AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2017 - 94

P&E

DOGFIGHT
Are simulators effective training tools? AOPA Editor at Large Dave Hirschman
and Senior Editor Alton K. Marsh debate.

Better than the real thing Not the real thing
Sims are indispensable

Most of us train without simulators

BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN

BY ALTON K. MARSH

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW how effective flight simulators are as teaching
tools, take a kid for an introductory flight and hand over the controls.
Teens who've spent hours "playing" desktop flight simulation
games get comfortable in airplanes immediately, and they maneuver in three dimensions with dexterity and confidence. Their play
time makes them ready to learn from the moment they strap themselves to an airplane.
Not convinced? Try learning the intricacies of a Garmin GTN
750 while bouncing along in turbulence, sweating, and listening
for ATC calls. You'll retain far less GTN knowledge from that flight
than you would have gained from a free, self-paced tablet tutorial about the same product lasting the
same amount of time. (That's simulation, too.)
Flight simulators have already revolutionized airline and military flight
training-and they can bring similar benefits to general aviation. Our
GA sims aren't as sophisticated as the
immersive, multimillion-dollar, Level
D models airline and military pilots
DAVE HIRSCHMAN
use-but we can do more with less.
A Redbird simulator with rudimentary motion is twitchier than an actual aircraft. So a student who is
introduced to, practices, and masters VFR maneuvers in a Redbird
is almost guaranteed to perform even better in a real aircraft.
And as good as GA sims are for learning procedures and VFR
maneuvers, they're even better for instrument flight training and
proficiency. Flying the sim "on the gauges" for one hour allows
many more repetitions of the approaches and particular skills you
want to practice than flying three hours in a real airplane. Pilots
can realistically simulate emergencies that they'd never do in actual
low-visibility conditions. A simulated vacuum pump failure that
causes the attitude indicator to lie on its side and the directional
gyro to spin like a pinwheel is a much more accurate representation of what really happens than simply covering those instruments
with sticky notes. And instructors can pause, replay, and emphasize
subtle cues in sims that they can't re-create in the air.
Sims allow pilots to practice ATC communications with an
instructor, or solo with new tools such as Virtual ATC, Parrot, or
PilotEdge that heighten realism.
When a personal, club, or flight school airplane is down for maintenance; there's a scheduling conflict; or adverse weather keeps you

I AGREE WITH Dave Hirschman on three little points he makes
in his pro-simulator argument. It's the basic premise that gives
me problems.
My introduction to simulators came in 1970 when, with my pet
mastodon waiting outside for the dangerous ride back to my family's cave, I was placed in a metal box to practice instrument flying
for my commercial pilot certificate. The key word is "metal." When
I would make a mistake and the ink pen would go off course at the
instructor's station, the instructor would pound on the box with a
pipe. I don't recall if I learned anything.
I, too, have been impressed with kids who play with simulator programs-by their knowledge
of terminology. However, those who
fly model airplanes know even more
about flying: They know the control
inputs it takes for some very sophisticated aerobatics, without ever having
flown in a real airplane.
No fair throwing in a practice
simulator for the Garmin GTN 750.
That's avionics, and this is about flyALTON K. MARSH
ing. Avionics simulators are just one
of the training tools required to learn
programs that are more about the software engineer showing off.
I have flown a Boeing 777 simulator at United Airlines in
Denver. It was great, but I've never seen one of those simulators
go legs-up inverted. Guess what the real airplane can do? That's
right, go inverted. You have double pressure-performing for an
instructor or examiner, and keeping a "real thing" airplane upright
and on course.
If you want to concentrate on procedures, then a procedures
trainer is just the thing. But it doesn't need to move or simulate
flight. A realistic cockpit with instruments in the right places is
all you need.
I know of two flight schools nearby that have simulators, but
many do not because of the cost. So most pilots do not have the
option to jump in a sim on a rainy day.
I do agree that pre-flying with Google Earth-style terrain is great
prep for flying unfamiliar routes, especially in areas with multiple
airports in a small area. I'll concede that simulators are less expensive, but affordable depends on the finances of the individual.
A simulator with spongy controls, that has fake switches on
a screen or looks like nothing ever seen in an airplane, that has

Continued on page 95

94 | AOPA PILOT February 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2017