Im going to have to say that I learned to fly helis first, then the sim, and then finally my airplanes. I started out on a Blade CP Pro and after a 15 second first flight and numerous trips to the LHS,I got pretty good at it, so I bought the Blade CX, and a Helimax MX400. The MX400 never made it to the sky due to the battery being connected in the "Idle Up" posistion. I later bought G3.5 and now I have G4 and have several planes, mostly 3D. I have never had a buddy box and dont see why you would. I have been flying planes for 3 months now and can do almost anything with my Harrier 90. The guys at the field would never have believed it if they didnt see me fly for the first time, so now they can confirm everything.