Simulator Training

[Rotorbike]

Thought I would attempt to seperate away from the Morecambe Bay thread as many have asked for a simulator only debate.

So how many people do unusual attitude training in the simulator at low level?

I do simulator training but unusual attitude training comes in the aircraft at high altitude.

Anyone done it in the simulator/aircraft with instrument failures? Not self induced after instrument failure. Or is the recovery always done full panel! Or at least when one side has a full panel.

Simulator training is far advanced over aircraft only training but is there a whole area that is being left out?

Certainly never seen a 1400fpm decent with a 38 degree nose down, 38 degree right bank, from 500 feet.....

[SASless]

My favorite trick was to offset the pilots ADI by 10-15 degrees in roll and leave everything else alone. One will discern whether the guy with the sticks is flying "instruments" or the ADI and calling it "instrument" flying.

It is scary how many ignore the other two ADI's and other cues and continue to flounder about chasing a zero turn datum.

Unusual attitudes can occur for a host of reasons and maybe not with any great big red flags showing anywhere.

[helmet fire]

I have done UA training in full motion simulators both as a trainee and instructor. I would be suprised by any IFR sim course that does not do them. There is one important difference though, and it is the reason that I advocate UA training in an actual aircraft:
Sim "full motion" equals Aircraft "very restricted motion".

That is important in UA training because of the lack of significant, and/or unrealistic vestibular stimulation of a "full motion" simulator. In my opinion, the likelyhood of getting into a UA is directly attributable to the accuracy of the pilot in the correct interpretation and processing of vestibular stimulation. If you dont have an accurate stimulation, it is therefore very difficult to truly train to cope with actual UAs in a real full motion aircraft situation. That is not to say that the simulator is useless, rather it's use is to teach and embed procedural reactions to UAs to be then confirmed in the actual aircraft using real vestibular signals.

Inadvertent IMC is a great one to use the sim for as you can really do it a low level, low speeds in valleys and see the outcome. Fantastic.
Recently we were doing an NVG trip in a full motion sim and were able to accurately simulate a brownout/whiteout on landing and take off from a confined area. It was one of the most realistic simulator experiences I have had, and is almost unachievable using a real aircraft.

[verticalhold]

Done quite a lot in the sim, but only as the victim. Been on the receiving end of SASless's ADI trick, and he's right about spotting the real instrument fliers.
(SAS your not bald and ugly with very short legs are you? If you are I've recognised you.)

LOFT training was excellent value, and the chance to spend some time looking at snags which had occured over the last 6 months in slow time was perhaps beyond price. We always used our last session as a chance to go through problems which had occured recently, sometimes reading about a problem doesn't help understanding, seeing what happens to the AC does.

Personally I couldn't reccomend sim time highly enough.

VH