I really hesitated on this purchase ($49 US). I've always had a hard time starting up planes and going through all of that ... guess I'm just a "quickie simmer". The literature tells you about maintenance procedures you have to follow, mixtures to maintain, yada yada ... enough to scare you out of buying it. (I've got a couple of planes I can't figure out how to start them!). But alas, I bit the bullet ... and I'm glad I did. If you are like me ... wanting some realism, but not so much you can't close the door, then this is one for you too. What the lit doesn't tell you is that if you want to "bypass" all the special things, you can. That's what I did at first, then I started taking the steps and reading the manual, making my simming more complex, but making it far more realistic.
You can go through all the gyrations of starting up the plane, and it is relatively simple and fun. But there is also an "auto start" (CTRL-E does it too) and you are ready to go. Also, the plane needs maintenance, new oil now and then, fixes for corrosion (which continues to happen even if you have the computer turned off). And it will "sputter and quit" if it is not maintained. Of course you can also wreck it and need all kinds of maintenance. You can go to the maintenance area and look for what needs to be done and do it, a step at a time learning about that step, or just check "complete overhaul" checked will do it all and quickly, all done good as new in 2 seconds. There's also a guide for a pre-flight inspection that is very interesting and fun to do ... making it more realistic.
So within this complex program are "quickies" to make things happen quickly, you can have the best of both worlds. The real fun of this software is learning the plane a page at a time and moving away from the "quickies" and into how a real aircraft functions. The manual for the A2A 172 trainer is TERRIFIC!! You can get into all kinds of depth about how things work, and why, etc. The avionics are coded after the real thing, so you can download the "real" manuals for those instruments and they act the same.
Are you getting pretty good at flying the sim and not wrecking the plane? Well, you'll probably have a couple of wrecks if you fly this simulation like we fly the trusty Misty Beaver. Stresses can tear this one apart. It will stall when it is supposed to. It is "touchy" ... like the real thing. You know they've done a good job of programming the realism when you are a little "edgy" about making a turn (feeling like you're going to fall off the high wire?) ... somehow they've captured that with this software.
Their forum is very helpful
http://www.a2asimulations.com/forum/ and if you run into a problem, there are quick and accurate responses.
For me, I've been spending a lot of my time working on scenery packages and the website, so I have not taken the care and patience I should have learning how to "really fly" one of these things. This software gets me there. Instead of hitting CTRL-E and pushing the throttle to the wall and taking off ... you kind of have to think more about what you are doing. If you mixture is wrong, you'll foul the spark plugs, and the engine will run rough if you haven't got it right. (However when you hit CTRL-E, everything sets up perfectly). The avionics are tricky (and real). I've got a lot to learn in this area, but again, the manual is right there helping you understand what you need to know. I've only scratched the surface, but this program has some depth.
The only problem is that is is only fixed gear, wheels. I am hoping they come out with an amphibian version soon so we could use it more at RTMM. They have some nice repaints already, and I'm sure someone will be able to give us a Misty repaint down the line.
In summary, it is not "so complicated" you cannot fly it, yet it is complex enough to "kick you up a level" in your simming ability if you've become a little "sloppy" as I have. Taking this plane from cold/dark to altitude then landing safely and going back to cold/dark makes you really feel like you've spent an afternoon at the airport. Again, for RTMM, it is a little limited without an amphib or float model. But I bet they'll have it soon. Glad I spent the $49 ... worth it for me. NICE JOB A2A!
Doug