I myself AM NOT a fan of FSX,but if it's of no benefit at all why would the MH370 capt have one at home?

Actually, FSX is not completely useless for pilots. If someone is a licensed pilot, FSX will help them with instrument procedures.

It's not at all unusual for pilot's to have a simulator at home, especially if they enjoy flying. Most pilot's do enjoy flying. The flight simulator that companies use for training and re currency are usually expensive to use beyond the requirements for training.

While a home flight simulator isn't the same or a replacement as the real thing (or even a full motion sim), it can still be used to practice instrument skills and approaches into different airports, topography, and to simulate weather conditions and malfunctions that you cannot do in an actual aircraft. You can test your own limits and the limits of the aircraft safely. It also gives you a chance to stop and and look at a particular situation in depth, where in an aircraft it's constantly moving so there's no time.

I understand that the Captain had built the simulator to teach a particular aspect of the B777

I am not aware of what that was, but many Captains have a huge interest in research and training, so it does not surprise me that he had done this. It is most unlikely that he was intending to practice turning off systems, he would have known how to do that simply by his normal training on the aircraft

For the most part there is still very little to no major use for people to use sims in terms of flight training.

BUT.......there are also no rules or anything about pilots not being allowed to enjoy playing simulators/games in the spare time if they choose to do that

I've been a pilot for 25 years, and while a home flight sim does not provide any legally recognized benefit, I still use it from time to time to practice types of approaches I do not get to fly very often.

In real life flying IFR most of the time you do not fly a full approach, you get vectored to final approach. About the only time I get to practice something like flying a DME arc or an ILS back course is on a flight sim.

it's a game. it's fun.

it is, however, *not* a flight training device, and the sim kiddies who think otherwise are badly mistaken.

i practice instrument procedures with x-plane, but i already know how to fly real airplanes. with a library of aeronautical fantasies at my disposal i always seem to come back to the cessna 172. the 172 flight model is particularly good, and i've done slow flight, stalls and spins in it.

FSX with particular add ons would be great for even a seasoned pilot to look at and practice approaches to unfamiliar airports.

The fact that you have said that you have "Played" FSX shows that you have little understanding of it, Even the US Navy have used it to practice carrier landings.

It can be used for navigation techniques and instrument flying approaches.

that being said, it should not be used as a flight training device

I can and have piloted a single-engine aircraft.

I learned it by doing it.

I am not a licensed pilot and have played flight simulators.

Simulators seem like all they teach of use is the instruments (sort of)

At least one becomes familiar with the jargon.

Other than that, they are useless games.

I've had pilots tell me it's extremely useful for navigation.