B A R R Y writes:

I just went through a similar "discussion", with an MSFS simmer on a
different group who's never flown a real anything, yet is adamant that
his flight models are "totally realistic", and he's a "natural" at
flying. Even though he's never flown anything, he personally tweaks his
flight models for perfect reaction. He "flew" a 757/767 full motion
simulator ONCE, and apparently is ready for his type rating.

He may be right. Or he may not. But without testing him in a certified
full-motion sim, there's no way to know for sure.

Some pilots have to practice a lot to become good, but that doesn't mean that
all pilots do.

Is there some sort of subliminal brain washing routine coded into random
copies of MSFS?

It's more a matter of keeping an open mind.

Astronauts never train in a real spacecraft before the actual day of the
launch, and they seem to do pretty well. They did well even in the days
before good full-motion simulators. And one serious problem with piloting the
Shuttle was corrected by having astronauts practice it in a sim until they got
it right.