The "best sim" question was asked to Kyle W (a darn good straight hucker) a while back and he said that his friends swear by AFPD, but he thinks that G2 (not G3, G2) is the best.--yes for 3D. I had G2 and sold it for AFPD because I did not like the way the planes 3D'd in G2.

Almost any Sim will wire your brain so you don't have to think about the sticks. I mentioned AFP because if you are looking for the best $( price sensitive ), that platform is only $100 and it is easier on your computer than AFPD or G3. If what you want to do is learn 3D and you want to do it as affordable as possible and already have the puter for it AFP is a very good way to go. Start with the sim speed down and a very stable plane. As you start to improve, turn up the sim speed, use a more unstable plane and add weight to it. I am not saying that the sim is realistic....most of my sim flying is done with the speed cranked so that it helps build my reaction time.

I do think though that the foamy is the next step after a sim. Especially if you would find yourself flying much more often if you had a foamy. I am doing good if I get out 1 time a week with my glow planes. Without the sim and the foamy my flying would have not improved very fast. The sim and the foamy make it much more fun when I do get to the field that 1 time a week.

One thing I like about the sim is that I find it to be a good stress reducer that I can use whenever I want to, for just 5 min at a time if I like. If I want to fly the foamy the weather has to be OK, and I need to invest 1/2 hour of time. If I want to fly my glow, again the weather, time of day, and I need to have at least 2 hours of free time.