I for one am absolutely against students trying to use a simulator to teach themselves to fly. Or even worse, trying to "get ahead" before they come see an instructor. Simulators are great tools......... if they are used properly. When used properly they will enforce the training that is received and develop good habits, but used inproperly they will just develop bad habits that have to be "un-taught" before the student can properly learn to fly. I've had students that have come to me with "tons of time" on the simulator saying that they were ready to fly because of their simulator time, but in reality it took longer to teach them because I had to un-teach them the bad habits they picked up on a simulator.

Here's a list of some of the "bad" habits one can develop:
1) Failing to keep the plane straight during takeoff run.
2) Climbing out too steep.
3) Not maintaining a constant altitude while turning.
4) Turns that aren't smooth, too sharp, etc.
5) Forgetting that there is a left stick.
6) Not lining up with the runway during landing approach.
7) Using ailerons instead of rudder to make course corrections when landing.
8) Using the elevator to extend the landing when you realize you're short.
9) Failure to learn the signs that a plane is about to stall, and what to do to avoid it, or recover from it.


The sim is NOT:
[ul][*]Going to teach you how to tune your engine [*]Going to teach you how to correct fuel system problems [*]Going to teach you how to set up your linkages [*]Going to show you about lateral inbalance and surface warp [*]Going to locate errors in assembly [*]Going to teach you how to maiden a plane [*]Going to trim out your plane [*]Going to simulate other flyers at the field [*]Going to blow a hard gust of air at your plane at just the wrong time [*]Going to simulate that hard sink thermal just off the runway threshold, though doable in G4 [*]Going to have a bird come out and attack your plane in the air [*]Going to give you the weak knees you'll get the first time you fly [*]Going to throw a bug in your face and the sun glare in your eyes at the wrong time
[/ul]

As I said above, when used properly simulators are great tools. They should be used for a student to practice what they learn every week at the field, and when used this way they will drastically reduce the time it takes to solo. But the should NEVER be used as the primary teaching tool to learn to fly with.

Look at it this way, I can use Microsoft Flight Simulator and fly a 747 from New York to LA. But I doubt anybody here would get in a real Jumbo Jet with me at the controls!!!

Tools used properly are very useful, tools used improperly can do damage and harm.

Ken