I agree with nobodytwo . My dad would slap me in the back of the head when ever I did something crazy on my first attempts at flying ....lol
Im have nothing against a sim, but NOTHING is better than the real thing.

Sims are great for that winter day when it's 10 degrees outside and the car won't start to get you to the field Seriously, they do have their place in getting your thumbs used to making the right moves but, nothing beats the real thing.

good point wat he said ^^

Perhaps i am lucky...

I have been using Flight sims for about 5 years. Had a crack about two years with a trainer flew straight off no problems.
Havent crashed it since and its still going strong.
See my other thread...I'm prop hanging the thing now still on a trainer!

How unusual am i [&:]

Although i hold a PPL :P

3 years on the sim, and then quick success with a trainer ? Thats pretty typical. And thats the plan myself and others here are advocating. ( well, perhaps less than 3 years on the sim) But it seems the thread's poster is asking if the Trainer can be skipped. I think he is asking if he can go from the sim to advanced airplanes. How unusual is that ?

Like anything, each has a place and the sim is great for getting the feel of the controls and if brand new to the hobby, it is an excellent aid to the orientation aspect such as when the model is flying toward then away from you. It will lift a beginner up quite a few rungs of the training ladder as we found when I taught my son to fly, but there comes a point when the real deal must take over. Fickle winds, glare, busy airspace or perhaps a slight warp in the wing etc etc will affect the flying in a way that even the most realistic of flight sims cannot replicate, but as a tool to practise with, they are very very good.