twsimfan

Hi guys, First off let me explain that I am in no way hostile to nor do I wish to belittle aFS. I got it on a sale for $30 several years ago and I have always found it to be fun. A little closer to the game side than many of the flight sim products but always tons of fun. With the addition of a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti to my system some months ago I can set all graphics settings to max and include two layers of very realistic looking clouds and still get frame rates averaging around 125. With response like that it gets to be very fun indeed! This aerofly FS 2.0 looks inviting but I'll worry about it when it looks to be more imminent. I have recently added the MB339, F4U, & Duchess to my lineup and I find them very impressive not to mention fun to fly. It appears that the IOS (iPhone & iPad) version has added more detail for Zurich and of course there are those other aircraft. Is there any talk of taking those things to the current PC & Mac versions? Also I have managed to convince my wife that I really "need" a iPad Air 2 for Christmas so of course I am very interested in any feedback on the IOS version of aFS. Beyond the additional available aircraft and some detail at Zurich are there any other improvements like detail and any other airports or more intended aircraft? Is it flyable on a 9.7 inch screen with the controls provided? I do have one negative comment but it isn't aimed at any form of aFS... I do not consider the fact that Steam is now selling and hosting aFS as a good thing. I very much enjoyed using Microsoft's MS Flight long past the time that MS stopped developing it. But there came a point where Steam ceased to care if or when MSF was available. Or so it appeared to me. It got to be a far too common thing that I'd bring up MSF only to find my purchased content unavailable for use. It sat unused on my system for a long while then I eventually removed it (and Steam along with it) to make more room for FSX, P3D, and ORBX scenery for them. MSF had it's flaws as all sims do but it was Steam's support or the lack thereof that killed my interest in it. Indeed I consider it a shame that MS & Lockheed-Martin didn't choose to employ some of MSF's design in P3D such as the aircraft selection process or the process for changing your location. I am pleased to say that my copy of aerofly FS is the DVD version and thankfully is not dependent on Steam. Obviously others have had better luck with Steam than I have and I hope they continue to find it a good experience for them but I have no interest in dealing with them in the future. Any way I would very much appreciate any current info on the state of aFS for Windows and especially aFS for IOS. Any and all information will be appreciated. Thank you, Tom Wunder

Hi guys, 4 or 5 days ago Flight just stopped working for me. It loads through the initial screens but about 5 seconds after the "Click any Key" screen comes up I get a message that Flight is shutting down. I imagine I will have to contact Steam to get this resolved but I thought I'd try here just in case somebody had seen the problem and maybe knew the cure. Things always get so complicated trying to work with Steam Support or such is my experience. Any and all information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Tom Wunder

Good morning Bill, I do hope that you aren't going to try to make Brenda stand in the corner. She seems much too nice for that and I suspect you might lose the tussle and that would be embarrassing. I look forward to having the CD so my recovery process will be just a little bit easier the next time I have a PC die on me but I will fetch the download once I get a chance to take care of some morning chores and get breakfast for myself and the pups. (I'm in Mountain Time Zone and had a bit of a late night last night.) My thanks to both you and Brenda for the quick action on this little setback. Have a great day, Tom Wunder

Hi guys, I had the MAAM B-25J "Briefing Time" in FS04/FS9 and enjoyed it a lot. When I saw that you guys now had compatibility with FSX I looked for the B-25 materials I downloaded so very long ago and I think two systems back before this new one. I couldn't find them so I went to your site with the intent of asking if you had any record of me as a customer. Once I got there I remembered that I do like to support worthwhile organizations like yours. So I purchased the CD version of it figuring it as a donation of sorts: Invoice date (and apparently time): 04-15-2013 05:57:51 PM Order ID #14352 Order status: Paid SKU: MSd-BT-CD7 Product: MAAM-SIM North American B-25 Mitchell 'Briefing Time' 7th Edition CD-ROM for MS-FSX & FS9 But the CD I received today is not that product. It is apparently your "multimedia CD" with lots of pictures and some videos on it. It even has a nifty "read me" file that says that if I really like this material I should consider buying a virtual version of it for FSX or FS9. I did buy it... twice. But like I said I do consider the 2nd time a donation of sorts. But I'd still like to have the airplane. I know this was an error and that nobody sent the wrong item intentionally but I would very much like to get the correct item. Please. I am very much looking forward to being able to fly this great aircraft again this time in FSX. Thank you, Tom Wunder

