FAA Certified Flight Simulators and You
In case you were not aware, the FAA has restructured how it views flight simulation in recent years which actually helps a small business like us. However, the
reality of creating any highly realistic FAA approved single aircraft “type
trainer” is often very expensive to build, especially if it will only see
use from just one pilot. This is one of the main reasons why we offer more affordable options to the general public and home user. Secondly, the
hoops you must jump through to get a cockpit legally certified are many. Most importantly though, you need to know that the flight hours you
can log in any FAA approved flight simulator are actually minimal compared to
the necessary real aircraft experience required (for obvious reasons). Lastly, whenever logging any of these limited
hours in any FAA approved simulator it must also be completed under the supervision and instruction of a flight instructor. Even if you were yourself a flight instructor and you owned an FAA approved simulator you could not actually log any hours in it without having another instructor “running you though the paces”. Only if you are a real world commercial pilot or CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) would you ever maybe want to consider building an FAA approved simulator or one which is very type specific to the training you give. Once again, even if you were to build one yourself, you could not log any official training hours in your Pilot Logbook unless those hours are flown while under the supervision of another commercial flight instructor.
Because of the huge amounts of time,
costs, and efforts involved in the extensive process for flight simulator certification it certainly does not make any sense for the general public or home hobbyists to
attempt to recreate a single style or “single type” aircraft cockpit in their home much less one that is to be FAA approved. Because of these facts we like to show the public how to create what is commonly called a Procedural Trainer.
While we can produce type specific FAA certified simulators for commercial level clients, our “form flexible” multi-screen / multi-functional procedural trainers open up a vast world of advanced training possibilities all of which can be extremely realsitic. Regardless, the inherent flexibility of all SimSamurai cockpit designs can allow you to seek FAA certification if
desired as most of our designs are simply cockpit shells ready to be outfit however you wish. Any official certification would require that you outfit the cockpit shell with enough bells
and whistles (a.k.a. switches, knobs, gauges, hardware, etc) for a particular type aircraft for which you seek certification. Depending on the level of certification sought this could be a simple process or could be very difficult.
For the most part, any type of certification must first begin with totally eliminating the need for
the keyboard and mouse (aside from starting
/ stopping the flight) and each level obviously includes many other criteria we will not discuss here. If FAA
certification for your sim cockpit is a goal, there are free resources on the internet which can help you learn how to acquire one of the many levels of FAA flight simulator
certification or you can inquire how to just buy one from us via our Pro-Line Systems offerings.
In regards to more generalized fixed base procedural trainers, such as can be created with any SimSamurai
cockpit design, these options can and will provide you with a very
valuable and rewarding flight training experience, all at a largely reduced cost. So while SimSamurai cockpit shells are not
FAA certified “out of the box” you can get there if desired and you also cannot discredit the amazing
training benefits you will gain from building any realistic procedural trainer that is not certified. Regardless, you can perform focused training in either or just “joyride” if that is your style!
It could go without saying that any real world scaled flight
simulator which can allow you to practice procedures and maneuvers over and
over again until you get them right is obviously a simulator to own! Only when you are fully immersed in an environment such as this will it allow you to forget that you are, in essence, flying a “computer desk”. Only once you take this next step will your
training really begin to benefit your real world practical skills. That’s why we build them!
Practicing
and performing procedures and maneuvers over and over again in the real air
obviously costs thousands of dollars. This is why flight simulators have
actually been around just as long as aircraft.
Believe it or not the Wright Brothers had a flight simulator too! It didn’t have a computer but it still did its job.
Please know that a realistic flight sim,
while an obvious investment, can and will save you thousands of dollars in the
real world over your entire flying career. If used properly it will speed up your entire training
process time and time again. It will grow your confidence, increase your safety, and will hopefully make you a much better pilot over the duration of your career.
A personal message from SimSamurai owner Jeff Chartier;
“I
cannot tell you how many times that as a low hour pilot my thousands of hours
in simulation helped me over many training hurdles as well helped me stay calm
in real world emergencies. While there
are many real world pilots who may shun the whole concept of repetitive flight
simulation training, the reality is that if used properly, you can and will
become a Sim Samurai of both the virtual sky AND the real sky too!”
Join The Revolution !
We hope you will agree that our SimSamurai training and design philosophy is a bold new step in
flight simulation. While each cockpit shell will certainly give you every realistic feel you desire, don’t forget that many
of the designs can still double as your home desk or home
entertainment hub too! Most of our designs have some available storage space for items like software,
books, maps, DVDs and more which is also very helpful for creating a valued training
environment. So while our cockpits
certainly have the look and feel of a professional flight simulator, they
all retain some useful and most importantly functional traits of a home
or office computer desk. Lastly, all of our cockpits are not some huge 2,000 lb. aircraft fuselage that you will
have to permanently stuff out in your garage or basement like many 737 cockpit builders are forced to do. Because we build our designs with a modular nature, you
can easily place any SimSamurai cockpit right in your living room, school, or office where it can be easily relocated in the future.
To conclude, please take notice that all of our products are purposefully designed to form a comprehensive training package. Whether its the cockpit you will fly in, the hardware you may touch, the manual you may read, or the procedural checklists you will memorize, we have your journey covered from ground to sky!
For more information and further details on how we do things please see the SimSamurai MANTRA and FAQ pages.
Onward,..Upward,…and Beyond!
