Simulator Training

Simulators and Training Devices: An Overview

Jim Clutter — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:51:00 GMT

Edwin Link patented the first simulator in 1929, and at the time they were used to train military and mail carrier pilots about the intricacies of instrument flying. Today there are a plethora of choices for both professional and GA (General Aviation) pilots.

Simulator

As defined by the FAA as full size replicas of a specific type or make, model and series of aircraft flight decks. They offer at least 3 degrees of motion, ground and flight modes, full visual systems, and more. These are typically found at Flight Safety, Simcom, and others like corporate aviation and the airlines.

Training Devices (TD)

Typically scaled to GA and none require motion
Ground Training Devices/Flight Training Devices (GTD/FTD)
Duplicate maneuvers/procedures
Airman currency
Competency checks
A portion of the practical test—instrument

Personal Computer-based Aviation Training Device (PCATD)

Have realistic controls—no keyboard or mouse (throttle/yoke, etc)
Local database accuracy
Fly like the airplane or helicopter (max .3sec from control input to response)
Instrument failure and complete procedures modes required
No need to replicate control forces
All instrument maneuvers required and no screen delays
Training only—no testing

Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD)

AC 61-136 (7/2008) grandfathered other FTD’s and PCAD’s and created 2 new categories
No essential differences between earlier devices and the BATD
However, being newer:
- They can offer round dials and glass (PFD) options
- Must support LNAV GPS approaches
- Can perform an IPC per 61.57(1)

Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD)

All the above included with BATD, PLUS:
Glass/digital panel required
GPS Navigator capability including WAAS
3 axis autopilot and Flight Director
Day and Night VFR/IFR
Automated ATC
Programmed scenario capability
Adjustable cockpit seating
Rudder pedals

Time Toward Ratings:

BATD

IPC with an instructor—no circle to land
Up to 10 hours toward Instrument Rating flight instruction time under 61.65(e)(2) 61.65 (h)(3)
Up to 2.5 hours under 61.109(k)(1) Introduction to Operation of Flight Instruments
Recency of experience 61.57(c)(1)

AATD

All approved BATD uses above, PLUS:
Portion of Instrument Rating Practical Test in accordance with FAA S-8081-4E
Up to 2.5 hours toward Private Pilot Rating
Up to 50 hours of a Commercial Pilot Certificate
Portion of the Commercial Pilot Practical Test per the PTS
Up to 25 hours toward an Airline Transport Pilot Rating
Part 141 as limited by any applicable appendices or special curriculum under part 141.57

SimTrain is proud to offer the most advanced and capable of the Training Devices mentioned above—the ADVANCED Aviation Training Device WITH FULL MOTION. With our 5+ years of operational and training system experience, our full suite of training programs, our robust and advanced instructor and client training tools within the Instructor Operating Station (IOS), our select, skilled and dedicated group of instructors, and our passion for quality training, we are anxious to help you be a more capable and safe pilot.

Don’t settle for anything less or place unnecessary limitations OR unrealistic flight decks that force fit your training. Call your closest SimTrain contact today and let us show you how to Train Like the Professionals.

Cliff Izer

Master Certified Flight Instructor, CFII, MEI, AGI, ATP
FAA Safety Team and Gold Seal Instructor
CIRRUS Standardized Program Instructor
SimTrain, Chief Instructor

Pilot Deviation Safety Tip

Jim Clutter — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:22:00 GMT

This post is derived from a recent FAA Safety Briefing.

Some confusion exists as to what a pilot is supposed to do when a “Cleared as Filed” clearance is issued by ATC from an airport, but no Departure Procedure (DP) is assigned in the clearance. ATC at some airports may not issue a Departure Procedure as part of the clearance.

However, the pilot is expected to determine a way to safely depart the airport and join the enroute structure defined in the ATC clearance (or flight plan if “cleared as filed”). One way to accomplish this—and normally the safest way in IMC—is to fly the appropriate published Departure Procedure. If a textual DP has been established for the airport, it will be found in the front of the U.S. Terminal Procedures Publication under TAKE-OFF MINIMUMS AND (OBSTACLE) DEPARTURE PROCEDURES. (Digital procedures are available here.)

