Not sure why this happens (and it doesn't happen all the time) but sometimes, when I hit ALT + TAB to go back to the desktop, I'll find when I return to FSX that the plane has disappeared in all views except for the nav lights. Either that, or large portions of the screen are black and the plane (and cockpit) are missing. If I re-boot the sim, the problem goes away.I have Windows Vista and I'm using an nVidia card.

With complex planes, I find that I cannot reliably tab to the desktop and return to FSX.Win XP SP3.

Sounds like a memory issue to me.

While FSX is an amazing simulator with many pros, it also is much like trying to balance a beer bottle on your knee: sometimes things just don't go well. Depending on your machine, you need to find out what extra "features" fsx has...Here is a list of what I have found to be no nos:1) full screen mode. For me, the screen goes black if you alt+enter out or into full screen mode.2) alt+tab: this is a crap shoot based on how much memory you have available and the number of add-ons simultaneously running against FSX.3) running too many add-ons against fsx on the same machine: This is also a crap-shoot. I have an i5-2500k/2gb hd 6950/16gb ram. When I run FSCommander, RadarContact,GSX,737NGX,IdealFlight,AS2012 and trackIR at the same time, there is about a 60% chance that I'll make it through a flight without either a black screen or ctd. I've just learned to accept this.But much like when you tell a doctor: "it hurts when I do this" and he says "then don't do that", you need to identify what causes issues and just try to not do that. :Peace:Not helpful, I know.

Edited February 22, 201214 yr by gtrbarbarian

gtrBarbarian, I think you're spot on. It seems the more add ons I use on any given flight, the greater the likelihood of this happening. Between payware planes, scenery, and a few miscellaneous add ons, I know I'm pushing my luck trying to complete the flight.Any suggestions on how to reset the situation, short of starting all over?