughly recommend the Lionheart Bellanca Turbo Viking if you want to do IFR flights in a GA single. This is actually my own personal favourite for GA aircraft in FSX, and it gets regular outings on my system. Not only is it a very pretty aeroplane, but it's also extremely fast when up high and since it has an oxygen system simulated on it, so you can realistically take it up to over 20,000 feet despite it not being pressurised.If you want a decent GA twin for FSX, I'd recommend looking at stuff such as the MILVIZ Cessna 310, the RealAir Beechcraft Duke B60, or the IRIS Diamond Twin Star. There are others out there too that are worth a look of course, but those some good starting points although as ever, read some reviews rather than simply taking my word for it.If you wanted a small twin jet that would be a step up from GA props, then the best choice would undoubtedly be Flight 1's Cessna Citation Mustang (warning, it's a bit tough on frame rates), because not only is it a great simulation of the real thing (gaining approval from Cessna themselves in fact) but the real Cessna Citation Mustang is in fact specifically designed to be a step up into jets for pilots of GA prop aircraft, so it is an easy transition to make in FSX too. The Citation Mustang is quite an interesting aircraft in terms of certified operations as well, where some countries are happy to allow a single pilot to fly it (which is what it was designed for), and other countries insisting on there being two pilots in the thing.For an alternative twin jet choice that is a bit faster, I'd take a look at the Xtreme Prototypes 20 Series LearJet. This is the old model Learjet - beloved of rock stars from the 1970s - as opposed to the more modern variant you get in FSX by default. The 20 Series is basically a jet fighter with a cabin LOL, so it's got fairly wild flight dynamics that take a bit of skill to get under control, thus it's a good simulation of the real thing that can be challenging to fly, because it has very fast final approach speeds etc. It hasn't got a massive range, so you won't be crossing the Atlantic in it, but for whizzing around Europe it is great fun, and you get quite a lot of different 20 series variants in the package.If you are looking for something to add a bit more of a challenge and interest to your flights, I would also recommend taking a look at Just Flights 'Air Hauler', which is an add-on for FS that will let you create and run your own cargo company and then operate the flights for it with any aeroplane you can afford to add to your fleet from your companies funds although you can also lease stuff. And by default you do start in a Cessna 172. Not only is Air Hauler great fun and extremely challenging, it gives all your flights a sense of purpose and since it automatically generates jobs for you, it offers the opportunity to fly to places you might otherwise have never considered visiting in FS.Al