If there is more than one Departure Procedure, the pilot should fly the one most appropriate to the route of flight. Absent specific departure instructions from ATC, the pilot may also elect to “climb on course,” but only if he/she has determined that adequate terrain and/or obstruction clearance can be maintained until reaching the minimum IFR altitude (MIA), or minimum enroute altitude (MEA).

Weather conditions permitting, a pilot may request a “VFR climb” for the initial portion of the flight. While this will often expedite your departure clearance, note that this provision applies only to the vertical aspect of the ATC IFR clearance. The pilot is expected to follow the ground track as assigned, overflying the fixes or airways stated in the clearance. A “VFR climb” is not permission to deviate from the cleared route.

As part of your IFR preflight planning always familiarize yourself with the airport written and graphic departure procedures. You may not always be assigned one by ATC but you are expected to determine a safe departure method—a published DP is one way to accomplish that.

Following a published DP is also appropriate if you depart VFR expecting to pick up an IFR clearance en route, especially at night when terrain features, such as mountains, are not clearly visible—just remember to stay VFR until you have your IFR clearance.

Practicing Departure Procedures as part of a simulator session is an excellent way to prepare yourself for a flight from an airport that your are unfamiliar with or one that has terrain or obstacle obstructions. In addition, making a habit of reviewing the DPs pertaining to your departing airport may just inform you that one or more runways are not even authorized for IFR departures because of the immediacy of obstacles. (RE: KFRR SR22 departure accident in 2003)

Fly safe!

Jim Clutter

Simulator Test Pilot

Do You Know How To Do This? A Top 5 List of Items to Work on in the Sim

Jim Clutter — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:34:00 GMT

As an ongoing series of blog posts revolving around the simulator, I thought that I would discuss some common flight scenarios and how the simulator can help prepare you should you encounter these scenarios in the “real world.” From an instructor’s perspective, these are some of the most commonly misunderstood—or too-little practiced—tasks that can be demanded of you in flight.

1) Activating and Intercepting a Leg

Do you understand the difference between going direct to a fix and intercepting a leg between two fixes? The Garmin 430's provide a great tool for being able to intercept and track airways without ever having to leave GPS-based navigation. I find that a strikingly large number of instrument rated students that come to the simulator have no idea how to do this. The typical scenario that confuses students would be an instance when immediately after departure, they are told to fly a heading to intercept an airway, then proceed on course. If you are uncomfortable with this, give us a call!

2) Obstacle Departure Procedures

Do you remember what obstacle departure procedures are, why they exist, when and how you should use them? What about where they are published? Keep this in mind—instrument flying is all about connecting the dots. You need to be sure that wherever you may fly, you are always aware that you are in a three-dimensional position that is safe. What if you are taking off from an airport at night with the tower closed? How do you safely get from the ground to a minimum IFR altitude that is safe where ATC can take over? Do you know what is expected of you if there is no published procedure?

3) Hoping vs. Knowing

If you ever find yourself pushing buttons and hoping that the aircraft starts to do the right thing rather than knowing what it should do and then confirming the outcome, you definitely need to come in for some training. Understanding the automation in the aircraft—and especially its limitations—is a MUST for a Cirrus owner. I can think of several accidents offhand that I blame on failing to adequately understand this aspect of the aircraft’s systems. If I ever hear an owner say “Why do I need to know that? The plane will do it for me” then it’s time to sit down and have a little chat.

4) The Electrical System

On the most basic level, you need to be able to understand which alternator is more important and why. If you are a competent instrument pilot, your level of knowledge should extend much further. What are the consequences of an ALT1 failure versus an ALT2 failure? How can we definitely confirm that the alternator has failed versus a likely false indication from the MCU? How long do we have before a battery starts to fail, and what would we lose? The answers to those questions and more should be well understood by anyone who flies in instrument conditions.

5) Standardized Procedures and Checklist Usage

There is a reason why airlines and corporate aviation have standardized flows, checklists and procedures—they work, and they significantly enhance safety. For example, if you run the descent checklist at the top of your first descent EVERY flight, you are much less likely to forget it, hence much less likely to fail to notice a brake failure before you land and put yourself in danger. Procedures should be derived from the Cirrus Flight Operations Manual and Airplane Flight Manual for your aircraft.

