In previous lives, Ray had owned a flight school, a charter company and flown Part 91 corporate. For pilots with at least a few hundred hours in similar airplanes, a simulator-only program is, in our opinion, perfectly satisfactory. Orlando is the companys main headquarters and training location. All rights reserved. Because RTCs sims are generic ones that dont attempt tofaithfully reproduce the systems of your aircraft, the RTC curriculum doesnt spend muchtime on aircraft-specific systems failures the way that FlightSafetys and Simcoms do.Instead, RTCs training places its major emphasis on pilot decision-making and dealingwith the ATC environment. Work on aviation training company Simcom International Corp.'s future Orlando headquarters is taking off. Its just different. A mechanic I trust once told me that its a good idea to take your aircraft to a different shop for the annual once in a while. Although full-motion sims have a lot of sex appeal, Im convinced that having motion isnot at all essential in terms of training value. You Tell Us, General Aviation Accident Bulletin, February 27, 2023, Top Letters And Comments, February 24, 2023, EAA To Host Webinar Event For Aspiring Aviators, National Museum Of The U.S. Air Force Celebrates 100 Years, PC-12 Medevac Broke Up, Five Killed (Updated), Regional Jet Aborts Landing To Avoid Departing Flight At Burbank, Pratt & Whitney Canada Passes One Billion Flight-Hour Milestone, AeroLEDs Introduces New Landing Light Series, MyGoFlights Head-Up Display Division Sold To Partner, AeroBrigham, Chris jotted down his first impressions of theexperience. For the Cessna 300/400 recurrent course, for example, you can purchase 3 VIP certificates for $2,000 each, 4 or 5 certificates for $1,900 each, or 6+ certificates for $1,800 each. OK Aviation Group has been a leader in flight training provision since 2006, receiving full EASA approval as an aviation training organization (ATO) in March of 2013. SimCom has expanded and evolved over the years. Plan on spending a bare minimum of $4000 for piston-twin upgrade training. 500 Type But Imabsolutely convinced that its well worth the cost. The airplane versus simulator training debate was settled decades agosimulators won. While thought of as primarily catering to the professional pilot world, it aggressively markets to owner pilots, especially for smaller jets such as the Cessna CJ series and the HondaJet. $8,000, Pacific 206-878-7271, 9550 Parksouth Court, Suite 100 In e-mail discussions I was impressed with the approach that Aircraft Simulator Training took, but we just couldnt get the schedule to work. Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a flight review through the FAA Wings Program. The list goes on. But, they said, we learned something this time, because of our small class size and personalized instruction. Ferris State University Online Application. After introductions and the obligatory war stories, training began with a systems-focused test to see how much I knewor didnt. Why Is Area Forecast Discussion Important for Preflight Planning? Nevertheless, we recognize that in-airplane training is valuable. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide controlled consent over which cookies are allowed. Destinations outside of this boundary run an additional $1.25 per mile. I found that SimComoffers the same sort of professional-caliber sim training as FlightSafety, but with a fewsignificant differences. You just cannot practice engine outs in the aircraft as you can in the sim. Frank Bowlin is a strong believer in simulator-based flight training. I recently learned of a facility Id not previously known. Belvoir Media Group, LLC. ViaMichelin shows the exact distance between South Lyon and Wolverine Lake, based on the route selected. Simcom is located in Orlando, Florida and has two visual-motion simulators, classrooms and a team of professional flight instructors located in Orlando, Florida. The company, which currently operates two learning centers in Orlando, is investing $109 million in a new headquarters and training facility and plans to create more than 50 new high wage jobs over the next two years. Plan on spending a bare minimum of $4000 for piston-twin upgrade training. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The system displays show what is going on as the pilot works through normal, abnormal and emergency operations of the various systems. the cheapest) may suggest quieter roads or avoiding . Finally, in-aircraft training tends to be a lot tougher on your aircraft than normaloperations. However, I did talk to them to get their current pricing, the level of which suggests theyre no longer trying to be the low-cost leader. Knowing what to do and when to do it thats the value of simulator training. Flying around the Statue of Liberty and then landing on the 700-foot-long Manhattan Heliport in a jet may sound silly to talk about, but when you do it and discover that you are getting to know the airplane well enough that you can pull it off, youll have made great strides to becoming one with your new flying machine. The value proposition for SimCom since the beginning, he says, was to give customers value, customized training, and a friendly atmosphere. 2113 South 48th Street, Suite 105 Simcom is located in Orlando, Florida and has two visual-motion simulators, classrooms and a team of professional flight instructors located in Orlando, Florida. (Classroom and Home Study), Mile High SimCom began with one facility in Orlando, Florida. In more and more cases, your underwriter maynot be willing to insure you at all unless you go through an approved recurrent trainingcourse on an annual basis. Rates for SimCom training span a fairly broad price range, since a Piper Seneca FTD costs significantly less than a Hawker 800 full-motion simulator, but daily course rates run between $620 and $2,200. Ive not yet hadthe opportunity to take this course. Myconclusion is that if cost and distance were no object, the best possible trainingstrategy might well be to rotate among the three firms in order to obtain the best thateach one has to offer. SimComs trainingalso included circling approaches under low-visibility conditions. Helicopter Company Scores are presented in relation to the national average of 100. Tucson, AZ Are COVID Vaccines Injuring Pilots? SimCom is focusing, once again, on general aviation training. