These squadrons use the simulators for what they are intended. They get plenty of actual real training and exercises in the cockpits of the actual aircraft.
They are not slighting their training...and these simulators will not mislead these aircrews...they will be used where they are intended to improve them.
As fuel and maintenance costs go up, these new simulators are as close to the real thing as you can get, in addition, in the simulator you get a great "cockpit check" keeping your "scan and touch" in the groove, you can stop the action in the simulator, or you can fly multiple scenarios in order to keep you on track, and determine literally, the best approach.
Now what this also accomplishes, is that when you brief and go out to fly a mission, you have already, been there, done that, and have the T-Shirt, you can concentrate on the delivery and not flying the aircraft, navigation, terrain, etc, as you will have a great deal more situational awareness. Even the Flight Sim X will get you up and running, and flying the airplane after a few visual approaches in the flight sim is definitely a plus, so if I get a little warning before a flight, I hop on the flight sim and go at it, makes the airplane much more familiar, and the visual of the proper approach angle, and maintaining airspeed are so much easier after a little simulator time.
Now, I no longer get as much actual flight time as I used to, and without the sim, I would be feeling a little trepidation, but after even 15 to 20 minutes of sim time, it falls into place so much easier, one thing in my own flying is that I always used to need to fly a proper approach, pattern entry, downwind leg extended past the end of the runway, carb heat, mixture rich, fuel on both, reduce throttle and maintain approx. 100knts on down wind, turn base and drop airspeed to 90knts IAS, turn onto final dropping to 80knts IAS down to about 70knts over the fence?? Now I am able to make a long straight in, keeping my speed up near cruise, at approx. 1 mile from the threshold at Pattern Altitude, I am able to add carb heat, mixture full rich, fuel on both, and pull the throttle back to about 1500rpm, begin to trim the nose up and start bleeding airspeed, further throttle reduction and continuing to bleed airspeed back to 80knts IAS on short final, bleeding to 70knts over the fence pulling the throttle back to idle, and continuing to bleed airspeed through the flare and touch down.
the real advantage here is keeping the airspeed up for other traffic, keeping the throttle up to keep from shock cooling the engine, more resistant to carb ice, and if the engine quits, I have minimum flaps and can make the runway, if I'm a little high, flaps or even a side slip will slow that bird down. It does require being familiar with what a stabilized approach should look like, the result is I haven't had to make a missed approach in a long time, and yes on short final I am rolling in the nose up trim, it practically flys itself on?
In the F-22, you are on your own from the first day, further testament to how well this airplane flys and how predictable it is, when operated by the book, and you are able to strap in to the aircraft, ready to fly, I flew my first USAF flight simulator at 9, so I am a firm believer! So I think I will fire up the Cessna Caravan and go fly the Salmon River run????