Brian,

You made the right choice. It took me a couple hours to get to where I landed a trainer. The only thing that is easier in real life than on the simulator is your depth perception. It took me longer to be able to actually put the plane down on the runway rather than in the grass than it did to actually land well. Its just sort of hard to line stuff up on a computer screen.

Definately play with the controls on the Phoenix sim because you can change weather, flying location, model, views, etc. I've been working on crosswind landings pretty hardcore lately since I had a little mishap a couple weeks ago with plane on a landing. The sim allowed me to practice work with the rudder over and over and over. Flying slips isn't the easiest thing to do and landing them is even harder, but we're in the windy times out here on the plains so its pretty essential to learn to fly them well.

In fact tonight, I took my new Alpha 450 Sport out in almost a 90 degree to the runway 8-12 mph crosswind and did about 30 touch and goes on the plane. I did some real landings to practice what I've been working on in the sim. That plane weighs about 25 ounces so a 10 mph crosswind is pretty dang tough for someone with very little expirience like me.

To give you an idea, I worked on pretty much nothing but landing for what seemed like forever but was most likely like a few weeks. Once I became decent at one plane, I'd go grab another. Then I realized that the planes are set up only at 50% speed at first. You can configure them to 100%, but I'd stick with 50% till it starts getting too easy. Things happen pretty fast at 100%.

I bought my simulator in December. I now have a Top Flite Cessna 182, E Flite Alpha 450 Sport, Great Planes Easy Sport (maiden tomorrow woohoo!), Great Planes Giant Big Stik, Supercub LP, and my new one, the Aeroworks Sport Cub S2. I have killed a Mustang PTS, Parkzone T-28 BNF and Parkzone Ultra Micro T-28. The mustang went down because I don't really know how to tune an engine and it died on final on me. The T-28 BNF died several times, but gorilla glue kept putting humpty dumpty together again until it slipped on a hand launch and broke in two. The ultra micro was just really too light for our winds out here to work very well.

I buddy corded once, had my trainer take off and land for me, while I flew the in the middle (2x), and then solo'd when I showed up to the field and no one was there to help me. So, the 3rd time I went flying, I solo'd because of all the sim work I had been able to do. If I knew how to tune a motor, I might even still have the Mustang PTS. It was a really fun plane.

The $200 will allow you to practice when you can't otherwise go fly. Think of it as your first plane. $200 ain't cheap until you look at the alternative. I personally think that someone could completely teach themselves to fly an electric plane entirely by simulator and reading websites like RCU. When you get into gas, glow and larger models, help will be required, but for the smaller, park flyer electric models, I don't think that help is much required as long as you spend a lot of sim time prior to going out to fly for the first time. Also, I'd strongly suggest a 3 channel only for your first plane if you decied to teach yourself. If you elect to seek out an instructor, I'd just wait to buy a plane that your instructor is cool with.

Anyway, enjoy it. This is a really great hobby. I've been driving rc cars and boats for years but was always a little intimidated by planes. I finally broke down and just odered a plane and sim and have been absolutely obsessed since.