"Chris Norris" wrote in message
...

snip
Through simming, you could gain some useful IFR procedural training prior
to
flight, but don't kid yourself that it would be worth the crippling
effect
it will have with respect to primary flight training.

Simming can be a lot of fun and it is an engrossing hobby. It can
provide
simulated flight experience to those who cannot participate in the real
thing, but for non-flyers it can hinder or even destroy any chances they
might have at success in subsequent flying training. If you want to
learn
to fly in the real world, put the toy away.
snip

Well, I have been simming with MS-FS since the 'green sticks' version
- and two years ago I stepped into the cockpit of a Cessna to begin
some flying lessons for real.

With all those simming hours clocked up I impressed the instructor
with my instant ability able to read the gauges and understand the
information they presented. We had a pretty good discussion in ground
school and he even asked if I had taken lessons before as I seemed to
have the physics and basic principles taken care of.

At most private flying schools, most instructors will be sales oriented and
are apt to tickle your ear. They are not likely to chase you away by
telling you that your experience with flight simulation was a mistake that
may cause serious problems. The drill is to sign you up, get your money and
deal with your problems, in that order. That's the business they're in.

I just don't agree with your 'crippling effect' comment as I had no
problems flying the Cessna for real and using peripheral vision for
situation awareness (something that's obviously missing when you're
staring at a computer monitor)

Peripheral vision? If you had persistently relied upon peripheral vision
for situation awareness at a military flying school you would have been a
candidate for elimination. You would have been taught to "keep your head
out of the cockpit and on a swivel." In other words, during contact flight,
your instructor would want to see your head up and in constant motion,
traversing a very wide angle . You would be taught to cross check
instruments quickly and return to the routine of turning your head so that
you could see directly your situation. Good peripheral vision would be a
requirement for your acceptance in the program, but you would not make the
grade relying on it as you suggest.

So although simming may or may not teach the physical aspects and
feeling of flying it sure does give you a headstart on a lot of the
topics.

Reading a few good books will do that, without conditioning you to
constantly face front.

At the end of the day it's a simulation, my chair don't move and my
stick don't give me feedback but I am obviously learning from it (and
enjoying it)

Happy landings.