I agree Fred, but others may think they really want the real deal.

One thing I've always tried to bring up during the opening ceremonies of the latest WWI sim project, is that simmers really don't want to fly WWI "full real". Like you've suggested above Fred, the FMs need to be plausible, and have that authentic-like feel, but not "full real" for sure! As an explanation, let me just mention a few general characteristics attributed to flying aircraft of this era (again these are just general attributes, not meant to encompass every aircraft's handling characteristics during the war).

Anyway, there were a host of pilot control issues that the average civilian and military pilot of today never dreamed of, as these flight problems were worked out of aeronautical design through deliberate testing and research programs instituted following WWI, and long before any of us chanced to fly a Cessna.

First, there were the "ergonomic" issues of flying the era's aeroplanes, such as the lacking of balanced and/or harmonized controls. WWI pilots struggled with widely divergent strength and deflection requirements needed for coordinated flying (one reason for those multi-grip joysticks of the day). Design efforts to boost and harmonize piloting loads brought about the incorporation of horn-balancing of control surfaces. Still, if the controls worked well (as with the Fokker D.VII and SE5a for example), planes were often rigged "tail heavy", requiring a pilot to apply constant forward stick pressure until the inevitable weight shift occurred as full tanks drained dry.

Having learned to overcome these piloting deficiencies, airmen needed to compensate for ailerons that inparted adverse yaw (opposite yaw to the direction of the roll input), and gyroscopic precession (caused by propellor and rotary engines), which applied an additional pitching force 90 degrees from the intended change in flight (advanced in the direction of the rotating mass). As if this all weren't enough to handle, airframe designs that incorporated full-floating rudders and elevators required constant flight corrections as these unstabilized surfaces "hunted" for equilibrium.

Without having to go into the work load required to manage the often tempermental nature of early power plants (which I touched a little on above without mentioning the technique taught to master the coupe switch....for rotary ignition blipping). We've not mentioned the ground handling issues of taxying without brakes, or trying to maneuver on the ground against a non-castering tail skid designed to track straight against the onset of engine torque as full take-off power is applied.

I'm hoping some sort of scenario might be emerging here that present a rather daunting picture of what "full real" simming in the Great War might encompass, one which I don't think can, nor even should be fully attempted. Even if accomplished, and given the opportunity for us all to try, the first thing most simmers will think is...........gee, I must need to recalibrate or dial-in my joystick settings, because this game's planes fly like crap! ;\)