Most of us are familiar with the "sim" that almost every flight school operates, although we may not have touched one since we trained for the instrument rating. Their official name is an Aviation Training Device (ATD), and they come in two flavors - Basic (BATD) and Advanced (AATD).
With a FAR 61 rule change about to complete on November 26, 2018, the FAA will allow pilots to log instrument currency in an ATD without an instructor present to verify the time, as well as allow ATD time to accomplish instrument currency to be identical to the tasks and requirements described for an aircraft - six approaches, holding, intercepting, and tracking courses, within the previous six calendar months. As the FAA notes, ATDs "allow an instrument rated pilot to program and successfully practice simulated low visibility weather conditions, multiple approaches in a shorter period of time, emergency procedures, equipment failures, and other various flight scenarios that cannot necessarily be accomplished in an aircraft safely."
Join us at AeroDynamic Aviation at the Reid-Hillview airport in San Jose, on Saturday, November 17 at 4:00 pm. We will review the FAR changes, learn about the differences between Basic and Advanced ATDs, and review cost-effective options for incorporating both aircraft and ATD experience into your currency plan. We will create a sample currency/recency event from departure through approach, on to the alternate, including tasks which would be difficult and/or dangerous to execute in an airplane. Learn how to build your own "transition plan" for adding an ATD into your personal currency/recency program.
Ray Owen holds ATP, AGI, and IGI ratings, and is a member of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators and the American Bonanza Society. His pride and joy is a V35B Bonanza based at Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose. His day job is working with early-stage startups developing enterprise technologies.