Mr. Tutor, I still very much appreciate the effort you made to provide those fixes. But I have to warn anybody reading this thread who is in need of that same fix or has a similar problem. PLEASE DO NOT APPLY THIS FIX! I have been without a computer for the past 10 days. When I went to reboot at about 3 seconds into the loading of Windows I'd get a blue crash screen. My system is under full warranty so I took it into the shop. I was told a few hours later that it was ready to be picked up. Only problem was that it took 6 minutes & 40 seconds to boot. That is 6 min 15 sec longer than it should take with this SSD system drive. Eventually they decided to replace the solid state drive (no charge under warranty) which was sort of okay. I had 2 bootable backups. That would have put me back before the fix and with and registry mess as many of my add-on scenery items had been on my D: drive while FSX was installed on my system or C: drive. I had removed all of that while I was working with FSX so they are no longer on the D: drive where FSX would have expected to find them. But that could have been worked out over time. Then I found out that the backups had somehow become corrupted. I still do not understand that. It for sure is not the fault of this fix we are talking about. So not only was I going to have a new drive but also a new install of my OS. So at that point I figured that I might as well upgrade from 32 bit Vista to 64 bit Windows 7 (My processor was already a 64 bit one) and go from 4GB RAM to 16GB. Since the backups that didn't work were done using the utility that they sold to me and the instructions they gave me the shop did the upgrades "at cost". So for not very much money I now have a very fast system with lots of memory but very little installed. The only flight simulator I have installed at the moment is Flight and while it does recognize that I have purchased all of the worth while add-ons it is telling me that the authorization numbers are invalid. I worked on getting stuff installed and working most of the night and all that is really working at this point is my security suit and Flight but without any of the add-ons. Tutor none of this is your fault. You made an effort to help and I still appreciate that. Some of it is my own fault as I thought I had good backup procedures and obviously did not. The only point to this post is that anybody thinking about using this fix should be aware that it could ruin your whole month. Oh well... it is going to take me a few weeks to get things sorted out but when I'm done this is going to be a very quick system for flight sims! Thanks, Tom Wunder

Many thanks Tutor! Getting deep enough into the OS to be using regedit scares the holy crap out of me. But it did the job as advertised. And it only took me 20 minutes to do it. I think it would have been more like 3 minutes even taking time to triple check everything but my wife came in to help and also felt the need to tell me all about what the neighbors were up to while she was at it. Bottom line is FSX complete with the Acceleration Pack is now running great with no modes left out and no 30 minute limit. I can't thank you enough, Tom Wunder

Thanks Tutor, I found the file and got the phone number. It didn't do me a lot of good because the recording insists that you have an open activation window when you call and if you say you don't have that window open it hangs up on you. If I could figure out how to get an open activation window then I'd enter the key and be done with it. I guess until I can figure out how to do that I'll have to do my FSX flying 30 minutes at a time. I left several more messages for MS so maybe some day I'll get a reply. I do have aeroflyFS and Flight to fall back on in the mean time. Thanks again, Tom Wunder

