We think anything less than that is a deal breaker. Appearances aside, how does RTCs recurrent training compare with FlightSafety orSimcom? Frank he used to address me. And that, David realized, could dramatically lower the cost of simulator training opening up the option of simulator-based training to many more pilots and owners. I thought I was pretty competent after the dual until I got into the sim. Going to a different shop occasionally allows fresh eyes to inspect your prized bird and maybe find something others have missed. Consequently, Id answer those two points by saying that I would even enthusiastically return to SIMCOM only if they replaced the sim with one that worked properly. SimCom also has obtained FAA approval for a Citation single-pilot course/type rating thats conducted entirely in one of the companys simulators. At times the sim would just do its own thing, leaving nothing the pilot could do about the impending crash. When you train in your actual aircraft, youre polishing every aspect of your proficiency, from buttonology on your equipment to handling the bird in those edge cases your CFI just loves to throw at you. We graded it only to define where we needed to review. If you like, go finish it off with some time in the real airplane to polish your buttonology and aircraft-specific procedures. That tells us that the procedures learned in the sim are directly transferable, even if the sim isnt a faithful replica of what you fly. An annual cycle through FlightSafety, Simcom or RTC costs between $1,000 and $3,000 intuition plus at least several hundred bucks more in travel, lodging and meal expenses.Many pilots are reluctant to spend that kind of money on recurrent training. The3-day instrument multiengine recurrent course costs $3,000, the 2-day IME costs $2,400,and the 2-day instrument single-engine course costs $1,200. This was one of those years, so I had some decisions to make about quality of training, availability, and economics. $10,495, West Air Aviation
If the facility only has one sim that fits the training you are doing, find out ahead of time what happens if that sim breaks and cant be fixed for a few days. Aviation Services, Inc.
By the time the threedays were over, I became convinced that anyone who flies a multiengine aircraft withoutthe benefit of regular simulator-based recurrent training is an accident waiting tohappen. You cant afford to be sitting around and doing nothing during time youve set aside for training. Seattle,WA
Flying may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. With only two students, the instructor can hone in on the needs of individual customers which vary a lot., David tells a story to illustrate. David also decided to offer customized training, with no more than two students in a class. Recurrent Training The quality of individual instructors was a constant refrain in our conversations with users as they related good and bad training experiences. A full-service student can also train for a second aircraft type at no extra cost, and can take maintenance training or any of a variety of ancillary special-subject courses, all at no extra cost. November 2018 Killer Quiz: Emergency Procedures. Training flights are relatively abusive on your aircraft, especially if itsturbocharged. Senior Editor Rick Durden has written for Aviation Consumer since 1994 and specializes in aviation law. What value do you place on your life and the lives of your passengers? Back in 1989, businessman Wally David made an interesting observation: Computer graphics technology was improving so dramatically that a whole new realm of simulator training was about to become possible. The size and number of SimCom facilities, however, has expanded. Many pilots, for example, are reluctant to ask ATC for all the help they need whenconfronting a difficult in-flight situation, and RTC instructors are quick to point outwhen you could have reduced your pilot workload by asking for assistance from the folks onthe ground. 775-827-6568, Advanced
Rick is an active CFII and holds an ATP with type ratings in the Douglas DC-3 and Cessna Citation. FSI has long tailored its training to fit the studentand provides mentor pilots to support owners after they complete training. To keep the cost to a minimum, show up ready to goinstrument current and with the decks cleared so that you arent distracted during training. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Scheduling varies with each class and number of participants. SimCom has expanded and evolved over the years. For two pilots who want to train together, Simcom offers aGemini Program that gives the second pilot a 50% discount from the regulartuition (similar to FlightSafetys Partner Pricing Program). Im encouraged by SIMCOMs new, more competitive pricing, so thats a win. I had my first real engine out in Denver, night and IMC, just after takeoff about six months after my upgrade training. I always look forward tomy recurrent training cycles with great anticipation. I found that SimComoffers the same sort of professional-caliber sim training as FlightSafety, but with a fewsignificant differences. Pilot Training, Inc.
