..pre order from Just Flight here.

http://www.justflight.com/default.asp

Nice!

Scenario: Have your friend launch from Murmansk in a Tu-95, you "intercept" in your Lightning over the North Sea. Photo-ops as you escort the Tu-95 as it shadows an American carrier task force... (AI carriers add-on).

Scenario: Set up an AI flightplan for a Tu-95 (or multiple ones) from Engels to Havana (or so) and intercept it.
Bonus points for having the possibility to have your buddy ride alongside you in another Lightning.

Such a beautiful aircraft... but I feel Justflight won't do it justice.

Available now

http://www.justflight.com/product.asp?pid=639

I bought this last night.

The good news is it's a doddle to install and start flying straight away - no huge manual to wade through before you can even start the engines etc.

The cockpit is very nicely modelled with quite a few clickables and you can fire the guns although no ammo actually fires. It's also a lot of fun with an incredible rocketship climb and dead easy to fly. Just like the real thing it will fly at well over 80,000 feet and get to Mach 2 although the speed is on the clock and doesn't actually feel like it against the ground but you get gorgeous colours at that altitude with earth curviture etc although handling is very delicate!

The bad news is that its no ATA Accusim plane. It's too easy to fly and in level flight gets moved around like a Cessna by wind etc. On the ground you just open the throttle and up you go it's as simple as that. Refer to the manual if you want to go through procedures to kid yourself but it makes no difference because you can still fly it with just a stick and throttle.

Would I recommend it? Yes. It's cheap enough for the fun factor if you love the Lightning and you want something that is going to intercept airliners with ease and doesn't stall as soon as you lift the nose but don't expect a proper simulator.

8/10 for fun.

Actually, jets ARE easy to fly. Stick and throttle sounds right. You don't use rudder much, if at all. Learning to apply them as weapons is where most of the training comes in.
I'm sure you are correct about it being a bit TOO easy, though. I've never really been a big fan of Just Flight.

What I meant was you don't need to pay proper attention to speeds etc. It will take off and land without flaps and you can even stop without the parachute. But I don't want this to sound negative and put people off because ignore the lack of technical stuff and it's a great model. I had several hours of fun with it last night and it's a great plane to fly. There is full engine control if you want it plus nav equipment and you get stuff like opening canopy, wheel chocks and afterburner effects etc.

You can trim it very easily for hands-off and just admire the view or go for aerobatics. The radar is actually excellent when you find out what it can do. Right click for the 2D cockpit and you get the radar plus control box where you can select the range, terrain, airports and/or aircraft. Exit and this is what you see in the 3D cockpit. The radar always has the top pointing to 0 degrees so if there is a target on left radar you have to fly 270 to get to it etc. This makes intercepts fun because you can track them on the radar from take off etc. Sitting on the runway I spotted a contrail so took off and a minute later I was tracking onto him at 50,000 feet. If only you could fire the missiles!

There is a free demo on the JustFlight website which only works at low level but at least you can check it out.