"'A Century of Flight' allows pilots of all ages to take the controls of aircraft that most would otherwise never be able to fly," said Bruce Williams, business development manager for Microsoft "Flight Simulator." "Without leaving the ground, virtual aviators everywhere can experience what it was like to be one of the pioneers of flight. They also can fly a variety of contemporary aircraft in the most realistic skies available on the PC."

"Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight" allows everyone to celebrate the past by learning about and experiencing flight in such historic aircraft as the 1903 Wright Flyer, Curtiss JN-4D "Jenny," Charles Lindbergh's Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" and the Douglas DC-3. There are 15 contemporary aircraft in the simulation, including personal aircraft such as the Cessna 172 Skyhawk SP and Robinson R-22 helicopter as well as turboprops and jumbo jets, each of which includes interactive 3-D virtual cockpits. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight" includes some 24,000 authentic airports worldwide, interactive air-traffic control and a new dynamic weather system that creates real-time, real-world weather for virtual pilots to experience as they fly to their destinations.

In commemoration of the Centennial of Flight, Microsoft is acting as an official sponsor of the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) Countdown to Kitty Hawk. Visitors to the Countdown to Kitty Hawk pavilion can re-create their own first flight using "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: Century of Flight" and experience many of the same challenges the Wright brothers faced 100 years ago.

More information on "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight" is available online at http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulator/. More information about the Countdown to Kitty Hawk is available at http://www.countdowntokittyhawk.com/

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