Andrew: I do not have one but I have flown some of them at my local field, I am not an instructor but I like to help the new people that come to our field and want to learn. It is a good starting plane, it is also very forgiving and will last a lot. What I really like about them is that they come with a great engine that you can use in your next plane. The simulator is a great tool but you will need an instructor when ever you get to any field to practice with your new plane. First time is very important and a qualified instructor have to check everything on your new plane and of course have to be the first to fly it and trim it before it can be ready for you. There is a big difference between using the simulator and the real life flying but as I said is a great tool because you will learn a lot about orientation, and that was a common problem with beginers before the sims were on market. I would say that the real thing is harder and cost a lot more than flying with your Sim, but the real thing is way more fun than the sim.