I have been flying for about 6 months now and have had a sim for 5 months. My opinion is that it is a great supplement to the art of r/c flying, but nothing really comes close to smelling that exhaust, taxiing out, and getting her up in the air for real. My one piece of advice (I can't stress this enough) is if you are using a sim (I have G2) experiment with the wind settings and practice taking off in a crosswind, flying in gusts, etc. I find that this is one area that the sims seem to really stray from reality. With no wind setting, you can feel like a pro on a sim, but I was quickly aware of crosswinds and such at the field that the sim's default settings did not prepare me for. Whenever I am between flights at the field now, I'll just watch the wind socks, and see what they do to those who are in the air. The veterans at my field could tell you where the wind is coming from and how fast, just by the time of day(they don't even have to be at the field!) One area that the sim really outshines reality.....hitting the space bar is easier than playing pick-up sticks after a crash.