But despite the shift, SimComs dedication to customization and small class size hasnt changed. So, I looked elsewhere. Ive not yet hadthe opportunity to take this course. FlightSafety operates a Raytheon/Beech Learning Center in Wichita, Kansas, at whichsimulator-based initial and recurrent training is available for the Beech Bonanza, Baronand Duke. You will also review aircraft systems, performance and procedures. 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. Civil aviation and defence training services provider CAE has acquired a 50% stake in SIMCOM Holdings for $85m. Frank he used to address me. Although full-motion sims have a lot of sex appeal, Im convinced that having motion isnot at all essential in terms of training value. 480-377-0222, B737-200 Abbreviated Tempe, AZ Training flights are relatively abusive on your aircraft, especially if itsturbocharged. Early on, he says, I used to have lunch with customers during their training, sometimes. Now, almost 45 percent of the 8,000 people who train at SimCom each year are professional corporate pilots, sent there by their employers. The value proposition for SimCom since the beginning, he says, was to give customers value, customized training, and a friendly atmosphere. In addition to the type-specific courses, FlightSafety offers three genericinstrument refresher courses that concentrate on instrument flying subjects (weather,chart reading, ATC procedures, etc.) Three? Shooting approaches under the hood is woefullyinadequate preparation for doing the same thing in actual low-visibility conditions. Pilots that complete a PC-12 Series Initial course or are members of Pilatus Owners and Pilots Association (POPA) can choose in-aircraft training to include a final check. But the companies separated in 2006, so the only airline-oriented flight training SimCom now provides is in the Jetstream 41 and the Dornier 328. $10,495, West Air Aviation Since then, Ive returned for regular sim training every six months. (If the upgrade is to a single-engine turboprop or jet, the multi-engine proficiency issue is moot; however, being current in an airplane that cruises in the 200-knot speed range helps in adjusting to the rate at which things come at you in turbine equipment.). In a previous article about recurrent sim training facilities (Sim Training Centers in November, 2016), Id somewhat bashed SIMCOM, saying, SIMCOM training is top tier, but their business model recently seems to mirror the big corporate centers with pricing to match. Because of that conclusion I really didnt want to go to SIMCOM. This comprehensive approach to flight training replicates forces that govern and influence aeronautics, while providing practical experience in the cockpit. I had my first real engine out in Denver, night and IMC, just after takeoff about six months after my upgrade training. 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. Eric Hinson, CEO of SimCom, told us that initial training courses for turboprops usually run five to six days, and make use of Level A to D sims as well as nonmotion Flight Training Devices (FTD)depending on the type of aircraftand may include training in the customers airplane. SIMCOMs Scottsdale facility is one of the nicest of the training centers Ive seen outside of Flight Safety and CAE. We think that is important during upgrade training so that the pilot can take advantage of primacy in learning and more readily transfer what is learned in the simulator to the airplane to be flown. A full-service student can also train for a second aircraft type at no extra cost, and can take maintenance training or any of a variety of ancillary special-subject courses, all at no extra cost. You startout by studying a printed weather briefing, reviewing the applicable approach and enroutecharts, and then climbing into the sim and flying the trip. Ive rehashed my sim time, trying to conclude if the sims deficiencies diminished the training. Calling as a student (not an editor), I reached out to another facility Id previously visited, Glass Simulator Center (now SIMPRO) in Aurora, IL, but they didnt return my call. He is the author of. Training by Legacy Flight Training can also be conducted at the owners home base. 3401 Quebec Street, Suite 9150 Each day of the course normally includes three hours of classroominstruction, a half-hour of pre-sim briefing, two hours in the simulator, and a half-hourof post-sim debriefing. Then, theres training. $9,875 I can tell you fromfirsthand experience that after two hours in the box, youre ready for a long break and atall beer! Thereare also a number of alternative pricing plans for pilots who train regularly with FSI: Until about ten years ago, FlightSafety was pretty much the only game in town forprofessional-caliber simulator-based recurrent training for piston-powered aircraft.Thats no longer true, but FSI is still the dominant presence in the industry, and setsthe benchmark by which other training organizations are measured. Every sim session at RTC is structured as an actual IFR cross-country flight. What could have been a very difficult situation was not an issue at all. Idconsidered myself a reasonably proficient