It was that been there, done that feeling. In e-mail discussions I was impressed with the approach that Aircraft Simulator Training took, but we just couldnt get the schedule to work. Anon-sim-trained pilot may have logged lots of partial panel instruction, yet be entirelyunprepared to cope with an actual gyro failure that presents itself not with a bang but awhimper. A multiengine recurrent course usually takes three fulldays and costs $3,100 for Beech Baron/Duke, $3,000 for Cessna 300/400, and $2,700 forPiper twins. For one, duplicating the effects on the pilots of a pressurization failure. FB. Sure, we recognize the value of the training and would plan to go anyway, but often plans dont quite make it into schedules. So, without the insurance requirement, we might not go at all or perhaps not as often as we should. Tucson, AZ
Simcom and the Orlando Economic Partnership officially announced the new facility, a $109 million investment, on Aug. 4. accident rateduring low-viz approaches, particularly at night, is a testament to the inadequacy of ourtraining. When that feeling starts to fade, its time to schedule another cycle. For American buyers of a new TBM, Daher has partnered with Simcom in Orlando, Florida to offer an initial training course consisting of five days of ground school and simulator sessions, recently amended to include a final two hours of in-aircraft flying with a Simcom CFI. Less than 5 percent of the students are self-funded, aspiring corporate pilots who dont already have a job. This particular sim, however, was simply not acceptable. 602-454-1400, B 737
For example, when FlightSafetyfirst shipped one of its two Cessna 300/400 simulators to its Long Beach (Calif.) learningcenter, the sim didnt have a motion base. B 737 Program B
Eric Hinson, CEO of SimCom, told us that initial training courses for turboprops usually run five to six days, and make use of Level A to D sims as well as nonmotion Flight Training Devices (FTD)depending on the type of aircraftand may include training in the customers airplane. As a general rule of thumb, one hour in the simulator provides the training value of atleast three hours in the aircraft. Finally, training in a good simulator is a helluva lot of fun. The upset training provided by Patty Wagstaffs company was, I believe, one of the most important aircraft training events I have completed since becoming a professional pilot. Now, theres no way that could have happened in use; it had to have been done on installation. Visual systems offer an extremelyrealistic nighttime-only display, using infinity-focus collimated optics, (but most lackany capability for side views or daytime visualssee discussion below).These sims were built about 20 years ago (when piston GA was at its peak), and each costabout $1 million to build back then. You startout by studying a printed weather briefing, reviewing the applicable approach and enroutecharts, and then climbing into the sim and flying the trip. $1,995, Aeroservice Aviation Training Center
Your insurance company will be ecstatic that you aredoing this sort of training, and will almost always express its ecstasy through reducedaircraft insurance premiums. A simulator also provides a far more efficient trainingenvironment than an aircraft. On thisscale, FlightSafety has a clear lead, with Simcom offering somewhat less fidelity, and RTC(with its generic sims) trailing at a very distant third. I went around and landed. $5,995, Air Excel
1 & 2. Program A
Recently, the Baron simulator inFlightSafetys Ratheon/Beech Learning Center in Wichita was retrofitted with a new,state-of-the-art visual system that provides a wrap-around daytime visual displayincluding terrain data for about 90 airports worldwide (plus a generic Anytownairport that the sim instructor can place anywhere and orient however he wishes). Long Beach, CA
Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a Flight Review and Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC). RTC keeps its prices so low by cutting costs every way it can. But, I checked with them and found a somewhat different attitude. We heard from piston twin owners who had trained in FlightSafety Internationals motion-based simulators before FSI stopped doing piston twin training and who told us that they have been unable to find any training provider that now gives piston twin training at the level FSI did. The instructors and material are first rateanother win. 2722 Perimeter Road, Suite 107
We did not find any piston twin training centers that used motion-based simulators. I thought I most needed a refresher on operations and procedures in the aircraft, with an emphasis on abnormals, edge cases, and failures. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL cookies. If you have difficulty viewing the website, contact us at 1.877.879.0275. I trained in that sim in non-motion mode forseveral years, whereupon FlightSafety built a motion base for it and put the sim up onlegs. OK Aviation Group has been a leader in flight training provision since 2006, receiving full EASA approval as an aviation training organization (ATO) in March of 2013. We toured FSIs HondaJet training facility, one we think reflects its overall approach to training. Except, about five years ago, my mechanic found that a cable was misrouted through one of the guide pulleys. 3814 Curtis Parkway
