ORIGINAL: Chucksolo69
Nothing compares to the real thing. That's just like trying to learn how to shoot a .45 automaticplaying "Medal of Honor" or some other stupid video game. It ain't gonna happen.
Asimulator is VERYgood practice that will help you get the hang of flying without spending $100s on parts after crashing. I never would have been able to afford to fly my Raptor without the 20+ hours I spent on the sim before my 1st flight. A good simulator (while VERY overpriced) is not a video game and has physics prettyclose to the real thing. The heli on my screenacts the sameway that my Raptor does in real life.
I do agree that it is notAS good as real life, in that you don't have the same fear of crashing that you do with the real thing. But it will train you to fly, especially helpfulwith people like me who have no one to teach them. When I first got the Raptor, I didn't even know which stick was the throttle and now I can fly and hover it pretty well.