While I don't feel simulators are a waste of time or money, I do feel they don't provide as "real" an exeperience as their advertising claims. Models are much easier to see and track in real life, but much harder to tune, trim, take-off and land than the simulators would have you believe. I have Dave Brown 2000, RCFS 2001 and FMS 8.5 (free) and use them a lot to practice maneuvers or just keep some thumb time in during evenings, but I have yet to come across a model that mimics any of my actual model planes in flight. Neither of those simulators allows me to adjust the throws to those of the model, so the feel is never the same. That, and they just don't mimic live situations. Maybe the fancier sims with the ability to use your regular transmitter have better capabilities?

Still, the basics are the same.

There just never seem to be pot-holes and high grass in the simulated runways like I have at the field.