Hi guys, I have been having some errors from FSX and a few CTDs (crash to desktops) so I decided to go for a complete new install. I took forever to remove all of my added scenery and aircraft. But I got that finished this morning. Then I uninstalled the Acceleration Pack and FSX itself. After defragging and a reboot I installed FSX. Kind of weird being back to a fully default install. My log now shows 4 flights - 1 with the Baron, 2 with the Goose, and 1 with the Mustang but that came later after I started tussling with the Acceleration Pack. Obviously. My install of FSX is clean and gets no errors. But when I put the AP in it will not ask me for the product key. I've tried running "activate.exe" in the base directory but it will not run. When I fire up the sim I get error code 1-80004005 which has to do with the product not being properly activated. After I clear the error FSX comes up but it is in kind of a demo mode. It allows me to do anything with the exception of multi-player but it times out after 30 minutes and tells me I need to activate it. I HAVE TRIED! I have removed and reapplied the AP 3 times with the same luck. With the AP out I get no error and there is no time limit. But most of the add-ons that I need to reinstall require the AP. And without that pack FSX never did run that well. I tried going through MS' troubleshooting process but it concludes that I need to remove and reinstall which I have now done 3 times total. The other thing they say is to do the activation via the telephone. That is great except they do not give you the phone number. They say that you need to find the proper phone number in the troubleshooting process for the specific product you are installing... which is where I was when I get that message. I left a feedback message with MS but I doubt that I'll get a reply. The feedback form didn't have a space for your name or your email address. I did include both but I doubt many people are following FSX feedback after all these years. I have a valid product key but I can't get FSX (with the Accel Pack) to ask me for it. If somebody knows the solution I would really love to hear about it??? My thanks for any and all input! Tom Wunder It is actually kind of fun to fly the default aircraft over the default scenery but that will get old and I'm going to want my stuff back.

Guys, aerofly FS boxed version is $39.99 right now at Amazon. I'm not supposed to know but my wife bought it for me for Christmas. Problem is our Amazon account is in her name but she listed my e-mail address on it years ago before she did e-mail. I've said for a long time now that if I could even find aerofly FS at a decent discount from the rock solid $64.99 I'd jump at it. Aparently she heard but now I have to wait for Christmas to use it. Oh... and I guess I had better be surprised too. Regards, Tom Wunder

I was looking at Aerofly FS when I discovered that Flight had been released. I had previously come to the conclusion that Flight would never live to see release. I have never been much of a fortune teller. lol I weighed these 2 sims against each other and decided to go with Flight. That has worked out as I really enjoy Flight and I have no intention of abandoning it just because the development has stopped. I still use FSX a lot and it's development (by MS anyway) stopped a long time ago. But I have been thinking about going ahead and also buying Aerofly FS as well for several weeks now. I probably would have by now but it seems kind of expensive. Amizon has it for $65 and I haven't found it listed anywhere else. I'll have to think long and hard before I'll pony up sixty five bucks for a product I really don't know all that much about. ??? I also agree with you fully regarding X-Plane. I bought version 5 (when it was still massive dollars) and later version 9 which I still have installed. I got 9 only because a friend had told me how much it had improved and I found it for $20 (10% what I paid for 5) "used" on Amazon. Between the 2 versions I doubt I have more than 10 hours of sim time with it. The interface is too awkward and the graphics are not to my tastes. I don't even know why I still have 9 on my system as I haven't used it in over 18 months. And before the world comes crashing down on me I want to point out that I do know that many people consider XP the sim to end all sims... and I respect that... but it does not work for me or maybe I don't work for it.... in any event XP and I don't coexist well. I would like to know how your efforts with AFS are coming along and how it goes in the future. Have a great day, Tom Wunder

