On His Wings Flight Academy trains private pilots who want Instrument Flight Rating Certification. Please enjoy this collection of articles we’ve found to be helpful and informative.

Simulator VS Aircraft Training
By Dennis Conn,  ATP, CFI, CFII, CFIME
 
Training in a Simulator, or more correctly called a Flight Training device (FTD), is better than simulated training in the airplane, especially early in the training, for the following reasons;
 
The airplane is a dangerous class room.  The high number of accidents with small aircraft during student and instructor training in the airplane are unacceptable.  Some of the reasons for this is that the instructor has to perform to a much higher level of awareness that if he/she were flying the aircraft him or herself. The instructor has an added burden of teaching and correcting the actions of an inexperience pilot at a time when his/her demand for attention to complex IFR situations are at an all time high.  The CFII has to watch that the student stays on course and at altitude within the parameters of Practical test standard (PTS) requirements at all times.  They must follow the controller’s instructions in a timely manner.  The student has a hood on so the instructor also has the sole responsibility of being vigilant of other aircraft, birds and other ground obstacles as the approach nears the ground.  The instructor is further burdened by having to correct transmissions to appropriate communication frequencies because the student may not have completely mastered that skill but still needs to also learn that skill by performing it.

The airplane is an intimidating class room.   In the early stages of instrument training there are misconceptions and misunderstandings about how the instrument flight thought patterns work.  The student, unfamiliar with the instruments, has not developed an instrument scan habit yet.  These affect reactions to stimulus that the immediacy of flying in the airplane will make it harder for an inexperienced pilot to choose the correct action.  Previously learned incorrect habits are hard to change in that setting.  In the FTD the student and the instructor are in an atmosphere where the student is relaxed and is in a comfortable setting so the instructions are more readily absorbed.  The student or instructor can “freeze the FTD” when the maneuver is not clearly understood. There is never a rushed feeling so the student progresses at an accelerated learning rate.

The Coffee and the restrooms are closed during the FTD training and the fellowship that occurs during this phase of training forms a relationship of trust between the instructor and student that are most important when the aircraft portion of the training begins.

If you learn from a CFII who has learned how to properly prepare an instrument student in the FTD, your instrument training will be more productive and enjoyable during the aircraft instruction time.

When it’s time to progress to the aircraft training, safety will be greatly enhanced. After all that is why you want your instrument rating!