Can a computer teach a 'normal' person without any previous flight experience how to fly a plane?
Maybe.
Computer software can actually give anyone a very good idea if the exact layout of a plane. Flight simulation software is often made for hobbyists and plane enthusiasts. Sometimes, its even used for real pilots in training. In advanced cases of a desire to digitally fly, people have attached physical pieces to their computers. Much like the external steering wheels that PS3 and Xbox users often enjoy for their car racing games, throttles, sticks, and rudder pedals can be bought separately and calibrated to work with programs. Software can even provide realistic in-flight views. Buildings, runways, actual airport layouts, and commands are incorporated into virtual flying software. However, if you spend hundreds of dollars on software, can you really learn to fly a plane?
Well, yes and no. Its a long shot for it to happen well. Its not going to be perfect. Programs on a computer can't (yet) display vibrations, nerves, noises, wind effects (especially on small planes), the feeling of real turbulence, and other things that plane pilots are often forced to deal with.
But yes, theoretically, a trained computer aviator could take off, and land a plane if conditions were ideal. However, no one would have high expectations of the quality of such an attempt. The landing would undoubtedly be harassed. Of course, great weather and a good time of the day could also play in.
But of course, not every plane is the same. Some planes will have a different layout. Some planes have more buttons and flashing lights that a computer trained flyer wouldn't recognize. But, this is for the cheaper programs. Some programs are easily available for $50 or $80 and are the programs we are really using for our assessment. A much more advanced program could add many of the features that these $50-80 programs can't exude.
So, it turns out that letting your kids play aviation games like Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane could help them in the long run. It could give you, a friend, a relative, your child, or your parents a fleeting chance at saving a crashing airplane or a head-start into an aviation career.