Your assessment of the current state of RC simulators is way off. There has been a lot of progress made between Real Flight G2 and the current version G5.5. The wind is variable now. You can set a model up to fly exactly as you want it to. Every flight simulator on the market has improved substantially in the last ten years as have the computers they run on.
For every hour of flight time you get at the field, I can probably fly five in the simulator. While I have almost zero chance of influencing you, others should consider the simulator as the preferred start-up method when learning to fly.
You have to take the sim seriously, and practice your takeoffs and landings and not get involved in the war games. However, any flying is better than watching TV.
ORIGINAL: 91zulu
ORIGINAL: P-40K-5
Zulu,
you mentioned that sims were ''not the same as the real thing''.. I think there are a number of USAF/ NAVY/ NASA pilots that would
disagree with you
They should disagree, they get to play with the good stuff that we can`t even get close to. They have million dollar sims to play with it better be as good as the planes they will be flying. For us though our sims have a few short comings. Its good only up to certain point then the learning curve goes flat. I could remember the endless hours I spent on Realflt. G2. It was good for a bit then it became more like a game. Trust me from the time you get to the field and unload your stuff, you realize this is no longer the sim this is real. If I screw up there is no pressing the reset button. I can`t tell you how many times I get to the field , winds calm but by the time I crank up the engine it starts to blow all over the place. I taxi out and its gusting. I do`nt about you folks but I never had the same 2 take off or landing no matter the conditions in 20 years. A lot of things can change in an instant while you are flying.