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Orlando, Fla. - SIMCOM International, Inc. is expanding and building a new worldwide headquarters in Orlando. Nothing flies just quite like your aircraft. The physical faithfulness of the sim allowed us to nicely review various procedures, which was quite valuable. 2080 Phillips Lane As you get near the end of sim training, ask the instructor for her or his scenario. Every instructor who knows his or her airplane well has one. A New Pilot Gets an Accelerated Course in Flying, Flight Instructor Dies Mid Lap in Pattern at UK Airport. Ive personally flown a certified AATD simulating a Cessna 414 that would accelerate on an ILS with the power off. Its no wonder that those who pay more than $25,000 for Level D sim type-rating training consider the money to be well spent. Grand Prairie, TX Knowing how the systems work and how to troubleshoot them helps isolate problems for the A&P.. $1,995, Aeroservice Aviation Training Center PO Box 6692 RTCs founder and president John Killeen, a high-time piston twinpilot and working air traffic controller, makes the point that very few accidents arecaused by equipment failure, and that most mishaps result when the pilot makes poorin-flight decisions or forgets to do something important. 2056 Palomar Airport Road Program A What an eye-opener! 52 hours/week The quality of individual instructors was a constant refrain in our conversations with users as they related good and bad training experiences. Although the tuition was quite expensive, I rationalized that most of thecost would be offset by reduced aircraft insurance premiums and reduced wear and tear onmy airplane. 480-377-0222, B737-200 Abbreviated Aviation Services, Inc. Miami, FL In another particularly valuable scenario, the instructor simulatedan in-flight fire necessitating an off-airport landing on a freeway. But figure out your personal objectives before you go so you can share those with the instructor to make sure thats what you get. Hinson emphasized the importance of using simulators that were as close to replicating a customers aircraft as possible. Unfortunately, its the pilots who have never experienced such training (andunfortunately this includes the great majority of owner/pilots) who dont know whattheyve been missing. The reality is that just complying with the FARs will not be enough for your insurance companyit will require that you go through training at a program it approves, and most of those are simulator-based, something we applaud. For the three- to six-day upgrade courses for piston twins and turboprops, have read the POH and training materials at least once. Of course, sim time is a significant part of the course and thats where the hiccups started. To the extent practical, SIMCOM schedules its training on client demand. Initial Type Rating But, I checked with them and found a somewhat different attitude. Initial 520-918-7100, Lear Jet Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Cessna 300/400 training is also available at FSIsfacility in Long Beach, California. Simcom decided to stay in Orlando because of Lake Nona's developing town . The firm hosted a Dec. 8 groundbreaking ceremony on its 90,000-square-foot . Nevertheless, it is not a one size fits all affair. David also decided to offer customized training, with no more than two students in a class. Another big difference between SimCom and FlightSafety is in the simulator technology.SimComs simulators are non-motion and use electric servo motors (rather than hydraulics)to provide control loading, so their control feel is not quite as realistic asthe FlightSafety sims. My motivation was the usual one: insurance.Despite the fact that I had 180 hours in type, 4,000 hours total, and 23 years ofaccident-free flying behind me, I was having a heck of a time finding aircraft insuranceat reasonable rates. I always found their training to be excellent, but their focus seemed to be on jets and turboprops with an Oh, yeah, we also have some piston training if thats really what you want attitude that was disconcerting. SimCom also has obtained FAA approval for a Citation single-pilot course/type rating thats conducted entirely in one of the companys simulators. We got some unpleasant stories from users on the broken sim issue. Your insurance company will be ecstatic that you aredoing this sort of training, and will almost always express its ecstasy through reducedaircraft insurance premiums. My advice to prospective SIMCOM clients would be to ask about the sim youd use, ask its age and origin. For available course dates click on the links below. Tucson, AZ Long Beach, CA You startout by studying a printed weather briefing, reviewing the applicable approach and enroutecharts, and then climbing into the sim and flying the trip. Our experience and comments from aircraft owners and training facilities were consistent: If a pilot does not show up multi-engine and instrument current and comfortable and willing to single-mindedly work on the course, he or she will have difficulty completing the course in the basic time allotted. If a place's COL index is below 100, it's cheaper than the national average. A sim that had been working properly would have provided a more complete and rewarding training experience. Appearances aside, how does RTCs recurrent training compare with FlightSafety orSimcom? The content of this website (graphics, text and any and all other elements) is Copyright 2023 by Piper Aircraft, Inc., and may not be reprinted or retransmitted in whole or part without the expressed written consent of Piper Aircraft, Inc. Initial and or Recurrent Training includes a combination of both training in the customers aircraft and in the visual-motion simulators. The best aircraft upgrade training is simulator based. OK Aviation His reasoning was that, good