Learn what a flight simulator instructor teaches, how sessions run, what they assess, and when simulator time can count towards pilot training.
In real-world aviation training, a flight simulator instructor teaches and assesses pilots in a simulated cockpit. They brief the lesson, configure the aircraft and weather, monitor handling and procedures, introduce failures or ATC complications, coach decision-making and crew coordination, then debrief performance. In regulated training, they also record completion against an approved syllabus.
The instructor's job before, during and after a session
A simulator lesson normally has five stages, and the instructor remains responsible for keeping each stage relevant to the training objective.
- Brief the exercise: The instructor explains the scenario, learning objectives, expected procedures and performance standards. During an assessment, they should also make clear what assistance will or will not be available.
- Configure the simulator: They select the aircraft state, fuel and payload, airport, runway, weather, visibility, traffic and system condition. The available controls depend on the differences between home simulators, training devices and full-flight simulators.
- Observe the flight: The instructor watches aircraft control, instrument scanning, checklist use, radio work and compliance with standard operating procedures. An instructor station may provide flight-path plots, event markers and controls for repositioning or freezing the exercise.
- Control the scenario: At the appropriate moment, the instructor can change weather, provide simulated ATC messages or introduce a system failure. Good instruction uses failures to test a defined skill rather than piling unrelated problems onto the pilot.
- Debrief and record: After the exercise, the instructor asks the pilot to assess their own performance, identifies causes rather than symptoms, and agrees on corrective practice. Where the course requires it, they record completion, results and any remedial training needed.
What skills does a simulator instructor teach?
A flight simulator instructor teaches procedures and judgement as well as aircraft handling. The exact content depends on the pilot's experience, aircraft type and course.
- Normal operations: cockpit preparation, flows, checklists, take-off, navigation, approach, landing and shutdown.
- Instrument flying: scan discipline, altitude and heading control, radio navigation, automation management and instrument approaches.
- Abnormal and emergency procedures: rejected take-offs, engine failures, unreliable indications, electrical or hydraulic faults, diversions and go-arounds.
- Decision-making: identifying threats, choosing when to continue or discontinue an approach, managing fuel and avoiding rushed actions.
- Crew coordination: task sharing, briefings, call-outs, cross-checking and communication between pilots, cabin crew and ATC.
The instructor must also prevent negative transfer: learning a habit that works in the simulator but is wrong in the aircraft. They should identify limitations in control feel, visibility, system modelling or avionics behaviour instead of presenting every simulated response as exact.
Is a simulator instructor the same as an examiner?
An instructor primarily develops performance; an examiner or authorised check pilot decides whether the required standard has been met. One person may hold both qualifications, but the role for that particular session should be declared beforehand.
| Activity | Training session | Check or assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Build or correct skills | Verify competence |
| Instructor intervention | Coaching, pausing and repeating are normal | Assistance is limited by the checking rules |
| Use of failures | May be demonstrated and repeated | Presented according to the approved check profile |
| Outcome | Progress, remediation or lesson completion | Pass, fail or another formal result |
A common mistake is assuming that any instructor can conduct a licensing test. Examination authority is separate and depends on the regulator, operator and type of check.
Can simulator instruction count towards a pilot licence?
Simulator training counts towards a licence, rating or recurrent requirement only when the applicable rules permit it. The device must have the required approval, the exercise must fall within an accepted course or allowance, and the instructor must hold the necessary qualification or operator authorisation.
There is no single worldwide qualification called simply “flight simulator instructor”. Depending on the jurisdiction and operation, the person may be a flight instructor, type-rating instructor, synthetic flight instructor, operator-qualified simulator instructor or check pilot. Our explanation of approved flight training devices and supervised simulator sessions covers the distinction between useful practice and creditable training.
Consumer software alone does not make time loggable. Even where familiar simulation software forms part of an approved installation, credit attaches to the complete approved device, authorised instructor and permitted exercise—not merely to the software title.
Can an instructor help with a home flight simulator?
A knowledgeable instructor can make home simulation far more disciplined, but ordinary home-simulator time generally should not be treated as formal flight training credit. It is best used for checklist practice, cockpit orientation, instrument procedures, radio phraseology and rehearsing the sequence of a lesson.
The instructor should configure controls before teaching, confirm that instruments and avionics behave plausibly, and avoid using poor control feel to judge fine handling. Our guide to using a home simulator without learning bad habits explains where professional guidance adds the most value.
What should you expect from a good simulator instructor?
A good instructor sets a measurable objective, creates a realistic scenario and explains exactly how performance will be judged. The debrief should identify what happened, why it happened and what the pilot should do differently next time.
- Failures are introduced at realistic times and for a clear training reason.
- Pausing or repositioning is used to teach efficiently, not to erase every mistake before it develops.
- Aircraft manuals, checklists and operator procedures take priority over personal shortcuts.
- Technical limitations of the simulator are stated plainly.
- Training and checking are kept distinct, so the pilot knows when coaching is available.
Random failures, constant instructor intervention and criticism without a corrective technique are warning signs. Effective simulator instruction is controlled practice: the scenario creates pressure, but every event serves the lesson rather than trying to catch the pilot out.