A few replies
Lister, X-Plane is reasonable provided you remember it's only a sim. The maker's boast they have FAA approval for real pilots to clock up hours on it but it's not a patch on the real thing. It might be better if you had a proper flight yoke and pedals (approx £250 from most outlets in Britain)?
Keygrip, I've never tried it. The only times I've ended up at idle (or close to it) on a simulator flight is when I've been caught out by ice and my ASI is giving me a falsely high reading.
Thank you, EKGBFLYER. I'll remember that.
cessnasey, thank you for your support.
Confabulous, sims give you some general pointers but you're right about flying in general and trimming.