ORIGINAL: da Rock
This being a beginner forum......................
Sims don't teach you a thing about hooking up your control rods/servos/horns/etc correctly. Don't do it right and you could be in a world of hurt.
Sims don't teach you a thing about starting an engine. Don't do it right and you ain't gonna fly.
Sims don't teach you a thing about setting the engine once it's running. Don't do it right and the engine either won't fly the plane worth spit, or it might fly the plane worth spit while melting itself down.
Sims don't teach you a thing about flying an out of trim airplane unless you know something about setting the sim to give you a screwed trim airplane. And even then, you know what trim you screwed. Try to fly a real model in discovery mode. Where you don't have a clue ahead of time what the out of trim screwups are. World of hurt time.
Sims don't teach you a thing about balancing your model correctly. Or looking the thing over for warps and twists and misalignments.
Sims teach you to twiddle the sticks. They're excellent for that. If you plan to "learn to fly RC model airplanes" from twiddling a sim's sticks, don't bet on your own success.
Well not sure why you are so anti Sim ???
As far as learning the mechanics of Model aircraft most people will need some guiedance, but not everyone. Most models that are built today either ARF's or RTF's have very good manuals with important steps to allow a novice to set the CG as well as set up the control throws to the manufacturers reccomended start points. If the plane is an electric then engine tuning is not much of a problem as long as the builder follows instructions. If they choose a glow motor the Evo .46 comes out of the box ready to run with very little tuning needed.
Flying a plane dramatically out of trim is a handful but I overcame it, I am sure I am not superhuman.
There is a lot to say about being self proficient and capable of teaching oneself technical and high focus skills. The person that can teach himself has a fool for a master may apply to some. I just think that in todays era of high tech Simulators are the best thing that ever happened to this hobby.
The old grumpy guy that shows up at the field with his tattered trainer and a couple annolog transmitters tethered together with a frayed buddy cord looking for his next victim,..er student may have to take a break now.
It is a brave new world. Embrace it or be run over by it.