Running Alienware computer, have a G1000 emulator, Xplane 12, upgraded from Xplane 11, 55 inch display. Use it for IFR practice but it is not the same as true IFR. Took me a while to get rid of a lot of the bugs. Parts of the G1000 did not work, landings are very unrealistic, even the way the plane reacts to yoke, and rudder is unrealistic. I fly my T206H on it, and have despite trying to match the settings I use in my plane, cannot come close. The only thing it does for me is to get me used to the process of an IFR approach, but at the end of the day a desk top simulator is a poor substitution for real world experience. The only other thing it maybe helpful with is emergencies, however I have landed my simulator T206H in places where it would be impossible to do in real life, such as the Statue of Liberty, an air craft carrier, numerous roads, and bridges, and a school football field. So for the workflow for an emergency it is useful, but for the simulation of what landing would be like in an emergency situation not so much...all in all I find the simulator as fun but in my opinion not a substitute for training in the real world. It is interesting that my setup far exceeds many of the FAA approved setups for logging time, but because it is not purchased as such I am not able to log it as time. However, I am certain that I would not feel comfortable doing an IFR flight in true IMC based only on my time on a desk top simulator.
