Desireable level of realism in a comabt flightsim?

[AndyJWest]

....ever tried to change the characteristics of a spin by adjusting power or elevator position? Doesn't work.

I'd have to disagree. With some aircraft modelled in IL-2, you have to throttle back to get out of a spin, and judicious use of the elevator helps too. I'm sure that IL-2's modelling of aircraft in a spin is oversimplified, but it is better than in some 'flight simulators' I could name.

Modelling an aircraft accurately in such a situation, in realtime, is possibly beyond the capabilities of a typical modern PC, and certainly beyond anything that was practical when IL-2 was written. Hopefully the next generation of PC flight simulators (SoW:BoB?) will do better, but as you say, there are limits imposed by the lack of peripheral senses. Meanwhile, IL_2 still gives us a more realistic impression of what it is like to be in a flat-spinning P-39 than any of us would ever like to experience in reality.