I agree re benefit of sim but:
Aeroncaman there are always the economics for a self provider who needs the type on his licence.
If he is an owner Pilot, with few hours on class, then I would agree, but if well experienced then the other route is possible, with more supervision than normal.
I flew PA31, Cit 1, 2, HS125, BE200, 300,350 without the benefit of a simulator.
First exposure to a sim was the Challenger.
If mentored properly, the old system was safe.
glf