Sim tests you on a similar playing field to an actual pilot, where as arcade is more of an FPS type test of twitch gaming. Neither is better or worse, but there are many other games you can play to fulfill the twitch itch.
And as you get to the top of your game in one difficulty, it seems, at least for me, to exclude you more from the others. For instance I always used to play arcade mode. But I'm a bad shot, so the insane levels of damage you need to inflict coupled with the kill stealing pushed me more towards realistic. When I first tried sim I was so bad at it, and I hated it. But I stuck with it and got a kill or two and then I was hooked.
And now I can't play realistic without stalling all the time, because I fly it like sim but can't control my flaps. And the damage model in arcade, coupled with the different way of flying and the insane speeds are almost a different game. So for me, the difficulty is actually now reversed, with arcade being the hardest.
But I'm sorry if you feel looked down upon for liking arcade. I can't say I get that impression from the community, but then maybe I wouldn't notice. Arcade is still the most popular mode by far though, and everyone who paid money for the game is entitled to enjoy it as they see fit.
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