I suppose we could bandy about our likes and dislikes, for hours perhaps. The really cool thing is, I get to do it all by my lonesome... with no interruptions other than the grandkids on various search and destroy missions to the grandparent's house. So with that in mind, let's crack the old cranium, push aside the cobwebs and other assorted stuff usually found in very old attics, crawl spaces and the like, and see just why FSX is not the be-all and end-all of flight simulation, at least to this persnickety old sim pilot.

Let's take, for instance, the monetary consideration. Granted, I am hardly one to speak of moderation when it comes to investing in my hobby. Were I so inclined (which assuredly I am not), a careful review of my purchases would reveal an investment well within the realm of four figures. That is, thousands of dollars. And that doesn't count the computer. Now, were I to contemplate beginning this again, for all of my add-ons that will not translate to FSX, well, let's just say I'm rather attached to certain body parts and like them just where they are, instead of tacked to the wall of the garage, more than likely above the new location of my bed.

News Flash: I've spent a small fortune augmenting FS2004. And aside from the teensy crawly things in the FSX water and roads (which I really, really like), my 9 looks way better than my X. Mesh, payware scenery, payware airports, night enhancements, day enhancements, heck even light, shadow and water enhancements. I've got enhancements that I don't even remember I've got! Have you ever bought a product, only to later realize you already have it? Let me tell you, once you get to that point (which I have), you may as well hang it up and consign yourself to the FSFunnyFarm. But the fact remains that, with all my enhancements, I am getting more eye candy with better performance than anything available on my system from FSX. Sort of hard to walk away from that.

This is not to say FSX does not have its strong points. My I.T. buddy Mark happens to be very much into online flying. He's been telling me all about the improvements in the program's ability to enable and maintain communication between online participants, enhanced radar functions and the like. While this is perfectly lovely for one who does online flying, for the rest of us, we of the timid soul and trembling hand when pushing the "communicate" button to talk to a *gulp* live ATC guy, it's sort of like lipstick on a pig. Very pretty, nice to have, but still...it's a pig. But the online flyers swear by it (no no no...don't be reading into this pig stuff and online flyers. Man, you guys are brutal). It has apparently taken their FSexperience (I wonder how many of you caught that one) to new levels. Wonderful! Now, let's go fly my 9.

And another thing. Not to harp on the investment issue, but my hangar is overflowing with all manner of birds, some of which I even fly. After years of manipulation, my 9 runs these babies and barely breaks a sweat. Just try to run one of my 737 SuperSims in X, at least on my machine. You can actually hear the CPU chuckling derisively, muttering something about me enjoying the slide show. Stupid uppity machine! So now have I not only waited for the much - heralded patch, but must also wait for patches for several of my favorite birds and other software to enable them to run (slowly) in X. Is it me?

Not for nothin' folks, but, well, I'm sort of an older type. Cute, fun to be with, a sparkling conversationalist, but older. I stopped buying music well before boy bands were all the rage. I actually remember black and white TV, with channels 2 through 13, and all the fuzzy UHF channels that no-one ever knew what they were for, but sometimes you could get some distorted picture of someone cooking something on them. I remember the new-fangled idea of TV dinners. I can remember hearing for the first time about CD recording, and how it would change the industry. Oh, here's one! I remember seeing a picture of The Beatles on some magazine, and thinking "Just another band". So why, being able to recall all that stuff, can't I remember if I put on underwear this morning?

The point is, for some ungodly reason, Microsoft saw fit to change keystrokes in X. Are you kidding? Do they know how long it took some of us to finally come to grips with the key commands? This is to say nothing of the weeks spent programming all of our various assorted peripherals, getting them to do our bidding and bending FS2004 to our will. There is something terribly wrong with preparing to go at the end of the runway, running up the engines to check for balance and performance, and then hitting the precisely and lovingly assigned key on my yoke in order to enable the FADEC to go into TOGA mode, only to remain in place watching the N2 value sit at 50% on the EICAS. (If you can follow any of that, give yourself a gold star. If you find a mistake, keep it to yourself. I just love talking the talk). Where's the TOGA switch? Button assignment? Puh-lease. If you wish to use the buttons in FSX, you will have to start from scratch (with a few exceptions).

And the view buttons? Talk about feeling stupid! I've got the damn keystroke chart spread out before me, and I still can't figure out how to look where I wish to see. Having become so comfortable with FS2004, it is second nature to look, go, push, pull, scroll. Using FSX, I actually ran the default trike into a tree because I was suddenly looking head on into the pilot's face. I swear I saw him cringe just before impact. I couldn't go back to the forward view. Now, I'm not particularly stupid. In fact, there are several people I know who, with the right amount of "motivation", will tell you just the opposite. But the fact remains that, like Pavlov's dogs, I respond to certain situations in flight sim in certain ways, all determined by my years of messing around with the default settings. Putting me into any kind of pressure situation, like on final for instance, and before you can say "Were we shot down?" my hands are madly pushing buttons randomly in frustration, having failed to achieve their accustomed intended purpose.

I must be getting old. I remember when I'd jump right in to the latest flight simulator, with nary a glance back towards those I'd left behind. Perhaps it is commentary upon the state of our hobby. We've come so far that, short of placing a USB port behind our ear, the quantum jumps between releases have shortened up to the point where the "WOW" factor is a dim memory.

I'm thinking FSXI is going to have to be truly spectacular to get me away from my 9! I wonder if that USB thingy installation is gonna hurt...

Three Green!

Chip Barber
rfbarber2@verizon.net