Microsoft purchased substantially all the assets of BAO, Ltd. in November of 1995. That purchase from Bruce Artwick included all the code for Flightsim and all rights to allow continued development of the Flight Simulator product.
By 1989, Sublogic Corporation had split off from Bruce Artwick and BAO, Ltd., to form a separate company. In 1995, Sublogic Corporation sold to Sierra and came out with its last Flightsim-related product in 1997 under the Sierra brand. The split obviated any need for Microsoft to purchase any Sublogic Corporation asset(s).
Wikipedia says BAO, Ltd. was acquired in December, 1995, but technically, the purchase agreement documents are dated 11/4/95 and the closing was November 30, 1995. I can say that confidently because I was BAO's point person for negotiation of that sale.
As a former member of Sublogic Corporation and BAO, Ltd.,I was always pleased at how well the product sold and was received thereafter through tens of millions of hours of use. I believe its sales averaged over a million copies per year, making it the most popular non O/S software in the world, at least through 1995.
That is amazing! Thank you for telling us of your experiences.
I have never been more than a Private Pilot after starting out hang gliding, moving onto ultralight aircraft and then GA aircraft. My brother and I used to construct huge Rogallo style kites that we would try to get pull each other aloft behind our tractor. Later after he was already flying for a regional airline, I bought an old Rogallo style hang glider that had floats and we towed it behind his boat. It was a lot of fun, but not really comparable to flying in the mountains under a double surface high performance hang glider wing.
I have enjoyed playing with flight simulators for many years. Although this has been somewhat sporadic depending on what else I have had going on in my life.