I wonder how many "simulator pilots" have done a significant amount of unusual attitude recovery in an actual aircraft? Interpretation of instruments is one thing, but is it the same when your @rse is floating off the seat and your stomach is in your mouth?
Unusual attitudes are felt as well as seen, and G tolerance takes time to build up. I think unusual attitude recovery is a fundamental flying skill that should be an integral part of basic training, not an add on extra. I don't mean a single lesson either,but a continual incorporation with the standard syllabus.
It is well documented that pilots with an exposure to aerobatics and advanced handling revert back to basic stick and rudder skills, built into muscle memory, in the event of an unusual occourence. No matter what the aircraft.
Simulators just don't cut it, burn me at the stake, but they don't actually fly.