you can make useful progress with a desktop sim. With gaps of years between rides, it was all I had, and I could see the difference when it got to hovering.
Sorry Hilico we have to agree to disagree on this one. The flight characteristics of a desktop and a helicopter are so different, I think you are really kidding yourself if you think you can learn to handle from a desktop computer sim. Basic handling is far more about feel and and real visual cues, including all the kinaesthetics that go with actually being in the machine, allowing your senses to enable you to learn muscle memory and coordination. Even full motion level D sims do not accurately represent hover charateristics. They provide a more realistic simulation, but they are still very different from the real thing. You can actually get into some very bad habits early on from learning to fly a sim. I have yet to fly a simulator that can actually portray the low level/low speed/hover characteristics of the real helicopter. Some of the newer one are getting closer though.