When newbies come to me for help, it seems even though they have even a many, many hours of sim practice, they didn't seem to learn much, if anything at all. But once they get some hands-on real model training and then go back to the sim, they know the correct way to fly and then what to practice. That's when the sim practice really helps.

I don't have to say word about orientation reversal when I train newbies and they learn how to fly facing the plane with no problems. It doesn't matter if they had any previous sim time or any RC flying experience at all. What I tell them is to push the stick left and right on a continuing basis and then when they face the plane coming at them they push the stick left or right on command, it soon becomes second nature and control reversal problems seldom, if ever happens.

Take care,
CCR
http://www.kites.org/rc_instructors