Survey: Home Flight Sim Helps Prepare Real-World Pilots

A new survey says flight students who supplement with home flight sims are able to shave almost 20 hours off flight training hours from the FAA average.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, May 31, 2024 at 03:27 PM ET

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Pilots can get valuable practice on simulators. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A new study by the Flight Simulation Association (FSA) found that pilots who supplement their training with home flight simulation receive their certificate with significantly fewer flight training hours (5.5 fewer than non-users, and almost 20 less than the FAA average).
Home flight simulation reinforces concepts learned in lessons and offers practical benefits such as robust procedures training, preparation for cross-country flights, and a safe environment for troubleshooting mistakes.
It allows pilots to practice with virtual Air Traffic Control, improving communication and airspace awareness without real-world risks, and is also identified as a potential pipeline for air traffic control recruitment and training.

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One of the common challenges with learning to fly is that unlike learning to play a musical instrument, more often than not you cannot practice what you learned at home. That is, unless you have a home flight simulation set up.

While the time “logged’ using X-Plane or Microsoft Flight Simulator doesn’t count toward the required time for a certificate or rating, and it won’t give you the kinesthetic feel for the aircraft, it can still help reinforce concepts learned in lessons.