Training and Workforce
Survey Highlights Benefits of Home Flight Simulation
Low-cost flight simulators can help improve training outcomes
Home flight simulation benefits
Flight simulation’s strengths closely align with those items in the FAA's private pilot test standards that are not directly related to the "hands and feet" operation of the aircraft, according to the Flight Simulation Association.

A study of more than 1,000 pilots and air traffic controllers conducted by the Flight Simulation Association (FSA) found that there are quantifiable benefits—specifically, savings of time and money—to using home flight simulation to supplement in-aircraft flight training. 

Student pilots who practiced on their home flight simulators saved, on average, 5.5 hours of real aircraft flight time, which equates to about $1,000 when considering the cost of renting an aircraft and paying an instructor. Trained experts who act as virtual air traffic controllers, such as those who “control” aircraft via the PilotEdge and Vatsim platforms, found that this can pave the way to careers as controllers. 

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