I spend more time instructing in simulators these days and am fortunate to have access to three very capable devices. Many pilots (myself included) complain that a simulator just doesn't fly like a real aircraft, but time spent in a simulator can save you money. First, there's no fuel bill. Simulators can also save you time because training scenarios can be set-up quickly and, here's the important part, you can pause the simulation, discuss the desired responses, and practice the scenario repeatedly to learn and ingrain the desired responses. And time is money, after all.
Time in an approved simulator with an instructor can be recorded in your logbook and in about an hour, you can knock out six approaches and a holding pattern to keep you instrument current. Depending on the type of simulator, you may log the time toward most any certificate from private to ATP as long as you are receiving instruction from an authorized instructor. The simulators I use are even qualified to be used to complete an instrument proficiency check.
Before you sit down at the controls, you and your instructor need a clear idea of what you wish to accomplish in the simulator. As with any instructional flight, there should be a plan and a pre-flight discussion of that plan. Without a plan, your simulator time will tend to be haphazard, the effectiveness of your training may fall short of your expectations, and you won't get your money's worth. At the completion of your simulator session, there should be a debrief and an objective review of your performance.
Simulator time is a great way want to get acquainted with high-performance and complex aircraft as well as for learning high-altitude operations. In the US, regulations allow you to obtain a high-performance, complex, and high-altitude endorsement from an authorized instructor based on ground instruction and time spent in an approved simulator with a flight model that is representative of the type of endorsement you seek. For each of these endorsements, training will focus on learning the appropriate procedures for normal, abnormal, and emergency operations. 14 CFR Part 61 specifically defines the areas that must be covered for a high-altitude endorsement. Interestingly, you can't earn a tailwheel endorsement in a simulator and based on my time in conventional gear aircraft and the current state of simulation devices, this seems about right.
More and more pilots learn multi-engine operations in an approved simulator prior to training in a multi-engine aircraft and the savings can be significant. Instead of spending over $230 a hour and burning a lot of fuel, you can spend about 25% of that and learn the basics in a simulator. For multi-engine training, the Practical Test Standards (private, commercial, or ATP) will spell out the maneuvers, takeoffs, landings and emergency procedures you'll need to cover. You can experience multi-engine emergencies in a simulator, like engine failure on takeoff at Vmc, that may be too risky to simulate during training in a real aircraft. For many of the maneuvers, it's best to have a simulator with a 180 degree field of view.
For pilots seeking an instrument rating, having access to a simulator has become de rigeur. For practicing instrument procedures by yourself, most any simulator (including non-approved simulators) will do, though you won't be able to log the time. And just as when using an approved simulator, it helps to have a plan or you're likely to end up just messing around.
Learning instrument procedures in a simulator with an authorized instructor allows you to pause the simulation to discuss questions. Pausing the simulation can also give you a chance to catch your breath and regroup, which increases your capacity to learn. With just a few mouse clicks you can practice almost any approach most anywhere in the world. If you've never flown a Simplified Directional Facility (SDF) or Localizer-type Directional Aid (LDA) approach, you can do it easily in a simulator.
Giving quality instruction in a simulator requires the instructor to have a thorough knowledge of the limitations of the particular simulator you'll be using. Nothing is worse than having a pilot wait while you try to work out a simulator glitch, but this sort of thing can and does happen. If it's any consolation, I even experienced such delays during recurrent training in a level D simulator.
A good simulator instructor will know how to set up weather scenarios and equipment failures in a realistic way. And for instrument training to be truly productive, your simulator instructor needs to know how to act like a controller, giving you accurate instructions and approach clearances. There's often more responsibilities for an instructor in a simulator than in a real aircraft
Autopilots are becoming standard equipment in new GA aircraft and more pilots are learning to rely on them to manage their workload when flying single-pilot, especially in instrument conditions. Autopilot usage in an important part of simulator training because it gives you time to concentrate on procedures and emergencies. Some GA pilots still tend to think of autopilot use as cheating, but it's really just a different kind of flying. To be a well-rounded and proficient pilot, you need to regularly practice hand-flying as well as managing the aircraft with the autopilot. If you practice one style of flying and exclude the other, your overall level of safety and flying skill will suffer.
My simulator training for the part 135 flying I used to do always followed a familiar pattern. The first session concentrated mostly on normal VFR maneuvers, takeoffs and landings, and instrument procedures. Of course there was always some funny business. For turbine engines, the engine never started normally the first time: A hot start and a hung start always seemed to occur as did the need for external power starts. These sorts of problems are rarely encountered in real life, if ever, which makes the simulator the perfect place to experience them. In subsequent simulator sessions, you could count on excrement hitting the oscillating device at every turn. Engine failures, blown tires, asymmetric flap extension, icing encounters, runway incursions, thunderstorms, partial panel approaches, and a variety of arcane aircraft systems failures.
When giving simulator training to GA pilots, I like to follow a similar pattern, starting with normal procedures and working up to more the more challenging stuff. One of my favorite scenarios is to have a pilot fly an instrument approach to an airport, have to execute the missed approach, and then while holding over a VOR, experience an engine failure. I choose a VOR near or right on an airport and set the weather to give the pilot a fighting chance. In such a situation, an autopilot can provide valuable assistance in maintaining a power-off descent at the best-glide speed. Another valuable scenario is engine failures and other abnormalities during the takeoff roll or just after takeoff. Pilots often comment that these scenarios really get the blood pumping, even though it's just a simulator.
So grab your PTS and/or your approach charts, find a good simulator and simulator instructor, and take your training up a notch. It's go time!
