What? This is the most important thread in F4 community. Whatz the point of having a sim community if the sim does not sim the real thing.

Can a sim-er climb in an f-16 and drive it down a runway at 180mph with their feet?

I done one takeoff in a 172 and the problem was the taxi to the end of the runway. I can't explain how stupid this 172 handled below 15mph. I had to stop twice because it would dart to right for no reason. I was totally exhausted after driving it a mile and halve to the end of the runway. After the check list the instructor told me the take off procedure and I throttled up. Above 40mph it felt like it was rail row tracks. To my surprise, I flew the 172 the whole hour. The instructor took the control right before touch down and he showed me how to do stall & recover prier to landing.
Flying the 172 was boring. It reminded me of FS4. That was my only lesson.

I think if anything, people would be able to do this the easiest. I taxied a Cessna 152 for my airframes and powerplant class and found it astoundingly easy. Being able to taxi a Cessna in MSFS is actually what I find to be hardest part, however, I was able to do it in real life without a problem. I even had to turn the plane around on a dime using differential braking and full rudder. My teacher was impressed with how well I pulled it off compared to the other students. I'm not going to say that your other points are invalid in relation to flying, but I find it odd that someone with any kind of flight simulator experience wouldn't be able to at least taxi.

I am pretty sure I can taxi and take off and fly. My concern is landing. Everything else is easy. I have flown in an F-15C. I got to taxi and fly it once we were in air.

Well, I stand corrected. Obviously if you can taxi a Cessna 152 or 172, line it up on the runway, or take off then you can fly any airplane in real life. Shoot, a Viper would be EASY! You don't have to worry about torque or P-factor in a jet! I'm sure in your vast experience of ONE time in a real plane, coupled with your X hours in computer sims, you could execute a simple training mission in a single seat, high performance fighter jet.

There is more to flying than making the trees smaller, a lot more. "Flying" involves several things; the basics are "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate". As some of you said, landing might be difficult. That's part of aviating. If you can't do it, you can't "fly". You are simply delaying your crash. Flying around in a "real" sim, but not being able to find your way back to an airport is a lack of Navigation. The result would be you run out of gas and crash. I haven't heard anyone say anything about talking on the radios. Communication. At a controlled airport (such as a military field where a Viper would be), you wouldn't even be allowed to taxi if you couldn't communicate with the right personnel. In some cases, you wouldn't even be allowed to start the engine without permission. Not going flying there.

Would your sim experience give you a leg up on someone with no experience even close to flying? Possibly. If you learned how to properly operate the equipment on board, and developed good flying habits then yea, I'd say you have a slight edge. That doesn't mean that you could jump from a sim into a Viper and be just hunky-dorey! Get over you illusions of grandeur! You would still have to get some real life training before you jump in the seat all by yourself.

Oh, and have a nice day!

Lots of high horses around here blasting people they don't know and don't know the capabilities of.

Buncha party poopers and negative nannies in this thread. How 'bout some positive Pauls for a change. Geeze. Darn high horsed know-it-alls-that-don't-know-squat trying to rain on everyone's parade.

Put a Futaba in the Viper and give me 5 fly-bye and I'll put it on the numbers. LOL

I think a lot depends on what you mean by fly.
If you mean take off, go from A to B and land again, then I reckon a heck of a lot of people on this and other hard-core flight sim forums could do it.
You are exected to master solo flight in a Cessna type plane in about 40 hours - from knowing nothing through to take off and landing including all the naviagation and comms etc.
Many people on here have way way way more time than that in the virtual cockpit.
The talk here is as if the very act of flying is some arcane art only possible by the most gifted of athletes. Actually it isn't. If you can learn to drive or ride a motorbike, then you could learn to fly.
The real art and skill is all the extra levels of skill and knowledge you add on to that basic a-b bimbling about for instrument flying, big jets and especially miltary flying.

If you fly carefully, go by the book, take your time, keep it simple etc. etc., and don't be a dumb ass Maverick wannabe then a lot of people here could fly and land a F-16 or a 747
(Although that does assume some help flipping switches to start it all up etc.)
It may not be a centerline greaser or much in the way of fancy flying, but it would be safe and survivable.

If you mean to fly and fight and do a professional job.
That is a totally different issue.
Few here could do that.
However there a few here could give it a good go.
Falcon has been out 13 years, and some here have been playing it week in week out for all or most of that time.
And at a serious ramp to ramp level, not just the kind of Ctrl-E and take off ala uber newbie FSX flying. (And may well have in some cases a Private Pilots licence)
Sure they would need to watch, and probably heavily limit, the G's and up their situational awareness to avoid lawndarting, but they would be able to give an impressive performance for an untrained pilot.

Could not disagree more...

And I could not disagree more with the elitist opinions shown in this thread.

Stuntie is right on the money regarding the attitude many of the "pilots" have demonstrated here.