For Lonewolf 50 & wes wall:
I can only speak to the West side of the Atlantic, but some large transport aircraft simulators now come with an IOS touch screen page labeled “Unusual Attitudes”. There are about 12 icons available to select for example: “250 knots, 60 degree bank, 45 degree nose hi”, “180 knots, 45 degree bank, 30 degrees nose lo”, and so on over a fairly full range of pitch, bank & speed.
When selected, the simulator is placed in the chosen attitude with the associated speed and then automatically frozen (flight freeze). The trainee and the instructor then have time to discuss recovery options before releasing flight freeze. Evidently, airline pilot representation organizations had a big say in using exclusively this methodology for training, as opposed to a dynamic entry. The days of 'close your eyes and give me 30 degrees of bank to the left, and now reverse it' are gone.
The obvious drawback here is that what precipitated the problem is not addressed, nor are the dynamics leading to the preset conditions from which a recovery is to be initiated. It is specifically Unusual Attitude “recovery’ oriented and not Upset & Recovery oriented. As you say, Upset avoidance is stressed.
Some simulators have two additional icons which dynamically produce either a nose hi or nose lo unusual attitude but the reason for the occurrence is left to the instructor to create, i.e. Wake, Mountain Wave, CAT, CB etc. Use your imagination. These are extra frills and cannot be incorporated in the formal pass/fail syllabus.
The obvious limitation of these types of scenarios in the A330 is that in Normal Law from the 67,30,-15 limits the aircraft recovers itself. Once again you have people questioning, how could it even get there? Why do we need this?
I have seen an IOS page that allows the simulator operator to put the Airbus in any pitch attitude or bank, but it must be put in Direct Law to get there and the simulator motion must be off. Most of the Flight package data is predicted data because the aircraft just can’t get there. No motion leaves a lot to be desired. It’s possible there’ll be more flight data available now, maybe not.
In some heavy aircraft, Flaps 1 is a recommended selection in some hi altitude stall situations, the Bus has the auto-slats, but in other than Normal Law maybe there are other options. I've instructed "approach to stalls" in both the B727 aircraft and B727 simulator as well as a few other simulators and training in this regard is far more flexible and productive in a simulator with probably a 100% carryover to the aircraft.
Accurate Stall/Upset simulation is a hot item as we speak.
All this is academic discussion in reply to questions about Upset/Unusual Attitude training, not intended to apply to AF447.