Do you have an opinion on to what extent simulators can help? I've heard a range of opinions on this, and while there is no substitute for the real thing, I can't help but notice that full flight simulators seem freakishly good these days to the point where many pilots say their minds are often tricked while in the simulator. How much can commercial airlines rely on increased simulator time to help safety and apply hours to regulatory requirements?
I've not had the pleasure of flying "full flight simulators" (the kind used by airlines) so I can't comment on those. The lower grades of simulators are good for drilling procedures but are quite bad at modeling flight dynamics.
Tons. Commercial flight simulators are very good. They help with mundane stuff like the layout of the cockpit or familiarization with different airports (hong kong is a must) And the harder stuff pilots could not train for in real planes like equipment failures, maybe all of them. And yes, their minds can be "tricked", meaning pilots do come out of simulated emergencies sweating.
