I learned to fly with the sim and know a lot of others who have, it gives you a lot of practice and I think it's actually harder than the real rc flying, I went from an Avistar to a low wing scale plane in a short time without much problem, I agree the larger (real RC) 540 flys better , but I would still start with a trainer because they're durable, cheap and they'll build your confidence. And later you'll still fly the trainer.