Is it possible to have a 3rd party aircraft, which is made to be fully SP2/DX10 compatible, be more FPS friendly than the default acft? Technically wouldn't the default models be worse because they are pre-SP2 models?

Our customer feedback reports our FSX Piper Twin Comanche is nearly as FRF as the default...I could go on but will leave it at that.:-)

Short answer is yes, especially when it comes to AI flights.

Yes it is very possible, if the 3rd party model was modelled very skillfully and efficiently, with few draw calls and efficient use of texture sheets.The default aircraft are generally FRF, but as any modeller will tell you, there is always room for improvement. But you reach that point of "diminishing returns" where if you made more changes, you'd spend weeks squeezing 1 extra frame out of the design.RhettFS box: E8500 (@ 3.80 ghz), AC Freezer 7 Pro, ASUS P5E3 Premium, BFG 8800GTX 756 (nVidia 169 WHQL), 4gb DDR3 1600 Patriot Cas7 7-7-7-20 (2T), PC Power 750, WD 150gb 10000rpm Raptor, Seagate 500gb, Silverstone TJ09 case, Vista Ultimate 64ASX Client: AMD 3700+ (@ 2.6 ghz), 7800GT

One of the things done with the default aircraft which is almost never done with addon flyable aircraft is the use of LOD.Even though this is primarily related to AI aircraft, it does have an impact upon user aircraft.Another consideration is the total polygon count. An extremely detailed VC, or exterior model, with a high polygon count can easily negate any advantages of newer modeling techniques/ technology/ learning.