pilot, but that initial experience in thesimulator was truly humbling. At SimCom, you aretypically assigned one instructor for the entire duration of your course, and thatinstructor handles both the classroom and simulator portions of the syllabus; atFlightSafety, its common to get different instructors for ground school and simulator.The instructors at SimCom also tend to teach multiple airplanes your twin Cessnainstructor might well have taught a King Air class the day before while FlightSafetyinstructors tend to be more specialized. Centennial, CO This is the sort of training that the airlines call LOFT (Line-Oriented FlightTraining), and is a significant departure from the sort of recurrent training offered byFlightSafety or Simcom. A good measure of a training event is if the student would willingly repeat it and recommend it to others. It's also a myth. I always look forward tomy recurrent training cycles with great anticipation. Incidentally, when I trained at RTC in April 1998, they were in the process ofinstalling a new-generation Phoenix simulator from AST that promised to offersignificantly better fidelity and visuals than the AST 300s. They combined all those discounts and averaged the price for a more competitive cost. Childs Associates LP, although David is still president and CEO. Simcom is located in Orlando, Florida and has two visual-motion simulators, classrooms and a team of professional flight instructors located in Orlando, Florida. Myfirst exposure to serious simulator training took place in October of 1987,about six months after Id purchased my T310R. When a fuel valve is moved, the display depicts just what that action has done within the fuel system. After nearly ten years of training at FlightSafety, I decided to try SimCom for achange of pace, and have gone through two semiannual recurrent training cycles at SimComsScottsdale facility. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL cookies. Flying may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. The firm hosted a Dec. 8 groundbreaking ceremony on its 90,000-square-foot . RTC keeps its prices so low by cutting costs every way it can. Simcom is located in Orlando, Florida and has two visual-motion simulators, classrooms and a team of professional flight instructors located in Orlando, Florida. Today, it offers more than 15 jet courses, ranging from the Citation I to the Hawker 800 and Citation Ultra. Chris jotted down his first impressions of theexperience, and I think youll find them interesting. 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. Appearances aside, how does RTCs recurrent training compare with FlightSafety orSimcom? A one-location, three-sim training operation in Champaign, Illinois, RTC offers alow-cost, no-frills approach to simulator-based recurrent training at prices sharply belowthose charged by its higher-priced competitors. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. SimComs trainingalso included circling approaches under low-visibility conditions. Thus was born SimCom Training Centers. 2722 Perimeter Road, Suite 107 Give us a call: (866)-238-4468 or www.simulator.com. Like the initial course you will receive systems training and simulator training but with reduced hours reflecting your experience other PC-12 Series aircraft. The physical faithfulness of the sim allowed us to nicely review various procedures, which was quite valuable. Type Rating In the case of RTCs generic AST 300 sims, its probably best to approach with amind-set of learning to fly a new aircraft, rather than thinking of the sim as a Cessna orPiper or Beech and then getting distracted by its lack of fidelity to the actual aircraft.In any case, by the second or third hour of sim training, youll find that youve prettymuch tuned out the differences between the sim and the aircraft and are fully immersed indealing with the meat of the training scenarios that confront you. The facility is nice and everyone there treats the clients warmly, so thats certainly a win. 40 hours per week The instructors and material are first rateanother win. 4330 Donald Douglas Drive 700 Wyoming Kingwood, TX Previous Experience Composite Structures: Limits and Advantages. If FlightSafety is the Rolls Royce of piston sim training and Simcom is theLexus, then Recurrent Training Center would have to be the Ford pickup or the Dodgeminivan. 206-878-7271, 9550 Parksouth Court, Suite 100 A privately-owned, comprehensive learning institution, SIMCOM utilizes realistic simulator-based training to provide advanced aviation training services to professional pilots, owner-operators, Part 135 operators and maintenance personnel operating in general aviation, regional, military, government and cargo operations around the world. The standard price for my training used to be well over $3500, but many discounts were available. Attend our fully interactive ground school training from the safety and convenience of your own home or office. While providing practical experience in the cockpit Level D sim type-rating training consider the to. A 50 % stake in SIMCOM Holdings for $ 85m David is still president and CEO to! 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