Steve House wrote:
We'll know next week. I think it's still there. ...

it is.

For example, there's a company called "Reality XP" that publishes an
add-in for the panel to allow you to install Garmin 530 GPS, GTX 327
transponder, etc and another package that installs a UPS Apollo GL50 GPS,
FL70 Xpndr, FL30 NavCom, and FL15 audio panel.

FS2004 will have the Garmin 500 and 295 built in, supposedly with the
fully approach database.

Real weather? One of the add-ins
available is a package called ActiveSky that accesses the NOA and NavCanada
weather systems via the Internet

FS2004 will have its own 15 minute updates to realtime weather, if you
want it.


...
Not trying to shill for MS - as a long time flight simmer and current PPL
student I'm painfully aware of it's limitations. Even with only 10 hours
under my belt my CFI has me flying partial panel for a while almost every
lesson to help break the Flight Sim habit of focussing on the instruments
instead of the horizon picture, engine and wind noises, etc.

Number 1 problem for all who sim before real-world flying. If a simmer
knows that up front, (s)he can sim more intelligently for initial
training by focussing more on the outside views.



--
"The Final 20 percent of the Project... requires 80 percent of the Effort"
---- paraphrased from Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923)