Best flight sims / joysticks?

After a day at the National Air and Space museum in D.C. this weekend (where it seemed like a jet was overhead every 45 seconds), I got interested in playing a semi-realistic flight simulator.

Knowing myself, I probably will not be willing to invest more than a few hours reading the manual and learning how to play. So I'm looking for something that's playable above all--though graphics and realism are considerations. I'd be open to a combat sim too.

Does anybody have any recommendations?

Is a joystick essential for flight sims, or will a keyboard and mouse suffice?

This is all I can really think of...

http//pc.ign.com/objects/552/552508.html

IMO the best HOTAS (if you don't know the acronym, you aren't a serious flight-sim fanatic P) rig is the Saitek X36 USB (no longer in production). The X45 that replaced it was much cheesier. However the new X52 looks very slick, I just haven't had much hands on with it to see if I should replace my X36.

I used to be a hardcore flight sim nut, but preferred choppers to fixed wing, and there hasn't been a serious helo sim since Jane's Longbow series, so my X36 collects dust. Oh, and I did use it heavily for Mechwarror 2/3/4 as well. I long to see another helicopter sim and/or MechWarrior installment hit the market again.

Oh, and to answer your question KB/mouse for true flight sims are almost impossible. It'll work for arcade flying like in BF2, but for a real flight sim? Forget it. My X36 combo had like 90-100 controls mapped to it back in the day, and I used nearly all of them. Never had to touch the keyboard. )

Well, I had to look "HOTAS" up today because I saw it bandied about in all the reviews of joysticks. But I'd hardly call myself a fanatic...

I guess I'll start with MSFT Flight Simulator 2004...it seems like the only game in town.

I have MSFT 2002, also MSCFS 2. Both are pretty good simulators. You need a really good graphics/processor setup though in order to get a realistic experience. I have the Force Feedback 2, and it works pretty well for my purposes. I originally wanted a yoke for better realism, but those were prohibitively expensive.

if you are willing to wait, you should probably get this http//www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=646610[]http//www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=646610

[quote2bac1f14c5="JJPRO11"]if you are willing to wait, you should probably get this http//www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=646610[]http//www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=646610[/quote2bac1f14c5]

I may wait and get a new gaming desktop rig too. I doubt my laptop can handle what today's games require.

I can't wait for MS to come out with a moderm combat flight sim. Their period one is cool, but I prefer IL-2 Sturmovik better if I'm going back to the 40's.

You could try Lock On, it's a decent moderm combat sim.