Increasingly, simulators are the way pilots learn to fly, even at the local flight school. The perennial chicken-egg argument is do you need a motion-base simulator or will a fixed sim do? If you want the former, a company called Runway One (rwy.one) can fix you up. In the AVweb video, Chris Eger explains how it works.
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My only experience with simulators is Link Trainer about 50 years ago. 5×30 minute sessions + some flights in Blanik under the hood and I got my glider IFR-glider rating. The simulator swayed with compressed air and, in my opinion, gave me good preparation for real flying. The program included e.g. looped square patterns and surprisingly good ones eventually emerged. I wish I could try LT one more time again sometime. Otherwise, I think that a basic instrument flight in the clouds with a glider was a lot of fun.
Modern electrical and hydraulic actuators can be tuned through the software to duplicate the feel of actual flight.
Yes, advancements have been made and we have better technology after 50 years.
I too “flew” the Link (Hissbox) back in the 60’s as a yearly requirement for new flight engineer’s, boring, but it gave us a chance to practice our instrument scans with holding patterns and non precision approaches. Near the end of my career, I became a fully qualified B777 captain via simulator only, I had never seen an actual B777! I have to say, it was a great experience, the sim flew just like the airplane, and was a LOT safer considering the number of training accidents from that period.
Looks fun but the website leaves something to be desired.
Just give me a ballpark figure for each level, don’t force me to engage in an email tango with your sales person giving me the hard sell.
I have four airline type ratings. Level D simulators weren’t available for my first two type ratings so it was a combination of a fixed simulator and airplane time. The rating ride had to be in the airplane.
Fast forward 15 years. My last two type ratings were in Level D simulators, which added motion and much better visuals. To me, the motion is of dubious value, but the vastly improved visuals made the simulator far more useful than the old version.