If you feel you need work in any of these areas, I hope you won’t hesitate to give us, your local CSIP, or your local CTC a call in the near future. You made a big investment in a great plane; please make just as valuable an investment in your safety and education in the aircraft.

Joe Davis

Vice President
P&C Aviation
678-642-9016
www.PandCaviation.com
Joe.Davis@EarthLink.net

More Thoughts on the Advantages of Simulator Training

Jim Clutter — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:32:00 GMT

As a retired airline pilot and current CSIP, I find SimTrain’s full motion SR20/22 simulator to be a unique and indispensable training tool which takes general aviation flight training to another level.

Training scenarios such as windsheer during an instrument approach and loss of the airport environment during a circling approach enable Cirrus owners and pilots to hone their piloting skills in a safe and user-friendly environment. Additionally the simulator’s ability to create system abnormalities—such as an alternator failure or a fuel leak—expose the owner/pilot time to Single Pilot Resource Management tasks that just can’t be performed safely in your airplane. And the opportunity to execute a “real” CAPS deployment is invaluable.

Another great feature of simulator training is the ability of two pilots to buddy up, whereby each one sits in the right seat and observes the training of his or her peer—reinforcing and doubling the training time without doubling the cost.

Bill Wirth, CSIP

P&C Aviation
Atlanta, GA
678-488-7505

CAPS ADM Defined

Jim Clutter — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:50:00 GMT

Recently an off-airport fatal accident happened in Morton, WA when the engine lost power during cruise. Another incident occurred not long ago in Buttonville, Ontario during which loss of engine power on departure caused the pilot to attempt a return to the airport.

If your airplane loses power, you’re “lucky” if it’s a due to a fouled plug, bad mag, or even a dead cylinder that after rotation could easily be managed for a return to the airport. But what if after a moment you realize that you are not developing full power? What criteria do you have NOW so that you’ll know when—or whether—to pull the CAPS?

When pilots are practicing in the simulator and the engine loses power, I have noticed that they consistently dither about the decision of whether or not to pull the CAPS. Since emergency situations can vary widely, there are no rules set in stone on when to deploy the parachute. However, since even the preliminary thought process is left to the pilots, I see most pilots deferring this decision until they actually need it. Again and again pilots practicing in the simulator wrestle with the decision during an simulated emergent situation, by which time it’s clearly too late.

We at The Flight Academy teach that a pilot should consider two altitudes at take-off:

1) 500 feet above ground level
2) 2,000 feet above ground level

These two altitudes define three regions:

1) Below 500' — No CAPS (NC)
Land straight ahead or nearly so and maintain a safe airspeed above stall until the flare.

2) 500'–2,000' — CAPS Now (CN)
Do NOT troubleshoot an emergency. Deploy the CAPS fast!

3) Above 2,000 — Consider CAPS (CC)
Consideration of CAPS should be incorporated into EVERY emergency checklist.

During the departure briefing, I have found that it helps pilots to actually write down the corresponding altimeter altitudes. For example, at an airport with a 400' elevation:

NC: Up to 900'
CN: 900'–2,400'
CC: 2,400' and higher

A pilot can disagree with the numbers and substitute their own if they have a good basis for doing so, but they should always keep the NC / CN / CC framework. If these numbers & regions are fresh in a pilot’s mind at take-off, the likelihood of their surviving an engine failure is demonstrably greater. During an after-take-off emergency, one of your first reactions should be to look at the altimeter. Then you can determine which region you are in and move forward from there.

The full motion flight simulator is a great place to practice these scenarios and ingrain the NC / CN / CC framework into your memory. While flying in the simulator, you can face emergency situations that you could never safely practice in-flight. You can also experience what it’s like to pull the CAPS. By repetitively being placed into potential CAPS pull scenarios in the simulator you develop the “muscle memory” to act accordingly if you ever find yourself with a real CAPS emergency.

Fly Safe!

Mike Radomsky

CFI CFII CSIP
COPA President Emeritus

The Season Has Changed

Jim Clutter — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:11:00 GMT

Although the winter season and subsequent threat of icing for pilots are behind us, another familiar seasonal nemesis is upon us. Can you guess what it might be?

