There is nothig like the first landing attempt made on a real trainer as opposed to a simulator. The sim's plane is always perfect - no engine problems, no exhaust to worry about, and no shaking of the knees when you are about to fly the real thing. Trust me on this, I have yet to have a student that went straight from a sim to solo on a real plane in one flight. A good trainer and instructor are key to really learning and enjoying this hobby. The sim is a great tool, but no substitute for the real thing.