Simulator Flight Training - My Next Step???

There is a great article in the January 2013 Flight Training Magazine about how Jerry Gregoire and Redbird's Skyport are a "Game Changer" in learning to fly.  Redbird manufactures full motion simulators, and the company is changing the way flight schools will operate in the future.

The military and airlines have long used simulators as a key in their training, but private pilots have been taught mostly by instructors in planes.  One off-duty commercial pilot I spoke with on a recent trip said that the simulator is the best way to train, as it allows you to try maneuvers that cannot be replicated in flight (that very day he had been at training and had an engine catch fire in his training.  Not something they can teach live when he is up in a 747).  He said the simulator allows one to safely experience how to handle a situation and if you make a mistake the end results can be less severe.

As I explore the idea of learning to fly this option is appealing.  Some pilots had scoffed at my interest in going this route, but others said that it is by far the better option.  The commercial pilot mentioned above said he used to be a CFI, and while he had not heard of Redbird or Skyport, he was thrilled to see the article because it was really the right direction to bring general aviation into the world of current technologies.

The best part of this for me is that Redbird is headquartered in San Marcos, Texas.... which is only 30 minutes away from my house.  I ended up on their mailing list after meeting some of the folks (I met Jerry Gregoire briefly, and he clearly a true entrepreneur!!!!) at the AOPA event that sparked this whole interest in flying.  I have enjoyed the information they have been sending me, and this article solidified my interest in what they are teaching and how they are teaching it.

While the time and cost of going to the Skyport training lab is not yet in my budget (yes, I have a budget for time and a budget for money... and both are limited), I did get a recent email with a holiday promotional offer to come experience their simulators.  I am going to sign up for this introductory offer to test my ongoing interest in learning to fly.

Have A Great Day

thom singer