I am referring to fog. Silent and sometimes impossible to predict, this weather phenomenon does not always follow the rules. For example, thunderstorms can be predicted reasonably well today and with all the weather aids aboard a Cirrus, it would be unforgivable to put yourself even close to that risk while flying. That is not always true of fog. As you well know, predicting fog (appearance and duration) is very unscientific and even weather models can be, and often are, wrong.

Fog is defined essentially as a cloud either touching the ground or within 50 feet of the ground. Clouds are formed of liquid water drops or condensation resulting from a parcel of air that was either holding a large amount of water vapor and then cooled, or cooled air to which moisture was added. The effect on visibility depends of course on the amount of moisture the air contains or size of the water drops.

Image: Wikipedia, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

If that isn’t enough, another consideration is slant range (what you can see looking forward and downward) compared to the fixed horizontal visual range as reported by the ground weather station. They are seldom the same. What this all means is that fog, or any phenomenon that limits or obstructs visibility near the ground, is one of the most daunting problems a pilot will face. Some will have acceptable conditions including vertical visibility right up to the point where everything disappears and a quick decision must be made. Others have the runway in sight and cancel IFR and fly right back into hard IMC again. Looking at accident reports, far too many pilots continue their approach when this ugly and sometimes unpredictable nemesis raises its head.

So, what can you do?

For VFR when conditions support the formation of fog:

If you are a VFR only pilot: do not fly until you are sure take off, en-route, and arrival conditions do not support the development of fog in any form including mountain obscuration. Be sure to check PIREPS before leaving.

For IFR when conditions support the formation of fog:

Ensure that you spend adequate time in your pre-flight planning and weather analysis. If you are not sure how to use the available weather information to help you, call FSS and ask for their interpretation or engage your instructor/mentor if anything raises suspicion BEFORE YOU GO.
Get condition updates throughout the flight using on-board information and Flight Watch 122.0.
Listen to ATC communications with other aircraft. This will sometimes give you a hint or information that has not hit the airport weather data links yet. This is especially true if you are following an aircraft on approach. When switched to the tower frequency ask where the last aircraft broke out. If it is below your personal minimums, immediately plan for a missed approach; do not descend further. Once stabilized and climbing, request vectors to your alternate and get busy preparing.
Practice in a Flight Training Device such as the full motion FTD’s at SimTrain. This is the right place to prepare for when conditions worsen as you are able to weigh your options, practice procedures, pause the scenario for learning, and debrief in a less stressful environment.

Don’t get caught unprepared. Know the conditions and be prepared if they change.

Cliff Izer

Master Certified Flight Instructor, CFII, MEI, AGI, ATP
FAA Safety Team and Gold Seal Instructor
CIRRUS Standardized Program Instructor
SimTrain, Chief Instructor

A-B-C Your Way to a Successful Instrument Approach

Jim Clutter — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:49:00 GMT

IFR rated pilots use numerous acronyms, phrases and checklists to remind themselves to gather all the necessary information to properly set up and fly an instrument approach. You may recall the W-I-R-E check. After years of using various “reminders”, I offer the one I like best and always use.

A-B-C…what could be easier to remember? This is how it could apply to an ILS approach.

A is for ATIS. We get the ATIS information before descent, and thus we know the weather, the active runway, and the ILS approach we plan to fly.

B is for BRIEF the approach. I recommend you always brief the approach details out loud to your flying partner or yourself. The approach chart contains lots of information. There are seven items I recommend you check, and verify, and insure are properly displayed where applicable.

The chart …insure it is current, and is the approach you intend to fly.
The localizer frequency.
The final approach course.
The on glideslope altitude at the final approach fix. Determine when you are at the FAF, and verify you are at the proper altitude. This check insures the correct GS and altimeter setting.
The minimums for the approach.
The exact lighting configuration of the intended landing runway. This provides additional insurance you will land where you intend.
The missed approach procedure including the final level off altitude.

C is for CHECKLIST. Insure you complete the descent and before landing checklists in accordance with your POH.

You may simulate flying a few instrument approaches using A-B-C, and discover you like this simple “reminder” as much as I do.

