IFG, thanks for your response - my comment was a moderate-"t.i.c." - I don't disagree with your views, and based upon experience over the 35 years of sim rides, it was an impressive feat to train entirely in a Level D simulator and then go directly to line-indoc operations, (for others, flying the line under supervision of a Line Indoctrination Training Captain, eliminating the requirement for circuits & bumps in the actual aircraft). The difference between the real aircraft & the sim was still apparent but the transfer of learning for experienced pilots was sufficient to be comfortabl