MS may or may not have some Flight content yet to be released. I suspect they held their announcement until they had released all they had. I never considered Flight as a replacement for FSX. I have hundreds of planes in FSX not to mention tons of scenery improvements. All of Washington State, a major chunk of Colorado, some Arizona, Oahu, Southern California all in photo real scenery. Also lots of non photo but greatly improved scenery all over the world. FSX will be with me for a long time. I am considering buying that sim with the hi-res Switzerland scenery... can't think of the name at the moment. That looks like fun. I will not buy X-Plane 10. I had XP5 and currently have XP9 installed. I know a lot of people love XP and I do not wish to disrespect them but it just doesn't do it for me. XP's interface and graphics just don't make for that leap of faith... the suspension of disbelief... that I need to get into a flight sim. Twice was enough. But if you are an XP lover then more power to you. :) But Flight is not dead until it is no longer fun to fly. Some people still love the old Flight Unlimited series. I was a fanatic about FU in it's day and for a long time afterwards. I moved on to other stuff now but Flight has many miles left in it IMO. I sure intend to continue to use it for years to come. Not that I wouldn't like some more aircraft to use with it but the Flight versions of HI & AK are a very nice world to fly in. Being an old guy I'm not really comfortable with these newer games in which the content you buy is not really located on your system. It would be nice if MS could offer a DVD version that would allow us to not be dependant on their servers and might also give us some ability to manipulate the content. In FS(pick a number) I know how to take the 2 paints from the cockpitless Carbon Cub and put them with the complete CC and remove the useless one from the roster. I could also put the Red Tail skin with the other 2 Mustang paints and eliminate the extra P-51 hulk. I wouldn't know where to begin with Flight and I suspect that without some tools it would not be possible. In the old FU world a couple of years after Looking Glass went away a really smart FU fan got together with a old team member from LG and worked out how to build us an editor of sorts. Using his stuff I was able to improve some of the not so great early cockpits and others more artistically talented than myself made them much better. Eventually some guys who knew how to develop 3D models were abel to make whole new aircraft for that sim. Some guys were even able to develop additional scenery areas. The key was that none of us ever tried to make any money on it. We did it for the love of the sim. If we had tried to come out with commercial products I'm sure we would have been shutdown by some court in short order. It may well not be possible to do any of that with Flight but I would still like to be able to host Flight (for my own use only) on my own system. In any event I intend to continue to use Flight along with FSX and probably some others for a long time to come. Hang in there guys... the world ain't over even if continued development of Flight is. Have a good day, Tom Wunder

Rats! :( But while I'm not fond of the message I do want to thank the messenger. :) Thanks, Tom Wunder

I have a really dumb question... At the moment the delux Cub is sitting off to the right on my aircraft selection screen's roster along with the unpurchased Zero, Corsair, and Warhawk. The basic Cub is 2nd in line after the Stearman. If / When - I purchase the DX version will it take the place of the basic one or will I then have both versions in the roster? I wouldn't mind that if both now have (had) a cockpit in them but I'm not real wild about having the basic Cub with no cockpit just taking up space in the roster. Once I have a proper Cub I sereiously doubt that I would ever use the empty shell again. Yes I do understand that this is a very dumb question but I would really appreciate an answer. Thank you, Tom Wunder PS for MS: If you want to sell me the unpurchased Zero, Corsair, & Warhawk try putting cockpits into them. Offering them via Steam at $4.19 each during the sale didn't get me to want them bad enough to spring for them but cockpits at a reasonable price probably would. I would also bite if I was offered a cockpit for the Mustangs for a reasonable sum.

