Simulators are not Airplanes

Training is only as good as the teacher. When using a sim, even solid instruction can be unnecessarily inefficient (expensive), defeating the simulators major advantage.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, October 15, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Inefficient instructor practices can negate the cost-effectiveness of flight simulators by wasting valuable training time on irrelevant or repetitive procedures.
Effective simulator instruction requires instructors to identify specific learning tasks, efficiently position students for practice, and know how to instantly reposition them.
Instructors should also probe for weaknesses, use the pause function for discussion instead of taking controls, and allow students to experience the full consequences of their decisions within the simulator environment.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Training is only as good as the teacher. When using a sim, even solid instruction can be unnecessarily inefficient (expensive), defeating the simulator’s major advantage.

For example, one CFII started each lesson on the ground, going through the start-up, taxi and takeoff. But, this student was well versed in ground procedures and just needed some VOR work. He paid for a lot of wasted time. Another CFI wasn’t sure how to reposition his student to repetitively practice procedure turns, so he vectored him all over the imaginary skies.