I've been flying airplanes for 15 years, helis for 6.

I recently obtained G2. Love it. A few comments, though.

As for beginners (those who have never touched a stick), G2 is a great tool to learn the controls and responses of the airplane. In my opinion, when it comes to the landings, G2 falls short. I don't really feel that the sim captures the true life art of landing an airplane. I've had friends, who have never flown before, try the sim and were able to successfully land the airplane on the first try. I know, from experience, that these "successful" landings would have resulted in a damaged real-life model. Point I'm trying to make is that even though the G2 sim is a great learning tool, it doesn't eliminate the need for a good instructor. I would hate to see a newcomer get a false sense of security from the sim, neglect to find a instructor, and end up quiting the hobby because "it wasn't as easy as the sim made it seem."

P.S. I learned to fly helicopters without a sim and without ever crashing.