I really want to stand on principal and not buy anything that includes another cockpitless aircraft. I bought the Mustang only because getting it was $5 cheaper than buying Hawaii and the Maule without it. And I've felt guilty about it ever since. Now they test my resolve by offering me Alaska with a cockpitless Carbon Cub for $9. It just isn't fair. ;) I may relent & buy AK but I have 10 days to think it over first. A bunch of years ago I was a big fan of Looking Glass Software's Flight Unlimited series of flight sims. In fact for years I served as the moderator of the AVSIM FU Series Forum. In their day FU2 & FU3 were the best sims around bar none IMHO. They easily beat FS98 & FS2K for my tastes. FS02 was about a wash with FU3 and FS04 was superior... FSX more so. Back in the days when FU3 was supposed to be coming out any day the Looking Glass FU forum was a very big deal to those of us that were passionate about FU. I am not talking about a AVSIM forum. AVSIM was here but hadn't really caught on yet... not for about another 6 months. Anyway things got very crazy on that LG FU forum in the months between the time that FU3 was supposed to have been released and when it actually came out. During that time little things started leaking out about how various features that had been promised were being scaled back and in some cases were eliminated entirely. There was a woman who acted as a moderator on that forum (1 of them) and also served as a link between those of us who frequented the forum and the developers. I don't remember the lady's name. I'm not meaning to be rude... it has just been too many years that have passed and I am old. Right at the time of the release things on the forum and with LG in general went from a little crazy to very, very, weird. LG sold FU to another developer and locked it's forums but not until the lady posted a really wild statement about how picked on she felt that she had been. It really appeared that she had way too much to drink when she made that post but that was my opinion and there were lots of others who disagreed. I'm not real sure if she quit or had just been let go as part of the reduction in force that had just taken place with LG. FU3's development team was let go and the source code locked away. Anyway FU3 was a great sim in it's day but the developers had spent their development cash on some features so heavily that other features had to be abandoned. It could have been much better had the project been better managed. (Again that is my opinion.) I have always felt that the FU series would have continued to be a major force in the flight sim (lower case as I'm not talking about a specific product) world if only FU3's development had been better managed. There were a lot of bitter people and LG's site ceased to exist. I bring all this up because the "atmosphere" around Flight is beginning to feel a lot like that around FU3 during that period. I am not suggesting that Delafina has been drinking or that we have been mislead about anything. I am just saying that I would not be very surprised if we were to get some sad announcements from MS over the next few weeks or months. I hope I am totally wrong about that. In any event I can not complain about things. I've got a total of $30 invested in Flight and even if I buy AK it will only come up to $39. That is nothing compared to what I've spent on FS, FU, and various other sims over the years. Also MS was nice enough to not stop updating the Aerocache (SP?) of the Day until I had just got my 100th one the evening before. How is that for luck? :) Please MicroSoft... if possible please put out cockpit versions of the CC and the warbirds plus a few more good planes before you shut anything down. Please. Pretty please. Guys I do hope that I am all wrong about this and Flight has a long and bright future. It just doesn't feel like it is going that way. I guess I should do like Donald Sutherland once advised and "Stop with the negative waves...". Have a great flight, Tom Wunder

If the developers stick with the US and also doing a state at a time then my guess would be Florida. That would not be my choice but it is my guess. You get a bunch of islands (they seem to like islands) (so do I) and a very easy mesh. I think the highest point is about 400'. My choice on a state at a time basis would be Washington. (And I don't mean DC. lol) I haven't bought Alaska yet... not sure if I am going to. I'm waiting to see what we get in the way of planes over the next few months. But from reading many of your posts it does sound as if some cleanup work is needed there. In my opinion some work could and should still be done on Hawaii. The city textures could use some work and while I don't expect photo based scenery Diamond Head should look more like a volcanic cone and less like a large ant hill. Although it would be hard to fault Flight's Hawaiian airports except maybe a couple of the smallest ones. Beyond the US lots of places come to mind. French Polynesia would seem like a natural for this game. I suspect they would pick Japan over England. I've lived in both so either would be OK with me. Greece and the Greek Islands would be beautiful but the Icon would definately need some backup for that... I'm talking Goose, Beaver, and so on. I'm also talking out of my hat... just speculating. Have a nice day, Tom Wunder