A great way to really perfect your instrument approach procedures is to practice them in the full motion, full visual SimTrain SR-2X simulator. You get to choose the weather, the airport, and the approach, and you can work with a helpful ATC “controller” who really knows your Cirrus aircraft.

Hugh Gommel

ATP, CSI
Simulator Instructor
The Flight Academy
Las Vegas (KVGT)
hegommel@cox.net
702-809-9515

Images: A, B, and C from Flickr Creative Commons.

Chute Happens... (or does it?)

Jim Clutter — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:02:00 GMT

I thought I would post a blog entry about my observations on the use of the parachute in the simulator. I also have a regular client who has experienced a real life chute pull that has offered some great insight comparing the experience in the simulator that his real-life scare.

Pulling the chute is usually at the top of the wish list for clients coming to the simulator, as well it should be. We typically have a lively discussion prior to entering the sim, even more so recently as I have had both a doctor (orthopedic surgeon) and engineer dissect various aspects of the decision to pull the chute. Here are some of the things I’ve noticed and some opinions as to how to make better decisions regarding a chute pull.

First, a disturbingly high percentage of students seem to forget about the chute (maybe 20–25%) being an option and fight an out of control aircraft from altitude all the way until impact. While there is no way to know for sure, I can’t help but think that in a few accidents, the chute was forgotten under the pressure of the moment. Thus, here is my first recommendation: incorporate the parachute into all of the applicable briefings as well as all of your flight training. Each takeoff should include a briefing (to your copilot, partner, or to yourself) on what the procedure for an engine failure will be at each phase of the takeoff, and at what altitude you will use the chute vs making a straight-ahead landing. This “parachute decision” altitude will vary based on factors such as runway length, surrounding terrain, and your departure profile, but by simply including it in your briefing you remind yourself one more time that it’s an option. One additional tip (something that I do) is to physically reach up and touch the chute handle and say (out loud or to yourself mentally) “chute armed” at the appropriate altitude (I tend to do it immediately after raising my flaps going through about 300–400ft agl).

Second, after a chute pull many students tend to sit back and enjoy the ride (so to speak) instead of using the time under the chute to run the appropriate checklist and do everything they can to prepare themselves for the impact. There are nine checklist items to complete after the chute is deployed, and several common-sense things you can do to aid in survival and search-and-rescue when on the ground. These are definitely worth practicing, and include shutting down sources of fuel and ignition to the engine, activating the ELT, and preparing passengers and the cabin for touchdown. As the orthopedist commented, your body position on landing can make a huge impact on the severity of any injuries. Cirrus recommends that you sit straight with your back pressed against the seat, head firmly against the headrest, and hands across your chest (if you don’t have airbags) or folded in your lap (if you do). Here are a few things that a crew did when under the chute in real life:

They ran the checklist (but left batteries on until near the ground for communication).
They gave exact positions using the position page in the nav group (typically nav page 5 or 6).
They visually oriented themselves to the nearest road and town so they would know which way to walk, if necessary. This allowed one of the passengers to walk straight to a country road, where he was promptly met by a local volunteer firefighter, who asked “have you seen a plane crash around here?”

Finally, it is quite worthwhile to have a thorough discussion with your instructor or fellow Cirrus pilots about all facets of parachute use. It’s much better to spend time on the ground discussing deployment altitudes, scenarios, door considerations, etc than to be making those decisions under pressure up in the air. This way, you can arm yourself with as much information as possible in order to make good decisions.

I hope that none of you ever encounter a situation where the chute must be deployed, but be prepared in case you do.

Joe Davis

Vice President
P&C Aviation
Joe.Davis@EarthLink.net

Aeronautical Decision Making…. Under Pressure

Jim Clutter — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:32:00 GMT

It is one thing to lead a student through an intellectual discussion on Aeronautical Decision Making, but entirely another for that same student to put those principles to use under pressure in the real world. One of my core philosophies about aviation safety is that a single good decision can make up for a number of technical mistakes and be the key to breaking an accident chain.

