i also did the fnpt2 route, but i had a much better experience than the other post. i did have to fly some extra hours on the a/c but that's because i muffed up the ils on my ir test. the flying and sim were well mixed. in fact after i did about 10 hours in the sim, the instructors insisted i went onto the a/c. the sometimes threw in random winds, messed you up on radio calls etc. etc. they even had a tape from londonm control they played at you whilst you flew. the only problem was the sim didn't match the a/c too well, the sim was more powerful, and you knew exactly what trim settings for what situation. the best thing to do is to visit the school, and grill some students about their experience