Best iPad Flight Sim for type rating preparation

[yardmaster]

Anyone tried the mobile flight sims and know how they stack up to reality. Would be interested to know if any accurately replicate the real world flight deck and how well things like the systems and fms are modelled.

Also I fully realise no iPad sim is going to be hyper realistic and I also know there are lots of other better ways to prepare for a type rating!! However I was looking for some supplementary learning that will be fun

[+TSRA]

I did not use any mobile flight sim games, but when I came onto the 737, I downloaded the PMDG 737 for MS Flight Simulator. It helped with flows and understanding the philosophy behind certain things. It also helped a little with the FMC. When I was teaching and instructing on the Q400, I had the Majestic Q400 downloaded on my laptop (again, MSFS) and used that for student understanding if we were getting stuck on a topic. However, I cautioned my students that unless you can pick your company options, you're playing with fire a little bit using desktop or mobile games. If you're teaching with it, you had better damned well know all the intricate differences between the simulator and the line airplanes. These are, after all, games, even if they can replicate the airplane as well as PMDG or Majestic did. There are just too many options that could throw you for a loop. For example, the Majestic Q400 displayed that the 1,000' to-go alert on the PFD will be indicated by a box around the altitude window in conjunction with the alert tone. This is only one option. Another option is for the altitude window numbers to change to amber at 1,000' to go, concurrent with the alert tone, and then back to magenta at 200' to go. A small difference, but one that could throw you for a loop and cause you to miss an SOP during your training. Suddenly you're retraining yourself on how to interpret the PFD when what you're really trying to accomplish is an approach, and suddenly you're missing your required calls and duties because you no longer trust your knowledge.

So sure, use these apps, but always keep an open mind that everything that you're learning, consciously or not, could be thrown out the window the second you get into class. So be very careful.

As for other apps, I find the purely technical apps are better than the simulators. When I came onto the 737, I downloaded Cockpit Companion (CC) with the additional FMC subscription, B737MRG, and the Boeing 737NG Interactive Diagrams. After a year of using them almost daily, I found I was using using CC and the interactive diagrams almost daily, and MRG only during sim. I now find I reference MRG almost daily while I occasionally look at CC (normally because I've forgotten how something works in the FMC). I only open the interactive diagrams now when it comes to training or during a discussion on the flight deck.

[kingsult]

I used the Simionic G1000 PFD app to train for my IR. It provides a pretty realistic experience and is nice to train on the go (it can work separately from your PC).