This was the first version released after the purchase of Bruce Artwick Organization (BAO) by Microsoft, and after having physically relocated BAO development staff to Microsoft's primary campus in Redmond, Washington.

The BAO team was integrated with other non-BAO Microsoft staff, such as project management, testing, and artwork.

Additional scenery included major airports outside Europe and the US for the first time.

If you don't own an earlier version and you're interested in this type of aviation, the choice is a complete no-brainer – at least until Sierra's PRO PILOT arrives to provide some stiff competition later this year.

The improvements are incremental, and you'll have to decide if the new interface, aircraft and videos are worth the price of admission.