I am not now and have never been a real pilot. As a diabetic I will never be one either. I have flown every PC based GA flight sim that has ever been... I think. Could have been one or two minor ones that snuck past me. Also probably a couple of dozen military ones. I started with A2-FS1 by SubLogic in 1981. MS didn't buy the franchise until a couple of years later. In September of 2004 along with a few thousand other AVSIM members I had the chance to fly some Class D full motion sims at the United Airlines Training Center here in Denver. I bought time for both my wife and myself so I wouldn't have to share the flying time. I had originally bought 3 hours in a 737-500 (I think 500 not sure on that now) and 3 hours in a 747-400. The FAA and Homeland Security stepped in and restricted us all to 3 hours total and no more than 2 hours in any Boeing. So we got 1 hour in a A320 sim on Friday night followed by 2 hours in a 747-400 on Sunday morning. After some orientation to the electronics the A320 instructor allowed me to "freelance it" for a few minutes over San Francisco provided I didn't get anywhere near any buildings. Then I had to do 35 minutes of touch and goes. He would stop the sim as soon as I had it stable after the takeoff then reset it to 40 seconds before touchdown. We did 10. Then he had me do an autoland followed by the final landing with most of the electronics disabled. It all went very well and the only mistake I made was to overestimate the toe brakes going back to the terminal... I didn't hit the window but I got within a few inches of it. In the 747 on the first hour the instructor mostly taught me to use the computer to navigate and put me into various situations to see if I knew what was happening and how I would respond. I remember saying "we are going to stall" and him saying "what are you going to do about it" except that I had already pushed the nose down before he could say it. Then he had me coming in too steep and I said "man we are way over speed... can I pop the air brakes without ripping them off?" and being told "DO IT NOW!". That instructor had been there all night and had to go home so we took a 15 minute break and another guy took over. I am happy to say the break didn't come out of my time. The 2nd guy had a whole different attitude. He knew I was feeling pretty proud of myself and was determined to show me that I really didn't know how to fly a plane. He shut off all of the nav functions and everything having to do with the autopilot and said "OK lets go...". Once we were in the air he gave me every sort of weather imaginable. We were bouncing all over the sky and the simulation of lightning was incredible. I never failed to find my way back to the airport and never failed to make a decent landing. I kinda thudded the front gear on one landing but had been smooth with the mains... that was my worst landing. Then he insisted that my wife take a try at flying it even though she didn't want any part of it. She thinks it would make more sense if you pushed forward to go up and pulled back to go down... really. So she switched from the jump seat to the copilot's seat and I was still in the pilot's seat. As we were roaring down the runway she finally listened to us and pulled back but too far and just before we fell out of the sky I pushed forward on the yoke and averted the stall but I let go because I knew the instructor wanted her to do it. The next thing she had us over to the left limit at about 45 degrees and I grabbed it again and righted us. With bugged eyes and holding onto the console to keep from falling over the instructor said "HELP HER!" into my ear. I said I am and got a thumbs up in reply. He kept giving her instructions and I kept executing them often having to power the controls against her inputs. She was so nervious that I think to this day that she flew the thing. Once we were back on the runway he told me to take us back to the terminal and kept her busy showing her all the different stuff that the "400's" screens will do... some really cool stuff... I wish I could have watched that part better myself but I was too busy making sure I didn't blow it with the toe brakes again. When that 2nd 747 instructor told me I had really impressed him and gave me a 2nd thumbs up that made all the money I'd spent on the experience worth it. OK I know in the back of my mind that I have never flown a A320 or a 747-400 but when I walked to the parking lot that day there was a chunk of my mind that believed I really had. Most of all I didn't want to leave... I wanted oh so much to go back in and keep flying. FSX didn't come out until about a year later and it took me a while to be interested in FS04 or any PC based sim after those big ones. Do I think that if everybody but me suddenly died on a 747 or even an Airbus that provided I could get access to the cockpit I could safely land the thing. Sure thing... provided that I could get somebody on the radio to coach me along and remind me how to work all of those buttons. If I had to I think I could but I'd just as soon that the need never came to be and of course it wont. Do I think that anybody in their right mind would or should let me get behind the controls of a real airplane? NO (Can't say that word here.)ING WAY!!! In an absolute emergency I think I would have a much better chance than somebody (like my wife) who has no clue about how to control an airplane or how the laws of physics work on an aircraft... At least my ego thinks I could. LOL Sorry to bore everybody to death, Tom Wunder

