I was wondering if anyone else has played the Strike Fighters series of games? It is made by an indie developer based in Texas. There are several different versions depending on the ra of flight you like: Vietnam War, Cold War, etc. It also has a big third-party developer community which creates lots of new aircraft and mods for it.
I stumbled across it about 2 years ago when I was looking to relive the glory days of "Chuck Yeager's Air Combat!". It is semi-realistic - not as sim-like as IL2, but not an arcade game by any means. (I learned the hard way that F-4 Phantoms need the space of a small country to turn around! No turning fights with MiGs!)
The first series have multiplayer, but it is missing from the series 2 titles.
Anyway, I had fun playing this almost every day for 2 years. if anyone is interested, the game is available from the developers at http://www.thirdwire.com/ .

Here is me in my RAAF F/A-18 Hornet in Strike Fighters. I love to watch the aircraft fly as much as play the game...

Launching a Sidewinder from My RAN A-4G Skyhawk...

Flying CAP in my Sea Harrier FRS1 over the Falklands...