They tend to be skewed to focus on the elements of a hobby that are easier or more interesting to simulate, rather than the actual problem points you're likely to run into. I would only ever consider them supplemental to actual instructional materials, like written guides, classes, and video tutorials.

A lot of simulator games are also much more focused on simulating the business side of an activity, the buying and selling of parts, setting prices, interacting with customers. They're more like Lemonade Stand clones, basically. That said, Kerbal Space Program is a great tool for making the basic mechanics of spaceflight more intuitive.