Hi I too first flew RC (first successful flight in i959 and controlline from 1954) so like the poster above sims were never an option.

However while I have had zero need or interest is sims now that I started messing with helicopters where I consider myself a complete newby and this especially so since I am a retired full scale rotor pilot. That fact alone put me at a complete disadvantage so I purchased the most expensive and capable sim I could find and that is the latest version of real flight I could find.

OK with diligent use of that sim and some first class on hand help at the field I have been reasonably successful with my .50 size glow ship and a smaller flybarless electric.

I do teach fixed wing a lot at our field and what I recommend to every fixed wing student is to use a good sim concurrently with hands on flying a real trainer and a competent mentor/instructor. Also here we use only cordless buddy systems and believe it or not the simple lack of a cord has a positive effect on the student and the results show.

John