Want to Save on Training? Make Better Use of Flight Simulation

CFI Michael Wildes says one of the best tools to train pilots often goes greatly underutilized.

Michael Wildes

Monday, December 06, 2021 at 09:43 AM ET

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Michael Wildes believes that flight simulators can be used more effectively in some circumstances. Credit: Adobe Stock

Key Takeaways:

The 2018 Richard Russell incident, where an untrained individual stole and expertly flew a plane, highlighted the unexpected efficacy of flight simulation in developing piloting skills.
Inspired by this, the author, a flight instructor, improved his teaching by using simulators to expose students to diverse real-time scenarios and malfunctions, fostering deeper learning and problem-solving in a low-risk environment.
Historically crucial (e.g., Edwin Link's trainer) and currently indispensable for high-level airline training, flight simulators are proven cost-effective and essential, yet are often underutilized by entry-level instructors and students.
To maximize simulator benefits, instructors should adopt a progressive approach focusing on knowledge, procedures, and technique, enabling extensive practice of abnormal situations and malfunctions before real flight.

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One Friday afternoon in 2018, around 8 p.m., news broke that a young man, Richard Russell, a Horizon Air Service agent, gained access to a parked Bombardier Q400 and—with no previous pilot experience—stole the airplane. After departing the Sea-Tac airport via Runway 16C with no clearance, a puzzling sequence of events followed.

Russell, acting alone and—as it became clear to authorities later—suffering from a mental breakdown, flew the otherwise two-pilot aircraft for nearly 75 minutes around the Seattle area. At one point, he completed a barrel roll, barely 10 feet above the water before ultimately choosing to crash the airplane on Ketron Island.