Well, thank you all! I'll get the order going forthwith.
Just to add some color and background, while it's my brother-in-law that wants it, it's MY computer that it will be installed on, alongside our 'regular' CFS3, which we enjoy up to our limited aviation capabilities. He doesn't have a computer; if it weren't for CFS3 and trying to get some exposure for his art (which I also manage), he wouldn't have a thing to do with computers! He's not mentally challenged or anything like that, he just lives a simple life; no cell phone, no checking account, etc... I think you could put all of his worldly possesions in the back of a pickup truck, furniture and all.
It's hilarious watching us fly, and I at least should know better - I'm a mechanical engineer and when younger I was an Air Force ROTC pilot wannabe. I know the basics of flight, the purpose of trim, flaps, CG, navigation, etc, and try to keep my turns coordinated. But still, the only way I've ever managed to shoot anything down is to get on it's six and pump in enough lead to sink a battleship and have my barrels yellow-hot and limp as overcooked spaghetti! My enemies are on the "sitting duck" settings, we just do quick combat, all that stuff.
He's even worse than I am, mercilessly yanking the stick around and unconsciously twisting the rudder beyond all reason, while using the throttle like you would in your car, spraying lead all over the sky - he'd probably kill more innocent bystanders on the ground... He likes to fly the German aircraft, but every once in a while "snaps out" and starts shooting his wingmen down, just to hear the radio protests in German!
But it's given us a lot of respect for what these guys went through and the skill they must have had. We went to more realistic settings a couple of times and lasted about 30 seconds...with a real load of ammo, it's amazing how fast you're out. It sure makes you a lot pickier about when you take your shot (and miss!).
I'm hoping to upgrade the computer at some point, but for now I'm running an Athlon 3200XP with 2 GB of low-latency RAM and a pretty decent AGP 8X video card with WinXP SP2. Legacy stuff but not bad for the world CFS3 was created in. The stick is the old Microsoft Force Feedback Pro.
Thanks again, all, I look forward to "finding the Red Baron, and shooting him down." *
Best to all, thanks again!
Tom
*Charlie Brown in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"
