Very helpful. I just may do that. The only desktop I have is in my office, but I believe I can find one somewhere to take home. Does the sim program come with a controller? I could probably use my laptop if the controller is usb.
You'd need to buy a separate joystick at the least. Decent ones can be had for not a ton of money. If you have a decent laptop, you can run a flight sim (a friend of mine does that). My recommendation is a Saitek joystick, and best deals I know of are at Newegg.com. If you go the IL2 route, let me know and I can even hook you up with some online "flight school" from an actual pilot.