"Richard" wrote in message
...
[...]
Would something like Microsoft's Flight Simulator be a benefit to
familiarization? Or would it be a detriment to overcome when training
actually starts?

See previous threads on the topic for details. It comes up every now and
then.

Short answer: PC flight sims can help with learning procedures, but they are
harder to fly than real airplanes, and you can get into some poor habits
with respect to focusing on the instruments rather than looking outside.

IMHO, as long as you're aware of these issues they are not big problems.
But you probably aren't going to gain a whole heck of a lot from using a PC
flight sim either. You can learn some things, but you'll spend as much time
unlearning some things as you gain in other areas through early exposure.

If you want to fly a PC sim ahead of time for the fun of it, by all means do
so. Don't worry too much about it hurting you in the long run. But don't
expect it to help you much either.

Note that using it *during* flight training can help you learn procedures
faster, and without causing bad habits to become ingrained as well (since
you'll be learning the good habits simultaneously, or even in advance).
Last I heard, the Navy was still incorporating MSFS into their flight
training program with good success.

Pete