Take a valium jbroey---
Do not question Toads experience in regards to flying real airplanes. He is much to humble to tell you really how much flight experience he has. Just hearing him tell what it is like air to air refueling a RC-135 from a KC-135 and it taking an HOUR on the boom to take a full load of fuel was enough to make me sweat.
In reference to IL-2,,,
I have messed around with it alot the past few months since the con. It is like any GAME, there are things I like and things I dont.
The eye candy is great. I find the tracer flashes way to much.
Inregards to the stick set up- it is very clumsy in my opinion. Both IL-2 and WBs would benifit greatly from taking the AH example of how to do that. I finally got most of the bounce out and have a smooth response to my stick ( USB CH Fighterstick-ProThrottle-ProPeds) but it took way to much time. I have never been able to map the trim to my stick. With both AH and WBs this is very easy. The trim does act a a cheat as is discussed on the UBI boards, you can use the elevator trim to take way to much G. When will people just figure out that trim is just for removing stick pressure,,,, not for manuvering.
I like the ability to just airstart and furball,,and IL-2 has improved my gunnery in AH due to the fact that you have to be more accurate. The flight model is very subjective, we have all seen those arguments on this and other boards. It seems that all the planes hold to much E to me except the 190 which flys like a brick-as it should. I would say that the Russian birds are overmodeled to a point but not that bad. The German planes fly like a thought except I think the 109 rolls a bit to good. The Stuka is a hoot to fly especially when you dive bomb ships. The most fun I have had is the I-16 vrs the PZ-11,,,turn and burn baby.
Other stuff--
I have made this statement before and stick to it,, when it comes to flight references from the good ol USSR you have to remember that they come from a society built on disinformation. No disrespect to Oleg and his crew, they have built a great GAME.