image: Redbird
Pilots now can log more simulator time toward an instrument rating, under a new rule published by the FAA on Wednesday. A rule issued in 2009 had placed a 10-hour limit on the training devices, but the FAA said since technology has advanced and simulators are more realistic, pilots now can log up to 20 hours in an approved advanced aviation training device. The 10-hour limit will still apply for the use of basic devices.The rule will take effect in 45 days, unless the FAA receives “adverse comments” that would require a reconsideration, but the FAA said it doesn’t expect any.
After the 2009 rule, the FAA says it issued hundreds of Letters of Authorization to manufacturers that enabled flight schools to exceed the limit, but in January, the FAA instituted a new policy stating that LOAs couldn’t be used to “exceed express limitations that had been placed in the regulations through notice and comment rulemaking.” In the new rule, the FAA wrote that permitting increased time in ATDs “will encourage pilots to practice maneuvers until they are performed to an acceptable level of proficiency.” In an ATD, a pilot can replay the training scenario, identify any improper action, and determine corrective actions without undue hazard or risk to persons or property. This kind of practice has proven to be a “safe, effective, and cost-efficient means of maintaining proficiency,” the FAA said.
