DCS: A10-C was the very FIRST flying sim that I've ever played (ACE Combat really doesn't count as anything) so naturally, I had a bit of trouble at the beginning. The very first time I started the game I had a CTD, so I tried again and got the same thing. A quick, 3 minute visit to the forums told me that the necessary steps to take. It took me 1 minute to do these steps and I was able to play. My first mission was instant action, and the only thing I did was mess around and fly, mashing keys on the keyboard and trying to figure out what each key did. For about the first week of having the game, I did nothing but repeat the tutorial missions over and over until I could remember the keyboard commands. After that, I started doing more Mission Generator missions. Yeah, I got shot down every time and my flights lasted about 5 minutes, but those 5 minutes were pure "Awwwwwwwwwwwww yeah!". Eventually, I even managed to discover WHOT and BHOT, and found my first target. Overjoyed. Then, another week goes by and I get my first kill. Estatic. Then I got my HOTAS Warthog and it was all uphill from there.
Basically, I started out as a complete newbie to any flight sim (and certainly nothing as complex as DCS A10C) and after a few minutes on the forum search engine, I knew whatever I needed to know.
If someone is looking for a nice flight sim that they can take an evening flight with, have a simple "takeoff-fly for 12 hours-land" plan, then go back to something like FSX. If you're expecting a game like DCS A10C, with all of its complex AI and high fidelity cockpit controls, to not have errors and a bumpy start, then you're crazy. It's not just a flight sim, it's a modern military combat simulator, which means you'll probably need to do some reading and head scratching.
/rant