Lord, please grant me patience.....

RotorRookie: Actually, the co-pilot is fairly simple to setup, and operate. In fact, it takes less than half the time to get it correct than it does to install and setup simulator software. So there.

It's probably the longest thread ever in that forum because there's a lot of interest in it. I think that most of the problems people have had with the Co-Pilot is that the instruction manual is very poorly written, or that they didn't take the time to figure out how, and why it works the way it does. Anyone who has bought a Nexus can appreciate a good manual!!!

The co-pilot DOES help a person to learn how to get out of tough situations. Much better and faster than a sim. I can have a student, who isn't familiar with nose in, turn his heli nose in and give it full right aileron, and tell him to correct it. I can put them in pretty much any orientation, and tell them to correct it. The great thing is, if they screw up, all they gotta do is let go. It's alot like having a buddy cord. And for years, the buddy cord was the way to go when learning.

I understand that computers and software have advanced to the point that a sim can be as realistic LOOKING as the real thing. However, as was pointed out above, there's no substitute for the dynamics of actual flight.

Peripheral vision, the sound of the engine, the sound of the blades, the actual visual and audible distractions that vary from day to day, and field to field.
All of these little, almost unnoticable factors can play an enormous part in the learner's progression.

I've trained DOZENS of new pilots. Both with and without the co-pilot. You know what I found? ALL of the pilots with a co-pilot learned faster, smoother, and more precisely than any of those that didn't have one.
Even those that have had a sim, and then tried the Co-Pilot have told me they wish they had started out on one sooner.

You can't argue with facts... Ask someone who has actually learned on one, and they'll tell you the same thing.

And one other thing... You said you wouldn't want to get too dependant on it. What I do to prevent that from happening is this: as the student progresses, and learns more about the feel and orientation of the helicopter, I gradually reduce the responsiveness of the Co-Pilot until eventually, it's turned off completely. Most of them don't even realize I've done this until after they've recovered from a sticky situation on their own!