Let’s look at instrument approaches flown in actual IMC as an example. There are any number of events, whether in the control of the pilot or not, that can negatively impact safety at this critical phase of flight. The number of examples is nearly infinite—maybe a programming mistake is made, or ATC provides a poor intercept, or weather worsens—the list goes on and on. The bottom line, however, is that for nearly every factor which increases risk, there is a good decision that we can make to mitigate it.

Here are a few cases in point:

A pilot is conducting an ILS approach. All looks well until he realizes that he has passed the outer marker without intercepting the glide slope. Frantically, he looks around and realizes that he left the autopilot in GPSS mode. He hits the APR button, which seems to arm, but the plane doesn’t descend. Now he’s more than a mile and a half past the marker, too high, and ATC just told him to contact the tower. What would a good decision be in this case?
A pilot is set up for a GPS 27 approach at PDK, and he can tell that the controllers are very busy. He’s only 10 miles from the field when ATC reports that a new ATIS is now up, and that the ILS 20L approach is now is use. As the pilot starts to pull up the new plate on the CMAX, he is instructed to turn left, intercept the localizer, and maintain best forward speed. What could be done in this circumstance?

One of the best benefits of training at the SimTrain facility is that the student can be placed in real world scenarios which force real world decisions. The positives and negatives of each choice are no longer discussed in abstract, but are experienced first hand, providing immediate feedback and valuable experience.

We hope you’ll come see us—we are always more than happy to provide terrible vectors, bad weather, and equipment failures galore. More importantly, we hope to provide you a sense of empowerment in the cockpit—that you are always capable of making that one great decision that can save your life.

Joe Davis

Chief Pilot
P&C Aviation
www.PandCAviation.com
(877) 588-2664

"Real" Emergencies

Jim Clutter — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:44:00 GMT

Many pilots with whom I talk about emergencies have thought quite a bit about how they would handle this or that situation. This is an excellent practice as any good pilot should do, but I have noticed something of a disconnect between words and actions. Occasionally, I even find areas which a pilot has not seriously considered. In that case, the normal answer to my “What would you do if…” question gets a lot of “ah, well… I’d probably…” lead-ins. This tells me the pilot really hasn’t considered such a situation at all.

Sometimes it’s difficult for an instructor to accurately describe the mental situation of a pilot in an emergency situation. It’s even harder for us to make it as real as we wish we could because that would often mean letting things get so far out of hand that they really would become dangerous (particularly in the case of an unprepared or inexperienced pilot). This is one of the things that I love about the simulator: We’re able to pull out the safety stops, remove the instructor cues that are always present (you know something’s coming when we get quiet, right?), and let the situation progress to its natural conclusion. Pilots often discover things about themselves and their flying in such a situation that nothing less than that very experience could deliver.

Two of the things that I’ve noted, in particular, are in the category of those short reaction time type emergencies. The first involves the CAPS: people will fail to pull it in a situation that would it seem like an obvious conclusion to an outside observer. I have watched at least half of my simulator participants take a situation all the way to the ground with a questionable impact where they had ample time, to the tune of a couple minutes, to decide the parachute was a better option. Most of those pilots will tell me after that they recognize the parachute would have been the best choice and are a little unsure about why they didn’t do it.

The second situation I like to put people into is the dreaded tail stall scenario. This is one of those occasions where a pilot really needs to be looking for it to happen or to have experienced it once to react in time. My main reason for demoing this very dramatic emergency is to convince people that they shouldn’t ever try to fly in conditions that could lead to such a thing. On average, it takes all of six seconds for the airspeed to go past the red line from a normal cruise setup. A climbing aircraft has a bit more time, maybe 10 seconds, but it’s still so close that the aircraft will surely exceed Vpd in virtually no time at all.

Neither of these could be done in a real airplane, of course, and thus the sim proves useful. I could write pages upon pages of scenarios, emergencies, and conditions that can only be done in the sim but we don’t have much room for that. Instead, I’d invite people to come visit one of our simulators and spend a day or three learning some of the most valuable skills that we’d all hope you’ll never use for real.