So okay.... I suggest a change of strategy. Like you guys I do not enjoy aircraft without cockpits. I enjoy using Flight nearly as much as FSX. I have no regrets about buying the P-51 as I only bought it to get the rest of the Hawaiian Islands, the RV, and the Maule for $5 less as I assume most of you did. I have always enjoyed WWII warbirds and could be tempted to buy the others if only they had interiors. I enjoy flying around Hawaii and getting Alaska doesn't mean that much to me. I would gladly buy it at a reasonable price so long as it includes a good aircraft. No cockpit = me no buy. My suggestion is that we attempt to bribe MS. I am prepared to pay... hmmm... lets say $3 for a quickie cockpit patch for the P-51(s) (should also work with the Red Tail). That is a basic cockpit with functional instruments. Make it a bit more convincing with some basic nav functions on the line of the Mustang cockpit in FSX and I'll maybe go $5. Do the same for the P-40 & F4U and bundle them nicely and I'll buy them as well. I suspect a lot of people will spring for such a deal. So here is where I stand... I am happy with what I have of Flight. I can not and will not complain about the lack of a cockpit in the Mustang as I was warned in advance. MS you got my $30 and you are welcome to it. But you will not receive another nickle of my money until you start providing cockpits. And like I said I am prepared to pay for them... within reason that is. For me good games like good movies or good books must supply "suspension of disbelief". A flying or driving game just doesn't do that to my satisfaction without a cockpit. The Mustangs look pretty in the aircraft selection menu or "hanger" but mine wont make it out of that hanger until or unless they receive cockpits. Nor will they be joined by any other cockpitless aircraft. I doubt this offer will do any good but I make it in good faith. Microsoft I am more than willing to part with some of my hard earned money but not until you offer a product I want to buy. Thank you, Tom Wunder

Sigma54, Torium, Quadraspleen/Jake, Thanks much for the great replies! :) To answer Sigma's question I have the 32 bit version of Vista. I tried the deal with all zeros and while it seemed to consider it for a moment that would not work for me but I do appreciate the effort. The method of finding the ID code with the mock purchase that the other two suggested did in fact work. The strange part was that after I got to the point of seeing the code and writing it down when I went back into the game it didn't ask me to put it in. That is kind of creepy as if it was looking over my shoulder. In any event I am now able to try the missions with the Stearman and I very much want to thank you all. :) Later, Tom Wunder

Sigma54, First I want to thank you for your kind response! I had my computer shut down for about 7 hours between the time I was first running Flight and the time I was unable to. But later I did shut down again for about 3 hours and for reasons I do not understand Flight has been running fine again later this evening. I believe I can still run it again now. I've been into and out of it probably 3 or 4 times this evening. If it will run tomorrow morning remains to be seen. ;) I did have a pleasant flight along the North coast of the big island. :) You are correct that the signup info for MS Live all fits on one page but once I had that page complete when I would click on submit it would take me back to the top of the page. But using the site info you supplied I did finally manage to create an account but only after I agreed to create a Hotmail account to use with it. I can now sign into Live. BUT - When I do from within Flight it now demands a 25 digit product ID code for LIVE. I've been all over my LIVE account and can't find a 25 digit code anywhere and that includes within my profile. I'm not sure if I'm just too old to understand what is going on or MS just doesn't like me. LOL If you or anybody else knows how I can find my product ID code for Live I would really appreciate any information I can get. :) Thanks again, Tom Wunder

Hi, I downloaded and installed MS Flight late last night. I was able to run the program with no problem and "accomplished" 3 missions and a couple of other activities. I was in and out of the program several times in the wee hours of this morning. I had managed to get my joystick and another controller configured for it and managed to figure out how to use the mouse to move eyepoint and perspective. I had a long way to go to figure out if I was willing to continue using this product and maybe even invest some money adding things but I was enjoying what I was doing. While I was doing all of this I made several attempts to create an account and log onto "Live". I was not able to do that. I suspect that if I was 16 that would be an easy thing to do but alas I am 61 and such things do not come natural to me. I'm so old I don't even tweet... or for that matter know how or why I'd wnat to. lol It puts me through about 5 rounds of filling out the signup info then declares that my email address is not valid (it IS valid) and demands that I supply another. I don't have or want another. I suspect that if I was able to get into LIVE that I would have this licked but I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I have left 5 messages for MS asking for help but have had no reply. After getting some much needed sleep I am now unable to start Flight. The flash screen comes up and it starts to load and I get this message: "Games for Windows - LIVE failed to initialize. Another Games for Windows - LIVE may be running, or your product installation may be corrupted. You may need to repair or reinstall Microsoft Flight. (800706BA)" Like many of you I have been using home computer based flight sims for over 30 years. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong but I'm sure it is my fault somehow or another. Can anybody help? Thanks, Tom Wunder