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 Richard Russell incident, where a non-pilot stole and flew an airplane using experience gained from video games, highlighted the surprising potential of simulated flight.
Historically, flight simulators, pioneered by Edwin Link, became indispensable for pilot training after the 1934 Airmail Scandal demonstrated their critical role in preparing pilots for real-world emergencies and instrument flying.
Despite their proven cost-effectiveness and extensive use in high-level aviation (airlines), lower-level flight schools and instructors frequently underutilize simulators, missing opportunities for comprehensive, low-risk training.
To maximize simulator benefits, instructors should adopt a progressive approach, using them for knowledge acquisition, procedural practice, and extensive exposure to malfunctions and abnormal situations to build automatic, proficient behavior before actual 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.