Flight Simulators Offer Big Benefits to Students

One of the best investments in pilot training is the use of a flight simulator. Blue Line’s Redbird FMX full-motion simulator prepares students for the realities and unexpected outcomes they are likely to face while flying a plane. It’s critical to hone skill through knowledge and development in a plane but having the ability to encounter challenging situations within the safety net of a simulator is beneficial. Before becoming a pilot, students spend several hours in the simulator preparing for real-time flights. 

Why does a flight simulator offer benefits? What can it do to enhance a student’s abilities in the sky? There are numerous potential benefits of incorporating them.

It’s More Affordable Than Real Flight

One of the core reasons a simulator is a main component of pilot training is that it is more affordable than spending time in the air. Fuel, maintenance, insurance, and flight instructor fees and costs start to add up when you fly in an actual airplane. For those first few experiences, then, it makes sense to train in a simulator.

Safest Way to Learn

Of course, there are risks in the air. In a simulator, those risks are far fewer. Simulators give students the chance to learn and experiment with aircraft controls and flight methods from the safety of the ground. There are numerous steps to learn and maneuvers to practice. Doing that on the ground alleviates many risks.

Improve Navigational Abilities

One of the ways students benefit from simulators is simply for practice. They can get into the simulator and learn, gain confidence, and test out their navigational abilities. If that first solo is coming up, getting in the simulator to practice complete routes ahead of time can be an important strategy to improve your abilities.

Build Memories

Muscle memory is an essential tool for most people, whether on the road or in the air. In a simulated flight, students learn what to do and what not to do. If something goes wrong, such as a botched maneuver, miscommunication with air traffic control (ATC), or incorrect coordinate input, for example, it’s okay. It’s possible to reset the route in the simulator and start over without any dire consequences. Doing the right thing over and over again helps build muscle memory to ensure these mistakes don’t happen in the air.

Master Weather Problems

The simulator is designed to recreate any type of weather over any kind of terrain. This enables students to practice the necessary techniques for mastering any condition. It doesn’t matter if it is rain, wind, ice, or snow. These are all risks most pilots will face at some point. Practicing what to do in a controlled environment provides skill building with a safety net.

Improve Proficiency

Practice makes perfect. For those pilots who may not have flown for some time or those who simply want more exercises to keep their skills fresh, simulators make that possible. Flight simulators provide an affordable way to keep skills sharp so that you’re always safe in the sky. Like any other skill, the more someone engages in flying, the more likely they are to improve their skills and keep themselves ready for the real thing.

Radio Skills

One of the lesser realized benefits of using a flight simulator is improving radio skills. Instructors can create realistic situations involving ATC in the midst of simulator training. This allows students to implement proper radio communication during each phase of flight. Improving these skills is valuable and often underestimated initially. Yet, radio communication is a core tool for remaining safe in the skies.

Prepare for Emergencies

Simulators give students the skills to manage emergencies with more proficiency and success. Plenty of risks can occur in a plane. Aircraft failures, such as encounters with icing or engine failures, can be life-threatening in real life. These can be recreated in a safe environment of a flight simulator. That, again, allows students to gain fundamental skills to use when something goes wrong in the plane.

Beyond all of this, flight simulators help students gain confidence. They learn what to do and how to react in various situations. From a student that’s brand new to one going up for licensing exams, simulators are valuable tools hard to ignore.

Our full-motion simulator can be modified to replicate any aircraft students might train in and provides a realistic training environment to deepen our students’ expertise.