We frequently have the opportunity to have interesting talks with our customers and with senior representatives of Flight Schools and ATOs. For companies that are in the business of pilot training, one of the challenges is to deliver well-prepared pilots to the airlines that require minimum throughput time for their type rating. This ensures more predictable planning, lower costs, less time on costly FFSs, lower impact on scarce instructor capacity and ultimately better pilots.
Quality of training comes from a variety of variables: the syllabus and training curriculum, the instructor corpse, environmental circumstances and obviously also the training tools that are available to students.
In the advanced stages of commercial pilot training, sessions on Flight Simulators become a more important part of the program. It is imperative that students get introduced to a complex flight deck environment during this phase. They get used to a seemingly intimidating work environment early on and will grow accustomed to it faster.
During MCC training in particular, the use of a medium haul, single aisle twin jet FNPT II MCC (EASA) / FTD level 4 (FAA) flight simulator proves very valuable.
From feedback that we receive from the market, a flight simulator that replicates a certain family of aircraft would be preferable over device that is a blend or one that does not represent a typical airliner: by exposing cadets to their future work environment, they are in a position to create muscle memory, learn SOPs faster, get comfortable with their surrounding and to master the subject matter, prior to type rating training.
Although FSTDs used for MCC training are typically generic devices, the Paragon Series meticulously replicates a choice of two families of widely used airliners. These devices are more affordable than one might think and are therefore economical instruments in delivering optimally prepared pilots to the end customers and in positioning the operator as a professional, involved, high quality supplier of future airline pilots.
