To this day no simulator can, and probably never will, be able to realistically simulate an upset and recovery.
Agree. However, it should be remembered that the majority of fatal crashes caused by failure to recover from an unusual attitude or jet upset (same thing?) was poor instrument flying ability in the first place.
Regardless of what manoeuvre initiated the unusual attitude there was usually one common denominator. And that was the aircraft was in cloud or IMC or dark night - whatever. In most of the accident reports I have read over the years, where failure to recover from a UA was the direct cause, the sun was not shining and it wasn't CAVOK where a pilot could visually get back to level flight.
That is why unusual attitude recovery practice which is part of basic instrument flying skill starts with training in a Cessna 172 with the pilot "under the hood" meaning simulated instrument flying. In other words instrument interpretation. It is much easier to practice in a 737 or any other airline type simulator where simulated IMC is introduced.
It doesn't matter that modern simulators cannot replicate G forces. They certainly can replicate the instrument indications of an unusual attitude and effectively at that. It is a straightforward exercise taking less than ten seconds to barrel roll an airline simulator where the compass and artificial horizon still show the current attitude and heading.
Freeze the simulator when the flight instruments show inverted, then discuss at leisure with the candidate the recovery action most suited for the attitude. Better still have the instructor demonstrate initially rather than trying to "talk through" the process as the candidate flies. It is all about interpretation of the flight instruments. Place the simulator in a steep spiral. Practice the recovery until competent. Repeat after me: "It is all about interpretation of the flight instruments
Forget using special aerobatic aircraft in real time. The candidate needs to practice in the airline simulator he is going to fly for real. There is no risk in the simulator and no G to bewilder you. But the instruments don't lie.
