Yes, I got RealFlight G3.5 a month or so ago, and as yourself, it has helped me alot too.

First time I tried a flight simulator, I could not even take off on a plane and landing was a tragedy, could never do it...hehe! Later on after dealing with helis (on the sim and real life), planes seemed to be very easy to do, to the point that not only I was able to take off, but to successfully land. - On the helis arena, samething, I could not hold a hover for more than 15 seconds without crashing the blades on the ground (funny, exactly same thing happened to me the very first time I tried a real heli IRL it was my Walkera 22E I broke the blades on the ground 30 seconds I spun it, without even ever taking off the ground).... later on when I learned how to properly hover, I started to try to hover nose in, with the nose pointing to me...which is even harder... I managed to do that too..... I don't have the original controller that comes with RealFlight G3.5, so I don't have that "3D" or "Idle Up" switch (or any switch) on my controller.....but somehow I managed to try inverted flight even without those switches..... and in general little by little RealFlight G3.5 definetely has helped me alot as yourself and everyone else that has it.

True, the program has its merit, I just find it a rip-off and overpriced.[:@]

I don't know how you or people count their number of flights, I haven't done that yet, or maybe I don't care.....I've been at this hobby since February 2007 or so, but with so much wind outside, I can't say that I had so many flights, because it has been impossible to me due to the strong wind always. - But since I have the Falcon 3D, it has been a totally different story, and for the first time I was able to really see a positive light on my path.... I hovered and even kinda-flew the Falcon 3D many times at one of the many local parks in my city, which is only 2 miles away from home. - I have no complains about the Falcon 3D, I love this heli and so far it's my best one (the other three are Walkera 22E, Blade CX2, and Axe CP) and what has made the big difference is precisely the more tail authority with the shaft-driven mechanism (or it could have been belt-driven same thing), because too late I realized that I wasn't the problem, that I knew I could do it, that this couldn't be so hard to do!!!! If others do, I can do it too. So, the main difference to me is, those other helis with tail motors are pure s***t and &^%$#@#! if I would have known this 3 months ago, I would have not spent probably (lost count) around $600-$650 on helis and replacement parts so far, and would have gone directly to a T-Rex 450 or something similar with that amount of money. - Now I wish I could sell at least my Axe CP to recover some money and keep going ahead, because this hobby has been painful on my pocket, and without a job or any income it isn't easy....but it's a challenge, and it's fun... some days a frustration, another day fun, and so on..everyone is in the same boat. [&:]

And...yes, the simulator has reduced my crashes, which doesn't mean I don't crash anymore, I do, and you do too, and everyone does crash. - RealFlight G3.5 and the E-flite Blade CX2 coaxial heli made a big difference in my learning curve....and ultimately the Falcon 3D has been *the* big difference. - It's like now we can hover or fly, without having the heli wandering all over, and having the tail more stable, it's like one less thing you have to control so much...that's a big difference right there.

Regards [8D]