Unlocking what your flight simulator can really do for you
Your flight simulator can do far more than log currency - AOPA identifies three specific advantages sims have over the real airplane that most pilots never use.
TowerIFR training
FAR Ninety-One Point One Seventeen, the Speed Limit Below Ten Thousand, and the Two-Hundred-Knot Rule That Catches Every IFR Student Off Guard
FAR 91.117 layers multiple speed limits across different airspace classes - here's every number and exactly where each one applies.
PatternReading Approach Charts - Distance Symbols That Trip Up IFR Pilots
Approach plates contain multiple types of distance information that look similar but mean different things - a distinction many instrument pilots can't reliably make.
TowerThe Jeppesen Ten-Nine Airport Page and What Every Transitioning Pilot Needs to Find on It
The Jeppesen 10-9 airport page consolidates takeoff minimums, alternate requirements, hot spots, and runway data that FAA chart users find spread across multiple documents.
TowerCRAFT Clearances, the Five Letters That Unlock IFR Flying, and How to Copy One Without Missing a Beat
CRAFT - Clearance limit, Route, Altitude, Frequency, Transponder - is the five-part structure behind every IFR clearance, and knowing each element is essential before your first instrument departure.
TowerThe Four Instrument Departure Briefing Items That Separate Prepared Pilots from Lucky Ones
Four instrument departure briefing items every IFR pilot should cover before wheels-up - obstacle procedures, engine-out plans, minimums, and lost comm.
TowerFederal Aviation Regulation Ninety-One Point One Eighty-Five, the Lost Communications Procedure, and the Two Mnemonics That Keep You Legal and Safe When the Radio Goes Dead
FAR 91.185 governs IFR lost communications - here's how to handle route, altitude, and timing when your radio fails in IMC.
PatternThe False Glideslope, Why It Lives Above the Real One, and How to Keep From Chasing It Into the Ground
The false glideslope sits above the real ILS path at steeper angles - here's why it exists and how to avoid capturing it.
TowerThe Partial Panel Failure, the Vacuum Pump That Dies Without Warning, and Flying Attitude on the Turn Coordinator and Whiskey Compass When the Attitude Indicator Lies to You
How to recognize a vacuum pump failure and fly partial panel using the turn coordinator and magnetic compass when the attitude indicator lies.
PatternThe Partial Panel, Losing Your Attitude Indicator in the Clouds, and Flying Needle-Ball-Airspeed When the Vacuum Pump Quits
Learn to recognize a vacuum pump failure and fly needle-ball-airspeed on partial panel before your attitude indicator lies you into a spiral.
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