>>Could anyone from that club comment on how useful their simulator has been >>for training etc?
During the simulator seminar, two comments (at least were made…) There had been no difference in time to solo with students who used the sim and… A US instructor who used sim training remotely (i.e. he was often in a different state to the student) had got students solo within 7 flights. glidercfi.com Justin Crouch showed a French initiative where they had a national program to build and operate simulators which was very well thought out. However, these appear to be only just coming on line and they may not yet have results. All that being said, the feeling that came out of the seminar fairly strongly (at least to my ears) was that simulators were coming for a host of different reasons and we had to learn to learn with them. The questions appeared to be, who was doing the learning… instructors, students or AFIs and what type of sim would it be, VR or screen or both. And finally, Keepit and some other clubs are in a different position to less fortunate clubs from the south and north. Conditions allow flying almost all year round so the need for a sim may not be so great. That being said, it was noted at the seminar that having a sim near major population centres would allow it to be used in the evenings and at times when people did not want the drive to a club, however close. There were many persuasive arguments and considering that the cost of buying the French model is not far off the cost of a Blanik or two, it's difficult to say no, at least until some experience is had. See Justin for the facts on the French version. Simulator training appears to be to some extent mandatory in French courses… 4 weeks package "objectif solo" The 4 Weeks Package objective is to fully train the student for soloing his glider by the end of the 4 weeks. The 4 Weeks Package includes : club membership, basic FFVV license/insurance, glider handbook, flight logbook, up to 40 winch launches, 20 hours of glider flight instruction, 5 hours of glider ground simulator training, and 3 hours of dual control motor-glider flight, to totaling up to 21 hours accompanied by an instructor. D _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.base64.com.au http://lists.base64.com.au/listinfo/aus-soaring
