I haven't flown the sims myself, but I agree that if they don't have that random factor that they can't take you all the way. Though I have seen guys come out to the field with a lot of simulator time and no real stick time and advance very very quickly.

A lot of learning to fly is getting over the fear of crashing. For some guys, the sim helps because they get the reflexes and the confidence. For other guys, the sim doesn't help as much, as they get a bad case of nerves when it's a "real" plane.

I don't have any specific advice for an electric trainer, I'm new to electrics. But the advice above about needing a 6lb plane isn't really true. I've flown .15 powered 2.1lb planes with wingloadings in the 12oz/sqft range in 30+mph winds with no problem at all. We've flown combat contests that way too, it's actually funny to watch at times, when everyone breaks from upwind to downwind at the same time.

Personally, I think a lot of guys are overly afraid of the wind, it really isn't a big deal to fly in high winds. You just have to be a bit more careful when you are close to the ground. I change my landding approaches in high winds.

Up higher, it usually isn't a problem. Espeically once you figure out where the rotors at your field are (if you have any). As long as you don't make a habit of flying in to the rotors while low and slow, you'll be fine.

So, what do you need to handle the wind? You need a max airspeed that is at least 20-30mph faster than the wind. Yes, you can fly with less, but it stops being fun when you have to struggle that hard to get upwind. That's really it. That, and a lot of practice. Most of the stuff you hear about planes having bad habits while turning upwind or downwind are 99% pilot perception, because things look really different from the ground in high winds, even though the airplane does not see anything from steady wind at all.