I have been reading alot of the comments on FSX since last night and I just realized that it seems the majority of the people that are really impressed by the screen shots, are commenting about trees, and roads, and cars , and houses, etc... since the majority of the screen shots seem to be from low level VFR flying altitudes. I flew around Misty Fjords and UT Canada and FS-Freeflow Florida for many months in Cessnas and Beavers and light aircraft, always thinking that most MSFS pilots seem to prefer the heavy jets and high altitude flying to the GA low level stuff. The big sellers in add on aircraft seem to be the PMDG's and the Level Ds etc...It would appear from the reaction to the FSX screenies by the vast majority of the posters, that quite a few people intend to hop into light aircraft and fly around at 3000 feet looking at the new scenery, since much of the new scenery won't look much different from FS9 at FL350. Is that the way most of the people that really like this new version feel?. If so, I guess that would probably increase dramatically the percentage of light aircraft add-ons that will be purchased after the release of FSX vs the Boeings and Airbus models... Anyone else see this as a probability?

Maybe. I think two things will be necessary to increase the base of GA flying:(1) More dramatic and immersive scenery. FSX seems to be buying into this more and more as we see landclass, autogen, mesh and texture improvements along with those beautiful cloud reflections and wet tarmac effects.(2) Adventures or projects or whatever you want to call it with interactive and immersive aspects. My ideal and still waiting for desire is that when I fly to a remote camp with my passengers to that fishing lodge that the lake can actually be fished and you can see other's fishing and interacting with the environment. I have to catch X amount of fish by a certain time and go back to the originating airport with the catch. I'm just puttiing that out as an example. There are many other situations which can be concocted. And FSX is moving in this direction as well. The shot of that plane with skis on the slop of that beautiful mountain with the tents and other assorted gear appears to be a sample.So greater visuals and greater interaction with the environment in a meaningful way I think will broaden the base considerably.

One thing I am thinking about doing when I get FSX will be to start at my home base (KCGI) and then, if I decide I want to see a particular part of the world, I fly there. I have read about others doing that...This means that if I want to see Hong Kong, I would probably want to get in some mid-size jet and go KCGI--->LAX, and then some heavy iron for LAX--->HKG. Then for sightseeing around Hong Kong, I would load some GA aircraft or helo.So each FS session would pick up where I last exited. But, then again, that FS tactic kind of limits oneself...what if one wanted to use real weather, and fly in a snowstorm that's raging over the Great Lakes, but you're presently in the Congo?

Maybe there is something similar to that with the new online multiplayer mode. Perhaps you can build an online virtual home and then continue making improvements or building new houses. Then flying to meet other people online etc ??John.

I am going to call in a vacation to my VA when I get FSX. Then I'm going to take off in that Goose on a dock near my childhood home on Table Rock Lake, south of Cassville, MO, and begin something I've just never done yet: fly around the world. I'll go the route my heart takes me and fly...http://home.earthlink.net/~dawgfighter/sit...es/swvasig1.gif-Jeremy BurchSWVA4806 http://www.virtualswa.com/home.phpThe Ozark Dogfighter http://forums.avsim.net/images/wedge.gifHappy Flying!

Well, as I have done with the last 4 copies of flight simulators (not all MSFS) that have covered the world, I will be leaving my home airport and commencing my 5th around the world flight all in singles or light twins, all in real time and all in real weather.Can't wait...Chris Porter:-outta

>One thing I am thinking about doing when I get FSX will be to>start at my home base (KCGI) and then, if I decide I want to>see a particular part of the world, I fly there. I have read>about others doing that...>So each FS session would pick up where I last exited...what if>one wanted to use real weather, and fly in a snowstorm that's>raging over the Great Lakes, but you're presently in the>Congo?Yup, that's exactly what I do, except it's all in singles and light twins... (See my other post).I almost never "teleport" from one airport to another... Always fly there.Chris Porter:-outta

I actually like flying around "low and slow" in ALL types of aircraft, from a Beechcraft Baron to a Boeing 747.Chris Low.

Hey that's great. A virtual FS house is something I thought about making in GMAX. I have two awesome home sites picked out. One is in Morocco overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The other one is on a small mountain in Montana. Views are pretty nice from those spots...

I figured you were a fellow Missourian with that handle.I have flown RTW twice in FS, once in a Mooney Bravo, starting and ending in England (RTW Buzz). The other time was in a Learjet and I started and ended at KCGI.If you do a RTW, might I suggest going through South America...the Andes Mts are the most dramatic scenery I have ever seen. The only problem is that some low-power props have some problems navigating them...

I can skip in and out of them and look for bodies of water if I run into trouble! And yep, Missouri born and bred!http://home.earthlink.net/~dawgfighter/sit...es/swvasig1.gif-Jeremy BurchSWVA4806 http://www.virtualswa.com/home.phpThe Ozark Dogfighter http://forums.avsim.net/images/wedge.gifHappy Flying!

The SimsX, LOL!

BTW. One of the Bell shots showed a german Polizei paint! Does this point to more international variety? Who knows, could be a hint or just one of a few curiosities.-dasher7

I belive this will be the case and something I really am looking forwards to. Flying high in jets does not really give you the sense of flying until you either takeoff or land. Where as, VFR flights allow you to potter along at 1500, 2500ft and see the animals roaming the fields below, commuters on the road, trees and water with various interactions taking place. This is all what makes VFR flying fun!I think the real thing that FS has missed for along time is the sense of purpose to a flight. Whether you are taking tourists out, taking passengers on a business trip to new york, ferrying supplies into fight forest fires or busing 150 passengers to La Palma, you need a purpose to start and finish that flight.Another point is that in the MS interviews on Gamespot the guy stated that they have totally ripped out the old multiplayer code and replaced it with a new system. Therefore, hopefully along with VFR flights, we can have flyins with multiple aircraft taking a trip together.Therefore, from what I see of FSX so far, this purpose does seem to be a big part of the sim.

>BTW. One of the Bell shots showed a german Polizei paint!>Does this point to more international variety? Who knows,>could be a hint or just one of a few curiosities.>-dasher7>I think so, we have also seen pics of Mt. Saint Michel, Berlin and Paris. Ok, maybe Berlin and Paris were already in previous versions but as far as I remember, Mt. Saint Michel was not. So I guess we are going to have more international landmarks.