Simulators for Flight Training

As a pilot and a Simulations guy at work, I believe that using flight simulators is extremely important! Simulators allow students to get better (and cheaper) use of their time and instructors can replicate emergency procedures and weather variations without putting students at risk. Although it should be noted that not all flight training can be done in a simulator and there is also something to be said for "the real thing." One great use that I have found for simulators is Instrument Training. I spent countless hours at home on my PC using Microsoft Flight Simulation X when I was working on my Instrument ticket. Even my instructor noticed how much quicker and more precise I was grasping the training than prior students. Now keep in mind that I also have a CH Yoke and Pedal system (about $200), but this makes the entire experience so much more realistic. I also purchased a book called Microsoft Simulator X for Pilots - Real World Training ($16-20 on Amazon). This is a fantastic tool for working on your flight training, especially for instrument work. It has lots of preset conditions that all you have to do is load it up and execute the training chapter. I found this to be a lot of fun, but also helped to bring up good questions to ask my instructor about. There are some limitations to using FSX and a real training simulator is an even better option, but I really got a lot out of my FSX. It is a great tool, but it is limited on what it can be used for to replicate actual training. Using it the wrong way can also instill bad habits or allow for negative training that can hurt your flight training. I would recommend discussing any simulator with your flight instructor and get their thoughts on what to use or not to use.

What started this posting, was a posting by our COPA safety guy Rick Beach about flight simulators for Cirrus aircraft. As it turns out there are far more of them than I had ever expected (See Below). These simulators are great and the one's that can replicate CAPS simulation are even better. I'm really hoping to try one of these this summer and to get some really good emergency training under my belt.