I use to play lots of IL2 46 but got bored with it a couple years ago. Ive decide Id like to get back into a flightsim and DCS looks fun. What should I start with?? Im looking at grabing flaming cliffs 3 because of the multiple aircraft and campaign. thoughts??

Well you get a few aircraft including the TF51 in the initial DCS world download. It's free and while not small it isn't super huge at about 5 gb. Gives you a way to try out some jets plus the trainer version of the P51 without any risk at all.

The P-51D Mustang is the perfect aircraft for starters. Grab it while it's cheap (dcs website has it on sale right now)!

The F-86F Sabre is also fairly simple. If I were you, I wouldn't bother with Flaming Cliffs 3 modules: they won't teach you much of the stuff you need to know.

I recommend both the FC3 stuff, and the F-86 Sabre.
The FC3 planes are IMHO accessible yet also deep enough to get some good modern jet action. And the F-86 is a DCS level aircraft that is also a good jumping off point. It is also a grat graduation from the IL2 world you are coming from

I have the P-51 and it is a great plane, but I just don't enjoy it that much on the stock map.

My vote would be for the Huey. The systems are simple (6 steps to engine start), but the actual flying takes a good amount of learning, and once you can hover (4+/-1 hours of practice) it's incredibly rewarding. The Huey is also useful in multiple eras, it has a good campaign, and there are a lot of good Huey missions (single and multiplayer) as well.

I mentioned that it's very difficult in learning to hover. The thing is that everybody has this difficulty because it's such a departure from fixed wing, so there's no compelling reason to start with something "easier". Besides, that Chuck_Owl dude just released a pretty good Huey guide as well!

Most of the Stock Campaigns for FC3 are not that great. But I really like the DLC SU-27 Campaign (The Ultimate Argument) and there are a few usermade campaigns for the F-15 that are pretty good, for example the Eye for an Eye Campaign: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=140628

The Huey and the KA-50 also have pretty good stock campaigns.

If I can chime in, I've got most of DCS modeules and while all the people above me are giving good suggestion (especially try the free ones included ASAP and report back) I wanted to add a little thing.

I guess it really boils down to what kind of workload you look for in a plane cockpit.

Coming from Il2-1946 I guess WWII is your dish- if so I would suggest the FW-190.

While the P51 is great, and trust me it is flippin'great!, the Focke Wulf 190 has the undeniable advantage of having nearly automated engine operation that let you focus on the fight.

Don't get me wrong, it's not an EASY module that does everything for you- the plane itself was REALLY like that. With an incredible stroke of genius the German engineers made this mechanical "computer" that takes care of all the things weighting you down in other contemporary planes.

So yea, that's my sugestion.

If you're into Jet era things then I'd put the A10C and the Sabre.
Great to look at, easy to get but hard to master.

Also, as Morpheus said- welcome to the real world.

My advice: Pick your poison ... I mean passion. There are a few WWII , Korean War and modern aircraft to choose from, so pick one you are interested in and use it as your gateway drug.

I see a lot of F-86 suggestions, but no one saying the Mig-15, why is that?

My vote is to get going with the included SU-25T. I really enjoy flying that aircraft. All the FC3 have the same level of detail as the SU-25T as well. So if that's your comfort level, go with that. If you want more complex, than go with the DCS level sim stuff, but i think it would be a safe bet to get your feet wet with the more simple aircaft first.

Both fly more or less similarly. In my opinion the F-86 is a better starter jet as the cockpit is far more ergonomic. The instruments are arranged in a means that is pretty recognizable to any western pilot. Getting the jet started and flying is pretty simple.

The MiG-15 is a more complicated to get started, and the arrangement of instruments and controls is less recognizable and more foreign. The Bis occupies a strange niche in that it's got a cockpit that is laid out very much like a WWII Soviet prop fighter.

I'd actually recommend the MiG-21. Perhaps not the easiest plane to fly (or rather, stop flying safely by landing properly ) nor does it have the most intuitive armament panel. But it's the best made module so far (it'll certainly get its behind handed to it when the Tomcat is released), you can fly very fast and very high with it, it's iconic, extremely simple and fast to start (a cold start can easily be done in under 1 minute with some training and experience) and apart from the weapons, the avionics are very simple to learn, with RSBN (Russian ILS), ARC and radio channels all being preset.

Depends on what you like..

DCS World - Free
FC3 - $16
P-51 - $12
109/190 - $20 each
F-86/Mig 15 - $20 each

Thank you for all the suggestions. I ended up buying FC3 and the f86 before the sale ended. Im still learning to Take off and land and learning the systems,but really im really enjoying it so far. The first time I hurtled down the runway in the f15 I was like "holy Sh!t does thing move". I have considered looking into taking online lessons. Are there any "flight schools" or learning server anyone could suggest??