Hello all,My name is Dan and in 2007 I became a Multi Comm pilot. I ran out of money before getting my single add on and starting CFI/I.So im a little more than Rusty to say the least and not only will i have to study all the changes to FAR's for the past 5 years but bascally get re aquainted with all things aviation. I own FS2004 and i used it to great effect durring instrument training durring PPL but it was a little bit of a pain in the rear with the controls of the sim not really matching what i needed with the controls of the instruments .Why I am here, is to ask ; Is Flight a game or is it worth trying out . Should i just stick with FS2004 or not basically. I have the money for Flight if it requires Purchase and I have a computer that should handle it well enough ( I assume I can turn geography detail down some ).If this is not what im looking for, what do you think of upgrading to FSX? Remember instrumentation is what im after ? Oh I have yoke and peddals btw but doubt I will use the peddals as in FS2004 it was just way to dificult to calibrate them (yoke was alright).

It's FREE to try bro! So... give it a try and decide for yourself. Unless you trust a bunch of stranger's judgements over your own! <wink>

Flight is both a game and a sim. If you like the game elements, it can be fun. It you like startup procedures, shooting ILS in fog, and doing VOR nav, it can be a SIM. Flight has some of the best flight dynamics I have ever felt, and many full pilots seem to agree.Here is a video review I did when Flight was launched and focuses on more of the sim aspects of it and touch on the game aspects.

When it comes down to it, the download is free. In that, you can fly around the big island of Hawaii and fly the Stearman or Icon. Try it yourself. Just make sure you make it past the first two tutorials before you delete it.

OFF TOPIC: Some of you may have noticed I've been calling everyone "Bro" recently... the "Islands" have that effect on some!

Uh...Flight is free. Why not try it out? But, at least give it more than 5 minutes and fly more than just the two intro missions so that you can actually get the game unlocked. After that, you can do free flight, challenges, etc. Many don't get this far and think its only a game.At this point, it is no FSX or FS9 replacement if you fly airliners. GA aircraft...its a great "partner."Upgrading to FSX would be a good idea if you have the computer to run it. FSX is so much more capable than FS9 and looks a lot better with the right add-ons. Other people just can't seem to understand this.

wow thanks for the comments. Im guessing the download is pretty large.so from what i gather, i sorta have to play it for 2 missions before its unlocked for free flight to try out using instrumentation? does it have the 172sp by chance?if i somehow do get the money to get back into aviation i can do my commercial single add on in 172 because having the multi already qualifies me with the complex time so i just have to demonstraight manuevers.about the comment about partnering since fs9 has gte aircraft: i havent flown any turbines yet even though i have to study them and such. only 172 and senecas.but since fs9 was so limited i might just end up buying fsx and trying flight out also.thank you all again for such quick input

wow watching the video is exactly what i was needing. thanks again guys

No 172 in Flight... maybe some day though!

I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment echo'ed so far, there is quite a lot you can actually do with just the FREE core product - download it and give it a go, it is not all that large, around 1.5 gb. I ran the free product for a few days before even purchasing any of the DLC.

Upgrading to FSX would be a good idea if you have the computer to run it. FSX is so much more capable than FS9 and looks a lot better with the right add-ons. Other people just can't seem to understand this.

That's the key isn't it, "if you have the right hardware". I don't need the right hardware for a 2012 simulator yet I still need the right hardware with a 2006 title. Go Figure... :wacko:To the original poster, try Flight you won't regret it. And like others have said please get past the first to missions so you can unlock the sim (note: I'm a real world pilot who feels this is no game yet another sim that can grow into yet another fantastic addition to the Flight Simulator family, hopefully if MS does the right things with it).

FSX, you need VERY SPACIFIC hardware to make it run very well, and you need to spend a LOT of time tweaking it. Flight runs right out of the box on almost all modern hardware configs without tweaking. Thats key. FSX is vastly more capable, but has its own drawbacks.

To the original poster, try Flight you won't regret it. And like others have said please get past the first to missions so you can unlock the sim (note: I'm a real world pilot who feels this is no game yet another sim that can grow into yet another fantastic addition to the Flight Simulator family, hopefully if MS does the right things with it).

I'll back Dillon on that!

Be sure to try the free X-Plane 10 demo. It's got current graphics technology with a huge variety of planes, features and worldwide scenery. It's new and still has a few growing pains, but at least fixes for its issuess are coming regularly. That's better than FSX with five year old bugs and no hope for fixes.

Hi Dan.I'll add my opinion to the several you already received.Surely you can try Flight, since the basic package is free, so you can directly have an idea of it.If you have a quite modern PC and you like the 172 and instrumentation flight, in my opinion you can also get FSX. On my i2500K + gtx560 it runs quite well, and consider that you can also buy big (and I mean big :-)) books for use FSX as a training tool, with the various aspects (VFR, IFR, GPS and so on) very carefully explained and series of "exercises" with the sim to learn them.Hope this helps.A.

how good a card does FSX need? is it card or cpu dependant. i run an OCd i5 760 @4k+ ( was before sandy bridge came out ) with 16 gig ram and SSD drives but my card is only mid range so i have no problems with cpu intencive tasks ( also have win 7 well tuned )since my main goal is to re aquaint with procedures and checklists , world map detail isnt really important to me so i dont even need anti alaising.oh yeah and the books you mention are on FSX as a training tool? not on learning to fly right? i kinda actually know that part sorta ;) though as donny dutton put it : i could always learn more ( usually when he was sipping some crown and coke behind the counter )