Many aviation schools use a flight simulator to train pilots. These flight simulators resemble small biplanes with an entire dashboard of gauges and controls, while the screen features realistic land and air scenes. A lot of new pilot trainees tend to think that the flight simulators are the bane of the training period, but they find find out, eventually, that the simulators were really invaluable. Here are some reasons why the simulators are not so bad.
The Flight Simulators Give You Realistic Practice
Rather than just pretending to lift off and land, newer simulators will create problems in the air and on the ground that you have to resolve just as quickly as if you were flying. This more realistic practice may become a reality for you at some point as a pilot, and you have to be ready for it. When such events do occur, you can think back to your simulator training and remember what you did to resolve these terrifying situations.
You Crash, You Learn
The simulators will take trainees into crash situations. These are the moments most trainees want to avoid, but if you do not pull yourself out of a crash situation in simulation, you will not know what to do when you are really flying. It is far better to make your mistakes and crash and burn in a simulator than to do it in the air in a real plane. When you crash for pretend, you learn. When you crash for real, you are dead. It's as simple as that.
You Gain Flying Confidence in a Simulator
Think about it; as much as you want to go up in a real plane, would you be confident enough? You definitely would not have the skills for it, that is for sure. You would be right in the middle of a situation where you either sink or swim, fly, or crash. Not only is that prospect more terrifying than the simulator's hardest lessons, but it also would not instill much confidence in you.
In the simulator, you are learning a lot about flying and handling a plane. You are learning to read the controls and gauges on the dash. When you succeed at each simulated test and level, you are gaining the confidence, knowledge, and skills you need to take off in a real plane. When that happens, you will know that the simulator was your best friend and not your enemy.