Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004

TripFarmer wrote:
Does anyone own this? I was thinking of using it at home as I start my
instrument training for help with repetative proceedures.

If you own it do you have a recommendation for a Yoke or Joystick?

Thanks in advance.


You might want to peruse the MSFS forum at www.avsim.com. (you have to
register free to post, but not to read).

Quite a few real-world pilots hang out there, and they would be able to
give you the perspective of someone who both flies real-world and sims.

From what I have seen there in the past, my guess is that their overall
opinion will be positive re use of sims for instrument training.

Be cautioned that, although formal Microsoft requirements are somewhat
lower, you will need a fairly powerful computer to make good use of the
sim.... with cpu probably in the 2.gHz-plus range, and one of the newer
AGP video cards. And if you find a difference of opinion about the
usefulness of sims, it may be as much because of shortcomings in the
users' hardware configuration as because of shortcomings in the sim...
.... be aware of the computer power that the proponent (or critic) is using.

I do agree with the other posters that you have to take reviews with
some skepticism, and that most are, in fact, little more than a
disguised ad. Machado has provided the "flight training" parts of the
Flight simulator manuals for the last several versions, and obviously
has had a tight relationship with MS for years. Nevertheless, I
understand his Flight-instruction credentials stand well on their own,
so his involvement and opinions on the sim ought to count for something.


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