Safe flying,

John Fiscus

Chief Pilot, The Flight Academy
www.theflightacademy.com
(877) 588-2664

Cram, Climb, Clean, Communicate, Push, Push… Flying That Missed Approach

Jim Clutter — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:11:00 GMT

Flying a missed approach can be a real challenge. Especially when we so rarely get the opportunity to do so. I am a big fan of using a simple reminder to insure we get all the important steps accomplished in a timely manner. We should ALWAYS be prepared to execute a missed approach because there are a number of reasons we may be unable to land.

When we execute a missed approach, we start by disconnecting the auto-pilot if engaged. Then it is time to immediately CRAM in full power, CLIMB by setting and holding the proper pitch attutude, CLEAN up the aircraft by retracting the landing gear (if applicable), and the flaps, COMMUNICATE with the tower that we are executing a missed approach, PUSHing the OBS button to unsuspend the GPS, thereby allowing sequencing for the published missed approach procedure, and PUSHing the CDI button if required to insure we are in the GPS navigation mode. With a little planning we could also have the auto-pilot set up so when engaged (perhaps shortly after the cram, climb, clean, communicate, push, push), it could be used to assist in flying the published missed approach procedure.

Flying a safe, orderly missed approach procedure can be repeatedly practiced in the SimTrain simulator. The simulator affords a great opportunity to practice all your instrument and emergency procedures in the weather conditions you desire with a helpful ATC “controller.” And the simulator data base allows you to fly from any airport, and fly any departures, arrivals, and approaches you want. AND the simulator will freeze in the air any time you desire a review of the proper procedures, or “buttonology.”

Hugh Gommel

ATP
Simulator Instructor
The Flight Academy
Las Vegas, NV

Holds

Jim Clutter — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:40:00 GMT

During advanced instruction and in particular, CPPP sessions, there seems to be considerable confusion among pilots regarding holds/holding procedures. Although many pilots understand the need to comply with ATC for published and unpublished holds and the need to be prepared for executing published Missed Approaches, most pilots seldom or never actually do them.

Last week on a corporate flight I overheard ATC giving a Cirrus pilot an unpublished hold in actual conditions as he was first in a string of planes landing at a busy Class C airport where a disabled aircraft was on the runway. It must have been very unsettling as the Cirrus pilot was not ready to copy the clearance nor was he prepared in any way to execute the hold as evidenced by the subsequent communications. The result was time compression for ATC as he dealt with the obvious confusion of the pilot, confusion of the pilots following the Cirrus, and a potentially dangerous traffic sequencing problem for ATC.

I encourage pilots to:

Review holding procedures including situational awareness and hold entry
Know your aircraft holding configuration, slow down and save fuel while holding
Practice copying and reading back ATC holding instructions
Practice both unpublished and published holds on a basis that will ensure you are ready for it if it comes.

For many, including professional pilots, the most effective way to practice procedures like this is in a simulator where the simulator instructor has control and can simulate all of the hold situations a pilot could reasonably expect.

Cliff Izer

Master Certified Flight Instructor, CFII, MEI, AGI, ATP
FAA Safety Team and Gold Seal Instructor
CIRRUS Standardized Program Instructor
SimTrain, Chief Instructor

Welcome!

Jim Clutter — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:55:00 GMT

Welcome to the Simulator Training blog. With this service the cadre of SimTrain simulator instructors will hopefully educate, entertain and inform you of the myriad of benefits of simulator training and the advantages of incorporating it into your recurrent training.

A few of the benefits of simulator training include:

Allowing the pilot and instructor to focus on scenarios that simply should not be conducted in a flying aircraft. For example, a loss of an engine on takeoff requires the student to react quickly to control airspeed and avoid the temptation to make a steep turn back to the runway. This can be taught with complete safety in the simulator.
Providing the ability to identify a developing problem, stop its progress, provide instruction and remediate the situation.
Making your training more cost-effective per practice procedure than flying your own aircraft. A simulator instructor can have you fly twice as many procedures in the simulator per hour than is possible in your plane.
A quick and efficient method of instruction when time restrictions on the part of the student require it.
More effective training. A combination of aircraft and simulator training is more effective than training in the aircraft alone. A number of studies have verified that a combination approach results in a more proficient pilot in a shorter time than training based solely on in-aircraft flight instruction.

Fly safe!

Jim Clutter

Simulator Test Pilot