Flight Schools And Flight Simulators-they Can Be Friends

By Author: Degreesaviation
Total Articles: 1
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Simulators have been around for a long time. As most of you know, the military and the airlines have used them for years. You would think that most flight schools would use simulators in ways that are similar to how they are used by the professionals. That has not been the case.

Flight schools struggle with finding the balance between what they feel is best for their pilots/students, the owners of the aircraft that are on the line that get leased back to the school and the revenue that can be created by the flight school owner.

With the introduction of glass panel technology, the FAA has been encouraging more use of simulators in general aviation and since the aircraft manufacturers are choosing to include glass panels as a standard, flight schools need to rethink their current policies.

In addition, with the introduction of flight simulators such as the full-motion Redbird, new systems cost and functionality have created opportunities that flight schools can take greater advantage of.

Flight simulators have mostly been used in flight schools for process training. That certainly is one use for them. ...
... They can be used for so many other purposes. There are many things that you can do in a simulator that you would never even try in an aircraft. For example, for instrument flight training, you could simulate one half-mile visibility with light snow and low oil pressure. For VFR pilots, you can set them up for low visibility cross-country scenarios that a flight school or flight instructor would never want that pilot to try on a cross-country.
There have been some inherent conflicts of interest that worked against the use of flight simulators in general aviation. Aircraft owners who lease their planes to the flight school want the aircraft be flown instead of the simulator. Secondly, the flight instructors want to have as much time in the aircraft because many of them want to go on to the airlines and as such, there is resistance to using the flight simulator for all but minor IFR only purposes. Many flight schools do not integrate the flight simulator into their curriculum to the extent that even the FAA allows.

All of this is slowly starting to change. The economic climate is having an impact on monies available to fly. This is true both on the government level and the private funding level. Whatever money is available is being looked at more carefully.

A few flight schools are starting to look at the flight simulator as another revenue center and one that can effectively be integrated with their parts 61 and 141 programs.

Some flight schools are starting to pay flight instructors more money to fly the flight simulator.

The FAA, by emphasizing scenario-based training and cockpit resource management training while also changing flight simulator definitions, is inherently encouraging a change in perspective between flight schools and the use of simulators.

Glass panel technology is here to stay. The technology is filled with features and benefits that are best learned sitting in the flight simulator.

All in all, the use of flight simulators such as the Redbird, will play a key role in the ongoing activities of pilots at all levels.
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