Originally Posted by
handleturning
Im a flyer not a controller. However, if I was to compare the two I would probably simplify controlling in the same way you simplified flying. Which means we’d probably both be wrong.
Which is why trying to compare the two shouldn't be done. There are parts of training for each that would probably improve both.
What I do know that simulators for aircraft are very realistic as in how an aircraft will have to be flown in any situation. So you can train very accurately in them.
Simulators in the ATC world are accurate in replicating kit (as its the same) but not very good at replicating the aircraft and what they will do. The people pretending to be pilots and other atcos do their best but ultimately after a certain point the trainee starts to get no benefit from them. I have seen trainees move massive amounts of traffic in the sim but as soon as you add real people in the real world they can't move a 10th of what they do in the sim. The only way to get over this is to train on live traffic in hopefully appropriate traffic levels. I say hopefully because at the beginning of live training it's very hard to find in todays busy airspace.
I think there is a place for incremental learning in the rating courses for atcos to get the basics but once on unit it becomes very hard to achieve.