Nathan you so right about this... I think what happened with your post was at the time people were so into the new release of FS9, they weren't into planning or having an opinion about the next sim... I remember some posting frustration at the fact the thread was even created. Now that we've had time in with FS2k4 we see it's strengths and shortcomings. We have SDK's that either helped or hinder progress...Speaking of SDK's, Microsoft please update that 'Aircraft Editor' to be of some real use this time around... The last one was a joke to say the least and a slap in the face to all developers who try to make your sim the best it could be. Giving us a generic FS2k2 default tool that you yourselves know doesn't do crap is cold... :-hang Just say you won't release one if that's how bad you feel about it. But don't snow us over by saying you support add-on development and then drop crap like that on us, that

It the last thing you said since I'm on lunch break and time is short I do think MS is alway making leaps and bound and I'm not stating that you are saying otherwise, just as long as we keep an open line of feedback and ideas and desires the simming is only getting better.

I heard on the news that Microsoft is cutting back on jobs and 81 million in employee benefits. Talk about a greed... :-erks FS Developers hang in there...

:-lol :-lol :-lol X-Plane is on my "real pilots" machine......But be assured, it has "massive problems" in it's own right! With each new monthly beta, some things get fixed, some stay the same, and some are totally out of wack, including navigation data bases. I much prefer the MSFS navigation data myself, although X-pLane has smoother animation in it's instruments. But I'm more likely to get where I'm going in MSFS.Considering, X-Plane doesn't have near the 3rd party backing that MSFS does; I won't count on it being "the wave of the real pilot's desktop PC", anytime soon!P.S. ---- I didn't read the Flying Magazine article, but got the feeling from an X-Plane forum (X-Plane org.), that it didn't amount to much. Besides, AOPA has MSFS articles........ once & a while.L.Adamson

I really like the virutal career thing - I think a great add - on would be "fed ex pilot." Start with the Caravans - fly routes and overcome challenges, graduate to the Fokkers, then to the three-holers or the A310s, and finally graduate to the MD11. Nasty weather. Hard approaches. Heavy airplanes. Tight schedules and turn-arounds. Could be a blast. Kind of like the career mode in Tiger Woods 2004 from EA. That feature has made that program really, really fun. I have been spending a lot of time on it that lately.

"Talk about a greed", "Nathan you so right about this...",I swear no matter how much I proof read my posts the most annoying mistakes still slip by me.... :-boom L.Adamson I still think Microsoft shouldn't sleep on their efforts. X-Plane has been around for awhile now, it's not like Flight Unlimited or Pro Pilot who both came and went. It certainly can't hurt the FS Developers to improve their approach to Flight Simulator and it's dedicated community...

Getting this back on track (and hoping the FS developers haven't lost interest completely), I'd like to see them include some of the back country scenery available as add-on's today. The developers did a nice job giving us some great specific airport sceneries in FS9, and it would be fun for us back country VFR flyers if they included a few high quality bush sceneries in the next version.Greg

I'd like to get weather affecting flight dynamics with more realism. A weather radar should be nice, if you enter in a bad weather area in the radar, aircraft dynamics will be affected.Rain, runway wet, harder to stop the aircraft.Ulisses

So how come FS2002 simulated the "riding on rails" aspect remarkably well ?Chris Low.

>So how come FS2002 simulated the "riding on rails" aspect>remarkably well ?>It didn't! I believe the term is used much too much by sim pilots who hav'nt flown real aircraft......... and don't seem to grasp what they're talking about...L.Adamson

There are a lot of good ideas in this thread. Here is my list which may include duplicate items.AI Traffic:1) Add a tool to import airline timetables into FS20062) Load AI traffic

Let me add to this, now that Avsim is working again.......The term flying on rails, is just that! As if the airplane merrily flies along on an invisible path with no or little input from the user. But with the exception of perhaps the stock MSFS 747 in a very trimmed state, this seldom happens in MSFS........... since FS98. The newer versions will always have the plane rolling off one way or the other, if left alone. And there is always altitude excursions with no pilot inputs.In fact, I wish trimming FS2000, FS2002, or FS9 was a little easier for level flight. It wants to always climb or descent unless you finely adjust trim & throttle for the perfect combination.Now in real life, the term "flying on rails" is sometimes used to promote a new aircraft's flying characteristics, and this is good! It just means that the controls are well balanced for smooth hands off flying..............hopefully..L.Adamson

Great Point L.Adamson...

"ATC:1) Improve aircraft sequencing by:

Being able to declare an emergency and get priority landing...now if we have a problem like an engine on a 737 shutting down we still have to go around and line up behind countless other aircraft ranging from fighter jets to Dash-8s to Pipers Cherokees!