RE: Flying Simulators
RFG3 and Reflex have demos you can download. They'll primarily give you an idea on how the sim will look and perform on your computer.
I've had sims for a long time. I started out with Real Flight Deluxe, and got the upgrade to G2. I've been largely unhappy with those products for three reasons. The first reason is my own fault. I purchased the controller box rather than the interface. That was a mistake. I wanted to avoid wear and tear on my transmitter. What I ended up with is a box that's got the feel of Futaba's bottom end radio, which is crap in my opinion. Horrible gimbals and cheap plastic switches. I wouldn't fly my planes with something like that, and I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to fly a simulator with something like that.
My second reason for being unhappy with G2 is that they treat me like a criminal. I've got three CDs to keep track of (RFD, G2 Upgrade, and an Add-On pack). At any time the program will ask me for any of the CDs, just to make sure that I'm an honest man. I dislike paying several hundred dollars for a product and then being treated as though I stole it. There are better copy protection schemes. It doesn't just end there, however. I've got to have a username and password which is tied to my serial number in order to get updates. When I reinstall the software, I can't just update it from the updater, as they can't figure out how to make it work with XP. I've got to dig out a super-secret download site that the support people sent me and download the update from there.
Lastly, the upgrade options for Real Flight stink. The first whiff of this that I got was my G2 upgrade. With RFD, we were given some free planes to download. I seem to remember a Cub and an F4U. Once I upgraded to G2, those disappeared--and came back in an add-on. Nice way to do business and treat loyal customers. I've been shopping for a new sim lately, and asked KnifeEdge what it would cost me to upgrade to G3. Full-price. No thanks. They've burned me enough. When RFG4 comes out, I imagine all the current G3 customers will get the shaft, just as the G2 customers did.
All of this is why I purchased Reflex XTR this weekend. They give upgrades away, asking you to only pay what you believe they're worth. That's a business model that shows an appreciation for customers. I paid $125 for the software, buying it used. I can't see paying full price for sim software, because there's an active second-hand market. Any of the different sims can be had for $120-$130 on a pretty regular basis.
Whatever you buy, give some serious thought to using your own transmitter. Train like you fly, and fly like you train. Using a cheap box with a poor feel won't provide the same experience, if you have a decent transmitter. If you've got a module-based transmitter, pull out the module and the battery will go an incredibly long time between charges. If you don't have a module, make sure you extend a couple of segments of the antenna, as you need to let the RF energy out of the box--otherwise things will get hot.