Hmm, the feel of gravitation and the 180 degrees of FOV surely helps a lot in RL, but flying a sim combat plane is much, much easier IMHO. In RL I would not be allowed, and would not even dare, to take my hands on any plane except perhaps a glider or a small grasshopper.
Those loss statistics are damn real, and are confirmed by personal memoires as well (e.g. LeRoy Gover's Spitfires, Thunderbolts, and Warm Beer).
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