RE: Simulation software for heli, which one?
Phoenix
Excellent realism, good price, runs well on a medium spec PC, free upgrades for life
Realflight
Realism okay but people that have switched to Phoenix are blown away by how much better Phoenix is, expensive, resource hog on your PC, you will need to pay to upgrade (that's what they have done up to now)
Seriously, Phoenix is way, way better all round.