Yeah, the guy Im training has a sim too and he can fly the mess out of the planes on the sim. But in real life Ive had to save his plane several times when the wind gust and pushes the plane around. Flying in 10 mph crosswinds isnt easy. Whats more, if your in a turn with the wings banked at 35-40 degrees and a strong gust hits your plane it can be pushed into a knife edge or even flipped inverted in a split second.
Most beginners will have a hard time correcting if/when that happens. And when that happens do you pull out or roll out to correct?
Another thing I dont think sims do well with either is simulating ground effect.
Dont get me wrong, sim are great, I have one too, but so far I dont think they replace real life experience. If you want to progress with the least amount of fustration and cash outlay get a good trainer and an instructor.
One last thing I always tell the new guys. Never, and I mean Never let anyone fly your airplane without you first watching them fly one of their airplanes. Never take onyones word that they can fly well. (if you had an Aston Martin you wouldnt just let anyone drive it, right?)
Cheers.