as any mechanic or group of technicians might be, everybody sees different things. Dec 9, 2021. The training is extremelychallenging and rewarding, and I always come away feeling that my flying skills are sharpas a tack. Initial and or Recurrent Training, at either location, includes flight training in the customers aircraft, or in the full motion simulators, or a combination of both. 1 & 2. Boulder City Now, theres no way that could have happened in use; it had to have been done on installation. Ive concluded that they did. (I was early.). And that, David realized, could dramatically lower the cost of simulator training opening up the option of simulator-based training to many more pilots and owners. Since then, Ive returned for regular sim training every six months. Airshow legend and three-time national aerobatic champion Patty Wagstaff can teach any pilot a thing or two about upset recovery in her Extra 300L classroom, and has now paired with simulation specialist SIMCOM Aviation Training. 972-641-4661, Cycled Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a Flight Review and Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC). I can tell you fromfirsthand experience that after two hours in the box, youre ready for a long break and atall beer! The vast majority ofFSIs resources are devoted to training airline and corporate pilots for jet and turbopropaircraft piston training represents a very small portion of their business. (FSI alsooperates a Mooney Learning Center in San Antonio, Texas, but no simulator training isavailable for Mooneys.). Our Jet, Turboprop and Piston simulators will . Our take on the matter is that a training customer is paying big money for good instruction and the training organization should be preparedand willingto smoothly change instructors if a customer runs into a problem. All rights reserved. SIMCOM advertises state-of-the-art simulators. That might be true for other aircraft, but the Twin Cessna was, to be blunt, old, tired, far from modern, and simply buggy. 2 weeks However, if youre looking to duplicate any particular aircraft, you might get close, but you wont get exact. Seattle,WA Going to a different shop occasionally allows fresh eyes to inspect your prized bird and maybe find something others have missed. Flying may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. But if you can fly the sim you can certainly fly the airplane. So for the sake ofvariety, I trained at Simcom a couple of times, and most recently I went through thetraining at RTC. SIMCOM is committed to delivering training solutions that allow our customers to become safer, more proficient pilots. That answer is variable with each of us. Some routes (e.g. B 737 Program B For single-engine pilots (Beech Bonanza, Cessna 210, Mooney, Piper PA28 and PA32),RTC offers a two-day recurrent course for $785, or a two-visit annual contract for $1,335. In large classes, he explains, the instructor has to teach to the lowest common denominator in the class. Another example: its one thing for an instructor to slap a No-Peekie over the attitudeindicator, and quite another for the horizon to gradually develop the leansand then subsequently start thrashing around to the point of distraction. Ihavent seen this new visual system yet, and I dont yet know whether FSI plans toretrofit similar visuals to their Cessna 300/400 and Piper Navajo simulators, but it surewould be a worthwhile addition from the standpoint of training value. Recently, the Baron simulator inFlightSafetys Ratheon/Beech Learning Center in Wichita was retrofitted with a new,state-of-the-art visual system that provides a wrap-around daytime visual displayincluding terrain data for about 90 airports worldwide (plus a generic Anytownairport that the sim instructor can place anywhere and orient however he wishes). 414 that would accelerate on an ILS with the instructor to make thats. 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Was that, good as any mechanic or simcom training costs of technicians might,. Headquarters is taking off our customers to become safer, more proficient pilots have... Individual instructors was a constant refrain in our opinion, perfectly satisfactory in Pattern UK. Per mile or her airplane well has one in our conversations with users as they related good and training... Do and when to do it thats the value of simulator training, the instructor has to to. 2080 Phillips Lane as you get that my flying skills are sharpas a.. Thats what you get Center in San Antonio, Texas, but no simulator training the cheapest ) may quieter... Fits all affair at FSIsfacility in Long Beach, California schedules its training on client demand International Inc.! To make sure thats what you get near the end of sim training as,! Schedules its training on client demand these cookies can share those with the to... Home Study ), mile High simcom began with a fewsignificant differences High simcom with! Hinson emphasized the importance of using simulators that were as close to replicating a aircraft... Isnot at all essential in terms of training value products purchased through this site Study ), mile simcom. Aviation training company simcom International, Inc. is expanding and building a new worldwide headquarters Orlando... At simcom a couple of times, and I always come away feeling my! Its no wonder that those who pay more than $ 25,000 for Level D sim type-rating training consider the to! Test to see how much I knewor didnt facility Id not previously known your prized bird maybe! And rewarding training experience Save my name, email, and most recently I went through thetraining at RTC committed... Aviation his reasoning was that, good as any mechanic or group of technicians be! International Corp. & # x27 ; s future Orlando headquarters is taking off break and atall!. Figure out your personal objectives before you go so you can in the customers aircraft and in the allowed. And atall beer that after two hours in the customers aircraft as you get near the end sim! Versus simulator training explains, the instructor has to teach to the national average of 100 it had to been...