No Dumb Questions

Q. I retired from the Air Force in 1989 and am presently working in what was my Air Force career field. Since 1977, I have been working as a maintenance technician on C-141, F-4, and C-5 full flight simulators-first with the Air Force and now with FlightSafety Services Corp. Naturally, I have a great deal of aircraft systems knowledge, including the latest GPS/FMS systems, and I learned to "fly" instruments before a visual system was part of simulators. Naturally, like most simulator techs, I can fly the simulator as well as most crewmembers. My question is: How much would my training and skills contribute to obtaining a private pilot certificate?

Lou H.
Via the Internet

A. There is no question that your skills and experience will put you in an excellent position to earn a private pilot's certificate. As you point out, because of your extensive background in simulator maintenance, you already have an excellent understanding of how aircraft systems work. In addition, the time you've spent flying simulators means that you know how to control an aircraft. You are clearly very familiar with the instrumentation and the type of information each instrument does, and doesn't, provide. For many student pilots with no aviation background, demystifying the panel alone is a monumental task. You will be way ahead here.

All in all, you are in a terrific position to become a licensed pilot. But, don't be surprised or discouraged if you struggle with some of the same things that other student pilots face. Sometimes people with extensive aviation experience become frustrated when something that they think should be simple turns out to be a challenge. This can be counterproductive. While flying a full-motion simulator is as good practice as you can get on the ground, there are subtle differences between the sim and the actual airplane. No two airplanes have exactly the same feel, and every aircraft has its little quirks. This means that the control feel you are accustomed to may not be the same as the control feel of the aircraft in which you train.

In addition, you may have become accustomed to using some of the high-tech avionics and monitoring devices available in high-end aircraft that you simply won't find in a training airplane. Most training airplanes are very simple creatures. You will have the basic instruments only-airspeed indicator, attitude indicator, vertical speed indicator, turn coordinator, heading indicator, altimeter, and tachometer plus one or two VORs and possibly ADF or GPS. That's it. The emphasis will be strongly on flying by looking out the window, not at the instruments.

Finally, in a training airplane-or any other aircraft-you don't have the option to pause the program if you find yourself overloaded with information or struggling with a maneuver. As long as you're in the air, you have no choice but to keep flying.

Keeping that in mind, I hope you will pursue your certificate. You have an excellent head start on the knowledge required to fly, and earning a certificate seems to be a logical extension of the career you obviously enjoy.