so you have never been in a sim then? the simulator can be a bit unrealistic and certainly at the levell of training for the IR it can also be stressful. your right though there really is no need for visuals unless you want to take off and land ,fly a circle to land or fly down to cat II/III and if you arnt going to do any of that any old sim will do. The same came be said for having realistic sounds and again you dont need them but it all adds to the experience and makes it as realistic as possible. hope that clears that up ,