A study of more than 1,000 pilots and air traffic controllers conducted by the Flight Simulation Association (FSA) found that there are quantifiable benefits—specifically, savings of time and money—to using home flight simulation to supplement in-aircraft flight training.
Student pilots who practiced on their home flight simulators saved, on average, 5.5 hours of real aircraft flight time, which equates to about $1,000 when considering the cost of renting an aircraft and paying an instructor. Trained experts who act as virtual air traffic controllers, such as those who “control” aircraft via the PilotEdge and Vatsim platforms, found that this can pave the way to careers as controllers.
According to the FSA, “14 professional air traffic controllers who also have current or former experience within the home flight simulation community were asked to describe the impact it had on their careers. The results show that home flight simulation could be an undiscovered source of air traffic control recruitment—perhaps even training—that is likely being overlooked by regulators and civil aviation agencies.”
“For years, regulators and pilots have been focused on replacing flight hours with simulator time using complex, expensive certified training devices,” said Mike Catalfamo, CFI and founder of Flight Sim Coach, which offers remote training for simulator users. “But these results show that non-certified devices can significantly reduce flight hours and make training more affordable.”