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:

Ineffective simulator instruction can negate its cost and efficiency advantages, often due to unstructured lessons or poor use of simulator features.
Effective simulator training requires instructors to define specific tasks, efficiently position students for targeted practice, and identify/address weaknesses.
Instructors should leverage simulator capabilities like the pause button for teaching and allow students to experience consequences, focusing on repetitive skill mastery rather than full "airplane lessons."

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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.