Forty flight training devices at Centennial Airport, each modeled on an aircraft in our fleet. Practice approaches, systems failures, engine-outs and CAPS decisions where a mistake costs nothing, then take the lesson into the airplane.
A simulator will not teach you everything, but some things are safer, cheaper and more repeatable on the ground. We use them on purpose, at specific points in each syllabus.
Engine failure after takeoff, electrical failures, vacuum or avionics loss, door opening in flight, fire. You can fly the same failure five times in an hour and debrief each one.
Every approach type at KAPA and your home airports, on demand, in any weather, with real procedures and real charts. No cancellations for a low ceiling.
Simulator hours cost a fraction of aircraft hours. Learning a procedure in the sim and flying it once in the airplane is the cheapest way to get proficient.
Learn the Garmin G1000 NXi, Perspective+, G3000 and the turboprop and jet systems before you pay for the hour in the aircraft.
Scenario training for CAPS, icing, thunderstorms, fuel and divert choices. We pause, ask why and replay different choices.
Jet and turboprop programs rely on the simulator for procedures, checklists and crew coordination before the first flight.
One group per aircraft type. Counts and availability come from the live device list below.
| Device | Aircraft modeled | Level | Room | Rate | Status | Next service |
|---|
Status is a snapshot of the scheduling system and changes through the day. Students book devices from the student portal.
The FAA qualifies flight training devices by level. The level controls what training and checking the device may be used for. This is a summary. The qualification letter on file for each device is the authority.
How much simulator time counts toward a certificate depends on the certificate and on whether you train under Part 61 or Part 141. For example, 14 CFR 61.65 limits how much instrument training can be credited from devices. Your syllabus lists the exact allowance for your program.
| Session | Focus | Typical length | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Procedures trainer | Cockpit flows, checklists and avionics in a stationary, no-pressure setting. | 1.0 hr | Every program, first lessons in a new aircraft |
| Instrument approaches | ILS, RNAV and VOR approaches, holds, missed approaches and course reversals. | 1.5 to 2.0 hrs | Instrument, commercial, IPC |
| Systems failures | Electrical, avionics, pitot-static, engine and fuel system malfunctions. | 1.5 hrs | All programs, type ratings |
| Engine-out and forced landing | Failure on takeoff, in cruise and in the pattern. Glide, restart, off-field site selection. | 1.0 to 1.5 hrs | Private, commercial, Cirrus programs |
| CAPS scenarios | Deployment decision points, altitude and configuration limits, and post-deployment actions. | 1.5 hrs | Cirrus pipeline, CAPS courses |
| Mountain and density altitude | Performance planning, terrain escape routes and high altitude go-around decisions. | 1.5 hrs | Mountain flying, Cirrus, turboprop |
| Weather and icing | Icing encounters, convective weather avoidance and diversion planning. | 1.5 hrs | Instrument, SR-22T, turboprop |
| Crew coordination | Two-pilot callouts, workload sharing and checklist discipline. | 2.0 to 4.0 hrs | King Air, Phenom, SIC programs |
| Type rating prep | Full profile practice for the practical test. | 2.0 to 4.0 hrs | All type ratings |
Instrument-rated pilots can book devices for currency practice. Students train with their instructor. Rental pilots should check the policies page for current-device rules.
Some of it does, up to limits set by the regulations and by your syllabus. Your instructor logs it with the device and level so the credit is correct.
Our devices are fixed-base, so there is no motion platform. Most people with simulator sickness find fixed-base devices easier. Tell your instructor and we will adjust the visual settings.
Evenings and weekends fill first. Book as soon as you schedule an aircraft lesson, and your instructor can reserve a device for the same visit.
Every aircraft in the fleet except the Decathlon has a matching device. Aerobatics and UPRT in the Extra 300LX use a dedicated visual trainer for upset recognition before you fly.
In the training center at Centennial Airport, next to the briefing rooms. Visitors check in at the front desk in Hangar A.
Book a discovery visit and we will put you in a device for a short session with an instructor.