dont go there
for what it's worth
in terms of Flight Sim X (FTX)
chatting with the guys at orbx
discussion came up regarding platform
they recommended Win XP SP3(beta) over Vista
far more reliable/stable/usable
the only thing Direct X 10 delivers that is different is instrument shadows
& some moderate effects on water/waves (low level)
besides that if you don't have a specific requirement for direct x 10
then dont go the vista path
for the long-lining query,
try tracking down the fella that did the dodosim 206 model
I'm sure he'd be a good start point