Conclusion:

Sadly, as more than one professional points out, the hardcore sim fans are not really the bulk of the market that developers aim at. The market is somewhere between this ideal and the average shoot-em-up. Still we can live in hope that some of the developers who share our passion might find a way to bring us a sim that pleases the hardcore crowd without being unapproachable for the majority of the market.

Jane's F-15 is arguably the best new-comer to attack the requirements laid out here. It offers dynamite avionics and flight modeling as well as superior mission planning tools and in flight communications. It falls short in the areas of multiplayer and the campaign engine.

In a few areas, the requirements listed are becomg more the norm. Flight model and avionics are both areas that have received excellent treatment this year in multiple products. But overall, no one release has hit the mark in all or even all but one or two of the areas. Perhaps next year will see a release that will cause us to rethink where the bar should be for the future.

Until then, these requirements stand as a challenge for the development community to take on. If the hype is to be believed, perhaps Falcon4 or Flanker 2 will fit the bill. Who knows until they release, but on paper both sound like they mean business. It should be an interesting year to come for us virtual jet junkies!

Oh and for the last word: it needs to be fun to play with this perfect sim too. There's at least one product that was hailed as a great simulation but rotten game. Most of the "wannabes" in the so-called "hardcore" flight sim community play with these sims because it's a fun thing to do. After all, in the end it's just a game...

References/Bibliography:

"Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering" -- Robert L. Shaw
Naval Institute Press, ISBN 0-87021-059-9
The definitive unclassified work on BFM and ACM. A tough read but worth the slog.

**"Storm Over Iraq: Air Power and the Gulf War" Richard P. Hallion
Smithsonian, ISBN 1-56098-723-5
A fascinating essay about the history and application of air power. A fast read with some great insights into the planning and execution of the air war. How to run a modern integrated air campaign.

"Aerodynamics For Naval Aviators"
ASA-ANA, ISBN 1-56027-140-X
Everything the US Navy wants its pilots to know about why and how aircraft fly. Academic stuff for those that really want to know.

"The Ace Factor" Mike Spick
Naval Institute Press, ISBN 0-87021-002-5
Tales of the greatest fighter pilots across the ages and what made them successful. If you don't know what Situational Awareness is and just how important it can be, you need to read this book.

"Modern Fighter Aircraft: Technology and Tactics" A. Thornborough
Patrick Stevens Ltd., ISBN 1-85260-426-3
A comprehensive treatment of modern air combat delivered in an approachable style although dense format.

"Stick and Rudder" Wolfgang Langewiesche
McGraw Hill, ISBN 0-07-036240-8
A classic on the art of flying. Guaranteed to improve your landings in real Cessnas and virtual fast jets.

"Fulcrum" Alexander Zuyev with Malcolm McConnell
Warner, ISBN 0-446-36498-3
The story of a Mig29 pilot from enlistment through training and on to defection to the west. Interesting look into Russian tactical aviation.

Click to continue . . .

"Tornado Down" Flt Lt. John Peters & Flt. Lt. John Nichol
Signet, ISBN 0-45-117472-0
First hand account of a Tornado crew shot down and captured by Iraq shortly after Desert Storm commenced. The less glamorous side of being in fast jets that will make you appreciate those who do this for a living even more.

"On Yankee Station" Comdr. John B. Nichols & Barrett Tillman
Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-27216-0
Interesting account of naval air power in Vietnam. How not to run an air campaign.

"Warfighters : A Story of the USAF Weapons School & the 57th Wing" Rick Llinares & Chuck Lloyd Schiffer, ISBN 076430044X
History and development of the Nellis air base and the units that are based there. Lots of glossy pictures supported by useful narrative. Includes syllabus information for the weapons school and the various "Flag" exercises.

"Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing" Tom Clancy
Berkeley Pub Group, ISBN 0425149579
The Clancy treatment for Air Combat Command's Composite Air Wing. As someone recently suggested on the internet, the CAW would make a terrific back story unit for a jet sim.

Works of fiction have also played a part. While there are too many to mention all the titles, I have enjoyed and recommend various tactical aviation specific novels by (again in no special order):

• Dale Brown
• Keith Douglass
• Timothy Rizzi
• Barrett Tillman
• Mike Dunn
• Steven Coonts
• William H. LaBarge
• Richard Herman Jr.
• Joe Weber
• Michael Skinner
• Julian Jay Savarin

I also thoroughly enjoy quarterly issues of the "World Air Power Journal." Heavy on excellent pictures and cutaway diagrams but with informative briefing information as well. WAPJ is published by Aerospace Publishing in London, UK, and is distributed by AIRtime Publishing Inc. in the US (800 359 3003).

Lastly, the single greatest advancement of my understanding of air combat was made in a single day. The people responsible for this leap forward are Sky Warriors in Atlanta, GA. With briefings and nearly two hours of stick time in a T-34, they brought the material in Shaw's book to life for me in a way that opened up a whole new dimension for me. It's also the most physically tiring thing I've ever done sitting down. Highly recommended! Visit Skywarriors.

** This is the work that finally inspired me to sit down and put this magnum opus into words.

Editor: In real life Mark manages a team focused on application software performance optimization for 3rd party server and workstation applications that run on Intel Architecture. You can send him comments at Mark Doran or send a letter to the Editor.

You can read about the simulations referred to in this piece. Here is a partial listing:

• EF2000
• F22 ADF
• Falcon 4.0
• Flanker 2.0
• iF18 Carrier Strike Fighter
• Flying Corps Gold
• Janes F15
• Longbow II
• Su 27
• Total Air War