Looking for ideas for sim training school

[ajey 2]

Hi everyone,

I am setting up a purely flight simulator based training school to facilitate a real world experience to budding pilots and aviation engineers Air Traffic Controllers etc. I am building a cockpit with image projection on a screen and that will have cockpit panels and controls. Of course the software will be X-Plane 11.

I am looking for ideas on the following:

1. Various course durations (like ranging from 2 hours to 3 months or more)

2. What could be the content/ syllabus for these?
3. How could I use the simulator to make these courses fun and practical?

I have tried some of the virtual flight instructor programs that come as add-ins of X-Plane but didn’t find them up to the mark.

I look forward to ideas from you all. Thanks.

Edited November 21, 2021 by ajey

[mSparks 2,086]

3 hours ago, ajey said:

1. Various course durations (like ranging from 2 hours to 3 months or more)

It needs to be flexible, think 1st and foremost about who will be doing the courses and how they will get to your location.

Most of the schools I work with do everything from 30minute taster sessions in a real aircraft to 6/12 month "live in" programs for a commercial rating. Or as part of other training programs (e.g. military)

3 hours ago, ajey said:

2. What could be the content/ syllabus for these?

FAA or ICAO?

3 hours ago, ajey said:

3. How could I use the simulator to make these courses fun and practical?

tbh, nothing beats the real aircraft. Sims are more about saving time and money on training while being more fun and practical than tons of lectures.

[mSparks 2,086]

see also

https://www.heli-center.com/

[Greazer 1,320]

I think it has to be online in real time classes. There are not enough flight sim newbie fanatics in the real community. So online classroom and it needs to be fun and engaging.

[snglecoil 1,828]

Is this a purely entertainment experience, or with the goal of dovetailing into more official flight training?

[ajey 2]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for your responses. I am sorry, i got delayed in responding to you all. I am responding to your queries above.

As you all experts know that there are so many add ons with X-plane, Based on those i look forward to ideas from you as to how i can tweak X-plane, that it becomes a good learning experience for the guys who don't have much idea about the aviation world.

I am getting a home cockpit kind of simulator built  with 2 projectors projecting on a large external screen. I also have in mind to setup seperate PC consoles to also simulate an actual Air Traffic control. I am roughly planning to keep training sessions like an hour, half a day, full day, 2 day a month (about 40 hours per month) and a 3 month training sessions.

I also looked for some automated flying instructors, but all that i find don't really track and advice if the student pilot goes wrong. The basic ones in MSFS2020 do really a good job of it, but they are inadequate and obviously i need something like that for Xplane.

Looking forward for ideas from all of you, thanks very much for the same.

Regards

Ajey

[ajey 2]

On 11/24/2021 at 12:28 AM, snglecoil said:

Is this a purely entertainment experience, or with the goal of dovetailing into more official flight training?

Hi,

It is something in between. In other words, it would be entertainment but targeted to fully educate everyone with all aspects of aviation, flying, navigation, ATC, weather etc. Not yet thinking of going for official training since here in India its a big hassle to get it certified by the flying control body.

Regards,

Ajey

[ajey 2]

On 11/23/2021 at 3:06 AM, Greazer said:

I think it has to be online in real time classes. There are not enough flight sim newbie fanatics in the real community. So online classroom and it needs to be fun and engaging.

Yes thanks, having online classes is a great idea. For fun and engaging can you please give me more detailed ideas on how exactly i can make the home simulator (with projectors and external screens) with Xplane, more fun and engaging? Especially which add-ons do you recommend, is there a good automated instructor that can teach the student pilots? The ones i have come across all, don't detect and correct student mistakes, they just go silent, lets say if a student pilot flies out of the training envelope

[ajey 2]

On 11/22/2021 at 3:26 AM, mSparks said:

It needs to be flexible, think 1st and foremost about who will be doing the courses and how they will get to your location.

Good idea, primary it will be students who want to get exposure (with a real life experience) to the aviation world. but it can be others who somehow could not get to fly a plane, due to medical or financial constraint reasons.

Most of the schools I work with do everything from 30minute taster sessions in a real aircraft to 6/12 month "live in" programs for a commercial rating. Or as part of other training programs (e.g. military)

Yes i too am planning to hold similar sessions

FAA or ICAO?

I am based in India, so it has to be the DGCA. However in the first phase, I am not planning to get the simulators certified since it is a big hassle to get them certified. So i will not promise that the experience in my simulator targets or guarantees anyone a pilot's license

tbh, nothing beats the real aircraft. Sims are more about saving time and money on training while being more fun and practical than tons of lectures.

 

[mSparks 2,086]

4 hours ago, ajey said:

I am based in India, so it has to be the DGCA. However in the first phase, I am not planning to get the simulators certified since it is a big hassle to get them certified. So i will not promise that the experience in my simulator targets or guarantees anyone a pilot's license

So Im pretty sure India will be ICAO, you should speak to the DGCA and try and establish some connections there, a good chance they or someone they are involved with need you.

Youll likely be sending lots of students their way one way or another.

[ajey 2]

On 12/9/2021 at 2:42 PM, ajey said:

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for your responses. I am sorry, i got delayed in responding to you all. I am responding to your queries above.

As you all experts know that there are so many add ons with X-plane, Based on those i look forward to ideas from you as to how i can tweak X-plane, that it becomes a good learning experience for the guys who don't have much idea about the aviation world.

I am getting a home cockpit kind of simulator built  with 2 projectors projecting on a large external screen. I also have in mind to setup seperate PC consoles to also simulate an actual Air Traffic control. I am roughly planning to keep training sessions like an hour, half a day, full day, 2 day a month (about 40 hours per month) and a 3 month training sessions.

I also looked for some automated flying instructors, but all that i find don't really track and advice if the student pilot goes wrong. The basic ones in MSFS2020 do really a good job of it, but they are inadequate and obviously i need something like that for Xplane.

Looking forward for ideas from all of you, thanks very much for the same.

Regards

Ajey

Hi Everyone,

Request to all of you (very knowledgeable and helpful) to give me some ideas about the specific points I have mentioned in my post (like plugins, automated flying instructor etc.)

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Ajey

[mSparks 2,086]

17 minutes ago, ajey said:

Hi Everyone,

Request to all of you (very knowledgeable and helpful) to give me some ideas about the specific points I have mentioned in my post (like plugins, automated flying instructor etc.)

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Ajey

"probably" the best source of free materials you can make use of is the FAA handbooks, some will be different than icao/dgca, but its mostly about how to fly and how the instruments work etc..

I make AutoATC which has a groundschool component and is aimed at recreating a more realistic airspace experience with coms and other aircraft. WIP.

instructor type things there should be plenty of options. from ios solutions to full flying schools.

Most materials you will find however will be FAA regulations. Not vastly different but the specific laws will not be relevant, so stuff like FAA air law wont be so useful in ICAO or DGCA airspace.

Then you have the aircraft. something like the default c172 is great to fly but is missing a lot of the more intricate detail you need for preflight checks. That goes all the way up to like we are doing with the sparky744 - but thats not for commercial use without getting into agreements with everyone who has contributed.