Easyjet don't 'give' anything. EASA mandate that pilots with no previous relevant experience must perform 6 take-off and landings in the aircraft before the rating can be issued. For pilots with relevant experience, this is reduced to 4 or (if the ATO and Operator have the right approvals) it may be replaced with Zero Flight Time Training. Good as modern sims are, no-one is (yet) ready to accept the risk of letting cadets do ZFTT.
However, the signicant risk of conductng 'live' asymmetric training on a twin-jet does not justify the marginal gain in skills/experince over. doing it synthetically. Even the 'right' instructor can't prevent the live engine failing at the most inopportune moment, so any actual asymmetric training has to bounded with significant safety margins. If the sim allows realistic practice of a V1 cut, is there any additional value in doing it in the aircraft with a safety margin that means the 'failure' is not initated below say 500' aal? If there is no suitable sim (Jetstream T1), then clearly there is no alternative, but if the Phenom has a Level D sim why take unnecessary risk?
Is Phenom coming with a Level D sim? If it is, I really hope that its full capabilities are understood and exploited, with the training sessions being regarded as equal in value and importance as the flying sorties.
Last edited by Brain Potter; 16th Aug 2017 at 19:13.