Link Flight Simulators was just on the edge of town when Iwas in High School. We had a tour and got top play in a "demo" simulator. Even back then the sophistication of the simulators was astonishing. The cockpit view was from a camera mounted on a robotic arm that skimmed a model of a landscape. Little 1" houses mounted sideways on a wall that was probably 150 feet wide and tall. But the main use of simulators was the instruments. And also to teach you where to find the 200 switches and knobs (and now screen selections and parameters) a pilot has to touch in a heartbeat.

R/C pilots don't use instruments.

Sure, video simulators get you used to moving your thumbs as necessary to move the proper linkages and control surfaces. But it is only a crude representation of live flight. No distracting pit activity, bugs behind your glasses, wind gusts, stale fuel, wild pilots flying against the pattern, poorly tuned engines, badly trimmed models, binding linkages, loud noises, blind spots from looking at the sun, etc.

Ihave a couple different flight simulators. I'd sayyoucanlearn 25 to 30%of what you need to know from a simulator. Certainly helpful, butnot a full substitute.