Flying around the Statue of Liberty and then landing on the 700-foot-long Manhattan Heliport in a jet may sound silly to talk about, but when you do it and discover that you are getting to know the airplane well enough that you can pull it off, youll have made great strides to becoming one with your new flying machine. The Freedom of Flight depends on the safe operation of your Piper. Bottom line: Training, and especially proficiency training, is simply better in a simulator. A modest airplane will cost over $100 per hour. Email [email protected]. Perhaps a third of the malfunctionsand emergencies we train for in the sim cannot be done in the aircraft, either becausetheyre impossible to duplicate (e.g., overvoltage trip, induction system icing, propelleroverspeed, left main gear wont extend) or are simply too dangerous to practice (e.g.,engine failure immediately after takeoff, flying with a heavy load of airframe ice). One Time Plus is a reduced tuition for pilots who have taken the same course within the previous 12 months, and is between 15% and 25% less than the One Time price (depending on aircraft make). Same for single-engine IMC approaches. Simulator aerodynamic fidelity ranges from unrealistic and horrible, to decent, but it never hits exact, even in airline Level D sims. The firm hosted a Dec. 8 groundbreaking ceremony on its 90,000-square-foot . 206-878-7271, 9550 Parksouth Court, Suite 100
Nevertheless, it is not a one size fits all affair. Theres no question that anylack of simulation fidelity creates a significant distraction at the outset of thetraining, one which tends to fade as the training progresses and you get acclimated to theidiosyncrasies of the sim. 305-874-6000, A320 Type Rating
If FlightSafety is the Rolls Royce of piston sim training and Simcom is theLexus, then Recurrent Training Center would have to be the Ford pickup or the Dodgeminivan. All Rights Reserved. Make sure you have time to talk with your instructor before things begin so she or he knows the type of flying you are planning to do and your background so that the course can be most effectively tailored to your needsyoure the customer. So Idecided to do it. 40 hours per week
At SimCom, you aretypically assigned one instructor for the entire duration of your course, and thatinstructor handles both the classroom and simulator portions of the syllabus; atFlightSafety, its common to get different instructors for ground school and simulator.The instructors at SimCom also tend to teach multiple airplanes your twin Cessnainstructor might well have taught a King Air class the day before while FlightSafetyinstructors tend to be more specialized. There are a few things that a simulator doesnt do as well as an airplane. And again, and again, and again. Most pilots whogoes through the experience of top-notch sim-based training become convinced that it isimpossible to remain proficient in a piston twin without this kind of training. 5000 N.W. Myfirst exposure to serious simulator training took place in October of 1987,about six months after Id purchased my T310R. Recently, however, the company has introduced several cost-saving training options. 407-852-5300, 1555 W University Drive, Suite 108
Schedule your DeSat training in conjunction with your aircraft training program while at SIMCOM. "For operators who cannot bring their aircraft to Orlando, SimCom will arrange for its instructors to go to the customer on an expense basis." Customers can get even more training in their. The facility is nice and everyone there treats the clients warmly, so thats certainly a win. So, it makes sense to train in the aircraft youll fly. The annual cost is about 60% higher than the One Time tuition, and the minimum contract period is two years. (Classroom and Home Study), Mile High
It's also a myth. It's tempting to decry the disappearance of the classic country airport. There are in-the-airplane-only training operations still in existence, but they have become rare. We got some unpleasant stories from users on the broken sim issue. The system displays show what is going on as the pilot works through normal, abnormal and emergency operations of the various systems. Orlando, Fla. - SIMCOM International, Inc. is expanding and building a new worldwide headquarters in Orlando. 878 Greenview Drive
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International, Inc. is expanding and building a new worldwide headquarters in orlando about five years ago, my found! Im encouraged by SIMCOMs new, more competitive pricing, so I had my real... In conjunction with your aircraft, especially if itsturbocharged the one time tuition, and the lives of passengers!, I checked with them and found a somewhat different attitude this site leaving nothing pilot. Sim would just do its own thing, leaving nothing the pilot works through normal, abnormal and emergency of... Seattle, WA Flying may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site got some stories.