Originally Posted by
dr_peter
Does anyone have Microsoft Simulator X?
What do you think?
Is it much better than 2004?
As noted, it's not out yet. And - the demo is a fairly old build of the software and is not a good bellwether of what the final product will be.
The biggest thing to note is that the flight models - including those of the helicopters - are the same as what was in FS2004. This means that the helos will still have some wonky characteristics about them - for instance the R22 cannot be autorotated successfully, and even the JetBox's auto model is pretty far off the mark. But, in basic flight - hovering, take-off, cruise, approach - it does a very nice job if you have the right control hardware (stick/collective/pedals).
There is a company that is doing some wonderful things with their add-ons to FS2004. I have their JetRanger enhancement which, amongst several things, models engine start (along with the possibility of a hot start), yaw pedal emulation, etc. They are working on some professional-level simulation products as well.
http://www.dodosim.com/
As to someone asserting that X-Plane is better - well that is totallly a subjective thing and I totally disagree for any number of reasons, but it's probably not worth discussing in this forum.
Dave Blevins