Guys,

how bad SIMs really are compared to a live instructor? I fully understand, that an experienced instructor is probably them best you can get in order to learn to fly. However, simulators exist and are becoming popular, but they are here only for the last few years, if I understand correctly. May SIMs be a good substitute for instructors, despite the majority of RC community thinks otherwise, especially older members?

My point here is that a balsa plane, a club and a live instructor always were a conventional way for a beginner to learn RC flying. As we can see in the "age thread", the majority of the RC community are 26+ years older. (I'm a beginner myself and I am 26 too.) People are used to this way of learning and tell younger people to proceed in the same way. But now we have computer simulators and SPADs, that are cheap, sturdy and fast to build compared to traditional fragile balsa planes. It seems to me that if you thoughtfully and patiently practice on a sim, and then gradually come to flying SPADs, it can be as effective as learning with an instructor. It may be slower, but gives more satisfaction, since you do all on your own. It doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't join a club. It's just an alternative way to learn.

So, what do you think? Is it possible, or SIMs are completely inadequate, so it is impossible to fly a real plane by yourself, even barely, no matter how well you do it on the sim?