Flight simulators boomed in 2020 and have barely slowed down since, but many pilots don’t use all the available tools for flight training. Kevin from PilotEdge has watched it all unfold over the last decade and he explains what flight sims are good for (and what they aren't). He talks about how Microsoft changed the game, whether you can log simulator time, and how virtual ATC plug-ins can make training more realistic. Kevin also created SimVenture, and he describes how pilots can prepare to fly to the world’s busiest airport by talking to real AirVenture controllers during this live online event. In the Ready to Copy segment, he tells us his favorite flight sim airplane, what upgrade he wants to see from sim developers, and whether AI will ever replace human controllers.
Quotes:
- The state of the flight sim market: “2020 really changed so much… [Microsoft] really elevated the game.”
- What sims are good for: “It’s always important to differentiate proficiency versus currency. Currency is a legal word that we must maintain per the FAA standards, while proficiency is a safety word.”
- How Pilot Edge helps pilots: “Having that ATC in the sim holds you accountable.”
- Most common mistake for new flight sim pilots: “Expecting it to feel like the real airplane, and furthermore giving up when it doesn’t.”
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