well if you break down the cross country nav tasks into their components there are just two.
one you do on the ground and one you do in the air.
STOP being anxious about the flying part!!!
ok the ground part.
in australia you are asked an exam question like...
you are flying from airport A to B then to C then to D then back to A.
the wind is blah knots from blah direction. how much will fuel will the aircraft use if it consumes blah litres per hour.
to solve the question you need to do a flight plan. find A, B, C, and D on the maps. plot out the tracks between each. work out the distances and the bearings to be flown. bearings are measured from the centre of the track line and take into account the magnetic variation described on the map legend.
use your whiz wheel ( the E6B it is a wonderful piece of history) to work out the track adjustments for wind and the effect on your time in the air for each leg. (the exam usually assumes that you have enough fuel on board to answer the question. in real life you need to work out when to refuel if necessary)
so now you know how long each leg will take to fly.
add the times together and divide by the fuel consumption to get the amount of fuel needed.
that isnt hard and when you are proficient you should be able to front up for the flight all prepared, have the instructor change the route and recalculate the entire thing in probably no more than 5 minutes.
to get to that point in your undestanding you do not need a sim. as beagle says just the maps, a weather report pencil and paper and the E6B.
now it is evident to me that you guys are approaching the cross country flights with totally the wrong attitude.
you are not being examined on any of the flights except the final licence test flight.
you will know that the final flight is your test because that is what you are preparing for.
each of your cross country flights is to give you guided experience in the air so you can pick up the skills AS YOU FLY THE EXERCISE.
Map reading is a learned skill that comes from actual flying experience. You are not expected to actually know how to do any of it when you start training.
guess what that is why your bloody instructor is there flying with you.
when you come to the time for your licence test you will be at a stage where you are safe. you will not become an accomplished pilot until you have chalked up a lot more flying.
has the penny dropped yet?
when you arent flying practise your pre flight planning calcs.
now here is a tip to help you. go and photocopy the map scale on the map.
cut it out and tape it along the side of each of the pencils you have in your flight kit.
that way when you need to estimate a distance while you are flying you just poke the pencil between your position and the target and read off the distance. it saves a lot of fumble time and makes the flying easier.
half your problem is that you are approaching the flying all wrong.
you think every flight is an exam and it isn't.
btw whopity's point is quite a valid one.