I used two sims when I first started out. One was EasyFly and the other was a freebie called FMS. They both helped me a lot. With Easyfly there were two helis...one was a jetranger which was quite docile...still hard to fly though for me...and the other was a 3D stunt heli...which was impossible for me
I vowed that once I could crack the 3D one...totally tame it...I would then save some cash to get a real model.
The trick with a sim is to get good with it...but in reality to back off a bit...so while you can get to be an ace in theory..in reality it pays to hove about and take it easy...and push the limits a bit at a time.
Rob