Gooner,
From one year ago, more or less, IL-2 Sturmovik is known as IL-2:1946
There you can find some pre-korea reactors and other experimental stuff from Luftwaffe.
Since IL-2 first version to 1946 there have been around 10 patches and some updates. The question on forums has always been the flight feeling, Luftwaffe weapon damage and speed. As programmers were russians and first IL-2 was only war in East Front you can imagine how the balance go. Anyway, if you are not going to fight online and want only feel (air), I recommend first versions. In time, this game has becomming more arcade and, for instance, I remember when starting how hard was to take with a 190 wearing a 500Kg bomb. Other question has been the bombs damage, of course and soviet ultra high resistant steel that tanks were made.
With the second major uptdate, let's say Pacific Fighters, Americans, Japanesse, and many other planes appear, so I specialy remember the good days when doing a good dive inside a Stuka was a state of art and mind.
This are other reasons about why some people will defend Ace Combat against IL-2. Don't try Microsoft Combat Flight Sim if you don't want a really arcade game.
Sit down on a 109, arm it with a MK108 and just fire. Feel it !

Here you will find a video made with real play made by our brother squad SG1. I think they are still active, and, if fact, two of our main pilots left our squad to keep flying online.
http://sg1.es/web/?q=node/39GOOD FLYING !!