For people learning to fly a plane, visits to the local airport spending many hours under the instruction of a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) is standard practice. It’s a successful formula, but there’s room for improvement. The cockpit is not always the most efficient classroom, so students who are well-prepared before climbing into it will always get more out of the actual flight-training experience than those who are not. The Gleim X-Plane Flight Training Course can help students prepare, and it will change the way you think about learning to fly.
Student pilots are advised to find a CFI with an attitude and personality that they mesh with. An introductory flight with a CFI grants prospective pilots with the opportunity to get to know the instructor and his or her teaching style, but it doesn’t tell the instructor what kind of student the pilot-in-training will be. Student preparedness is a key part of the training formula, and CFI’s love teaching well-prepared students.
The Tools at Our Disposal
For many years, student pilots have relied on self-study, videos, and online training courses to learn their fundamentals. Relating these concepts during flight lessons traditionally requires learning, practice, exercise, and evaluation, which must all be conducted in the cockpit, but the cockpit is not the best environment to foster learning. Distractions are everywhere–scanning for traffic and obstacles, making radio calls, monitoring engine instruments, etc.
Flight simulators have been used for decades to teach new maneuvers and procedures free of such distractions. Early simulator models date back to the 1930s and they have been growing more sophisticated ever since. Even though they have improved greatly, most simulators still require an instructor to set up specific training scenarios and the simulated environment. It can be time-consuming to calibrate a simulator to meet different students’ needs.
Off-the-shelf flight simulator software for use at home has been around since the 1980s and has rapidly been improved with compelling visuals, accurate navigation, and realistic environmental conditions. With the proper guidance, using flight simulators at home can prove to be an effective training tool.
In addition to publishing and producing aviation educational material and pilot supplies, Gleim Aviation was the first to deliver an online flight instructor refresher course and the only to offer an FAA-approved part 141 online ground school course. Now, Gleim Aviation has developed the first fully-integrated flight simulator training course, allowing student pilots to experience flight maneuvers in a controlled environment at home.
The Gleim X-Plane Flight Training Course
The Gleim X-Plane Flight Training Course integrates flight lessons from the proven Private Pilot Syllabus with the ultra-realistic X-Plane 10 software. The course includes over 100 tutorial and training videos for all lessons, maneuvers, and functions. The X-Plane Flight Training Course provides instructions with step-by-step guidance, real-time corrective feedback, and post-flight evaluations. Student pilots gain first hand experience while removing the uneasiness of unfamiliar in-flight situations. Students using the course are more prepared for flight training than ever before.
Competent and prepared students are more at ease in the cockpit which greatly increases student pilot completion rates.
The Gleim X-Plane Flight Training Course is currently available for Private Pilot. Student pilots can prepare for all maneuvers for about the cost of one hour of dual instruction and aircraft rental. Courses for additional certificates and ratings are in development. Other than the course simulator software, a decent computer is required, and Gleim recommends using a control yoke or joystick plus rudder pedals. For the most realist experience, the Gleim Virtual Cockpit is a turn-key flight simulator solution for those who want to build their own sim pit. The X-Plane Flight Training Course and hardware options are available at GleimAviation.com/simulation.
About Gleim Aviation
Since 1980, Gleim Aviation’s team of pilots, instructors, writers, designers, and programmers has helped aviators pass millions of FAA knowledge and practical tests using the unique Gleim Knowledge Transfer System. Gleim is an environmentally-friendly company headquartered in Gainesville, FL.