"Bob Moore" wrote in message
. 6...
"pjbphd" wrote

I'm a student pilot and have heard mixed reviews of Flight Sim
software. Some say it's great for a little on the ground practice.
Others say it's really a waste of time.

When I encounter a new student who has "learned to fly" using
a Flight Sim program, I usually find it necessary to cover the
instrument panel for the first 2-3 flights in order to teach
him to fly a real airplane.

That's a potential drawback, but not an inevitable one. If a student knows
not to look much at the panel when learning to fly on a simulator, then that
bad habit won't be picked up. Present-day virtual-cockpit views allow you to
glance away from the panel most of the time, just like in real flight.

--Gary